2019 WESPA Championship Canadian Qualification System

This page outlines the criteria that will be used to select the players who qualify to represent Canada at the 2019 WESPA Championship (WESPAC2019).

WESPAC2019 is an event with national allocations resembling those of the World SCRABBLE Championship (WSC). It will be held in Goa, India, from October 16-20, 2019. (There will also be a Last Chance Qualifier on October 15, 2019 in Goa that will select additional players.) Canada has been allotted 10 spots for the WESPAC2019. This document sets out how the 10 qualifiers will be chosen.

Eligibility

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

Canadian citizens and permanent residents are eligible.

Temporary Residents (TRs) are eligible with the following restrictions:

• TRs must register for the qualification process on or before February 28, 2019.
• TRs must reside in Canada for the entire period between February 28, 2017 and the end of WESPAC2019.

Registering for the qualification process

Players wishing to register for the qualification process can do so by contacting any member of the Canadian Committee. The application deadline for qualifying by peak rating is 11:59 p.m. Pacific time on June 16, 2019. The deadline for registering for the Qualifying Tournament(s) will be determined later.

Qualification period (QP)

The qualification period began on December 1, 2017 and ends on June 16, 2019. The qualification tournament(s), if held, will be held sometime thereafter.

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

Criteria (in order)

1. World English-language Scrabble Players' Association (WESPA) bye(s)

These are spots awarded by WESPA, typically for being a finalist in the previous WSC. Any spots awarded by WESPA do not count against Canada’s allotment. No one from Canada is expected to receive a spot awarded by WESPA for WESPAC2019.

2. Top finishers from the 2017 WESPA Championship

These spots are awarded to eligible players who finished in the top quarter of the 119 person field in WESPAC 2017 while representing Canada. Players already awarded WESPA byes are not considered part of Canada’s allotment and do not count against the maximum number of spots to be awarded. These spots must be accepted before June 16, 2019. Any spots not claimed under this provision will be awarded based on peak rating.

Qualified under this criterion:

• Adam Logan (8th place)

Adam Logan declined this spot.

3. Peak rating (PR)

Two spots will be reserved for a qualifying tournament or tournaments. The remaining 8 spots will be awarded based on Peak Rating.

• Only NASPA ratings achieved in fully rated tournaments will be allowed to be considered a PR.
• Ratings achieved at the midpoint of split rated tournaments will be allowed to be considered as a PR.
• Players wishing to qualify based on PR must register for the qualification process by June 16, 2019.

• A player’s TWL PR is their highest tournament rating that is achieved after a player has played at least 34 TWL games in fully rated tournaments during the QP.
• A player’s Collins PR is their highest tournament rating that is achieved after a player has played at least 34 Collins games in fully rated tournaments during the QP.
• A player’s Qualifying PR (QPR) will be the higher of their TWL PR and Collins PR.

QPR tie-breakers

1. NASPA Collins Peak Rating
2. Second highest rating achieved after playing at least 34 fully rated games in the QP
3. Highest rating achieved after any fully rated tournament in the QP (i.e., PR before 34 games)
4. Drawing of Lots.

Note: Second highest rating can be taken from either rating system.

4. Qualification tournament (QT)

If more than 10 qualified players register for the qualification process, there will be a qualifying tournament or tournaments according to the following procedure: If there are at least 4 non-qualifiers nationwide, at least one Qualifying Tournament will be run.

• If there are at least 4 non-qualifiers living in Manitoba westward, a Western QT will be run.
• If there are at least 4 non-qualifiers living in Ontario eastward, an Eastern QT will be run.
• If only a Western QT or only an Eastern QT runs, that tournament sends 2 players. If both QTs run, each tournament sends 1 player each.
• If no QTs run, then both spots are apportioned based on rating.
• If neither half of the country has 4 non-qualifiers but there are more than 4 in total, the Canadian Committee reserves the right to decide where the QT is located.

Alternates

• Players who accept an allotted spot under criteria 2 or 3, and who withdraw before the QT will be replaced based on PR.
• Otherwise, alternate spots for the Canadian team will be awarded based on the standings of the QT.
• Any further alternate spots will be awarded based on PR.
• Any further alternate spots will be awarded by the NASPA Canadian Committee.
• The Canadian Committee accepted the following players as alternates when spots became open:
  • Sumeet Sachdev
  • Jesse Matthews

Qualified Players

The following players have registered and qualified to represent Canada at WESPAC2019:

• Priya Fernando
• Andrew Golding
• Tony Leah
• Yvonne Lobo
• Jesse Matthews
• Steve Ozorio
• Dielle Pinto
• Sumeet Sachdev
• Dean Saldanha

Registered Players

The following players have registered for WESPAC2019:

• Jesse Matthews
• Tony Leah
• Dean Saldanha
• Andrew Golding
• Steve Ozorio
• Yvonne Lobo
• Sophia Ozorio - Declined
• Priya Fernando
• Dielle Pinto
• Sumeet Sachdev
• Geoffrey Newman - Dropped Out
• Abdul Khan - Dropped Out

Obligations

Players who accept an allotted spot under criteria 2 or 3, and who withdraw without a valid reason after the QT will not be permitted to qualify for the next event with WSC-like national allocations except through the QT.

Disputes

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