Revision as of 00:26, 26 January 2020

The 2020 Can-Am SCRABBLE Challenge is the 14th in this series of transborder invitational championships.

2020 Can-Am SCRABBLE Challenge Qualification System

A total of 20 entrants will qualify to compete at the 2020 Can-Am SCRABBLE Challenge, 10 each representing the United States and Canada. Each slate of 10 entrants will feature 5 players playing NWL and 5 players playing CSW.

The format is a triple round robin: each player will play the other team's players 3 times in the lexicon of choice.

The event will be hosted by Canada on Saturday and Sunday May 9 to 10 at Chalet #1 in Pierre Elliott-Trudeau Park, Montreal, Quebec.

Players are responsible for finding and booking their own accommodation. A list of nearby hotels will be provided soon. If you would like to be billeted at the home of a Montreal player, contact Joshua Sokol – a limited number of spots may be available.

The event will be hosted by the United States on December 15-16, at the Cambridge Community Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts. A block of hotel rooms will be available at Le Meridien Cambridge.

Joshua Sokol is organizing the event.

Bernard Gotlieb is directing the tournament.

Eligibility

All Canadian team members must be citizens or permanent residents of Canada.

All United States team members must be US citizens or permanent residents in the US.

All participants must be NASPA members in good standing as of Monday, March 2, 2020.

To be eligible, a player must not have been suspended for more than twelve months for any NASPA Code of Conduct violation.

Qualification Period

Qualification is based on ratings from August 31, 2018 to March 2, 2020. See the Peak Rating section for further details on qualification.

Peak Rating

Players will qualify based on the peak NASPA rating (PR) achieved during the Qualification Period in the lexicon of their choice. A player’s PR is defined as his or her highest rating that is achieved at the end of a rated tournament played.

Players must play 24 NASPA-rated games during the qualification period in the lexicon they wish to contest at the 2020 Can-Am Challenge. PR is not achieved for tournaments in which the player has not met the 24 game participation requirement.

If two or more players have the same PR, then the tie will be broken by the following methods:

1. Each player's second highest PR eligible rating.
2. If still tied, the total number of games played (in any lexicon) during the qualifying period.
3. If still tied, rating achieved after any fully rated tournament in the QP.
4. If still tied, the drawing of lots.

Lexicon

NWL2018 will be the lexicon for the TWL games.

CSW2019 will be the lexicon for the CSW games.

Current Standings

Below is a list of players who have expressed interest in registering for Can-Am.

Qualifiers are listed in bold.

• Canada
  • TWL
  • CSW

• US
  • TWL
  • CSW

Alternates

All alternates will be chosen on the basis of PR.

Disputes

In the event that a dispute about these rules should arise, it will be resolved by one of the following bodies as indicated:

• Canadian Committee - Matters concerning qualification of Canadian players
• International Committee US Subcommittee - Matters concerning qualification of US players
• International Committee - All other matters arising before the first day of the tournament
• The Tournament Director - Any matters arising on the days on which the tournament is contested

As always, rulings concerning disputes may
be appealed to the Advisory Board, which will (time permitting) hear 
them at its next scheduled monthly meeting.

Registration

Players interested in playing in the Can-Am should contact Tony Leah who will maintain the list of entrants and peak ratings. US players can also contact Puneet Sharma.

Interested players should register by 11:59 pm, Pacific Standard Time, March 2, 2020, to give people time to make travel plans.

Any open spots after March 2 can be claimed on a first-come, first-served basis. After March 2, once a team is full, players can add their names to the list of alternates in case of dropouts.