Substitutions, standings, and fair event handling
Americano Pulse is designed so that live changes do not rewrite what has already happened. If a player is replaced mid-event, the outgoing player keeps the scores, results, and rating movement from the rounds they already played. The replacement player only takes over from the chosen round onward.
That means a substitute does not inherit earlier points. The event record stays honest: the original player is credited for their part of the session, and the replacement player is credited only for the matches they actually play.
How substitutions work
When an organiser applies a substitution, the change only affects incomplete fixtures from the selected round onward. Completed rounds are locked and remain attached to the players who actually played them. In fixed-team formats, the replacement joins the remaining team structure rather than forcing the whole draw to be rebuilt.
If both the original player and the replacement took part in the same event at different stages, both can appear in the final standings. That is intentional. It reflects the truth of the session instead of blending two players into one line item.
What counts in standings
By default, event standings can be ordered by the organiser, but the default logic is total points first, then point difference, then wins. That mirrors the most common Americano approach, where every point matters across the full session. If a substitute enters midway through an event, they start building their own standing from zero in that event because they only played the remaining fixtures.
What counts in ELO
ELO changes are applied only to the players listed on the actual fixture that was completed. A substitute therefore gains or loses ELO only from the matches they personally played. The outgoing player keeps the ELO movement they earned or lost before being replaced. No one inherits rating movement that came from somebody else's matches.
How odd numbers stay fair
Classic events work best in groups divisible by 4, but real sessions are rarely perfect. When a player count does not divide cleanly, the platform uses rotational bench handling so the burden of sitting out is shared instead of landing on the same person repeatedly. In team formats with an odd number of pairs, one pair rotates off each round as fairly as possible.
The goal is practical fairness: keep the event playable, rotate off-court time, and preserve a believable competitive structure without pretending that a broken attendance list is mathematically perfect.
Walkovers and no-shows
If a fixture cannot be played because of a no-show or late withdrawal, organisers can record a walkover. That keeps the event moving and leaves a visible record of how the result was entered. Walkovers are not hidden as normal scored matches.
What we consider fair by default
These are the principles the platform follows by default: completed matches stay locked, substitutes affect only the future, standing lines reflect who actually played, rating changes follow the real fixture participants, and off-court time rotates when headcounts are awkward. Organisers can still use common sense, but the system tries to protect the truth of the event first.