2023 Scrabble Players Championship (SPC)
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The 2023 Scrabble Players Championship (SPC) will take place on July 15 to 19, 2023 at the Westgate Las Vegas Resorts & Casino at 3000 Paradise Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89109. The SPC is the first of 2 weeks of top-level Scrabble competition to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Scrabble - the 2023 NASPA Double Down in Las Vegas. |
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This webpage is subject to change and will be updated regularly as the plans are finalized.
Contents
Registration
Eligibility
To play in the SPC, you must (1) be a NASPA member, and (2) have played in an officially sanctioned Scrabble tournament to earn an official tournament rating.
If you live in the United States or Canada, that rating should be a NASPA rating; if you live elsewhere, it may be a WESPA rating or other comparable national rating.
Qualification Rating
Placement into respective divisions is determined by your Qualification Rating (QR).
Your QR consists of the highest rating attained at the end of any NASPA NASPA Word List (NWL) or Collins (CSW) rated tournament (or segment of a split-rated tournament) that finished during the period from July 22, 2022 to June 30, 2023 (the 2022 SPC Early Bird to the close of registration).
If you have a rating, but do not play during this period, your QR is the higher of your unchanged current NWL or CSW rating.
For players who have ratings in both lexica, the higher peak or current rating will be used. For example, a player whose computed QR is 1810 in CSW and 1600 in NWL will use 1810 as her QR for division placement in either CSW or NWL.
NWL Divisions
Four NWL divisions will be offered, divided by QR.
Playups are allowed within 100 points to the Championship Division (Division 1). Unlimited playups are allowed in the other divisions.
- If your QR is 1800 or higher, or if you do not have a NASPA rating, you must play in Division 1.
- If your QR is in the range 1700–1799, you can play in Division 1 or 2.
- If your QR is in the range 1450–1699, you must play in Division 2.
- If your QR is in the range 1150–1449, you can play in Division 2 or 3.
- If your QR is below 1150, you can play in Division 2, 3, or 4.
Collins Divisions
There will be 2 Collins divisions, divided by QR.
- If your QR is 1500 or higher, you must play in Division 1.
- If it is 1499 or below, you can play in Division 1 or 2.
Players who only have a WESPA rating will be permitted to play in Division 1 or 2 if that rating is 1399 or below.
If there are fewer than 20 players registered in either division as of June 15, 2023, the divisions will be automatically combined into a single division. Players wishing to switch to NWL after divisions are combined will be allowed to do so at no charge.
The Collins division will be run using NASPA rules, except that the Collins lexicon will be used and the challenge penalty will be 5 points per word. The Collins division will rated by both NASPA and WESPA.
Check-In
To play in the first round on Saturday morning, you must check in between 10:00 A.M. and 6:00 P.M. on Friday, July 14, 2023.
You may ask a friend to check in for you by proxy if you cannot check in in person.
- If possible, please specify the name of the proxy when you register.
- Otherwise, email us at nsc@scrabbleplayers.org to notify us in advance of proxy arrangements.
- If you check in by proxy, but do not show up to play, then neither you nor your proxy will be permitted to check in by proxy at future events.
If you do not check in before the desk closes at 6:00 P.M., you may join the championship in progress as soon as it is convenient for the pairings staff to add you back in; this may not take place before Sunday morning.
No refund will be issued to latecomers.
When you check in, you will be given an announcement sheet. This is to reduce the number of announcements that have to be made on Saturday morning, so that the event can get underway quickly. You are responsible for familiarizing yourself with the announcements and tournament schedule.
Schedule
| Date / Time | Event | Entry Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Fri July 14 - 10:00 to 6:00 | SPC Check In | N/A |
| Fri July 14 - 12:00 | SPC Early Bird - 4 games - NWL & CSW | $20 maximum |
| Sat July 15 to Wed July 19
|
SPC Main Event - 31 games - NWL & CSW
|
$250 |
| Thu July 20 - 9:30 | SPC Late Bird - 4 games - NWL & CSW | $20 maximum |
Information about evening activities will be added as plans are finalized.
Main Event Format
Players will be paired using tsh, with Gibsonization (determined by number of games plus spread - 1000 pts per round).
The winners of the top divisions in both NWL and CSW lexicons shall be determined as follows:
- After Round 28, the top two players (as determined by record and spread) will enter a best of five playoff to determine champion and runner-up.
- Finals Round 1 and 2 will take place while all other player complete Rounds 29 through 31 to determine their final standing.
- Finals Round 3 (and Rounds 4-5 if needed) will be streamed at the conclusion of the Prize Ceremony for non-finalists.
Early and Late Bird Format
Chew pairings will be in effect (with no fixed initial schedule), with Gibsonization (determined by number of games plus spread - 1000 pts per round).
No division will have more than 16 players. If four or more players prefer Collins, they will play in a separate Collins division.
The Rose Award
Bob and Andi Schoenman, creators of Protiles, honor Rose Kreiswirth's memory. Rose was an expert Scrabble® player for over 30 years and cherished the game for its educational values. An accomplished player, Rose was as well known for her sense of fairness and her congeniality as she was for her competitiveness.
The Rose Award will be awarded each year at the Scrabble Players Championship to a female player who, in the opinion of the judges, best exemplifies the fierce competitiveness and compassion that we remember Rose for. Thank you, Bob and Andi Schoenman!
SPC Satellite Events
A complimentary 2023 SPC registration will be awarded to one player for every 50 players participating in an SPC Satellite Event.
An SPC Satellite Event must have at least 14 rounds over multiple days and at least 50 players across all divisions in the specific event.
Full details about the program can be found here.