Latest revision as of 12:55, 29 June 2021

The NASPA Advisory Board meets several times each year in person, by conference call or by email, to discuss its business. Usually, the business results in official rulings of the board.

From 2009 through 2015, significant AB motions were numbered mostly sequentially in order of their conception. When such motions were passed, they resulted in an AB ruling.

A complete list of those AB Rulings is available at this website.

Rulings are listed below in reverse chronological order, with original motion numbers.

Details of disciplinary issues are generally confidential. Members may view the list of current suspensions here.

2015-08-27 (Motion 66) Disciplinary issue

The board voted to refer a disciplinary appeal back to the Tournament Committee to gather more evidence.

2015-04-23 (Motion 65) Disciplinary issue

The board voted to reduce a penalty previously meted out for a disciplinary issue.

2015-02-26 (Motion 64) 2015 Can-Am SCRABBLE Challenge format

The board voted to change the format of this event to be a triple-round-robin in separate OTCWL2014 and CSW2012 divisions.

2015-02-07 (Motion 63) OTCWL effective date

The board voted by email that the effective date for the OTCWL2014 lexicon would be 2015-04-10.

2015-01-29 (Motion 62) OTCWL effective date

The board voted 8-1 that the effective date for the OTCWL2014 lexicon will be 2015-03-31, barring a serious delay in the release of the Windows version of the program.

2014-09-23 (Motion 61) CSW new words

The board voted unanimously that the new OTCWL2014 words should not be added to the NASPA Collins lexicon until they are adopted by WESPA.

2014-09-23 (Motion 60) Rules effective date

The board voted 8-1 that the new edition of the rules should take effect two weeks after final publication.

2014-08-10 (Motion 59) CSW new words

The board voted 9-0 to add the new OTCWL2014 words to the NASPA Collins lexicon on the same date on which OTCWL2014 becomes effective.

2014-08-09 (Motion 58) TWL2014 effective date

The board voted 10-0 to delay adoption of OTCWL2014 until two months after the board deems that the proper word judge and study materials are available to their members.

2014-08-09 (Motion 57) 1/3-rating of nonstandard time controls

The board voted 5-4 to defeat a motion that events with time controls of less than 25 minutes should be 1/3-rated.

2014-08-09 (Motion 56) 20-25 minute time controls

The board voted 8-2 to permit sanctioning of tournaments with a time limit of less than 25 minutes but no more than 20 minutes provided that they are supplementary events to a main event, that they have fewer games than the main event, and that they not extend over more than one day.

2014-07-16 (Motion 55) Person of the Year

The board voted by email in favour a request by Josh Greenway, referred to it by the Tournament Committee to permit players at a special memorial event to play with 26-minute time controls.

2014-07-16 (Motion 54) Variable time controls

The board voted by email against a request by Dan Horowitz, referred to it by the Tournament Committee to permit players at an event to decide on a game-by-game basis whether to play with 20- or 25-minute time controls.

2014-06-24 (Motion 53) Person of the Year

The board voted 7-2 to name John O'Laughlin and Jason Katz-Brown as joint Michael R. Wise Persons of the Year in recognition of their services to the community in developing Quackle.

2014-06-24 (Motion 52) TWL2014 effective date

The board voted 9-1 to adopt OTCWL2014 on 2014-12-01.

2014-05-27 (Motion 51) 20-minute event

A request from Shan Abbasi to permit 20-minute play in an upcoming tournament, referred to the Board by the Tournament Committee, was unanimously approved.

2014-01-28 (Motion 50) BAT Hybrid Premier

A request from the director of the Boston Area Tournament to permit hybrid lexicon play in the Premier division similar to Can-Am play, referred to the Board by the Tournament Committee, was denied following a 4-3 vote.

2014-01-28 (Motion 49) Cheat Sheet

A proposal from the International Committee that lower divisions in multi-division Collins tournaments be permitted to consult a list of two- and three-letter words during rated tournament play was defeated by a 5-2 vote.

2013-12-26 (Motion 48) 100-mile radius

The board considered the temporary policy allowing a 100-mile restricted radius in certain situations. Because only few tournaments have been run under this new policy, it was unanimously determined to extend the policy for another year.

2013-12-26 (Motion 47) Disciplinary Issue

The Board voted unanimously to reverse to overturn a suspension and reverse the outcome of a rated game.

2013-12-26 (Motion 46) Revised Code of Conduct

The Board voted unanimously to adopt the revised Code of Conduct.

2013-11-26 (Motion 45) Labor Day 2015

The Advisory Board voted 5-1 to permit the sanctioning of events in Wilmington, DE and New York, NY on September 5-7, 2015. The Board will review the attendance levels at both events before any deliberations take place concerning events in the region on the 2016 Labor Day weekend.

2013-11-26 (Motion 44) Disciplinary Issue

The Advisory Board unanimously voted to deny a director’s request to reopen a disciplinary issue.

2013-10-24 (Motion 43) Hybrid Tournaments

The Advisory Board responded to a Tournament Committee request for guidance concerning a request by Winter for sanctioning of a hybrid TWL-CSW tournament by voting 7-2 with one abstention to approve it on a onetime basis, provided that Winter provide the AB with player feedback concerning this experiment.

2013-10-24 (Motion 42) Disciplinary Issue

The Advisory Board unanimously upheld a Tournament Committee decision regarding a disciplinary issue.

2013-09-24 (Motion 41) Disciplinary Issue

2013-08-20 (Motion 40) Disciplinary Issue

2013-08-20 (Motion 39) Disciplinary Issue

2013-05-09 (Motion 38) Person of the Year

As would be announced at the 2012 National SCRABBLE Championship, Stefan Fatsis was named the Person of the Year.

