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Running GameQ

Start a GameQ

How to run open play on GameQ: build the roster, check players in, split into levels, start the games, send each game to a court and tap the winner. Every matching style explained.

  1. 1. Start a session

    • Open GameQ and give the session a name. No sign in needed.
    • Pick how long it runs, how many courts you have, doubles or singles, and a matching style. The style's instructions show as you pick it, and you can change it later.
    • Courts start as Court 1, Court 2 and so on. Playing on the venue's Courts 5 and 6? Tap a court's name on the run screen and type 5, or a name like Center. Every screen shows the new name.
    • You get a private run link. Keep it: anyone with it can run the session, so share it only with people helping you.
    Start a session: name it, pick the length, courts and a matching style.

  2. 2. Build the roster

    • Add players as they sign up or arrive: type a name and press Enter to add a guest. Type @ and their handle to add an OpenCourt player, so their results save to their profile.
    • Paste a list from a group chat, one name per line. Numbers and bullets are fine. A copied Reclub event works too, or tap Import from Reclub and paste its link.
    • Hosting an open play? Tap Start GameQ in its Host tools and the session starts linked, with its players on the roster. For a tournament, sign in and link it to add its players in one tap.
    • You can add players at any time. Once games have started, anyone you add is checked in straight away.
    • A name spelled wrong, or shown as the start of an email? Tap the name, then Rename. It changes in this session only, on the board, the TV and the voice.
    Build the roster. Check players in as they arrive.

  3. 3. Check players in

    • Adding a player doesn't put them in a game. Tap Check in when they arrive, or Check in all. With teams or levels, each one lists who's checked in and who isn't here yet: tap a name to check it in.
    • Or open Settings, turn on self check-in and show the check-in QR: players scan it and check themselves in. When the session has levels, they pick theirs too.
    • Taking a break or leaving early? Check them out. They keep their results and aren't picked until they check in again.
    • Mixed doubles? Each player's gender shows on the roster, with Gender not set for anyone missing it: tap it to set Male or Female. Players checking themselves in are asked once, and signed-in players can set it on their profile.
    • Two who came to play together? Tap a player's menu, then Lock partner, and pick who. They always play on the same team, and share one level or Team battle team. If one checks out, the other plays with anyone until they're back. Not in singles.
    Build the roster. Check players in as they arrive.

  4. 4. Split into levels (optional)

    • Mixed crowd? Give each level its own courts. Tap Add the DUPR levels: it shows who falls in each level first, adds only the levels someone is in, and shares the courts by headcount. Or add your own named levels.
    • Each level lists its players. Tap a level's name to rename it, or its bin to remove it. Pick each level's courts: a court belongs to one level at a time.
    • Players with a skill level, on their profile or set here, are placed for you. Drag anyone else into a level by the grip beside their name, or tap their name and pick the level.
    • Games never mix levels and only go to their level's courts. Skip this and everyone plays as one group.
    • Skill separated on 2 or more courts starts with two levels for you: Beginner (under 3.0) and Intermediate (3.0 and up), the courts split between them. Anyone with no skill level plays in Beginner until you move them.
    Split the session into levels, each with its own courts.

  5. 5. Start the games

    • When enough players are here, tap Start games at the top. Settings open to check the session first: the matching style, courts, time, max time per game, scores and the games limit. Tap Start the games when it looks right, or Not yet. Nothing is picked before that, so early arrivals don't get games ahead of the group.
    • From then on, Up next picks each court's next game as it frees up, so every game uses the latest results and everyone waiting.
    • While every court plays, Up next stays empty. Skill separated and singles still keep one game ready. Tap Pick it now to give the next players a heads-up, or turn on Always pick the next game ahead in Settings. Changed your mind? Put back returns that game's players to their places.
    • Not ready for an Up next game? Tap Put back on it, in any style. It shows when someone is waiting to play instead. Another game takes its place and its players wait at the back of the line, with no game counted. In King of the court and Ladder, a pair waiting at a court keeps its spot.
    Start the games when you're ready. Nothing is picked before that.

