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Difference between revisions of "Tournaments"

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please email the committee.
 
please email the committee.
  
== What is a Tournament? ==
+
== What is a tournament? ==
  
 
At a tournament, NASPA [[members]] get together to play several rounds
 
At a tournament, NASPA [[members]] get together to play several rounds
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hold at least one big tournament each year.
 
hold at least one big tournament each year.
  
== Playing in Tournaments ==
+
On this website, a tournament as described above is different from a [[casual tournament]].
 +
 
 +
== Playing in tournaments ==
  
 
Tournaments are organized by NASPA-sanctioned [[Directors]] and
 
Tournaments are organized by NASPA-sanctioned [[Directors]] and
Line 24: Line 26:
 
# contact the director listed in the [[calendar]] to register for the event
 
# contact the director listed in the [[calendar]] to register for the event
  
If it is your first time playing in a tournament, you should make sure
+
If it is your [[First tournament|first time]] playing in a tournament, you should make sure
 
your tournament director knows this.  Ask the director how you should
 
your tournament director knows this.  Ask the director how you should
 
prepare for your tournament; and do not hesitate to ask the director
 
prepare for your tournament; and do not hesitate to ask the director
 
for help, if at any time during your tournament you aren’t sure
 
for help, if at any time during your tournament you aren’t sure
 
what to do.
 
what to do.
 +
 +
A director may refuse entry to a player for "misconduct by a player that is not specifically defined in other sections of this code, but is clearly abusive, negative, or detrimental to the success of the club, tournament, NASPA, or organized SCRABBLE in general." (See Classification 1.g. of the [http://www.scrabbleplayers.org/w/Code_of_Conduct#g._Unsportsmanlike_Conduct Code of Conduct]).  If a player is refused entry, the player may appeal that decision by the director, as detailed in the [http://www.scrabbleplayers.org/w/Code_of_Conduct#Right_to_Appeal_of_On-site_Director_Sanctions Code of Conduct].
  
 
If you have [[special needs]], our tournament directors will do their
 
If you have [[special needs]], our tournament directors will do their
Line 39: Line 43:
 
[[Player Resources]] page.
 
[[Player Resources]] page.
  
== Finding Tournament Results ==
+
== Finding tournament results ==
  
 
If your tournament director is using correctly configured modern tournament
 
If your tournament director is using correctly configured modern tournament
Line 49: Line 53:
 
reviews the results.  (This can take anywhere from a few minutes to  
 
reviews the results.  (This can take anywhere from a few minutes to  
 
several hours.)  Tournament statistics are copied regularly from our
 
several hours.)  Tournament statistics are copied regularly from our
website to our partner site [[cross-tables.com]] on an hourly basis.
+
website to our partner site [[cross-tables.com]] on an hourly basis,
 +
and posted to our [[Twitter]] feed within minutes of being created.
 +
 
 +
== Scheduling a tournament ==
  
== Organizing a Tournament ==
+
Complete the [[Tournament listing request|Tournament Listing Request]] form to request sanctioning of your tournament.
  
In order to organize a tournament, you must:
+
In order to have a tournament sanctioned (added to the [[calendar]]
 +
of upcoming scheduled events), you must:
  
# be a NASPA member in good standing
+
# be a NASPA member in good standing (your membership must be current)
 
# be [[director certification|certified]] as a [[tournament director]] or [[tournament coordinator]]
 
# be [[director certification|certified]] as a [[tournament director]] or [[tournament coordinator]]
# contact the [[Tournament Committee]] at [mailto:naspa-tourney@yahoogroups.com naspa-tourney@yahoogroups.com] to request that your event be sanctioned and added to the [[calendar]], in advance of the deadlines listed below. The [[Media:Tournament_Listing_Information.pdf|tournament listing form]] may be used to gather information about your tournament for sanctioning.
+
# make sure that your tournament complies with the lead time, time and distance from other tournaments, and other guidelines listed below.
 +
# submit the [[Tournament listing request|Tournament Listing Request]] to provide information about your tournament to the [[Tournament Committee]]. If your tournament will use the [[Collins]] (SOWPODS) lexicon, see the page on [[directing SOWPODS tournaments]] for the additional information required. [[Apprentice director|Apprentice directors]] are required to copy their mentoring directors on sanctioning requests, to ensure that there will be adequate coverage at the tournament.
 
