How to fill in a badminton umpire scoresheet: the BWF method for singles and doubles

Published 14 November 2026 · 11 min read

The tool for this guide: Open the badminton score counter

Short answer

On a BWF badminton scoresheet you write L and R after the toss, an S and 0 on the first server's line, then one new score per column, on the line of whoever serves next: the rally winner in singles, the serving member of the winning pair in doubles. The entry farthest right shows who is serving.

What the paper scoresheet is for

A badminton scoresheet is the umpire's written record of a match: who served, who won every rally and what unusual events happened. The Badminton World Federation's Umpires' Manual Level 1 (a copy of the BWF document, Section 7, pages 32 to 42) says the sheet is "most commonly used from local up to national tournaments, and even in many international tournaments", and that the Level 2 manual covers electronic scoring. This guide follows the paper method.

The sheet also keeps the service order. The manual's point is that by glancing at the entry farthest to the right the umpire can see who is serving, so the sheet corrects the umpire's memory instead of relying on it.

Before the match: the header, the toss and the first entries

Fill in the court number and the umpire's name, and the service judge's if there is one, unless the sheet is pre-printed. The manual says to add the start time just before the call of "Love all. Play.", and to note the number of feather shuttles used in the "Shuttles" space if the event asks for it.

If the players' names and countries, regions or clubs are not pre-printed, write them at the top and down the side columns. After the toss, write L beside the player or pair who will start on the umpire's left and R beside the one starting on the right.

The entries made before the first rally, in order
Step	What you write	Where
1	Court, umpire, service judge, start time	Top right of the sheet
2	Names and countries or clubs	Top, and down the side columns
3	L and R after the toss	Beside each name at the top
4	S for the first server	On the server's line, in the first square, before the bold line
5	0 for each side	In the first squares after the bold line
6	R for the first receiver (doubles only)	On the receiver's line, with that line's 0

The 0 entries are the one time two scores sit in the same column. After that the rule is one number per column.

Singles: one number per column, on the winner's row

Write each new score in the next column, on the row of the player who won the rally. In the manual's example Nozomi Okuhara serves and wins, so her 1 goes in the next column on her row; P.V. Sindhu wins the next, so her 1 goes in the following column on hers.

Because every point takes a new column, the entry farthest right is always the latest point, and its row is the server. The manual works it through: with Sindhu's 2 as the last entry against Okuhara's 3, Sindhu is serving, and as her score is even she serves from the right service court. In the earlier position, Okuhara on 3 against 1 was serving from the left, because 3 is odd.

Reading the sheet to find the server and the court (singles)
Last entry	Server	Service court
Even score	The player whose row holds it	Right
Odd score	The player whose row holds it	Left

When a game runs past the end of the first set of rows, carry on in the second set from the bold line to the right, leaving out the column where the S goes. The manual's game reaches 21-19 on a second set of rows.

Doubles: the point goes on the line of the next server

Doubles uses the same principles with one difference that matters more than any other on the sheet: the score goes on the line of the player who will serve next, whichever partner hit the winning shot. Each side has two lines. The S goes by the one player who serves first, and the initial receiver is marked R, with a 0 on each of their lines.

The manual's example: Tan Wee Kiong (S, 0) serves to Mathias Boe (R, 0). The Malaysian pair win the rally, so Tan serves again, now from the left, and the 1 goes on his line. If the Danish pair then win, the point is written on Carsten Mogensen's line, because the pair have not changed court positions and he is on the left; the score is odd, so he serves. When the Malaysians win at 4, Goh V Shem serves, because Tan last served from the left.

After six rallies, Tan's three points, Mogensen's two and Goh's 4 each sit on the line of the partner who served that point, and a Danish win next would put their third point on Boe's line.

Do not follow the shot. The manual says it does not matter which partner hits the winner, only that the pair won the rally; writing the point on the line of whoever hit it would stop the sheet showing who serves next, which is the one thing the umpire reads from it.

The full run in the manual, ending at 8 points for the Danes and 9 for the Malaysians, is this:

The manual's doubles example after the practice sequence (entries in the order scored on each line)
Line	Entries
Mathias Boe (R)	0, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8
Carsten Mogensen	1, 2, 7
Goh V Shem	4, 7, 8, 9
Tan Wee Kiong (S)	0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 6

From it the manual reads the next rally off the sheet: Boe is about to serve at 8 points, so he is on the right. Goh served from the left at 9, so Tan is on the right and receives.

Intervals, the end of a game and a new game

When a game ends, write the final score and circle it just to the right of the last point. In the interval between games, also copy the game score to the top of the sheet, beside the names. The manual's first game is written 21 : 19.

The next game starts at love all with a new S: the manual's Okuhara won the first game, so she serves the second, and Sindhu, who won the second, serves the third. The sheet reads the same way at an interval: at 11 points the umpire can see from the sheet who serves and from which court when play restarts.

In the manual's 21-point games, if a game reaches 20-all, the manual's mark for an extended game is a diagonal line through the next available column, and the scores then run on one per column, as 18 19 20 21 22 against 17 18 19 20 in its illustration.

What to write at each stage after play starts
Stage	Entry
Each rally	The new score in the next column, on the next server's line
20-all	A diagonal line through the next available column
Game won	Final score, circled, right of the last point
Interval after a game	Game score copied to the top of the sheet
New game	S and 0 on the previous winner's line, 0 on the other
Match won	Final game score at the top, winner circled, end time, duration, shuttles

Warnings, faults, injuries and other events

Anything that would help a referee re-create the match goes on the sheet, in two parts: a capital letter in the scoring rows at the point it happened, on the line of the player concerned, and a note at the bottom (or the back) explaining what occurred.

