How to Direct a Scrabble Tournament
This document covers everything you need to have and do to run a successful Scrabble tournament. If I've missed anything, please e-mail me. And yes, I've read too many planning-for-a-baby-or-wedding books. -- John Chew
The AGA has a much more detailed guide to running Go tournaments, which is worth reading even for Scrabble directors.
Timetable
Two Months Before
At this point, you should have:
- chosen a date (check for conflict with local events, religious holidays)
- decided on a schedule (how many 65-minute rounds, how many 7- or 8-round days, start times, breaks)
- chosen a tournament structure (round-robin or Swiss)
- decided how much entry fees will be, and what percentage will be returned as prizes (60% is typical)
- printed and distributed tournament flyers
- booked your venue and inspected it to make sure it is suitable
- registered your tournament with the NSA
- recruited your key staff
- set up a tournament web site, including a copy of your flyer and a list of registrants
If possible, you should get all of these done as early as twelve months before the date of the tournament.
One Month Before
At this point, you should have:
- recruited all of your staff
- sourced a word judge laptop and software
- had a planning meeting with your staff to make sure that everyone knows what they're doing
- decided on colour-coding for divisions
- decided on a prize structure
- decided on a catering menu
- drawn up a draft budget
One Week Before
At this point, you should have:
- bought any nonperishable catering supplies
- bought any noncash prizes
- obtained all the other supplies that you will need for the event
- confirmed with your venue and have an emergency contact phone number for your liaison
- alerted local media
- announced that registration is closed, except possibly to a player willing to come as an alternate and gamble on playing for free if the numbers would otherwise be odd, or to additional pairs of players if you still have room
One Day Before
At this point, you should have:
- moved anything that you can to the venue, if it's secure
- double-checked everything in this document
- had your Rules Adjudicator reread the tournament rules
- had your Pairings Officer set up tournament data files
- chosen your wardrobe: your most comfortable shoes and layers of clothing to deal with air conditioning or excessive heat and alternately sitting at a computer for long periods and running the length of a tournament room
- checked for any local circumstances that might affect the ability of players to reach your tournament site: inclement weather, road closures, parades, transit strikes
- caught up on your sleep
One Hour Before
At this point, you should have:
- the venue completely set up for the tournament: signage and wall-charts posted, tables and chairs in place, staff table laid out, coffee going for early arrivals
- be ready to start registration, with nametags and scorecards laid out in alphabetical order ready for players to pick up
Registration
It's good to allow an hour for registration for every hundred registrants. The registrars should check people off on their registration lists and collect any fees owing. They should ask players to pick up their nametag and scorecard. As soon as all the players for each division are present, the pairings officer should be informed.
Opening Ceremony
You should:
- Thank the players for coming
- Introduce all your staff
- Remind players of the schedule
- Tell players what they should do after each round
Pairings
See the tsh user's guide.
For tournaments with a two-player final round, see also the somewhat obsolete Pairing Two-Victor Tournaments.
During the Tournament
- Prepare cash prize envelopes
Closing Ceremony
You should:
- Thank the players for coming
- Thank all your staff by name.
- Give out prizes from lowest division to highest.
- Announce your next tournament, invite people to come back.
- Photograph the division winners.
After the Tournament
You should:
- Tear down the venue, if necessary
- Post results to CGP
- E-file ratings to NSA
- Check budget
- Have a follow-up meeting to decide what to improve next time
- Relax
What You Need
Budget
Revenue
- Entry fees
- Commuter fees
- Donations
- Donations in kind
Expenses
- Catering
- Petty Cash
- Prizes
- Ratings Fee
- Staff
- Supplies
- Venue
Catering
If your venue has a catering service, you will probably have to use it. If not, try to get local players to help out. Offer to reimburse them for their expenses, don't forget to thank them at the closing ceremony.
All through the event you will need:
- Water service
- Tea and coffee
- light snacks
At the start of the day, you will need:
- Tea and coffee
- Orange juice
- pastries
If you can, provide a good lunch for players. A surprising number of players judge tournaments on the food offered, and for many it will be the only time when they can relax and socialize.
Most tournaments do not provide dinner, but if your venue offers you a good deal, it's certainly worth passing it on to your players. Make sure the menu includes options for players of different dietary needs, including at least vegetarian and kosher.
