Players and directors are also responsible for ensuring that their friends, spouses, relatives, and other associates who attend events with them do not negatively disrupt the event or impede officials from doing their jobs at SCRABBLE events.
A SCRABBLE event should be an enjoyable experience for everyone involved. Behavior that is deemed harmful to this objective will not be tolerated. Players are obligated to inform club and tournament directors about any incidents which are detrimental to the positive atmosphere at a SCRABBLE event. In order to create a pleasant atmosphere at SCRABBLE events, the following guidelines have been established.
Directors shall issue penalties when any of the following transgressions occur:
Tournament directors are empowered to discipline players who violate the code of behavior with Classification 1 transgressions in the following manner:
* 1st offense: caution* 2nd offense: official warning* 3rd 2nd offense: 100-point penalty applied to tournament spread* 4th 3rd offense: ejection and disqualification from the tournament, including the forfeiture of any prize money
Note: A director may use his/her discretion to apply stricter penalties for a first offense if the violation is especially flagrant or egregious. (i.e. A director may immediately issue an official warning, a 100-point spread penalty, or eject the transgressor for a serious transgression.)
==== a. Physical Abuse ====
Players shall not at any time physically abuse any official, opponent, or other person within the precincts of the tournament site. Physical abuse is defined as the unauthorized touching of an official, an opponent , or other person at a tournament site, with the intention of harming, harassing, provoking, or intimidating that individual.
The penalty for physical abuse is the immediate ejection of the perpetrator from the tournament and , possible suspension from future events, and possible revocation of NASPA membership.
==== b. Intimidation, Threats, and Harassment ====
4. Deliberately falsifying a result slip.
5. Illegally returning Using marked tiles to the bag.
6. Consulting pre-made word lists, dictionaries, or other reference books or devices during a game.
7. Using another person or an accomplice to gain information about the validity of words, an opponent's rack, or any other information.
8. Peering into the tile bag by any means.
9. Colluding with an opponent to achieve a specific game result.
10. Using marked tilesAttempting, by any means, to look at a score sheet or notes that an opponent is concealing.
Those players whose actions and/or behaviors are suspicious will be warned that they are suspected of cheating. Any further occurrences of suspect behavior can result in ejection and disqualification from the tournament.