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2010 World Players Championship

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The 2010 World Players Championship (WPC) took place on August 13–16, 2010 at the Hotel InterContinental Dallas at 15201 Dallas Parkway in Addison, TX. The WPC was conceived in 2008 as a biennial event to encourage the return of international SCRABBLE players to North America, and is therefore held in years when there is no World SCRABBLE Championship. This year’s WPC will be rated in both the WESPA and NASPA (SOWPODS) rating systems, and was played using NASPA rules modified to use the Collins word list and 10-point/word penalty challenges.

This page has been updated frequently before and during the championship. You can see what has changed recently by clicking on the “history” tab above. During and after the championship, please visit the live coverage site for the event.

Registration

Online registration is available now, as is a list of registered players.

As the WPC is now a NASPA-rated event, you must must be a NASPA member to play in it. Membership costs USD 30.00 for a year if you have a NASPA rating (formerly known as an NSA rating); if you do not, you may pay USD 15.00 for a six-month trial membership instead. You can purchase membership online with a Visa or MasterCard card, or pay cash at the tournament site.

Registration closes on July 21st, 2010. No refunds will be issued after that date, and registrations will only be accepted with a $75 surcharge, if space is still available.

By registering for the WPC, you agree to abide by the NASPA Tournament Rules and Code of Conduct. In particular, some games at this tournament, probably the highest board(s) without a Gibsonized player, will be annotated live. If you refuse to play a designated game with annotation, you will forfeit it, and may at the director’s discretion be assigned a spread penalty of −200 points.

A Minor Release and Consent form can be downloaded for players who have not reached the legal age of majority. It can be mailed with your registration or alone if you have paid online to Chris Cree.

Before you register, please read our player bulletin, and check it again for last-minute updates before you travel to the event.

The WPC is an open event: all players play in one division. Players must pay the following amounts to enter, all amounts in U.S. dollars, payable online by Visa or MasterCard, by cash at the door (or paid to WPC staff in person at the European Open or King's Cup): $270 entry fee, $40 facility fee (if not staying at the event hotel), $30 NASPA membership fee (unless already a member, or not NASPA-rated and eligible for the $15 trial membership rate). Accommodation is not included in the above: the event hotel is offering a $129 nightly room rate We are looking into a meal plan for players who wish to remain on site at lunch, but there are a large number of restaurants within walking distance of the venue.

Schedule

This tentative schedule is subject to change, though the dates and hours of play are firm. Unless otherwise indicated, events take place in the Addison Room on the third floor of the InterContinental. We are thinking about another evening outing, and welcome suggestions.

Saturday, August 7 – Wednesday, August 11, 2010

2010 National SCRABBLE Championship

Thursday, August 12, 2010

3:00 P.M.–11:00 P.M.
After hours play.
6:00 P.M.–7:00 P.M.
Registration: please let us know if you cannot register in person at this time.

Friday, August 13, 2010

8:30 A.M.–9:00 A.M.
Set up for play
9:00 A.M.–1:00 P.M.
Rounds 1–4
1:00 P.M.–2:30 P.M.
Lunch (not provided)
2:30 P.M.–6:30 P.M.
Rounds 5–8
7:00 P.M.–9:00 P.M.
Dinner for contestants, staff and paid guests. Please let us know if you are unable to attend. (Colonnade Room)
6:30 P.M.–11:00 P.M.
After hours play

Saturday, August 14, 2010

8:30 A.M.–9:00 A.M.
Set up for play
9:00 A.M.–1:00 P.M.
Rounds 9–12
1:00 P.M.–2:30 P.M.
Lunch (not provided)
2:30 P.M.–6:30 P.M.
Rounds 13–16
6:30 P.M.–11:00 P.M.
After hours play
7:30 P.M.
Outing to see The Expendables at Studio Movie Grill (reserve by Friday)

Sunday, August 15, 2010

8:30 A.M.–9:00 A.M.
Set up for play
9:00 A.M.–1:00 P.M.
Rounds 17–20
1:00 P.M.–2:30 P.M.
Lunch (not provided)
2:30 P.M.–6:30 P.M.
Rounds 21–24
6:30 P.M.–11:00 P.M.
After hours play

