2025 WESPA Championship Canadian Qualification System

This page outlines the criteria that will be used to select the players who qualify to represent Canada at the 2023 WESPA Championship (WESPAC23).

WESPAC23 is an event with national allocations. It will be held in Las Vegas, NV, in July 2023. Canada has been allotted 10 spots for WESPAC23. As the host organization, NASPA has been awarded 2 additional seats this year - 1 of those seats will go to Canada. The total allotment for Canada is 11 spots. There will be a Last Chance Qualifier in July 2023 in Las Vegas to select additional players.

Eligibility

All players wishing to qualify must be NASPA members in good standing.

A player must not have been suspended for more than twelve months for any NASPA Code of Conduct violation.

If a player's NASPA membership has lapsed, the player must renew and pay up retroactively to cover any lapses since the beginning of the Qualifying Period (excluding the COVID-19 moratorium).

Canadian citizens and permanent residents are eligible.

Players may not register for the qualification process if they have already registered to qualify for another nation. If a player registers to play for Canada and also attempts to represent another nation at WESPAC23 (with or without withdrawing from the Canadian registration), they will be ineligible to compete for Canada at the next such championship.

Registration

Players wishing to register for the qualification process can do so by contacting info@scrabbleplayers.org.

The application deadline is 11:59 p.m. Pacific time on February 28, 2023.

Former World / WESPAC champions automatically qualify for WESPAC23 and do not need to register for the qualification process. Slots awarded to former champions do not count toward the Canadian quota.

• The following former champions from Canada plan to register for WESPAC23:
  • Adam Logan
  • Joel Wapnick - Unable to attend

If selected, players are responsible for paying the tournament entry fee.

Qualification Period (QP)

The qualification period began on December 1, 2019 and ends on February 28, 2023.

Note: Tournaments that are in progress at the beginning or end of the QP will be considered to fall within the QP.

Peak CSW Rating

Players will qualify by peak rating (PR) achieved during the QP in one of two ways:

• Peak NASPA rating with a minimum of 31 NASPA-rated games played during the QP.
• Peak WESPA rating with a minimum of 31 WESPA-rated games played in North America during the QP.

PR Calculation

• The higher PR will be used if a player qualifies by both NASPA and WESPA PR.
• The final rating from any fully rated tournament may be used as a PR.
• Ratings achieved at the midpoint of split rated tournaments may be used as a PR.
• Any bonus points will count toward a person’s PR.
• Ratings following tournaments that are not fully rated (i.e., COTs or LCTs) will not count as a peak rating, but any such games played will count as 1/3 of a game towards fulfilling the participation requirement.

PR Tie-Breakers

1. Higher NASPA rating during the QP.
2. Head-to-head records among tied players in fully rated games during the QP.
3. Second highest rating achieved after playing at least 31 games in the QP.
4. Highest rating achieved after any fully rated tournament in the QP.
5. Number of CSW games played in the QP.
6. Drawing of lots.

Registered Players

The following players registered to represent Canada at WESPAC23 during the Qualifying Period.

Bold indicates that the player has been named to the Canadian team.

• Joshua Castellano (2093)
• Matthew Tunnicliffe (2037)
• Evan Berofsky (1996)
• Tony Leah (1973)
• Jeremy Hildebrand (1892)
• Noah Slatkoff (1891) - Declined
• Jason Ubeika (1811)
• Jason Broersma (1742)
• Mohammad Sulaiman (1635) - Unable to attend
• Allen Pengelly (1617)
• Yvonne Lobo (1586) - Declined
• Steve Ozorio (1543) - Declined
• Roger Cullman (1538)
• Priya Fernando (1495) - Declined
• Abdul Majid Khan (1400)
• Jason Hazzard (1272)
• Dean Saldanha - Qualified via Last Chance Qualifier
• Joshua Sokol

The Peak Rating is listed in parentheses for players who met the 31-game requirement. Those players not in bold are alternates.

Players listed with no rating registered but did not meet the 31-game requirement.

The Peak Rating is listed in parentheses for players who met the 31-game requirement. Those players not in bold are alternates.

Players listed with no rating registered but did not meet the 31-game requirement.

Alternates and Unclaimed Spots

If more than 10 players register during the QP, those players will be designated as alternates and will be offered any spots that become available. Spots may become available if someone drops out or WESPA offers additional seats to Canada.

After the alternates, any unclaimed spots are available on a first-come, first-served basis to players who meet the criteria for participation.

NASPA, as host organization, will designate a stand-by player to play if needed to have an even number of players at the start of the tournament. This designation will happen on the morning of the first day.

If a stand-by is needed, NASPA will select the alternate player from the US and Canadian Qualification System with the highest PR in attendance at the opening of the tournament. If no alternates are available, the Tournament Director will choose a stand-by player.

Obligations

Players who accept an allotted spot and who withdraw without a valid reason after the QP cannot register to qualify for the next event with national allocations.

Players may appeal to the NASPA Canadian Committee to have their eligibility reinstated.

Disputes

Any dispute regarding the interpretation of any of the above rules and criteria will be resolved by the NASPA Canadian Committee.