DOCSLIB.ORG

March 2011: Vol. 3, No. 3

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
March 2011: Vol. 3, No. 3 N A S P NASPA Bulletin® The monthly news bulletin of the North American SCRABBLE Players Association A March 2011: Vol. 3, No. 3 Can-Am in Calgary: Com- petition & Camaraderie By Chris Cree In golf, pressure has been defined as trying to make a five-foot putt for $10 when one only has $5 in one’s pocket. What goes through one’s mind when get- ting ready to make a SCRABBLE play? “This will win the game. This can lose the game. If he has the Z it is all over. Is this word good? If I win this game my rating will be at its highest. I just cannot open the triple at this stage.” Etc. When playing in the Can-Am SCRABBLE Challenge, add these thoughts to the mix: “This is for my country and my team. My country and my teammates are depending upon me. I cannot let them down.” Seven players from the U.S. faced seven players from Canada in the 2011 Can- Am. Dave Wiegand (Portland, OR), Brian Bowman (Villa Hills, KY), Marty Gabriel (Charleston, IL), Sam Kantimathi (Sacra- mento, CA), Jerry Lerman (Foster City, CA), Bradley Whitmarsh (Attleboro, MA) and Wanda Fleming from Washington D.C. was the SCRABBLE Flash winner at the Bethesda, M.D. I faced off against Adam Logan (Ottawa, Tournament that took place March 20, 2011. ON), Eric Tran (Calgary, AB), Ron Hoekstra (Vancouver, BC), Tony Leah (Toronto, ON), Dallas Open VI NSC 2011 Update Robin Pollock Daniel (Toronto, ON), Dean by Sherrie Saint John by the Championship Committee Saldanha (Richmond, BC) and Sinna Vijaya- Like a well-oiled machine, the sixth an- The National SCRABBLE Championship kumar (Mississauga, ON). nual Dallas Open took place on a bright (NSC) returns to the Hotel InterContinental Each player played his or her counterpart spring March weekend at the Crowne Plaza Dallas on August 6-10. Online registration twice, and each went first one of those games. Dallas Park Central. The SCRABBLE world is now available at the NASPA website, and Thus, each player played 14 games and there has seen a lot of change since Chris Cree will remain open through July 20; a late fee were 98 possible wins. The U.S. held the cup founded this event five years ago, but this will apply after June 22. The Championship going into the match and needed 49 wins to event remains a jewel on the calendar. Mary Committee has been hard at work reviewing retain the cup while Canada needed 49½ to Rhoades did her usual bang-up job directing, last year’s event and the helpful suggestions take possession of the cup. John Chew did his tsh pairing and web thing on the hundreds of comment cards received After 12 rounds, the US held a command- with me, and the best annotation duo ever from players and staff. Here are some of the ing 46–38 lead with Captain Dave Wiegand — Dee Segrest (Highland Village, TX) and changes we’ve made for this year’s event. leading the team. Kate Watson (Bedford, TX) — brought on The most major change is that we are re- After 13 rounds, it was all but over as the a third annotator, Chris Canik (Austin, TX). ducing the number of divisions from 5 to 4, US led 48–43. All it would take was one win It was wonderful to have Chris on hand to split at (OWL) ratings 1700, 1400 and 1100. in the final round to retain the cup. The first relieve Kate since her real job beckoned for Unlimited play-up continues to be in effect. result came in. Dave Wiegand edged Adam part of the DO, and his attention to detail We hope this will help balance the sizes of Logan and the US, with its 49th win, would was fantastic! the divisions and our staff workload. retain the cup. Then the other results started What makes the DO special is a combi- Regular entry fees remain unchanged coming in: Tran over me, Vijayakumar over nation of Southern hospitality, terrific play- at US$175 for Division 1 and $150 for all Lerman, Hoekstra over Bowman, Saldanha ers from all over the US, fantastic culinary other divisions, but we are adding a special over Whitmarsh, Daniel over Kantimathi, choices, and the open format itself. Call it a youth rate of only $50 for players who are and finally, Leah over Gabriel. The Canadians throwback to the old days when opens were under 18 as of the start of the championship. had taken the final 6 games to tie the match the only kind of tournaments held, but the We had a large number of requests to at 49 wins each! growing popularity of one big division isn’t bring back Activity Director Robin Gates, One thing I love about hockey is the way just for the elites who want to win all the who amazed us all with her tireless efforts to the players talk about each other. The words cash: there are fifteen other open events on act as the event’s concierge, arranging after- “grit” and “competitor” seem to be used the the calendar in the first half of this year. The hours events for out-of-town visitors and CAN-AM CONCLUDED continued on p. 3 DALLAS STORIES continued on p. 3 NSC NEWS continued on p. 2 2 NASPA Bulletin, Mar. 2011, Vol. 3, No. 3 NSC News last year, there were no spills. Free coffee ser- WSC Goes to Warsaw from NSC 2011 Update, p. 1 vice would be nice for coffee drinkers, but by the Championship Committee coordinating airport transfers. Some people given the availability of hotel coffee and Star- Philip Nelkon (London, GBR) an- asked us to ask Robin to also post sign-up bucks coffee on the premises, together with nounced this month that the 2011 World sheets for group dinner outings and lunch- the high cost of hotel-catered