The abbreviations in Section 7 of the BWF Level 1 Umpires' Manual
Entry	Meaning	Note
W	Player warned for misconduct (yellow card)	Explain the misconduct
F	Player faulted for misconduct (red card)	Used with R; the opposing side scores the point
I	Player injured	Record the delay if timed
R	Referee called on court	Usually together with F or I
S	Play suspended for any reason	For example a power outage
Ret	Player retired	The umpire asks, "Are you retiring?"
Dis	Player disqualified (black card)	Only the referee decides

The manual's singles example is a warning to Player Y for delaying the game at 10-9 and X serving. The W goes in the next free space on Y's line, and when Y wins the rally the 10 goes in the space after it. When Y is then faulted, an F and an R go in the next space, and the new score of 15 for Player X goes in the next space after that. In its doubles example, Player C's scraped knee is an I and an R on C's line, and the note records that the game was delayed for 3 minutes 34 seconds. If C later retires, the top of the sheet shows the scores to that point and Ret against the player's name.

For the procedures for the cards themselves, the manual sends umpires to the Instructions to Technical Officials (ITTO); the sheet only records them. It also says the umpire should start a stopwatch to time a delay.

Finishing the match

At the end, write the final game's score at the top (the manual's finished match reads 21 : 19, 18 : 21, 22 : 20), circle the winner, enter the "End match" time and calculate the duration, and note the shuttles used with the service judge. Then check the sheet is in order, sign it at the bottom and take it to the referee for approval.

Practise on the manual's own sequences

The manual gives two exercises. Fill in a sheet, then check it against the entries below.

Practice sequence for singles (Okuhara serves first at love all)
Rallies won, in order	Okuhara's line	Sindhu's line
Sindhu, Sindhu	S 0	0 1 2
Okuhara three times	S 0 1 2 3	0 1 2
Sindhu five times	S 0 1 2 3	0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Okuhara once, Sindhu twice	S 0 1 2 3 4	0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Okuhara twice, Sindhu twice	S 0 1 2 3 4 5 6	0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

That is Okuhara 6, Sindhu 11, with Sindhu serving from the left, which is the position the manual reads off in its check. The doubles exercise continues from the point where the Malaysians lead 4-3, and its answer is the doubles table above.

A note on 15-point games

The manual's examples are 21-point games. The counter page on this site records that the BWF's 3x15 scoring system comes into force on 4 January 2027; the way the sheet is filled in (one score per column, on the next server's line) does not depend on the game length, but the score at which a game ends and the point at which an extended game begins will. Check the competition's regulations for which system a given event uses.

Where a sheet and a counter differ

A counter gives you the score and the server; the sheet gives you the history, which is why a referee asks for it. The badminton score counter follows the same rally-point rules and shows which side serves and from which service court, so it is a useful check on the sheet during a long match. It does not produce the sheet, record cards or write the notes, and a tournament will still ask for the paper or electronic scoresheet.

Frequently asked questions

How do you fill in a badminton scoresheet?

Add the court, umpire and start time, write L and R by the players' names after the toss, put an S on the server's line and a 0 after the bold line, then write each new score in the next column, one number per column. At the end, circle the final score, copy the game scores to the top, add the end time, sign it and take it to the referee (BWF Umpires' Manual Level 1, Section 7).

What does S mean on a badminton scoresheet?

S marks the server at the start of a game. It is written on the server's line in the very first square, before the bold line, after the toss. In doubles it goes next to the one player who serves first, and the initial receiver gets an R on their line. A new game begins with a new S, because the previous game's winner serves first.

Why is a doubles point written on the line of the player who serves next?

Because the sheet is also the record of who serves. In doubles both lines of a pair are used, and the score goes on the line of the partner who will serve next, whichever of them hit the winner. The entry farthest to the right then tells the umpire which pair serves, and the odd or even score tells which player and which service court.

How do you mark an extended game in badminton scoring?

When a game reaches 20-all, the manual's mark for an extended game is a diagonal line through the next available column, after which the scores carry on one per column, as 18 19 20 21 22 against 17 18 19 20 in the manual's illustration. The final score is written and circled just to the right of the last point, as in any other game.

What do W, F, I, R and S mean on a badminton scoresheet?

W is a warning for misconduct (yellow card), F a fault for misconduct (red card), I an injury, R the referee called on court, and S play suspended. They go in the next free space on the player's line at the point they happened, and each needs a short note at the bottom or on the back explaining what occurred (BWF Umpires' Manual Level 1, p. 40).

How do you record a retirement or disqualification on a badminton scoresheet?

Write Ret for a player who retires and Dis for a player disqualified with a black card, in the scoring rows at that point, with an explanatory note at the bottom of the sheet. The final score at the top shows the scores to that moment and Ret or Dis against the player concerned. Only the referee decides a disqualification.

Who serves first in the second game of a badminton match?

The player or side that won the previous game serves first, and the score starts again at love all. On the sheet that means a fresh S and 0 on the winner's line, as in the manual's example, where Okuhara wins the first game 21-19 and so serves the second, and Sindhu, who wins the second, serves the third.

What should the umpire check before signing the scoresheet?

That every game's final score is circled and copied to the top, the winner of the match is circled, the end time is entered and the duration worked out, the number of shuttles used is noted with the service judge, and any warnings, faults, injuries or suspensions have both a letter in the rows and a note at the bottom. Then sign it and take it to the referee for approval.