Revision as of 23:07, 19 July 2013

This page outlines the criteria that will be used (subject to approval by the Advisory Board and/or the Executive Committee) to select the players who will represent the United States at the 2014 SCRABBLE Champions Tournament (SCT), formerly known as the World SCRABBLE Championship (WSC).

A similar version of these criteria may also be used for any other international tournament requiring qualification sanctioned by a player's national SCRABBLE organization.

Eligibility

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

United 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 U.S. and also attempts to represent another nation at SCT 2014 (with or without withdrawing from the U.S. registration), they will be ineligible to compete for the U.S. at the next SCT.

Assumptions and Caveats

It is unknown but assumed for the purposes of the process defined below:

 The SCT will be held sometime between September and December of 2014. 

If it is held earlier in the year than September, the end of the Qualifying Period, deadline for process registration, and the dates for the Qualifying Tournament will be moved earlier accordingly.

 The United States will have between 13 and 15 slots for the 2014 SCT. 

If the WESPA process of awarding slots changes and the US has fewer than 13 or greater than 15 slots available, then the number of slots available at the Qualifying Tournament will be adjusted accordingly.

Registering for the qualification process

Players who intend to claim a spot on the team as one of the top 10 finishers at the 2013 SCT or who intend to qualify on the basis of peak rating must register and commit to play by the end of the Qualification Period (see below). Any player who qualifies by peak rating or top ten finish, registers for the process, and withdraws after the end of the Qualification Period will be ineligible to play on the U.S. team at the the next SCT. Players wishing to register should contact Sam Kantimathi and John Chew.

The deadline for registering for the qualification tournament will be announced after the date for the tournament is set. All players in the qualifying tournament must agree to attend the SCT if they qualify. Any player who qualifies via the qualifying tournament and withdraws after the completion of the qualifying tournament will be ineligible to play on the U.S. team at the next SCT.

Qualified players

The following players have qualified to represent the USA at the 2014 SCT:

1. Qualified via top ten overall finish at 2013 SCT:
2. Qualified via peak rating:
3. Qualified via Qualification tournament:

Registered player list

The following players have registered for the qualification process:

Qualification period (QP)

The qualification period begins with the 2013 National Scrabble Championship and ends Memorial Day Weekend 2014 (although see Assumptions and Caveats above). A qualification tournament (QT) will be held in June or July of 2014 (again, see Assumptions and Caveats).

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

Available spots

It is assumed that the United States will be represented by between thirteen and fifteen players in 2014. (see Assumptions and Caveats above)

Criteria (in order)

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

Any spots awarded by WESPA (for example, for being a finalist at the previous SCT, or for being champion of the WYSC) do not count against the United States' allotment.

2. Top ten overall finishers from the 2013 SCRABBLE Champions Tournament

Any American finishing in the overall top ten in the 2013 SCT will be invited to represent the US in the 2014 SCT, provided they maintain NASPA membership and play the minimum number of tournament games in QP. If any of these players decline to play, then additional spots will be determined by peak rating.

3. Qualification tournament (QT)

Four spots will be determined by a 20-game qualification tournament that will be held in June or July of 2014. Details about the tournament will be announced later. Most likely, it will be held on the West Coast, probably in San Francisco. To be eligible for the QT, players must meet the eligibility requirements for representing the US at the 2014 SCT as enumerated above. The participation requirement does not apply to players who wish to qualify via the QT. Players who sign up for the QT will be automatically registered for the qualifying process, and must commit to play the SCT if they earn a spot.

4. Peak NASPA SOWPODS rating (PR)

The remainder of slots (depending on the number of Americans in the top ten, and the overall team allocation) will be determined by peak NASPA SOWPODS (Collins Scrabble Words) rating during the QP. A player must have played at least 31 fully rated (CSW) NASPA games before their post-tournament rating will count as a peak rating. The final rating from any fully rated tournament once this participation requirement is met may be used as a PR.

Any bonus points will count as a part of a person’s PR.

Ratings following tournaments which are not fully rated (ie, LCTs) 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. Head-to-head records among tied players in fully rated games during the QP.
2. Second highest rating achieved after playing at least 31 games in the QP.
3. Highest rating achieved after any fully rated tournament in the QP.
4. Number of CSW games played in the QP.
5. Drawing of lots.

Qualification Standings

Alternates

Any spots opened by withdrawl of a player after the applicable deadline (end of the Qualifying Period, or completion of the Qualifying Tournament) will be filled by PR.