In the 2002 season of the Swiss National League A in chess , the decision about the title was not made until the last round. The teams of SG Zurich and the defending champions SG Biel met up to now , in a draw the newly promoted Sorab Basel would have overtaken both rivals and would have become champions. This should not happen, however, as Zurich prevailed against Biel. In addition to Basel, SK St. Gallen was promoted from National League B, and together with SK Mendrisio they were relegated directly. For the reported team squads of the participating clubs, see the team squad of the Swiss National League A in Chess 2002 .
The winner SG Riehen and runner-up Lugano CS from the National League B East had qualified for the promotion games, while the winner from the National League B West was Joueur Lausanne and the second Rössli Reinach . The promotion games between Riehen and Reinach and between Lausanne and Lugano took place with the relay winners. In both competitions, the representatives of the Eastern relay, who were promoted to the National League A, just prevailed. Riehen won 4½: 3½, Lugano retained the upper hand after a 4: 4 thanks to the better Berlin score (23:13).