# ensure that a certified [[tournament director]] will be present throughout your event.
 
# ensure that a certified [[tournament director]] will be present throughout your event.
  
== Kinds of Tournaments ==
+
== Advance Scheduling/Right of First Refusal ==
 +
 
 +
With respect to tournaments scheduled for dated on or after January 1, 2014:
 +
 
 +
# Tournaments currently on the calendar will have first right of refusal to their traditional date (same weekend of the month, same holiday weekend, etc.).  This only applies to tournaments held in the same geographic location as the previous tournament (i.e., moving to a new venue a few miles away is acceptable, but moving to an entirely new city is a new event that does not qualify for the right of first refusal).
 +
# If more than one tournament within a conflicting radius has rights to the same date, and both seek sanctioning more than 10 months in advance of the tournament (or a director timely responds to a 30-day notice as detailed in Item 4 below), the competing directors may each apply to the NASPA Tournament Committee (TC), which will determine which tournament may be held on the conflicting date (brief, but sufficiently detailed, applications are preferred). The TC will consider all factors it deems relevant, including without limitation:
 +
## The history of the respective tournaments (how many years running, average attendance, etc.).
 +
## Other dates traditionally available to the respective directors.
 +
## How far in advance the respective requests are received (subject to Item 3 below).
 +
# Directors who have previously held tournaments may request tournament dates up to 3 years into the future, but such tournaments are subject to being delisted if a director with rights to the same date also requests a tournament, and prevails in the TC application process. For that reason, directors are encouraged to communicate with other directors in their region with competing rights to a date, in order to coordinate scheduling.
 +
# If a director wishes to secure a date, and other directors also have first right of refusal to that date, the director may elect to identify the other directors to the TC when requesting sanctioning. The TC will contact those directors specifically identified in the request, and provide them with a 30-day period in which to submit a competing request. If the other directors decline to request the date, or fail to respond within the 30-day period, their first right of refusal to the date will lapse.
 +
# Tournaments not previously held can be scheduled no more than 10 months in advance. Tournaments that take more than a 2-year hiatus will be considered tournaments not previously scheduled for the purposes of this policy.  Any rights of first refusal must be exercised more than 10 months prior to the first date of the tournament, after which time all tournament sanctioning shall be on a first come-first served basis.
 +
# Certain tournaments will be accorded special status, as determined from time to time by the NASPA Executive Committee, and may be scheduled without reference to this policy (currently including: NASC; CNSC; Can-Am; WSC Qualifier).
 +
# The TC may remove a director’s first right of refusal if, in the judgment of the committee, such removal is in the best interests of tournament SCRABBLE, considering all relevant factors.
 +
# The TC may grant other exceptions to this policy in exceptional circumstances.
 +
 
 +
== Kinds of tournaments ==
  
 
We currently recognize four different kinds of rated tournaments:
 
We currently recognize four different kinds of rated tournaments:
  
* An Open Rated Tournament (ORT) is open to anyone and is fully rated.
+
* An ''open rated tournament'' (ORT) is open to anyone and is fully rated.
* A Local Club Tournament (LCT) is open to anyone but one-third rated.
+
* A ''local club tournament'' (LCT) is open to anyone but one-third rated.
* A Team Challenge is restricted to members of specific clubs or residents of specific regions, and is fully rated.
+
* A ''team challenge'' is restricted to members of specific clubs or residents of specific regions, and is fully rated.
* A Championship is restricted to members of a specific club or residents of a specific region, and is fully rated.
+
* A ''championship'' is restricted to members of a specific club or residents of a specific region, and is fully rated.
  