coffee service, SCRABBLE Championship (WSC) would time carpooling; these sound like excellent we prefer not to have non-coffee drinkers be held on October 12–16, 2011 at the Hil- ideas to us. subsidizing their coffee-drinking friends. ton Hotel in Warsaw, Poland, with a record We’re also very happy to have been able Many people praised the more than 200 prize fund of US$50,000, up from $30,500 to bring back most of the rest of the NSC restaurants within two miles of the event. in 2009. This is the first time that the event 2010 staff, who inspired the most positive Some hotel restaurants were closed due to has been held in continental Europe, and the comments we received, such as: “I was very renovation last year, but their reopening will first time since 2001 in Las Vegas# that the impressed with the excellent organization give more choice for people who want to eat event has been held in a city whose name is and the patience and kindness of the Divi- on site. acceptable in SCRABBLE play. NASPA Co- sion Leaders” and “Smooth as silk! Wonder- Some people complained about problems president John Chew has been confirmed as fully run!” with the hotel WiFi service. We have been the event’s webmaster and assistant director, We had a few requests to switch from four told that their service has been upgraded, as and registration at the event website is now games in the morning and three in the af- their customer base shifts away from WiFi- live. ternoon to three in the morning and four in averse security-conscious government sector Based on their past performance, the Unit- the afternoon. We are going to stay with our guests to more general business travellers. ed States is entitled to send a 15-player team current schedule, because starting the lunch Some players were also disappointed that and Canada an 8-player team. As explained break at 1:00 lets our players avoid the rush their discounted online hotel stays did not in the previous issue and on NASPAWiki, at local restaurants. include WiFi access or other amenities spe- U.S. players must register with the NASPA We had many requests to shorten the cifically negotiated for our group; please be International Committee by May 31st; Ca- lunch break from two hours to one, and careful to read the fine print when trying to nadian players wanting to qualify based on some to play more than seven games a day find the best deal. peak rating must do so by April 30th. In the or to have more side events. We have to keep Finally, some people complained that Dal- 20-year history of the biennial event, North the two-hour lunch, because it’s the only las is too hot in August, too far from New Americans have won six of the ten titles. We time for our several dozen committee mem- England, and the hotel too far from the air- wish them good luck again this year. bers to hold valuable face-to-face meetings. port. All of these factors have a significant However, we are adding an optional “Lunch impact on the cost of the event and therefore Player Accommodations Bird”: a four-round side event, held in the its entry fees. We welcome suggestions for by Dallas Johnson second half of each lunch break. We will also affordable venues that our site searches may A list of accommodations granted to be having an after hours trivia competition. not yet have identified, and will examine each players with special needs is now available Details about side events be posted on the one carefully.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • April 2011: Vol. 3, No. 4
    N A S P NASPA Bulletin® The monthly news bulletin of the North American SCRABBLE Players Association A April 2011: Vol. 3, No. 4 Hotel Negotiations 101 By Chris Cree About a month before this year’s Dal- las Open (DO), I could tell that at- tendance and thus, room sales were going to be off considerably. As it turned out, our attendance was half off of its zenith and 30% off of its mean. Increased airfare and the economy in general have strengthened the presence of the one day event, including three different cities in Texas. Our players want their offi- cially rated games. Thus, what we have seen is attendance sharply off for multiday events while the total number of tournament games played has increased. I had been talking with the Crowne Plaza – Park Central in Dallas for a while and had made decent acquaintances with the sales manager, events coordinator and food and beverage manager. We had been talking about moving the local one day events from a Golden Corral Buffet-style restaurant in a far north suburb called The Colony From left to right: NASPA Copresident and NSSC host John Chew, 2011 National School to the Crowne Plaza in Dallas proper. I SCRABBLE Champions Alex Li and Jackson Smylie, Hasbro Director of Marketing Jay Bruns, told them I did not have much to offer and National SCRABBLE Association Executive Director John D. Williams, Jr. but if their Chef Danny wants to prepare $10 meals for lunch, that would work. We still do not know if we are going to a question, I asked, “What is it precisely that Canadians Win NSSC do the lunches, but they floored me with we bring to the table that would make you by John Chew the response which was that they just want to do this?” A few years ago, I was having a drink wanted us there and that they would They responded with what could only with a Hasbro vice president and I man- provide small (500–700 square feet) meeting seem like surprise, “You all are great to aged to find the courage to ask the question space for no charge.
