2011 Can-Am SCRABBLE Challenge qualification system

This page describes the qualification system for the 2011 Can-Am SCRABBLE Challenge, an invitational event for the top players from Canada and the United States.

Preamble

• A total of 14 entrants will qualify to compete at the 2011 Can-Am SCRABBLE Challenge, seven each representing the United States and Canada.
• The event will take place in Calgary, AB on March 19–20, 2011.
• This Challenge is being held early in 2011 rather than mid- or late 2010, because of difficulties in organizing an event for those originally considered times.

Eligibility

• All Canadian team members must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada.
• All U.S. team members must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents in the U.S.
• All participants must be NASPA members in good standing.

Qualification Period

• As in past years, the qualification period is from the beginning of March 2009 (the previous year in which the Challenge was contested) to the beginning of May 2010 (the year in which the Challenge was expected to be contested), with dates adjusted slightly to include events played on the first and last weekends during that period: 2009-02-27 to 2010-05-02 (inclusive).
• There is precedent for extending the end of the qualification period when the Challenge is unexpectedly delayed, provided that there is unanimous consent for the extension among the current qualifiers.

Participation Requirement

Players who wish to qualify must meet a minimum participation requirement of 24 rated tournament games played during the qualification period.

Peak Rating

Players will qualify based on peak rating (PR). A player’s PR is defined as his or her highest un-accelerated rating that satisfies the following conditions:

• It is achieved at the end of a rated tournament played using the TWL lexicon. (It is possible that future Challenges may either be played in Collins, or permit qualification through rated Collins play.)
• It is not achieved before the tournament in which the participation requirement has been met.
• It is achieved in the last 18 months of the qualification period.

“Un-accelerated” means that acceleration points earned in a tournament are deducted from the player’s post-tournament rating before it is considered for a peak rating.

If two or more players have the same PR, then the tie will be broken by each player's second highest PR eligible rating. If still tied then the tie will be broken by drawing of lots.

Current Standings

To see where players currently stand in qualifying to represent their countries, please see the full qualification standings. Players marked ‘y’ have confirmed their intent to play; those marked ‘n’ have confirmed that they will not play. Please report any corrections to John Chew.

Alternates

All alternates will be chosen on the basis of PR.

Disputes

Any dispute regarding the application or interpretation of any of the above will be resolved jointly by the Canadian Committee and the International Committee. If the two committees are unable to agree on a ruling, the director of the 2011 Challenge will choose between their rulings.