The following table (excerpted from the [[Directors Manual|Director's
+
Any of these types of tournaments may also be played using the [[Collins]] (SOWPODS) lexicon (see [[directing SOWPODS tournaments]]).
 +
 
 +
The following table (excerpted from the [[Directors Manual|Director’s
 
Manual]] and expanded) describes the different kinds of tournaments
 
Manual]] and expanded) describes the different kinds of tournaments
 
in more detail.
 
in more detail.
Line 76: Line 103:
 
|- style="font-style:italic; color:green;"
 
|- style="font-style:italic; color:green;"
 
|
 
|
| Open Rated Tournament (ORT)
+
| Open rated tournament (ORT)
| Local Club Tournament (LCT)
+
| Team challenges or championships (TCC)
| Team Challenges or Championships (TCC)
+
| Local club tournament (LCT)
 
|-
 
|-
| Advance Notice/ Sanctioning
+
| Advance notice/ sanctioning
| 6 Weeks with no exceptions
+
|colspan=2|6 weeks with no exceptions (see note below)
| 10 Days with no exceptions
+
| 10 days with no exceptions (see note below)
| 6 Weeks with no exceptions
 
 
|-
 
|-
| Tournament Calendar Listing
+
| Tournament calendar listing
 
|colspan=3| All rated events must be listed on [{{SERVER}}/tourneys/calendar.html NASPA calendar]
 
|colspan=3| All rated events must be listed on [{{SERVER}}/tourneys/calendar.html NASPA calendar]
 
|-
 
|-
| Rating Method
+
| Rating method
| fully rated
+
|colspan=2|fully rated (except for tournaments with a cap on attendees of 10 players or less, which will be 1/3 rated, unless the tournament otherwise qualifies to be fully rated as a Team Challenge/Championship event).
 
| 1/3 rated
 
| 1/3 rated
| fully rated
 
 
|-
 
|-
| Frequency/ Geographic Restrictions
+
|rowspan=3|Frequency/ geographic restrictions
| ''Multiday tournaments:'' no other multiday event occurring within two weekends and 200 miles of your proposed tournament; no other one-day event on the same day as one of your tournament days.<br>''One-day tournaments:'' No other tournament on same day within 200 miles.<br>''Tours/cruises'' with similar itinerary need 90 day separation.<br>''Exception:'' If the organizers of conflicting tournaments mutually agree, NASPA will sanction both.
+
|colspan=2|'''Multiday tournaments:''' no other multiday event occurring within two weekends and 200 miles of your proposed tournament; no other one-day event on the same day as one of your tournament days.
| Must be sponsored by a NASPA-sanctioned club.  No more than one event per club, per month.
+
|rowspan=3|Must be sponsored by a NASPA-sanctioned [[club]].  No more than one event per club, per month.
| ''Multiday tournaments:'' no other multiday event occurring within two weekends and 200 miles of your proposed tournament; no other one-day event on the same day as one of your tournament days.<br>''One-day tournaments:'' No other tournament on same day within 200 miles.<br>''Tours/cruises'' with similar itinerary need 90 day separation.<br>''Exception:'' If the organizers of conflicting tournaments mutually agree, NASPA will sanction both.
 
 
|-
 
|-
| How Many Games?
+
|colspan=2|'''One-day tournaments:''' Effective August 12, 2014, no other one-day tournament within 100 miles on the same day as your event (reduced to 50 miles if the other tournament has a cap on attendees of 30 players or less); no other multi-day within 200 miles. Consecutive one-day tournaments with no cap on attendees will be treated as multi-day tournaments for the purpose of this policy.
| At least 4 games
 
| At least 3 games
 
| At least 4 games
 
 
|-
 
|-
| How Many Players?
+
|colspan=2|'''Exceptions''':<ul><li>If the organizers of conflicting tournaments mutually agree, NASPA will sanction both</li><li>The [[Executive Committee]] has determined that the [[Can-Am SCRABBLE Challenge]] does not conflict with other events, due to its structure.  Therefore, Can-Am can be scheduled at the convenience of the organizers, without regard to proximity to other events.</li><li>Two events which do not share a [[ratings|rating system]] (e.g., an all-[[TWL]] event and an all-[[CSW]] event) are deemed not to conflict with each other.</li></ul>
|colspan=3| At least 4 players in each division, at least 2 rated players in each division
 
 
|-
 
|-
| Membership Requirements
+
| How many games?
|colspan=3| All players must be current NASPA members
+
|colspan=2|At least 4 games
 +
|At least 3 games
 
|-
 
|-
| Player Restrictions
+
| How many players?
 +
|colspan=3|At least 4 players in each division, at least 2 rated players in each division
 +
|-
 +
| Membership requirements
 +
|colspan=3|All players must be current NASPA members
 +
|-
 +
| Player restrictions
 
| None permitted
 
| None permitted
 +
| Entry restricted by club/region (for team challenge) or club/region/rating (for championship).
 
