Judge Interface Setup

Last updated June 2026  ·  4 min read

The Judge Device is a phone-first interface that puts flags and kata scores in each judge's own hands. Instead of the table operator transcribing five physical flags, every seated judge votes on their own device and the results arrive at the scoreboard in real time — with a digital record of each individual vote.

Getting judges connected

• 1
  The judge signs in on their phone Judges open the judge device page (/judge) and log in with their own Taikai App account. Not signed up yet? The login screen routes them through account creation and straight back.
• 2
  They open your tournament Via a link containing the tournament, or by entering the tournament ID on the picker screen.
• 3
  Their assignments appear Each assignment card shows the mat and chair. No assignments yet? The screen says so and points them to the director.

Assignments and seating

You assign judges to mats from the manager (see Running multiple tatamis). Chairs follow the standard panel: Shushin (Center) plus Judge 1–4. When a judge physically sits down, they tap Sit on the assignment card — the device confirms they're active on that mat, and the dashboard's readiness check ("3 of 4 mats have judges assigned") reflects reality.

Voting and scoring

Tapping Score opens a full-screen sheet in one of two modes, depending on what the mat is running:

• Hantei flags — two oversized buttons: a red flag for AKA and a white flag for SHIRO. Tap, confirm, Submit. Used for kata flag divisions and hantei decisions.
• Kata score — a numeric pad for panel scoring (0.0–10.0), feeding kata panel scoring.

Votes stream to the operator's scoreboard live, where the majority is tallied automatically.

Director setup checklist

• Get judges into the tournament ahead of time — invite them or approve their applications (see Creating and assigning staff roles).
• Assign each judge to a mat and chair before the division starts.
• Have judges sign in and tap Sit during the officials' briefing, not when the first pairing is already waiting.
• Phones need venue Wi-Fi or mobile data — the device is a web page, nothing to install.