Monday, August 16, 2010

8:30 A.M.–9:00 A.M.
Set up for play
9:00 A.M.–1:00 P.M.
Rounds 25–28
1:00 P.M.–2:30 P.M.
Lunch (not provided)
2:30 P.M.–7:00 P.M.
Rounds 29–32
7:00 P.M.–7:30 P.M.
Prize Ceremony
7:30 P.M.–11:00 P.M.
After hours play

Prizes

We offered a $10,000 prize contingent on 100 players, but have not met our target. We will instead offer the following prizes: (1st) $3,000 (2nd) $1,000 (3rd) $500 (4th) $250 (5th) $200 and $25 prizes for High Play and Tuff Luck, for a total prize pool of $5,000. A copy of the book 'Letterati' has been donated by its author, Paul McCarthy; it will be awarded to the player who has the high winning score. Where possible, only one prize will be awarded per player.

Cash prizes will be awarded by check; 30% withholding tax applies unless proper documentation is provided prior to the beginning of the championship. Winners of physical prizes other than cash must be at the prize ceremony to pick up their prizes. Those prizes will not be shipped.

Format

The WPC will be paired using tsh similarly to the NSC. Players will be seeded by WESPA rating (estimated if necessary) for the first three rounds, then paired according to standing. In each round, the top contenders are paired with each other, and everyone else is paired Swiss. These two groups, contenders and noncontenders, are paired with minimal repeats. For example, if there is no way to pair the contenders without at least one repeat, then they will be paired with one repeat.

The maximum number of contenders is 12 in Rounds 1-28, 8 in Round 29, 4 in Round 30 and 2 in Round 31. The contenders are further divided into a subgroup of leaders and non-leaders, if this can be done without increasing the number of required repeats while maintaining at least four players among the leaders. Leaders are paired by repeatedly having the top unpaired player play the lowest-ranked player that can catch up to them. Non-leaders are paired Swiss.

For further information about this pairing system, please refer to the section on Chew pairings in the tsh documentation. tsh configuration files for each division will be found at this website: config.tsh.

Staff

Organizer
Chris Cree
Director
Wilma Vialle
Assistant Directors
Mary Rhoades
John Chew
Webmaster
John Chew
Internet reporter
Sherrie Saint John
Annotators
Kate Watson
Dee Segrest
Activities Director
Robin Gates

Host city

The Town of Addison is located in the northern suburbs of Dallas, approximately 13 miles from the downtown area. Addison is regional business, shopping, and dining hub; it has several shopping centers, over 150 restaurants and one of the busiest general aviation airports in the country.

Our Activities Director, Robin Gates, will be on site during check-in and at designated times on other days to help you and your party plan tourist activities during your stay.

See also
(details will be added as they become available)
Links

Tournament venue

Hotel InterContinental Dallas offers both the meeting space and accommodations. The hotel is a member of the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) chain. When booking online, please use this link to obtain our group rate. (Don't use it yet, the link needs checking.)

Tournament organizers negotiate fees for the use of playing rooms based on meeting guest night quotas. When you stay at the host hotel, you help support the WPC by helping us meet our quota. You may opt not do so by paying a facility fee instead when you register for our championship.

Address
15201 DALLAS PKWY
ADDISON TX  75001-4609
USA
Phone numbers
  • IHG reservations: +1 888 424 6835
  • Hotel front desk: +1 972 386 6000
  • Hotel fax: +1 972 991 6937
Links

Travel

Airports
  • Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW): 20 mi
    • American Airlines (main hub)
    • most major airlines
  • Dallas Love Field (DAL): 11 mi
    • Southwest Airlines (focus city)
    • Continental Express, Northwest Airlink
  • Addison Airport (ADS): 2 mi
    • no scheduled passenger service
Bus
  • The nearest Greyhound terminal is in downtown Dallas.
Links

Vendors

  • Sam Kantimathi, manufacturer of digital timers, boards, tiles and tile racks

Further Information

For more information about the WPC or any other NASPA activity, please click on “Contact us” in the navigation bar at left.