| None permitted
 
| None permitted
| Entry restricted by club/region (for team challenge) or club/region/rating (for championship).
 
 
|-
 
|-
| Participation Fee
+
| Participation fee
|colspan=3| $.50 per player per game
+
|colspan=3|$.50 per player per game
 
|-
 
|-
 
| Examples
 
| Examples
| [[Championships|National Scrabble Championship]], most tournaments
+
| [[Championships|National SCRABBLE Championship]], most tournaments
 +
| Portland-Seattle Interclub Challenge, Texas State Championship, Can-Am, Kingston Cup
 
| One-day tournament that is created on short notice
 
| One-day tournament that is created on short notice
| Portland-Seattle Interclub Challenge, Texas State Championship, Can-Am, Kingston Cup
 
 
|}
 
|}
  
== Sanctioning Tournaments ==
 
  
The tournament and director running the tournament must satisfy the following conditions for ORT and TCC events:
+
In the above, the phrases &ldquo;50 miles&rdquo;, &ldquo;100 miles&rdquo; and &ldquo;200 miles&rdquo; in tournament
 +
distance calculations shall mean 50 miles, 100 miles and 200 miles, respectively, driving distance from
 +
venue address to venue address, as measured by Google Maps using
 +
the default driving directions.  The Tournament Committee may
 +
consider appeals for exception in the event that Google Maps is
 +
shown to be in error, and may select an alternative mileage calculation
 +
tool should Google Maps be deemed unreliable.
  
* Multiday Tournament: No other multiday SCRABBLE game tournaments occurring within two weekends and 200 miles of your proposed [[Tournament venue|tournament]].  No other one-day tournament on the same day within 200 miles of your proposed [[Tournament venue|tournament]] (tours/cruises with similar itineraries need 90-day separation).
+
"Cap on attendees" refers to tournaments that limit the number of players who may enter (e.g., "Entry is restricted to the first 16 players who register").  The actual number of players who enter the tournament is not considered, only restrictions on the number of players who may play, due to the size of the venue or other reasons.
* One-day Tournament: No other tournament on same day within 200 miles.
 
* Exception:  if the organizers of conflicting tournaments are agreeable, NASPA will sanction both.
 
** The term “200 miles” in tournament distance calculations shall mean 200 miles driving distance from venue address to venue address, as measured by Google Maps using the default driving directions.  The Tournament Committee may consider appeals for exception in the event that Google Maps is shown to be in error, and may select an alternative mileage calculation tool should Google Maps be deemed unreliable.
 
* the application is submitted six weeks before the planned event
 
* the director&rsquo;s membership expires after the end of the planned event
 
Local Club Tournaments (LCT), which are 1/3-rated, require advance sanctioning and will be listed in the calendar.  LCT's have the same Player Participation fee as Open Rated Tournaments.
 
  
As of Jan 2010, NASPA is [[SOWPODS rating system | sanctioning and rating tournaments using the SOWPODS word list]] (now more commonly known as the Collins SCRABBLE Words, or CSW).  If you would like your tournament to use CSW, please specify that when requesting sanctioning.
+
Note: In general, no exceptions will be made to advance notice guidelines.  However, in extraordinary cases, the Executive Committee has the right to grant sanction to a tournament that does not meet the guidelines.
  
