Does a tournament start on it's stated starting date if all the places are not filled? (and would this entail some players getting a 'bye' through to the next round of a knockout tourney?)
Q - Does a tournament start on it's stated starting date if all the places are not filled?
A - No. The stated starting date has no meaning. A tournament either auto-starts when full or is started manually by the tournament director when full or when there are at least three registrants. You will find some "end of the internet" tournaments on the list of upcoming tournaments.
Q - and would this entail some players getting a 'bye' through to the next round of a knockout tourney?
A - If there is an odd number of active players in a tournament with groups of maximum size two, the player exactly in the middle of the ratings when the round starts gets a bye.
Does a tournament start on it's stated starting date if all the places are not filled? (and would this entail some players getting a 'bye' through to the next round of a knockout tourney?)