2011 Canadian National SCRABBLE Championship Early Bird

The 2011 Canadian National SCRABBLE Championship (CNSC) features an open rated Early Bird (EB) event, which takes place on Friday, June 10 at the Bond Place Hotel in Toronto, immediately preceding the CNSC main event (ME).

Eligibility

Players must be NASPA members in good standing, but do not have to have qualified for the ME, and in particular do not have to be Canadian citizens or residents. Membership may be purchased at registration: $30 for a one-year adult membership, $19 for a one-event membership for rated players, $15 for a six-month trial membership for rated players, $15 for a one-year youth membership, or free for a six-month membership for National School SCRABBLE Championship contestants.

Main Event Qualification

In 2008, the CNSC EB was also a qualifying tournament (QT) for the ME. This year, there were two separate QTs held in Alberta and Ontario, and this EB is just a warm-up event, with no qualification path from it to the ME.

Registration

Players should register by informing John Chew that they wish to play. Space is limited to about 30 players, and will be assigned based on the order in which registrations are received. An entry fee of CAD 30.00 may be paid either by cheque prior to June 3rd (John will be at the June 1st meeting of the Toronto Scrabble Club), or by cash at the door.

Format

All players will play in one open division, using tsh pairings beginning with the standard round robin groups of four players randomly selected from each quartile, followed by four rounds of Chew pairings, including Gibsonization on spread.

70% of the net entry fees (less participation fees) will be returned to players in prizes, including at least one class prize for every ten players.

In the extremely unlikely event that at least four players prefer to play SOWPODS, and notify the director at least a week before the event, there will be a separate SOWPODS division.

Schedule

Please see the main event schedule for full details of the early bird schedule.

Players, especially those who intend to pay their entry fee at the door, must arrive during the registration period: 8:30–9:00 A.M. If you are running late, please call John Chew at his cellphone at 416-876-7675 before 9:00 A.M. to be included in the day’s pairings.

Seven rounds of play begin at 9:15 A.M. and end at 6:30 P.M., punctuated by two coffee breaks (catered by the hotel) and one lunch break (for which players are on their own).

Main event registration will run from 7:00–7:30 P.M.

Equipment

CNSC Protiles will be available at Early Bird registration. Main Event players may claim their free set at this time; additional sets will be available while supplies last for $15 per set.

As of June 5, it is still not known whether the boards that will be used at the Main Event will be available in time for the Early Bird. Players are requested to be prepared to bring their own equipment if they can.

Registered Players

See Cross-tables.com for the current list of registered players.

Further Information

For more information, please contact tournament director John Chew.