== Processing Memberships or Renewals ==
+
== Game Clock Requirements ==
  
Directors: As players want to register for your tournament, you will need to check the [{{SERVER}}/cgi-bin/members.pl Membership Database] to be sure their NASPA membership is current.
+
Generally, all rated games must be played to a 25-minute per side clock length.  However, pursuant to an Advisory Board ruling, effective as of August 12, 2014, Directors may offer sanctioned tournaments that include early bird and/or late bird events with shorter clocks, subject to the following:
  
All tournament players, whether a newbie or someone with a rating who hasn't joined NASPA yet, must join NASPA in order to play in your tournament. Here are some scenarios that might apply to your tournament:
+
* Clock length of the shorter clock games must be no less than 20 minutes per side.
 +
* Clock length may not be longer than 25 minutes per side (subject only to accommodations granted for additional clock time).
 +
* The shorter clock games must be as part of an early bird or late bird to a main event with regular, 25-minute per side games.
 +
* The number of 25-minute per side rounds at the main event tournament must exceed the number of shorter clock rounds (at all early birds, late birds, night birds, etc.) by at least one.
  
1. You are gathering entries for your tournament and you look on cross-tables to see if they are members. [http://cross-tables.com/ Cross-tables] says "check with NASPA". You check on the [{{SERVER}}/cgi-bin/members.pl NASPA member database], accessible by clicking on "Member Search" on the sidebar. If they have a member number in the NASPA database, they are good to go. Occasionally a membership does not show up on Cross-tables right away but will already be listed on the NASPA database.
+
== Unrated Events and Newcomer Divisions ==
  
2. You are gathering entries for your tournament and you agree to let someone join NASPA at the door. If you know ahead of time that one or more people are going to do this, go to [{{SERVER}}/cgi-bin/services.pl Member Services] and click on the &ldquo;Add New Member&rdquo; button in the Director section. Fill out all the membership information and then choose &ldquo;Payment with your next tournament&rsquo; participation fee&rdquo; payment method. Your players&rsquo; memberships will be activated right away, and a charge will be placed on your [{{SERVER}}/cgi-bin/account.pl account] with NASPA, so that it will be totalled with your participation fee after your tournament.
+
Many directors wish to have unrated Scrabble tournaments and/or newcomer divisions that run concurrently with the main event. The following information is provided to help directors identify whether or not such an event is permitted under NASPA guidelines.
  
3. You are checking in players the day of the tournament and you have a walk-in who is not a member.
+
The [[Tournament Committee]] will not sanction events that include mirror images of the proposed NASPA-sanctioned event, save only for NASPA sanction. In general, unrated or newcomer events should be of significantly shorter duration than the main event with which they run concurrently. These events are accorded special consideration because they are designed to build interest in competitive play for newcomers, and grow our ranks. After-hours unrated events, tag-team events, etc. are generally fine.  
  
Check to make sure that all of your players are listed on the NASPA site as members. Rating data will not be accepted if any players are not members. Ask nonmembers to fill out printed membership forms, then activate their memberships as in case 2 above. If you have players who say they have recently mailed membership checks to NASPA, do not pay that portion of the amount shown owing; it will be removed from your director account when their checks clear. If their checks do not clear, you will be liable for their membership fees and will not be able to run a tournament until we receive full payment.
+
Because of the large number of sanctioned directors, and the creativity with which they approach crafting events to meet the wishes of their constituencies, it is difficult to define every type of event and declare each as either prohibited or allowed. For that reason, directors who plan to offer unrated events are encouraged to contact the [[Tournament Committee]] at [mailto:naspa-tourney@yahoogroups.com naspa-tourney@yahoogroups.com] with any questions about the suitability of a particular event.  
  
By &ldquo;director account&rdquo; that simply means there will be a list of directors and what they owe for the new members and your &ldquo;account balance&rdquo; will go away once you have paid. This does not go on your credit card when you submit your results.
+
Directors should always include details about all Scrabble events (whether rated or unrated) to be run in conjunction with any event, when seeking sanction for the event.
  
You also have the option of authorizing the membership monies to be charged to your credit card, which you might do to help a club member join NASPA when you do not have an upcoming tournament.
+
== Fund-raisers ==
  
4. A tournament entrant says he has joined NASPA. Ask what his membership number is. If it starts with AA followed by 6 digits, you're fairly sure he joined NASPA and not the NSA. Occasionally people join the NSA thinking that it will entitle them to play in NASPA-rated tournaments.
+
If your event is being held in support of a charitable cause, please review our
 +
separate page about [[fundraising tournaments]].
  