    [Show full text]
  • The Association of Premier Scrabble* Players JOEL SHERMAN WINS
    The Association of Premier Scrabble* Players Issue No. 57 NEWSLETTER December 1997 JOEL SHERMAN WINS WORLD TITLE American Joel Sherman is the 1997 World Scrabble Champion. In a battle of New Yorkers, he defeated stand-up comedian Matt Graham 3-1 in the Final. It was a sweet success for Sherman, who had reached the Final in 1995, only to be defeated by Canada's David Boys. One little-known fact about Joel is that he's a member of die APSP! He joined in 1995, when the World Championship was held in London, and has retained his membership ever since. So we can offer our congratulations to one of our own members! For the first two days the tournament had been dominated by the UK team. At one stage, the top four positions were occupied by UK players. But as the pressure mounted the Americans made their move, with Graham winning 13 successive games to secure his place in the Final. The top UK finisher was Mark Nyman in 5th place, with Russell Byers (7th) also achieving a top ten finish. You can read a full report, including Mark's own account of the event, on page 4. ANDY COOK IS NATIONAL CHAMPION The rise of Andy Cook continues unabated. Within three years he's risen from the ranks of the "who's her to become the UK's National Champion. In the Final he defeated Jackie McLeod, 3-0. Andy's winning prize included an expenses-paid trip to Washington DC to watch the World Championship. Not bad for a weekend's Scrabble! The Intermediate title was won by 21-year-old Paul Chadwick, with a magnificent record of 9 wins and 1 tie in his ten games.
    [Show full text]
  • Issue 141 December 2011
    Bimonthly Magazine for the Association of British Scrabble Players Issue 141 - December 2011 SCRABBLE ® is a registered trademark of J.W.Spear & Sons Ltd, Maidenhead SL6 4UB committee matters Minutes of ABSP Committee Meeting: Sunday 2nd October 2011 Venue: Philip’s house, London Present: Peter Ashurst (PA), Wayne Kelly (WK), Ross Mackenzie (RM), Philip Nelkon (PN), Steve Perry (SP). Standing apologies: Anand Buddhdev (AB), Elie Dangoor (ED), Darryl Francis (DF), Anand Buddhdev (AB), Elie Dangoor (ED), Paula Davenport (PD), Alec Webb (AW). Apologies: Laura Finley (LF), Stewart Holden (SH), Elisabeth Jardine (EJ), Anne Ramsay (AR) Ratings Officer: John Grayson (JG) Resignations/appointments: Allan Simmons stepped down from the Committee as of the AGM but will remain on the Committee discussion group, at least during the handover period. Minutes of the previous meeting: agreed via email Team member reports and discussion Treasurer’s report: • Barclays mandate has been updated with PA, RM and LF as signatories • Bank balance – £14,359.22 nett of payment of £27,605.62 for Yarnfield Park • 2010 accounts have been audited and approved • Standing Orders – the matter was deferred at the AGM. PA is investigating further. • Membership database has been reformatted, PA / AR are to review the current set up. • Out turn cost for BMSC was a loss of £860.55, prize money was increased by using 2010 surplus of £540. • BMSC giveaway mugs – surplus were sold to Tilefish • Out turn cost for Masters was a loss of £37.00 • 50 Short Scrabble boards have been
    [Show full text]
  • July 2012: Vol. 4, No. 2 the 2012 Dallas Open: Winter in Spring by Chris Cree 2012 Marked the Final Year for the Dallas Open
    N A S P NASPA Bulletin® The monthly news bulletin of the North American SCRABBLE Players Association A July 2012: Vol. 4, No. 2 The 2012 Dallas Open: Winter in Spring by Chris Cree 2012 marked the final year for the Dallas Open. This was the seventh such event: DO7. The event was born following discussions of divisions and my belief that the players of today have no idea how good they are. Anybody can beat anyone at any time. For many years with our old rating system, one was basically stuck within a division. This was in contrast to the way SCRABBLE tour- naments were when I first started in 1980. All tournaments were single-division. After the formation of divisions, upward move- ment was extremely difficult to maintain and lower-division players never had the oppor- tunity to compare themselves to and com- pete with the best. So, to prove the point, the open tournament was resurrected and the first Dallas Open took place in 2006. In the very first game of the first Dallas Open, Phyllis Owen (Plano, TX), rated no Board 1 at the Dallas Open: (L–R) annotator Dee Segrest (Highland Village, TX), event leader more than 800, bested one of the best players Kate Fukawa-Connelly (Kittery, ME) in the seat she kept throughout the second day, her Round to ever play the game, Robin Pollock Daniel 15 opponent Patricia Barrett (Houston, TX) and annotator Kathleen Watson (Bedford, TX). (Toronto, ON). No matter what happens in the rest of her career, Phyllis has that personal What Happened in Vegas 2012 NSC Update victory that no one can ever take away.
