2013 Canadian National SCRABBLE Championship qualification system

Preamble

• A total of 52 entrants will qualify to compete at the next Canadian National SCRABBLE Championship (CNSC).
• This event is scheduled to take place in Toronto from June 21 to 24, 2013.
• The North American lexicon (TWL) will be used.

Eligibility

• All participants must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada.
• All participants must be NASPA members in good standing.
• All participants must meet the minimum participation requirement.
• Defending CNSC champion Joel Wapnick will automatically qualify for the 2013 CNSC as will the top 48 players based on the qualification standings. Three others will qualify through a special qualification tournament.

Entry Fee

• Submitting an entry fee signifies a player's interest in playing in the 2013 CNSC.
• IMPORTANT! Defending champion (Joel Wapnick) and anyone who wishes to be listed in the automatic qualification standings must forward a $75 cheque payable to John Chew. A cheque must be received no later than May 4, 2013. NO EXCEPTIONS - NO EXCUSES! (Those who fail to qualify will have their cheques returned or destroyed.) Any player in the top 48 who has not indicated interest in participating in the 2013 CNSC by May 4 will be assumed to have declined and will be ineligible to participate in the qualifying tournament.

Qualification period

• As announced at CNSC 2011, the qualification period (QP) began immediately following CNSC 2011.
• The qualification period for the 2013 CNSC will end on May 4, 2013.

The following rules had been established for CNSC qualification periods.

• The QP will end four months before the start date of the CNSC or one month after the official announcement of the CNSC (which took place on April 4), whichever comes later.
• Exception: If the CNSC is announced one month or less from its start date then the QP will end immediately.
• Tournaments in progress at the end of the QP will be considered to have fallen within the QP.

Defending CNSC champion

Joel Wapnick receives an automatic berth as defending champion.

Participation requirement

Players who wish to qualify for any of the remaining 51 berths must meet a minimum participation requirement. Players will be credited for rated NASPA tournament games played and directed within the qualification period. This requirement varies by province and is based upon each player's primary residence:

• Ontario and outside Canada: 25 games played or directed
• Alberta, BC, and Quebec: 20 games played or directed
• Manitoba and Saskatchewan: 12 games played or directed
• Maritimes, Newfoundland, and Territories: 7 games played or directed
• The maximum amount of credit any one player may receive for directing is 1/2 of that player's minimum requirement.
• No credit will be given for games directed in tournaments in which the director also played.

Peak rating

Forty-eight berths will be awarded based on peak rating (PR). A player's PR is defined as his/her highest rating that satisfies the following conditions:

• It is achieved in an open rated tournament.
• 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.
• It may be either a TWL rating or a (NASPA) Collins 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.

CNSC Qualifying Tournament

It is the intention of the Canadian Committee to award the three remaining berths based on a qualifying tournament (QT). However, if the QT is cancelled for any reason, the berths that would have been awarded based on the cancelled QT will be awarded based on PR.

• Special Note: Since the QT is being held a week before the qualification deadline based on players’ peak ratings, the QT is open to both those players who would not qualify on peak rating and for those players who have a reasonable chance of being bumped out of the top 48. The director of the QT has the right to exclude any players who have no chance or virtually no chance of being bumped from the top 48. The director’s decision is final. In the event a player wins a CNSC spot at the QT and also qualifies by PR, the next best finisher at the QT will be awarded a spot in the CNSC.

• The North American lexicon (TWL) will be used.
• Only players who are eligible to play in the CNSC and who intend to play in the CNSC will be allowed to compete in the QT.
• All QT participants must meet the same minimum participation requirements as those who will qualify based on peak rating.
• There is no minimum PR requirement to play in the QT, but interested players must notify the director in advance to confirm their intention to play in the QT.
• The director of the QT has the right to limit the number of entrants based on the size of the venue. The director of the QT will determine and announce which criteria (PR or first-come-first-served) will be used to enforce this limit.
• The top three finishers at the QT will receive CNSC berths.
• Any ties in the QTs will be broken by PR.
• The three players who qualify from this tournament must be prepared to pay their $75 CNSC entry fees immediately.

2013 Qualifying Tournament Host

The Canadian Committee awarded the Qualifying Tournament to the Montreal Club. It was a one-day event, held on Saturday, April 27, 2013. The site was Cote St Luc, Quebec.

2013 Qualifying Tournament Results

The three players who earned 2013 CNSC berths from the April 27 QT were as follows:

• Andy Saunders
• Barbara Bultz
• Sary Karanofsky

Current standings

Current qualification standings will be updated regularly until the close of the qualification period. The qualification period for the 2013 CNSC is now over. The list of 48 PR qualifiers has now been decided. (See the link for those standings.) Twelve players outside the top 48, who paid their entry fees on time, will be listed as alternates. If you believe you have been wrongly omitted from either list, contact John Chew and/or the Canadina Committee immediately.

Players within the top 48 may withdraw from the event without penalty until May 10. Players who withdraw from the event after May 10 will forfeit their entry fees.

Players who withdraw from the event or from the list of alternates cannot be reinstated.

Any Canadian NASPA member is welcome to show up at the CNSC venue on June 21 as a standby in case there are last-minute withdrawals or no-shows.

Alternates

Because they paid their entry fees but did not qualify for the CNSC in the top 48 PR spots, these players are the CNSC's alternates in case players in the top 48 withdraw between May 5 and the start of the CNSC on June 21. They are listed in descending order based on their respective PR standings. Please contact John Chew or the CC immediately if you believe you have been wrongly omitted from this list.

Chuck Abbate Joshua Castellano Anita Rackham Priya Fernando Lilla Sinanan Trevor Sealy Carl Madden Lynda Wise Joan Buma Jim Brennan Lisa Kessler Gene Rawlins

Players may ask to be remove from this list. However, once removed, they cannot be reinstated.

Standbys

If any of the 52 players withdraw from the event on very short notice, or if there is a no-show on the day the CNSC begins, a standby will be used to fill the vacancy only in a case where it is impractical to notify an alternate. Hopeful players are therefore welcome to be present at starting time to act as standbys.

Standby players will be selected in order of PR standings with ties broken by their current NASPA ratings. Any further ties will be broken by a lottery.

All standbys must meet the event's Canadian citizenship or residency requirement and be NASPA members in good standing.

Disputes

Any dispute regarding the application or interpretation of any of the above rules and guidelines will be resolved by the Canadian Committee, whose decision will be final.