== Web Coverage ==
+
== Web coverage ==
  
 
Major events, such as [[Championships|national championships]], are webcast on this website,
 
Major events, such as [[Championships|national championships]], are webcast on this website,
and [http://www.scrabble-assoc.com/tourneys/ web coverage] is archived in perpetuity.
+
and [{{SERVER}}/tourneys/ web coverage] is archived in perpetuity.
  
 
Web coverage typically consists of standings updates continuously throughout
 
Web coverage typically consists of standings updates continuously throughout
Line 166: Line 196:
 
games where you can follow along at the top board in real time.
 
games where you can follow along at the top board in real time.
  
== Sponsorship Policy ==
+
== Sponsorship policy ==
  
 
Tournament sponsorship is permitted with the prior approval of the [[Tournament Committee]].  In pursuing sponsors, please remember that we are licensed users of a registered trademark for a board game which is primarily marketed to families, and that sponsors should be appropriate for that demographic.
 
Tournament sponsorship is permitted with the prior approval of the [[Tournament Committee]].  In pursuing sponsors, please remember that we are licensed users of a registered trademark for a board game which is primarily marketed to families, and that sponsors should be appropriate for that demographic.

Revision as of 09:50, 14 August 2017

Tournament SCRABBLE® play in Canada and the United States is administered by NASPA and its Tournament Committee. If you have questions about tournaments that are not answered here, please email the committee.

What is a tournament?

At a tournament, NASPA members get together to play several rounds of SCRABBLE according to tournament rules under the supervision of a tournament director. The player who wins the most games usually wins a prize, and the results of the event are submitted to NASPA to update everyone’s rating. There are several tournaments each week somewhere in the United States and Canada, and most clubs hold at least one big tournament each year.

On this website, a tournament as described above is different from a casual tournament.

Playing in tournaments

Tournaments are organized by NASPA-sanctioned Directors and listed on our calendar. In order to play in a tournament, you must:

  1. be a NASPA member in good standing (US$15 for first-time players)
  2. be familiar with the tournament rules
  3. contact the director listed in the calendar to register for the event

If it is your first time playing in a tournament, you should make sure your tournament director knows this. Ask the director how you should prepare for your tournament; and do not hesitate to ask the director for help, if at any time during your tournament you aren’t sure what to do.

A director may refuse entry to a player for "misconduct by a player that is not specifically defined in other sections of this code, but is clearly abusive, negative, or detrimental to the success of the club, tournament, NASPA, or organized SCRABBLE in general." (See Classification 1.g. of the Code of Conduct). If a player is refused entry, the player may appeal that decision by the director, as detailed in the Code of Conduct.

If you have special needs, our tournament directors will do their best to accommodate you, if they receive enough notice. In particular, almost all tournament venues are accessible to the physically handicapped, and players are entitled to use assistive equipment or sit at the most convenient table to accommodate a handicap.

Score sheets and other player forms are available for download from the Player Resources page.

Finding tournament results

If your tournament director is using correctly configured modern tournament software, you will probably know your new tournament rating before you leave at the end of your event. Your tournament director will then submit the results to the NASPA website, where the ratings and tournament results will be updated as soon as the rating officer reviews the results. (This can take anywhere from a few minutes to several hours.) Tournament statistics are copied regularly from our website to our partner site cross-tables.com on an hourly basis, and posted to our Twitter feed within minutes of being created.

Scheduling a tournament

Complete the Tournament Listing Request form to request sanctioning of your tournament.

In order to have a tournament sanctioned (added to the calendar of upcoming scheduled events), you must:

  1. be a NASPA member in good standing (your membership must be current)
  2. be certified as a tournament director or tournament coordinator
  3. make sure that your tournament complies with the lead time, time and distance from other tournaments, and other guidelines listed below.
  4. submit the Tournament Listing Request to provide information about your tournament to the Tournament Committee. If your tournament will use the Collins (SOWPODS) lexicon, see the page on directing SOWPODS tournaments for the additional information required. Apprentice directors are required to copy their mentoring directors on sanctioning requests, to ensure that there will be adequate coverage at the tournament.
  5. ensure that a certified tournament director will be present throughout your event.

