2025 WESPA Championship US Qualification System

This page outlines the criteria that will be used to select the players who qualify to represent the United States at the 2025 WESPA Championship (WESPAC25) and 2025 World Team Scrabble Championship (WTSC2025).

The 2025 WESPA Championship is an event with national allocations. It will be held in Accra, Ghana, from November 12-16, 2025. The United States has been allotted 19 spots for WESPAC25. There will be a Last Chance Qualifier on November 11, 2025, in Accra to select additional players.

WESPAC2025 will be preceded by the 2025 World Team Scrabble Championship (WTSC2025) to be held on November 8-10, 2025 at the same location in Ghana. 16 countries - including the United States - will compete in 5-person teams.

Players can register to compete in 1 or both championships. NASPA has established a qualification system for players looking to compete in WESPAC2025 and/or WTSC2025.

Eligibility

All players wishing to qualify must be NASPA members in good standing.

A player must not have been suspended for more than twelve months for any NASPA Code of Conduct violation.

If a player's NASPA membership has lapsed, the player must renew and pay up retroactively to cover any lapses since the beginning of the Qualifying Period.

Uniteed States citizens and permanent residents are eligible.

Players may not register for the qualification process if they have already registered to qualify for another nation. If a player registers to play for the United States and also attempts to represent another nation at WESPAC25 or WTSC25 (with or without withdrawing from the United States registration), they will be ineligible to compete for the United States at the next such championship.

Registration

Players wishing to register for the qualification process can do so by contacting info@scrabbleplayers.org.

The application deadline is 11:59 p.m. Pacific time on May 19, 2025.

If selected, players are responsible for paying the tournament entry fee(s) and any other expenses.

Qualification Period (QP)

The qualification period began on December 31, 2023 and ends on May 19, 2025.

Note: Tournaments that are in progress at the beginning or end of the QP will be considered to fall within the QP.

Peak CSW Rating

Players will qualify by peak rating (PR) achieved during the QP in one of two ways:

• Peak NASPA rating with a minimum of 31 NASPA-rated games played during the QP.
• Peak WESPA rating with a minimum of 31 WESPA-rated games played in North America during the QP.

PR Calculation

• The higher PR will be used if a player qualifies by both NASPA and WESPA PR.
• The final rating from any fully rated tournament may be used as a PR.
• Any bonus points will count toward a person’s PR.
• Ratings following tournaments that are not fully rated (i.e., tournaments capped at 10 or fewer players and 3-game tournaments) will not count as a peak rating, but any such games played will count as 1/3 of a game towards fulfilling the participation requirement.

PR Tie-Breakers

1. Higher WESPA rating during the QP.
2. Head-to-head records among tied players in fully rated games during the QP.
3. Second highest rating achieved after playing at least 31 games in the QP.
4. Highest rating achieved after any fully rated tournament in the QP.
5. Number of CSW games played in the QP.
6. Drawing of lots.

Players Registered for WESPAC2025

The following players have registered to represent the United States at WESPAC2025 during the Qualifying Period. The United States has been allocated 19 slots.

• Sam Rosin (2015)
• Chris Lipe (1947)
• Samson Okosogah (1879)
• Rasheed Balogun (1857)
• Robert Linn (1831)
• Paula Catanese (1453)
• Cheryl Melvin (1347)
• Jeannie J Wilson (1316)
• Andrea Hatch (1231)
• Ather Sharif
• Robin Levin

The Peak Rating is listed in parentheses for players who have met the 31-game requirement.

Players Registered for WTSC2025

The following players have registered to be on the United States team at WTSC2025 during the Qualifying Period. The team will have 5 players.

• Sam Rosin (2015)
• Chris Lipe (1947)
• Samson Okosogah (1879)
• Rasheed Balogun (1857)
• Robert Linn (1831)

The Peak Rating is listed in parentheses for players who have met the 31-game requirement.

Alternates and Unclaimed Spots

If more players register than there are allocated spots during the QP, those players will be designated as alternates and will be offered any spots that become available. Spots may become available if someone drops out or WESPA offers additional seats to the United States.

After the alternates, any unclaimed spots are available on a first-come, first-served basis to players who meet the criteria for participation.

Obligations

Players who accept an allotted spot and who withdraw without a valid reason after the QP cannot register to qualify for the next event with national allocations.

Players may appeal to the NASPA International Committee US Subcommittee. to have their eligibility reinstated.

Disputes

Any dispute regarding the interpretation of any of the above rules and criteria will be resolved by the NASPA International Committee US Subcommittee.