  6. 6. Run the courts

    • Tap a court button on an Up next game to send it there. Sent the wrong one? Tap Take off on that court, then tap again: nothing is recorded and the game goes back to the top of Up next.
    • When a game ends, tap the team that won and enter the score: the winners' starts at what games are played to, the losers' at 0, with More for a longer game. Save with the score on the button. In Winner only, it's one question instead: who won, then Confirm. Everyone who played goes back in line, and the first Up next game that fits goes on that court by itself.
    • Want to send each game yourself? Turn off Auto-send at the top of Up next. Turn it back on and every open court takes its next game.
    • Each court has its buttons under the game: Score, Mix teams, Move to another open court, and Take off. Made a mistake with a result? Undo it on that court.
    • Got an older result wrong? Open the Match log beside Standings: change the score right there, swap the winner in one tap, or fix the teams. No game is ever deleted, and fixes are open until the session ends.
    • Set Max games per player on the start form or in Settings, and anyone who reaches it is checked out and no longer picked. They're listed under Reached, where you can check one in again to let them play on.
    • Want games to keep moving? Set Max time per game on the start form or in Settings: 8, 10, 12, 15 or 20 minutes, or Custom from 5 to 60. Each court counts down. When time runs out it shows Time's up on every screen, and the TV says so. Nothing ends by itself: enter the score and the team ahead wins.
    • Tied when time runs out? Play one more rally: one serve, played until someone misses. Whoever wins it wins the game, even if they didn't serve. The team that received first in the game serves it. Then enter the final score. The GameQ rules explain why.
    • Another court open, or the court time runs longer? Open Settings and tap Add a court, +30 min or +1 h, or Change to take a court or time away. It shows what changes before you save. A court only comes off when no game is on it. The matching style and the rest of the session's settings are there too.
    Send the next game to a court and tap the team that won.

  7. 7. Run Up next your way

    • Every Up next game has its own buttons. With Auto-send on, Play next moves it to the top, so it goes on the next open court. Mix teams splits the same players another way. Shuffle picks a new game from the line. Remove takes it off, and its players keep their places. Shuffle all picks every game again. Each one shows Undo right where it happened.
    • Want to pick the games yourself? Tap Stop picking at the top of Up next. The games there stay, and nothing new is picked until you tap Start picking. Tap New game to pick the players by hand: GameQ splits them so partners repeat least. Players see that the organizer is picking.
    • Tap a name in a game for that player's options. Swap for someone waiting, or Take out, keep the spot open. An open spot shows Fill spot, and that game isn't sent until it's full.
    • In a waiting player's options, Move to the front puts them in the next game picked, and Move to the back puts them behind everyone. Skip the next game lets them rest a game without losing their place. Their Player page says so.
    • When two players in a game have met already this session, the game lists them under Met before, each pair with a chip for the times they were partners and one for the times they were opponents. Only you see it. Swap, Fill spot and New game list who each waiting player has played with, fewest repeats first.
    Run Up next your way: stop picking, take a player out, fill the spot, and undo.

  8. 8. Players follow along

    • Tap Share for the Player page and its QR. Players see who's on court, what's next and about how long until they play.
    • Put the TV screen on the court's TV. It shows each level's courts in the green Court look. Switch it to Light or Dark from Share.
    • Every result flashes up on the TV and the Player page with confetti: the court, the winners and the score. It closes by itself after a few seconds.
    • Players can send their own game's score from the Player page. It counts once both sides match. If they don't, the court shows Settle the score for you.
    • Sound has its own tab in Settings: turn on Sound on the TV, pick a voice, and tap the TV once. Start games plays the party music, welcomes everyone and lets the games begin. Each winner is announced, with the crowd's cheer if you turn it on, and each game is called to its court twice.
    • Tap Call again on a court when its players missed the call, or Get ready on an Up next game to tell its players to prepare. Turn on Waiting music for a party loop between announcements.
    • Left the page? Open GameQ again: the sessions you opened on your phone are listed at the top. On another phone, type the 6-letter code from the TV screen.
    • A helper running it with you? Share has the Run QR, with a red band that says it isn't for players, and Copy run link. Stop old links makes a new run link, so an old one stops working.
    Players follow along on their phones from a QR code, and see when they play next.

  9. 9. Finish

    • Tap End session. It asks first, and while a game is still on court it sends you to that court to enter the result instead. The final standings name the champion over the podium, then rank by most wins, then the better win rate, then point differential (points scored minus points given up), then strength: how often the opponents each player faced won their other games. Every name shows its strength, and a player with fewer than 3 games shows a dash below the ranked ones. How ranking works
    • Skill separated with levels ranks each level on its own: each has its own 1st, 2nd and 3rd.
    • Tap a name for Why this rank: what put them there in one sentence, how they compare with the player next to them, when they were there and every game. Back to standings returns to the list.
    • Share results sends a picture of the night with a code that opens the full results. Each player can send their own from their card.
    • Ended too soon? Reopen session on the run screen within 24 hours and play picks up from the standings. A session past its time gets 1 more hour.
    • Every player gets a result card to share. Players checked in as themselves see their GameQ record on their profile.
    • Done for today? When every court has been free with nothing happening for 15 minutes, or a game has been on a court for 1 hour, a bar at the top asks you to end the session. Keep going hides it until things go quiet again. Signed in, you also get a notice on your phone.
    • Forgot to end it? A session ends itself an hour after its set length, or after 6 hours with no activity.
    Every player gets a result card to share.