Advance Scheduling/Right of First Refusal

With respect to tournaments scheduled for dated on or after January 1, 2014:

  1. Tournaments currently on the calendar will have first right of refusal to their traditional date (same weekend of the month, same holiday weekend, etc.). This only applies to tournaments held in the same geographic location as the previous tournament (i.e., moving to a new venue a few miles away is acceptable, but moving to an entirely new city is a new event that does not qualify for the right of first refusal).
  2. If more than one tournament within a conflicting radius has rights to the same date, and both seek sanctioning more than 10 months in advance of the tournament (or a director timely responds to a 30-day notice as detailed in Item 4 below), the competing directors may each apply to the NASPA Tournament Committee (TC), which will determine which tournament may be held on the conflicting date (brief, but sufficiently detailed, applications are preferred). The TC will consider all factors it deems relevant, including without limitation:
    1. The history of the respective tournaments (how many years running, average attendance, etc.).
    2. Other dates traditionally available to the respective directors.
    3. How far in advance the respective requests are received (subject to Item 3 below).
  3. Directors who have previously held tournaments may request tournament dates up to 3 years into the future, but such tournaments are subject to being delisted if a director with rights to the same date also requests a tournament, and prevails in the TC application process. For that reason, directors are encouraged to communicate with other directors in their region with competing rights to a date, in order to coordinate scheduling.
  4. If a director wishes to secure a date, and other directors also have first right of refusal to that date, the director may elect to identify the other directors to the TC when requesting sanctioning. The TC will contact those directors specifically identified in the request, and provide them with a 30-day period in which to submit a competing request. If the other directors decline to request the date, or fail to respond within the 30-day period, their first right of refusal to the date will lapse.
  5. Tournaments not previously held can be scheduled no more than 10 months in advance. Tournaments that take more than a 2-year hiatus will be considered tournaments not previously scheduled for the purposes of this policy. Any rights of first refusal must be exercised more than 10 months prior to the first date of the tournament, after which time all tournament sanctioning shall be on a first come-first served basis.
  6. Certain tournaments will be accorded special status, as determined from time to time by the NASPA Executive Committee, and may be scheduled without reference to this policy (currently including: NASC; CNSC; Can-Am; WSC Qualifier).
  7. The TC may remove a director’s first right of refusal if, in the judgment of the committee, such removal is in the best interests of tournament SCRABBLE, considering all relevant factors.
  8. The TC may grant other exceptions to this policy in exceptional circumstances.

Kinds of tournaments

We currently recognize four different kinds of rated tournaments:

  • An open rated tournament (ORT) is open to anyone and is fully rated.
  • A local club tournament (LCT) is open to anyone but one-third rated.
  • A team challenge is restricted to members of specific clubs or residents of specific regions, and is fully rated.
  • A championship is restricted to members of a specific club or residents of a specific region, and is fully rated.

Any of these types of tournaments may also be played using the Collins (SOWPODS) lexicon (see directing SOWPODS tournaments).

The following table (excerpted from the Director’s Manual and expanded) describes the different kinds of tournaments in more detail.

Open rated tournament (ORT) Team challenges or championships (TCC) Local club tournament (LCT)
Advance notice/ sanctioning 6 weeks with no exceptions (see note below) 10 days with no exceptions (see note below)
Tournament calendar listing All rated events must be listed on NASPA calendar
Rating method fully rated (except for tournaments with a cap on attendees of 10 players or less, which will be 1/3 rated, unless the tournament otherwise qualifies to be fully rated as a Team Challenge/Championship event). 1/3 rated
Frequency/ geographic restrictions Multiday tournaments: no other multiday event occurring within two weekends and 200 miles of your proposed tournament; no other one-day event on the same day as one of your tournament days. Must be sponsored by a NASPA-sanctioned club. No more than one event per club, per month.
One-day tournaments: Effective August 12, 2014, no other one-day tournament within 100 miles on the same day as your event (reduced to 50 miles if the other tournament has a cap on attendees of 30 players or less); no other multi-day within 200 miles. Consecutive one-day tournaments with no cap on attendees will be treated as multi-day tournaments for the purpose of this policy.
Exceptions:
  • If the organizers of conflicting tournaments mutually agree, NASPA will sanction both
  • The Executive Committee has determined that the Can-Am SCRABBLE Challenge does not conflict with other events, due to its structure. Therefore, Can-Am can be scheduled at the convenience of the organizers, without regard to proximity to other events.
  • Two events which do not share a rating system (e.g., an all-TWL event and an all-CSW event) are deemed not to conflict with each other.
How many games? At least 4 games At least 3 games
How many players? At least 4 players in each division, at least 2 rated players in each division
Membership requirements All players must be current NASPA members
Player restrictions None permitted Entry restricted by club/region (for team challenge) or club/region/rating (for championship). None permitted
Participation fee $.50 per player per game
Examples National SCRABBLE Championship, most tournaments Portland-Seattle Interclub Challenge, Texas State Championship, Can-Am, Kingston Cup One-day tournament that is created on short notice


