Unrated NSA tournaments

Here is NASPA’s policy concerning unrated NSA tournaments: those events which were originally sanctioned by the NSA, are scheduled to take place after NASPA takes over tournament sanctioning on 2009-07-01, and whose directors have decided not to apply for NASPa sanctioning.

NASPA’s immediate goal is to maintain the existing tournament calendar with a minimum of disruption following the loss of all external funding; its longer-term goal is to substantially grow that community to improve playing conditions for everybody.

We recognize that with every change, be it of rules, lexicon, fee structure or management, it is unavoidable that we will lose some members of our community who cannot accept change. We are honored by the trust that our 800 paid members have placed in us so far, and will do our utmost to fulfill the hopes we all share for the future of Scrabble.

Regarding the extremely short notice for our announcement that the Reno tournament has failed to meet the conditions necessary for it to be a NASPA-sanctioned event, we accept our share of the responsibility for not having resolved this issue earlier. If there are players who have as a result suffered financial losses (e.g. airline ticket change or cancellation fees), we invite them to submit documented claims to us, and we will see what we can offer in the way of compensation.

We will not penalize NASPA players who play at the now unrated, unsanctioned tournament in Reno; but do warn them that in the event of any difficulty, they will not have recourse to NASPA or its advisory board. The tournament will not officially be held under NSA or NASPA rules, or use the NSA or NASPA lexicon, and any decisions made by its organizers are final.