What is a Bye?
A "bye" is easily defined: it is what happens when you do not play a round in a chess tournament! For a variety of reasons, not all players are able to attend every round of a tournament.
How Much is a Bye Worth?
Byes can result in any of the three possible chess scores: 0, 1/2, or 1 point. It depends upon the situation...
Is a Round Robin Bye different than a swiss-system Bye?
In round robin tournaments, where everyone plays everyone else, the organizers usually invite an even number of players so that there are no byes unless someone gets ill in the middle of the tournament. However, some round robins do have an odd number, so that one player cannot play each round. You can consider this a "bye" to the next round - it has no effect on your score - you just are not scheduled.
When is a Bye worth 1 Point? In "Open" tournaments where anyone can play, each section may have an odd or even number of players. Without going into the specifics of US Chess Federation rules, if there are an odd number of players ready to play, generally the player who has the least number of points with the lowest rating does not get paired and instead gets a 1 point bye.
How Many 1-Point Byes Can You Get?
Unless there are more rounds than players (rare), you can only get one 1-point bye per tournament. If you have missed a round due to a bye, then if there are still an odd number of players, you will play all the remaining rounds.
What About Half-Point Byes?
Many tournament organizers offer half-point byes for some of the rounds which you know in advance you cannot play. The main stipulation is that you have to tell the tournament director before a specific time, which varies according to the tournament.
Example: The tournament is six rounds and the tournament director offers 1/2 point byes for a total of up to two rounds. All 1/2 point byes for rounds 1-4 have to be requested at least one hour prior to the posted starting time of the round. Requests for a 1/2 point bye for either rounds 5 or 6 have to be requested before round 4 (to prevent someone who needs a draw to win the tournament from just taking a bye to win).
Do all tournaments offer 1/2 point byes for rounds you will miss?
Many do, but not all. The bye policy is usually put in the Tournament Life Announcement (TLA), if it is a USCF-rated tournament. Some less important tournaments may offer 1/2 point byes for all the rounds you cannot make.
What are 0-pt byes?
Zero point byes are given for rounds you cannot make, but do not qualify for a 1/2 point bye. These are different than forfeits, when a player does NOT tell the TD that he cannot make a round, and is paired but does not show up. Forfeits not only require the TD to withdraw a player from a tournament (not pair him for the next rounds), but also may subject the player to a small fine from the organizers next time the player wishes to play in one of their tournaments. Forfeits are considered bad sportsmanship. Both 0-pt byes and forfeits are worth 0 points, but after a 0 point bye (or any bye, for that matter), a player is continued to be paired until the tournament is over or he tells the tournament director he is withdrawing from the tournament.
What if you do have to withdraw from the tournament? Are you ineligible for prizes?
If you have to withdraw from the tournament, or know that you will not be playing the final N rounds, you should tell the tournament director as soon as you are aware that you will not be playing. The tournament director will then assign the proper bye value to the missed rounds and award the prizes based on your total.
Example: The tournament is seven rounds and the tournament director offers 1/2 point byes for a total of up to two rounds, but byes for rounds 6 and 7 have to be requested before round 5. You have a score of 2-2 and get ill. You tell the director after your fourth round that you have to leave. The director will give you two 1/2-point byes (the maximum) and one 0-point bye. You final score will be 3-4.
Are Byes Rated?
No, byes cannot be rated! The USCF rating system is a scientific method of determining playing strength. Rating an unplayed game is not a measure of strength, so of course byes cannot affect someone's rating.
A "bye" is easily defined: it is what happens when you do not play a round in a chess tournament! For a variety of reasons, not all players are able to attend every round of a tournament.
How Much is a Bye Worth?
Byes can result in any of the three possible chess scores: 0, 1/2, or 1 point. It depends upon the situation...
Is a Round Robin Bye different than a swiss-system Bye?
In round robin tournaments, where everyone plays everyone else, the organizers usually invite an even number of players so that there are no byes unless someone gets ill in the middle of the tournament. However, some round robins do have an odd number, so that one player cannot play each round. You can consider this a "bye" to the next round - it has no effect on your score - you just are not scheduled.
When is a Bye worth 1 Point? In "Open" tournaments where anyone can play, each section may have an odd or even number of players. Without going into the specifics of US Chess Federation rules, if there are an odd number of players ready to play, generally the player who has the least number of points with the lowest rating does not get paired and instead gets a 1 point bye.
How Many 1-Point Byes Can You Get?
Unless there are more rounds than players (rare), you can only get one 1-point bye per tournament. If you have missed a round due to a bye, then if there are still an odd number of players, you will play all the remaining rounds.
What About Half-Point Byes?
Many tournament organizers offer half-point byes for some of the rounds which you know in advance you cannot play. The main stipulation is that you have to tell the tournament director before a specific time, which varies according to the tournament.
Example: The tournament is six rounds and the tournament director offers 1/2 point byes for a total of up to two rounds. All 1/2 point byes for rounds 1-4 have to be requested at least one hour prior to the posted starting time of the round. Requests for a 1/2 point bye for either rounds 5 or 6 have to be requested before round 4 (to prevent someone who needs a draw to win the tournament from just taking a bye to win).
Do all tournaments offer 1/2 point byes for rounds you will miss?
Many do, but not all. The bye policy is usually put in the Tournament Life Announcement (TLA), if it is a USCF-rated tournament. Some less important tournaments may offer 1/2 point byes for all the rounds you cannot make.
What are 0-pt byes?
Zero point byes are given for rounds you cannot make, but do not qualify for a 1/2 point bye. These are different than forfeits, when a player does NOT tell the TD that he cannot make a round, and is paired but does not show up. Forfeits not only require the TD to withdraw a player from a tournament (not pair him for the next rounds), but also may subject the player to a small fine from the organizers next time the player wishes to play in one of their tournaments. Forfeits are considered bad sportsmanship. Both 0-pt byes and forfeits are worth 0 points, but after a 0 point bye (or any bye, for that matter), a player is continued to be paired until the tournament is over or he tells the tournament director he is withdrawing from the tournament.
What if you do have to withdraw from the tournament? Are you ineligible for prizes?
If you have to withdraw from the tournament, or know that you will not be playing the final N rounds, you should tell the tournament director as soon as you are aware that you will not be playing. The tournament director will then assign the proper bye value to the missed rounds and award the prizes based on your total.
Example: The tournament is seven rounds and the tournament director offers 1/2 point byes for a total of up to two rounds, but byes for rounds 6 and 7 have to be requested before round 5. You have a score of 2-2 and get ill. You tell the director after your fourth round that you have to leave. The director will give you two 1/2-point byes (the maximum) and one 0-point bye. You final score will be 3-4.
Are Byes Rated?
No, byes cannot be rated! The USCF rating system is a scientific method of determining playing strength. Rating an unplayed game is not a measure of strength, so of course byes cannot affect someone's rating.