In the above, the phrases “50 miles”, “100 miles” and “200 miles” in tournament distance calculations shall mean 50 miles, 100 miles and 200 miles, respectively, driving distance from venue address to venue address, as measured by Google Maps using the default driving directions. The Tournament Committee may consider appeals for exception in the event that Google Maps is shown to be in error, and may select an alternative mileage calculation tool should Google Maps be deemed unreliable.

"Cap on attendees" refers to tournaments that limit the number of players who may enter (e.g., "Entry is restricted to the first 16 players who register"). The actual number of players who enter the tournament is not considered, only restrictions on the number of players who may play, due to the size of the venue or other reasons.

Note: In general, no exceptions will be made to advance notice guidelines. However, in extraordinary cases, the Executive Committee has the right to grant sanction to a tournament that does not meet the guidelines.

Game Clock Requirements

Generally, all rated games must be played to a 25-minute per side clock length. However, pursuant to an Advisory Board ruling, effective as of August 12, 2014, Directors may offer sanctioned tournaments that include early bird and/or late bird events with shorter clocks, subject to the following:

  • Clock length of the shorter clock games must be no less than 20 minutes per side.
  • Clock length may not be longer than 25 minutes per side (subject only to accommodations granted for additional clock time).
  • The shorter clock games must be as part of an early bird or late bird to a main event with regular, 25-minute per side games.
  • The number of 25-minute per side rounds at the main event tournament must exceed the number of shorter clock rounds (at all early birds, late birds, night birds, etc.) by at least one.

Unrated Events and Newcomer Divisions

Many directors wish to have unrated Scrabble tournaments and/or newcomer divisions that run concurrently with the main event. The following information is provided to help directors identify whether or not such an event is permitted under NASPA guidelines.

The Tournament Committee will not sanction events that include mirror images of the proposed NASPA-sanctioned event, save only for NASPA sanction. In general, unrated or newcomer events should be of significantly shorter duration than the main event with which they run concurrently. These events are accorded special consideration because they are designed to build interest in competitive play for newcomers, and grow our ranks. After-hours unrated events, tag-team events, etc. are generally fine.

Because of the large number of sanctioned directors, and the creativity with which they approach crafting events to meet the wishes of their constituencies, it is difficult to define every type of event and declare each as either prohibited or allowed. For that reason, directors who plan to offer unrated events are encouraged to contact the Tournament Committee at naspa-tourney@yahoogroups.com with any questions about the suitability of a particular event.

Directors should always include details about all Scrabble events (whether rated or unrated) to be run in conjunction with any event, when seeking sanction for the event.

Fund-raisers

If your event is being held in support of a charitable cause, please review our separate page about fundraising tournaments.

Web coverage

Major events, such as national championships, are webcast on this website, and web coverage is archived in perpetuity.

Web coverage typically consists of standings updates continuously throughout an event, commentary about the event’s highlights, photos and interactive games where you can follow along at the top board in real time.

Sponsorship policy

Tournament sponsorship is permitted with the prior approval of the Tournament Committee. In pursuing sponsors, please remember that we are licensed users of a registered trademark for a board game which is primarily marketed to families, and that sponsors should be appropriate for that demographic.