Knock-Out Tournaments

Does lichess have knock-out tournaments available online? For example if 64 players were taking part and played each other in groups of 4. In this example 16 groups. (6 games each, 3 as white and 3 as black) and then the winner of each group also played in groups of 4. This would be 4 groups in this example. The group winners this time would all play each other in one final group to determine the overall winner. By that time the winner would have played 18 games.

It would be a nice idea. I love it! Also direct elimination: example we are 64 players after 1 round we are 32 then 16 etc

i've been playing in chess.com for a while, and they don't have it too. The problem seems to be the draws. For instance if there is a draw, if you try to untie, it may lead to a round never ends (draw after draw) and all other players waiting. Chess.com makes both pass, but it makes the tournament a bit strange, let's say a group of 3 and a group of 2. It may be of course a group of 5, but imagine ties in all groups. Probably a group of 8 didn't work as intended. Make white have to win to pass the untie game, black pass with tie were a suggestion, but i don't know if for our average level, being white is such an advantage... Maybe someone have good ideas here for the tie problem.

The problem of draws in such a tournament is pretty easy to solve: Both players get five penalty kicks, whoever makes the most advances to the next round. If it's still level after five kicks, they go to sudden-death.

Many years ago it was used the flip the coin method. It can be done, but it is so unfair... Even there isn't rating loss, imagine to lose a tournament like that. It can goes by rating, higher always pass in ties. That way best players tend do go to final rounds. Weaker players may not like have to win to pass though. Pass the weaker seems odd. All would play for draws. And imagine for instance 1899 vs 1900. That's ridiculous go by rating...

I was obviously joking with the penalty shootout, but going back about 50 years, draws in football knockout tournaments were actually also decided by a coin flip (or picking a name out of a hat). It's an incredibly unsatisfying way to decide any contest. Italy won the European championship in 1968, but they only reached the final because they "won" a coin flip over the USSR after their semifinal ended goalless.

Like Carlsen and Caruana deciding the world title via blitz games after their classical match ended even, a penalty shootout is a disappointing way to settle a football game. But it's better than the most realistic and practical alternatives.

The problem is that in a world cup match you have all the time to play 10 games if needed until someone wins. Online it is too boring. Imagine a 15+15 min tournament. You finish your game in 15 min. Someone "always" use all the time 30 plus who knows. The game were drawish, gone to 100 moves so, more 50 min. So, almost 1.30 hour. Then it draw. Second game. Third? Fourth? Who wants to play like this online? Even it is only implemented on quick time controls, it remains being boring to the other players who are used to quick pairing. At least they may have to wait 15 or more minutes to play. Even if you spread a leg a day, a player may have time to play a game, but not 5 games in a row, so the forfits will skyrocket... This was discussed over and over in chess.com without any concensus.

It would be easy enough to implement on an Armageddon format (white has 5 min, black 4 min, if it a draw Black progresses).

But I don't know whether lichess or chess.com support Armageddon time controls.

@piscatorox it was talked back then in chess.com and it wasn't supported back then. Here i don't know. But, in your opinion, a 1500 player here (let's say it is an average rating), even with a minute plus and with white, can have advantage over a similar 1500 black player with less time? Can it work on in this amateur reality? It may be tested, may be a solution though...

The colors my be choosed by chance or by rating, for example, higher rating must play white and win. Prove he is better. I would like this....