2011 National SCRABBLE Championship

Registration

Online registration is not yet available, nor is a list of registered players.

The information provided here is tentative and subject to change before registration begins.

To play in the NSC, 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.

Early registration closes on June 22nd, 2011. After that date:

• a late registration fee of $50 will apply.

Registration closes on July 20th, 2011. After that date:

• registrations will be accepted after that date only in order to make divisions even, and will incur an additional $75 surcharge;
• no requests for division changes will be accepted, except to make divisions even; and
• no refunds will be issued.

By registering for the NSC, you agree to abide by the NASPA Tournament Rules and Code of Conduct. In particular, some games at this tournament, probably the highest Division 1 board without a Gibsonized player, will be annotated live. If you refuse to play a designated game with annotation, you will forfeit it, and may at the director’s discretion be assigned a spread penalty of −200 points.

A Minor Release and Consent form can be downloaded for players who have not reached the legal age of majority. It can be mailed with your registration or alone if you have paid online to Chris Cree. Alternatively, it can be signed by the accompanying parent or guardian at the NSC in Addison (Dallas).

Before you register, please read our player bulletin, and check it again for last-minute updates before you travel to the event.

This year’s Championship has five divisions, split at ratings of 1700, 1500, 1300 and 1000. Entry fees are $175 for Division 1 and $150 for Divisions 2–5. Unlimited play up will be permitted: anyone can play in Division 1, but for example only players rated below 1000 can play in Division 5. As in past years, a peak rating system will be used to calculate the qualifying rating (QR) that determines the lowest division in which you can play. If your current rating at time of registration would place you in a lower division than your QR, then you may register in either your QR division or the next lower division. Ratings earned at any segment of a split-rated tournament count toward the QR, as does your rating at the beginning of the qualification period (QP). The QP began with the 2010 National SCRABBLE Championship and ends on July 13th, 2011 (after the results from the past weekend are tabulated). You may change your division after you register, as long as you do so before July 21st; to do so, contact John Chew. If your QR rises above the limit for your division, you will automatically be moved to the lowest division for which you qualify.