Nothing in TurnuvaGo locks arbitrarily. A step locks once something else has been built on its output, because changing it silently would make everything above it inconsistent.
The typical chain of locks
- Draw participants confirmed → the team list for that stage is fixed, and stages can no longer be added to or removed from the format.
- Draw made official → seeding and pot layout can no longer change.
- Fixtures generated → the draw can no longer be undone.
- The first official match of a stage has started → that stage’s win/draw/loss point values are fixed.
- The first official match of the tournament has started → player rosters lock automatically (default “Roster locking” setting; the draw and the fixtures do not close rosters, and a roster set to “Open” stays open until the manager closes it). A closed roster cannot be reopened.
- Results entered → the sporting record is preserved.
- Tournament completed → the tournament cannot be reopened and becomes read-only; it is not deleted automatically and stays visible in the history. You can download its reports for the period your package defines from the completion date (90 days by default).
- Tournament archived → the whole tournament becomes read-only (see below).
My tournament was archived — why can’t I change anything?
Archiving means “no more operations happen in this tournament”; it does not mean “nobody can see it any more”. An archived tournament’s public page, fixtures, results and standings stay visible, and you can still see everything in the management screens — but you cannot change settings, teams, rosters, the draw, fixtures, match results, penalties or referee assignments. Whether the tournament is in preparation, in progress or completed is not changed by archiving.
- Archiving is a platform operation; tournament management cannot archive or unarchive a tournament. If you need to work on it again, contact platform support: the lock is lifted when the tournament is taken out of the archive.
- A tournament with a match currently in progress (live) cannot be archived; the match is finished or properly ended first.
- A tournament with a match currently in progress (live) cannot be moved to the Trash either; finish or suspend (postpone) the matches in progress first. The rule is the same for the organiser and for platform management.
- Match locks in short: a match that has started cannot be cancelled; if it cannot be completed it is suspended (“Postponed”); a match still live after 4 hours is suspended by the system; a cancelled match has no result and its events cannot be changed afterwards. “Undo start”, Correction Mode, “Resume match”, “Complete match” and forfeit results are explained in the “How do I run matches?” guide.
- A scheduled draw whose time arrives while the tournament is archived is not drawn; you need to schedule it again after the tournament leaves the archive. Match reminders are not sent while archived either.
- The Trash is different from the archive: a tournament in the Trash is outside normal use — its management and player screens do not open, and pending team invitations for it are not shown until the tournament is restored (the invitation is not deleted). You move a tournament to the Trash with a single confirmation window that shows its name and what will happen; you do not have to type the name again or enter your password. A restored tournament continues where it left off. The Trash is not a permanent archive: you can restore a tournament within 90 days of moving it there; when the period ends, the tournament and its data are permanently deleted. The organiser is warned once, 7 days before deletion, and the remaining time is shown in the list.
How to go back: unwind the chain
Instead of forcing a lock, you remove the layer above it. If the draw will not undo because fixtures exist, reset the fixtures first, then undo the draw. If seeding will not change because the draw is official, undo the draw first. To add or remove a stage, unwind the whole chain: reset the fixtures, undo the draw and reopen the participants. Having approved the format does not block this on its own.
Undo operations remove real data. Resetting fixtures deletes that stage’s matches. Once a result has been entered the path back closes — the sporting record is not deleted.
Does deleted information come back?
Draw history and audit records are never deleted. Even if you undo a draw, that draw stays on record; “Undo Draw” only removes the currently official result.