2013-02-12 (Motion 37) Tournament Scheduling Policy

The AB ratified the Tournament Committee's new policy on resolving scheduling conflicts among sanctioned events.

2013-02-12 (Motion 36) One-day Tournament Buffers

The AB lowered the minimum distance between one-day tournament on the same weekend from 200 miles to 100 miles.

2012-09-13 (Motion 35) Disciplinary issue

2012-07-09 (Motion 34) Person of the Year

As would be announced at the 2012 National SCRABBLE Championship, Michael Thelen was named the Person of the Year.

2012-05-29 (Motion 33) Disciplinary issue

2012-05-06 (Motion 32) NSC CSW

The 2012 National SCRABBLE Championship registration system shall be emended to permit the Collins division to proceed despite the announced quota not having been attained.

2011-12-13 (Motion 31) Late Withdrawal

The 2013 World SCRABBLE Championship US qualification system should be emended to require players who withdraw late from the system to apply to the Advisory Board if they wish to participate in the 2015 World SCRABBLE Championship US qualification system.

2011-12-13 (Motion 30) Brian Cappelletto

Notwithstanding his late withdrawal from the 2011 World SCRABBLE Championship US qualification system, Brian Cappelletto may participate in the 2013 World SCRABBLE Championship US qualification system.

2011-08-06 (Motion 29) Cruise Control Cancelled

The “Cruise Control” ruling (Motion 4) is withdrawn, and cruises will be subject henceforth only to the usual separation rules for tournaments.

2011-07-23 (Motion 28) Disciplinary Ruling

Details confidential.

2011-07-08 (Motion 27) Disciplinary Ruling

Details confidential.

2011-06-07 (Motion 26) Advisory Board Size

The AB, after considering proposals to reduce its overall size, ruled that it would remain unchanged.

2011-06-07 (Motion 25) Disciplinary issue

Details confidential.

2011-06-07 (Motion 24) Advisory Board Elections

The Advisory Board will hold elections to replace two outgoing members; see details at this link.

2011-06-07 (Motion 23) Revised Code of Conduct

Details to follow.

2011-06-07 (Motion 22) Player of the Year

Details will be announced at the 2011 National SCRABBLE Championship.

2011-06-07 (Motion 21) Rating Computer Players

Computer players should be permitted to obtain NASPA ratings under some circumstances.

2011-05-16 (Motion 20) Disciplinary issue

Details confidential.

2011-05-04 (Motion 19) James Leong

That James Leong should rank immediately below Andy Saunders in the rating-based qualification list for the 2011 Canadian National SCRABBLE Championship.

2010-11-08 (Motion 18) Disciplinary issue

2010-08-07 (Motions 15–17) Disclipinary issues

2010-08-07 (Motion 14) Dallas Johnson

That we should replace Greg Edwards with Dallas Johnson.

2010-08-07 (Motion 13) TBA at Town Hall meeting

2010-08-07 (Motion 12) Code of Conduct edit

That Bryan Pepper should prepare a simplified version of Robert Kahn's Code of Conduct for further discussion by the AB.

2010-07-31 (Motion 11) Disciplinary issue

2010-07-12 (Motion 10) Late Rating Data

As of August 1, 2010, any NASPA director who does not submit the results of their tournament for rating within two weeks of the end of the event will receive an email warning; if the results are not received within four weeks, their director certification will be downgraded one step, from full to apprentice, or from apprentice to uncertified. Directors who have pending data submissions as of August 1, 2010 will have those submissions deemed to have been due as of that date for the purpose of calculating warning and downgrading dates. Where a tournament has more than one codirector, the one designated as being responsible for data submission will be the only one to whom these sanctions will apply.

2010-07-12 (Motion 9) Overdue Accounts

As of August 1, 2010, overdue NASPA member accounts will incur a 2% penalty compounded on unpaid balances every calendar month. Member accounts which remain overdue for three months will be suspended and not reinstated until payment is made in full, including penalties. Members who have unpaid balances as of August 1, 2010 will be deemed to have incurred those balances as of that date for the purpose of calculating future penalties and suspensions.

2010-06-06 (Motions 7–8) Disciplinary issues

2010-01-18 (Motion 6) Bryan Pepper

The AB thanks Mary Rhoades for her contributions to the Board and welcomes her successor, Bryan Pepper.

2010-01-18 (Motion 5A) Matt Hopkins

Matt Hopkins is named the Advisory Board’s first Member Emeritus, taking effect 2010-02-04.

2010-01-18 (Motion 5) Fraudulent Claims

Directors who are unaware of the possibility of fraudulent claims by players as to their membership status may be forgiven responsibility for one fraudulent charge.

2010-01-18 (Motion 4) Cruise Control

The 90-day rule on cruise/tour separation was enacted.

2010-01-18 (Motion 3) SOWPODS ratings

The SOWPODS rating system shall be created.

2010-01-18 (Motion 2) POTY

The 2009 Person of the Year was chosen, and will be announced in the next Bulletin. (They were later revealed to be John D. Williams, Jr. and Jane Ratsey Williams.

2010-01-18 (Motion 1) Disciplinary issue

2009-08-02: Disciplinary issue

2009-05-21: Nathan Benedict

Nathan Benedict is granted a special exemption from the deadline for registering in the U.S. WSC qualification system, and replaces Brian Bowman in the last place determined by qualifying (peak) rating. (6 yea, 0 nay, 2 abstain, 7 absent)

2009-04-15: Annotation

If a director announces in a tournament flyer that games will be annotated, a player who refuses to comply with annotation is subject to forfeiting annotated games with a severe spread penalty (originally -200, but the exact amount to be debated by the Rules Committee). (13 yea, 0 nay, 2 absent)