  10. On the court's TV

    Team battle

    Pick Team battle as the matching style and make 2 to 5 teams: everyone is dealt into them evenly. Split at random or Balance by rating deals them again. Drag a name by its grip to another team, or tap it to check it in, move it, set its skill, rename it or remove it. Tap a team's name to rename it. Each game puts two players from one team against two from another, every pairing of teams in turn. Everyone plays the same number of games, set by you or worked out from the session length, and every win counts for the team. Once the first team game is on court the teams are set: move one player at a time. Anyone who joins later goes to the smallest team.

Matching styles

The style decides who plays whom. Pick it when you start, and change it any time from the run screen.

  • How it's played

    Rotation

    Everyone takes turns in the order they checked in.

    1. Players join the line as they check in.
    2. When a court frees up, the player who has waited longest plays, with the people they have played with or against least.
    3. Each game puts two who won their last game with two who lost, one of each on a side, so a winner can carry a loser.
    4. Everyone who played goes to the back of the line. In a small group, two players may stay on for one more game with new faces.

    Good for: Mixed groups who want plenty of games and to meet new players.

  • How it's played

    Balanced

    Whoever has played least goes first, with new partners each game.

    1. The line puts players with the fewest games at the front, so late arrivals catch up.
    2. Each game puts together players who have played with or against each other least, and partners change.
    3. Each side gets one winner and one loser from their last game, so winners don't keep playing winners. Among those, the two sides are as even by skill level as they can be.
    4. Winners and losers both go to the back of the line. In a small group, two players may stay on for one more game with new faces.

    Good for: Most open play sessions. It keeps court time equal.

  • How it's played

    King of the court

    Winners stay on their court. Losers step off and the next pair in line challenges.

    1. Each court starts with a game from the front of the line.
    2. The winning pair stays on that court. The losing pair goes to the back of the line.
    3. The next pair in line challenges the winners. Hold the court for as long as you can.

    Good for: Competitive players who enjoy playing under pressure.

  • How it's played

    Round robin

    A new partner and new opponents every game, as far as the group allows.

    1. Each game takes the players near the front of the line who have met least.
    2. They are split so nobody repeats a partner or an opponent if it can be helped, with a winner and a loser on each side.
    3. Wins add up in the standings, and the table shows who played best.

    Good for: Groups who want a winner at the end without a full tournament.

  • How it's played

    Ladder

    Win to move up a court, lose to move down, until you find players at your level.

    1. Court 1 is the top court. New players start on the bottom court.
    2. After each game, the winning pair moves up one court and the losing pair moves down one.
    3. When 4 or more are waiting, the losing pair goes to the back of the line instead, and the front pair in line takes their place.
    4. Losers on the bottom court go back to the line. Pairs move together.

    Good for: Groups of mixed levels who want close, even games. Needs 2 or more courts.

  • How it's played

    Winners / losers

    Winners play other winners and losers play other losers.

    1. The first games come from the front of the line.
    2. After that, the next game groups players by their last result: winners with winners, losers with losers.
    3. Within a group, each game puts together the players who have met least, so the same four don't keep meeting.
    4. If a group is short, the line fills it so no court waits.

    Good for: Keeping games close as the session goes on.

  • How it's played

    Skill separated

    Games only put together players within half a point of each other.

    1. Players play at the skill level on their profile (DUPR scale). Set one for anyone without it when you add them.
    2. With 2 or more courts, the session starts with two levels on their own courts: Beginner (under 3.0) and Intermediate (3.0 and up). Anyone with no level plays in Beginner until moved.
    3. A game only forms from players within half a point of each other, 3.0 with 3.5 but not 4.0. Players with no level fit any game.
    4. Within that, each game puts together the players who have met least, so the same four don't keep meeting.
    5. Each side gets one winner and one loser from their last game, so winners don't keep playing winners.
    6. If no group fits, the court waits rather than mix levels.
    7. Each level ranks on its own, with its own 1st, 2nd and 3rd.

    Good for: Groups with a wide range of levels.

  • How it's played

    Team battle

    Teams take each other on. Your partner is from your team, your opponents from another.

    1. The organizer splits everyone into teams.
    2. Each game puts two players from one team against two from another team, a teammate who won their last game with one who lost, facing players they've met least. Every pairing of teams takes its turn.
    3. Everyone in a team plays the same number of games. The team with the most wins takes the night.

    Good for: Big groups who want a team night out of an open play.

  • How it's played

    Mixed doubles

    Each side is one male and one female player, with a new partner each game.

    1. Each player's gender is asked at check-in. Signed-in players set it once on their profile.
    2. The line puts players with the fewest games at the front. Each game puts together players who have played with or against each other least.
    3. Each side is one male and one female player, and no pair partners again until every pairing has played.
    4. With uneven numbers, a side may be two of the same gender, so no court waits. Players with no gender set fit either place.

    Good for: Mixed nights, and groups getting ready for mixed doubles.

GameQ is free. No sign in needed to run a session.

Start a GameQ

Credits: Arnyl Dean Omongos of The Dink Yard and the PickleLig club.