2015 WESPA Championship Canadian Qualification System

This page outlines the criteria that will be used to select the players who will represent Canada at the 2015 WESPA Championship (WESPAC2015).

WESPAC2015 is an event with national allocations resembling those of the World SCRABBLE Championship (WSC). It will be held in Perth, Australia, from November 4-8, 2015. (There will also be a Last Chance Qualifier on November 3, 2015 in Perth that will select an additional 4 to 8 players.) Canada has been allotted 9 spots for the WESPAC2015. This document sets out how the 9 qualifiers will be chosen.

Eligibility

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

Canadian citizens and permanent residents are eligible.

Temporary Residents (TRs) are eligible with the following restrictions:

• TRs must register for the qualification process on or before January 31, 2015.
• TRs must reside in Canada for the entire period between January 1, 2015 and the end of WESPAC2015.

Registering for the qualification process

Players wishing to register for the qualification process can do so by contacting any member of the Canadian Committee. The application deadline for qualifying by peak rating is 11:59 p.m. Pacific time on April 30, 2015. The deadline for registering for the Qualifying Tournament will be determined later.

Qualification period (QP)

The qualification period began on December 1, 2013 and ends on April 30, 2015. The qualification tournament will be held sometime in the summer thereafter.

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

Criteria (in order)

1. World English-language Scrabble Players' Association (WESPA) bye(s)

These are spots awarded by WESPA, typically for being a finalist in the previous WSC. Any spots awarded by WESPA do not count against Canada’s allotment. No one from Canada is expected to receive a spot awarded by WESPA for WESPAC2015.

2. Top finishers from the 2013 SCRABBLE Champions Tournament

These spots are awarded to eligible players who finish in the top quarter of the field in SCT 2013 while representing Canada. Players already awarded WESPA byes are not considered part of Canada’s allotment and do not count against the maximum number of spots to be awarded. These spots must be accepted before April 30, 2015. Any spots not claimed under this provision will be awarded based on peak rating.

Qualified under this criterion:

• Adam Logan (10th place) - not yet accepted
• Matthew Tunnicliffe (22nd place) - not yet accepted

3. Peak rating (PR)

Two spots will be reserved for a qualifying tournament. The remaining spots will be awarded based on Peak Rating. The number of spots awarded on the basis of peak ratings will be from 5–7, depending on whether or not the spots from Criterion 2 are claimed.

• Only NASPA ratings achieved in fully rated tournaments will be allowed to be considered a PR.
• Ratings achieved at the midpoint of split rated tournaments will be allowed to be considered as a PR.
• Players wishing to qualify based on PR must register for the qualification process by April 30, 2015.

• A player’s TWL PR is their highest tournament rating that is achieved after a player has played at least 34 TWL games in fully rated tournaments during the QP.
• A player’s Collins PR is their highest tournament rating that is achieved after a player has played at least 34 Collins games in fully rated tournaments during the QP.
• A player’s Qualifying PR (QPR) will be the higher of their TWL PR and Collins PR.

QPR tie-breakers

1. NASPA Collins Peak Rating
2. Second highest rating achieved after playing at least 34 fully rated games in the QP
3. Highest rating achieved after any fully rated tournament in the QP (eg PR before 34 games)
4. Drawing of Lots.

Note: Second highest rating can be taken from either rating system.

4. Qualification tournament (QT)

• A qualification tournament will be held in the city determined by a vote by players registered for the qualification process as of April 30, 2015.
• The remaining WSC berth will be awarded to the top 2 finishers of this event.
• Any player who fulfills the eligibility requirements who has not already been awarded a spot may play in this tournament.
• Any player registering for this tournament will be considered registered for the qualification process and need not do so formally.
• If the number of interested players is fewer than six, players who have already earned spots through criteria 1–4 may also play in this event.

QT tie-breakers (if tied on wins and spread)

If two or more players are tied then that tie will be broken based on PR and PR tie breaker procedures will be in effect.

Alternates

• Players who accept an allotted spot under criteria 2 or 3, and who withdraw before the QT will be replaced based on PR.
• Otherwise, alternate spots for the Canadian team will be awarded based on the standings of the QT.
• Any further alternate spots will be awarded based on PR.
• Any further alternate spots will be awarded by the NASPA Canadian Committee.

Note that if the QT is eliminated then this section will be revised

Registered Players

The following players have registered for WESPAC2015:

• (nobody yet)

The following four players (listed by alphabetical order) have expressed interest in participating in the qualifying tournament:

• (nobody yet)

Obligations

Players who accept an allotted spot under criteria 2 or 3, and who withdraw without a valid reason after the QT will not be permitted to qualify for the next event with WSC-like national allocations except through the QT.

This only applies if there is a QT for WESPA2015.

Disputes

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