Beat the Box is a singles format in which you split your participants into small groups, known as boxes. Within each box everyone plays against everyone else (a round-robin), and Slams keeps separate standings for each box. This gives you clear, evenly matched games, even with a large group. Beat the Box is often used as a competition running over several weeks, with promotion and relegation between the boxes.
How Beat the Box works in Slams
Every participant plays individually. You add players as individual participants, and Slams distributes them across the boxes through a random draw. The default box size is 8, but you can change this. Within a box, everyone plays one match against each other player. Slams automatically creates the full schedule, plans the courts and times, and makes sure nobody has to play on two courts at once (not even across boxes).
Because it is a singles format, matches played count towards the player rating. You can read more about this in DSS rating explained.
Scores and standings
You enter a Beat the Box match as a single games result per side, for example 6-4. Draws are allowed: in that case both players get a point. The standings per box award 3 points for a win, 1 for a draw and 0 for a loss. When players are level on points, the games difference is used (games for minus games against), followed by the number of games won. The standings table shows the columns Played, Won, Lost, difference (+/-) and Points for each box. See also Entering scores and How standings work.
Promotion and relegation
Beat the Box is perfectly suited to a competition running over several weeks, where the best players move up a box after each period and the lowest players drop down a box. Slams draws the boxes and keeps the standings per box up to date automatically. Moving players between boxes for a new period is something you handle yourself: adjust the participants and draw the boxes again for the next round. This way the level within each box naturally gets closer and closer over time.
Playing along and self-scoring
Participants can enter the scores themselves through a score-entry link for each match. Share that link, or let players fill in the match without having to log in. See Sharing the score-entry link. On match day you can track who is present through the check-in, and show the live standings on a screen with the TV screen.
Does someone withdraw during the tournament? The matches already played still count for their opponents, and only that player's matches that have not been played yet are dropped. A mistake can be undone.
Not sure whether Beat the Box is the right format? Take a look at Choosing a format or the public overview on the Beat the Box page.
