What differs between them
- Blocks — everyone in a block of N plays N−1 games; the count is fixed and the whole order of play can be printed before the event. A block of N costs N×(N−1)÷2 games of lawn time.
- Swiss — N rounds — everyone plays exactly N games, but each round's pairings depend on the results so far, so the order of play can't be printed in advance.
- Flexible Swiss — no fixed rounds and no fixed game count; pairings are made live from the console whenever a lawn frees. A Minimum games setting defines eligibility to win.
- Straight knockout — half the field is eliminated each round; without a plate, a first-round loser plays one game. Plates and placement brackets change that.
- Burridge Swiss — Swiss qualifying that feeds a knockout at a set number of wins, per Croquet England regulation F8. The tool tracks qualification and the regulation's legality checks as you set rounds and targets. The option appears only when it's enabled for your account.
The mechanics of setting each one up are on Format.
Fitting it to your lawns
An event is a budget: lawns × hours ÷ minutes per game. The split picker does the block arithmetic for you — the ★ marks the split the tool recommends (block sizes closest to 7) — and generating the schedule reports anything that didn't fit the lawns and days you've given it.
What follows block play
Then what? — block standings decide, or a knockout follows. A knockout adds games beyond the block count (up to log₂ of the draw per qualifier), and the wizard's plate and placement options set what non-qualifiers play.
Splitting one field into two competitions (a Championship and a First Flight) is done on Format ▸ Competitions, with auto-assignment by rating.