Prizes
A reasonable calculation for cash prizes is: 30% of entry fees to the winner of each division, 15% to the runner-up, and another 15% divided among lower-ranked players with the smallest prize being equal to the entry fee. In a large division, use a 30%/10%/10% split instead and give 10% in class prizes to players seeded in the bottom half. Prizes should be awarded to 25-30% of players.
The NSA will offer quantity discounts to directors wanting to purchase Word Gear merchandise for use as prizes. Offer these and other noncash prizes as additional place prizes, special category prizes (high word, high/low win, theme words, early bird, door, etc.)
As of 2006, Hasbro no longer supplies game prize packages.
Staff
You need staff to fill the following positions. Some people may have more than one job, except as noted.
- Registrar(s)
- You need at least one who is not the emcee, as registration for latecomers may overlap with announcements. At least two is a very good idea, to speed processing at busy times. If you have more than 100 players, have at least one registrar for every 50 players, divided if possible according to player divisions.
- Emcee
- One person per room, to make announcements and generally keep order. Should be able to speak clearly and concisely.
- Rules Adjudicator
- One for every 200 players. Should be very familiar with the rules.
- Data Entry Person
- One data entry person for every 200 players. Should preferably have experience, must be able to touch-type numbers quickly and with at least 99.95% accuracy.
- Pairings Officer
- One for every 200 players. Should be qualified to do pairings by hand, in case of an emergency. Is often the same as data entry person.
- Vanna
- One person, to keep prizes organized and hand them to the emcee during the prize ceremony. Cannot be the emcee. Should be able to keep a list of items in the right order under pressure.
- Catering Coordinator
- If you are doing your own catering and don't have to book it through your venue, one person should be in charge of soliciting contributions from local players, and for making sure that food and drink are put out at appropriate times. Should be able to charm a man into cooking.
Supplies
You need to obtain the following miscellaneous supplies:
- baskets/trays for slips and stickers (one per table)
- blank letter-size paper (at least ten sheets per division per round)
- cash prize envelopes (one per prize, with some extra)
- in-box for CSCs (one per division)
- in-box for result slips (one per data entry person)
- nametags (one per player and staff member, with some extra)
- paper clips, stapler, staples
- spare clock(s), tiles, racks, boards
- spare printer cartridge (one)
- tape for posting printouts
- walkie-talkies for staff, if you have more than one room
- word judge laptops, one per 40 players and at least one per room
You need to bring the following information and documents:
- tournament flyer
- venue contract
- emergency contact numbers for venue liaison and your staff
You need copies of the following documents available from the NSA:
- NSA Director's Manual (one per rules adjudicator)
- NSA Tournament Rules (one per rules adjudicator)
- Official Word List (one per room)
- Long List (one)
You need to print the following documents, much of which are available at my supplies page or at the NSA's forms page:
- Combined blank designation/challenge/result slips (tally sheets), colour-coded by division (0.55 per player per round)
- Contestant scorecards (one per player) colour-coded by division with a few extra. On card stock if possible.
- Instructions to players on how to fill out forms (one of each per division)
- Prize sign-up sheets (high win, high play, etc.)
- Registration list (one per registrar) listing each player by division, and indicating whether they have paid their entry fee and whether their NSA membership is current.
- One-game tracking/scoresheets (1/3 per player per round)
- Prize chart for emcee and Vanna's reference (2)
- Three-game tracking/scoresheets (1/10 per player per round)
- Wall-charts, one per division
- Wall-chart stickers, colour-coded by type (0.6 W, 0.6 L, 0.01 T per player per round, 2 B per round)
Venue
- Good lighting (bright but no glare)
- Good ventilation and climate control (players will heat up the room over the course of the day)
- Accessibility to the handicapped
- Tables and chairs: one game occupies at least 30 inches by 30 inches, so a six-foot banquet table can accommodate two boards or four players. Leave 3-6 feet between tables so that word judges can walk between games in progress. One six-foot table for every two staff members, located as close to the exit as possible. When booking space, the preceding sizes mean that the tightest you can fit players is 13.5 sq. ft. per player, and it's not necessary to have more than 27 sq. ft. per player. For 100 players then, you should look for spaces that are 1400-2800 sq. ft. When you have one, be sure to check availability of appropriate tables, and make sure that they can be laid out to make room for all players.
- Electrical outlet(s) near staff table
- Internet access if you're providing web coverage