    [Show full text]
  • Rank Name Home Wins Spread 1 Adam Logan Canada 20.0 +1613 2
    Rank Name Home Wins Spread 1 Adam Logan Canada 20.0 +1613 2 Pakorn Nemitrmansuk Thailand 18.0 +678 3 Naween Fernando Australia 17.0 +741 4 Ganesh Asirvatham Malaysia 16.0 +690 5 Gareth Williams Wales 16.0 +664 6 Paul Cleary Australia 16.0 +643 7 David Boys Canada 16.0 +612 8 Dave Wiegand United States 16.0 +599 9 Lukeman Owolabi Nigeria 15.0 +832 10 Siu Hean Cheah Singapore 15.0 +776 11 David Eldar Australia 15.0 +672 12 Paul Allan Scotland 15.0 +591 13 Dean Saldanha Canada 15.0 +414 14 John O'Laughlin United States 15.0 +367 15 Michael Arthur Quao Ghana 14.5 +725 16 Panupol Sujjayakorn World Champion 14.5 +422 17 Harshan Lamabadusuriya England 14.0 +1209 18 Howard Warner New Zealand 14.0 +894 19 Joel Sherman United States 14.0 +847 20 Terry Kirk England 14.0 +770 21 Andrew Fisher Australia 14.0 +724 22 Chrys Placca Ghana 14.0 +437 23 Oscar T. Rivera Philippines 14.0 +254 24 Edward Martin England 14.0 +210 25 Tim Adamson United States 14.0 +166 26 Akshay Bhandarkar India 14.0 +127 27 Manop Phiphatboonserm Thailand 14.0 -553 28 Peter Armstrong United States 14.0 -815 29 Helen Gipson England 13.0 +736 30 Steve Polatnick United States 13.0 +492 31 Nick Ball England 13.0 +407 32 Albert Hahn Canada 13.0 +405 33 Joel Wapnick Canada 13.0 +395 34 John Luebkemann United States 13.0 +392 35 Theresa Camilleri Malta 13.0 +349 36 Femi Awowade England 13.0 +332 37 Keiichiro Hirai Japan 13.0 +330 38 Lisa Odom United States 13.0 +272 39 Jojo Delia Malta 13.0 +260 40 Yawo Takyi Ananga Ghana 13.0 +183 41 Phil Appleby England 13.0 +167 42 Gerald Carter Thailand
    [Show full text]
  • February 2012: Vol
    N A S P NASPA Bulletin® The monthly news bulletin of the North American SCRABBLE Players Association A February 2012: Vol. 4, No. 1 The Big Easy & Other Points Hither and Yon by Chris Cree Official SCRABBLE tournaments re- turned to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day weekend west of the Mississippi and did so with a big splash! Lila Crotty (Metairie, LA) and Kate Fu- kawa-Connelly (Kittery, ME) produced the Inaugural Crescent City Cup SCRABBLE Tournament in New Orleans, LA. Their hus- bands, Tim & Tim, handled respectively data entry and direction of the event. The event took place at the Inn on Bourbon, a quaint oasis in the midst of the French Quarter. The room was the perfect size for the event. In a wild finish befitting the personality of this city, 6 people had identical records entering the final round. Jesse Day (Berke- ley, CA) bested Joel Sherman (Bronx, NY) at Table 1 and had enough cumulative point spread to fend off the two others who fin- ished with Jesse’s 14–6 record. The hostess, Alan Mason (Eureka, CA) won the SCRABBLE Flash game at the Redwood Coast SCRABBLE Kate Fukawa-Connelly, finished second and Club’s February 12 tournament in Arcata, CA. The tournament was directed by Leah Kruley. Jim Burlant (Grapevine, TX) finished third. In the Lite Division (with a nod to Port- Member Services 2012 NSC Update land’s description of the second division at an by the Web Committee by John Chew Open), Roy Dixon (Dade City, FL) held off We are often asked if we can provide some As we go to press, we have broken 100 Lindsey Dimmick (Baton Rouge, LA) and sort of information or service to our mem- paid registrants to this year’s National Harry Durbin (Collierville, TN) for the title.
    [Show full text]
  • Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} the Logophile's Lexicon by Paul Haidet
    Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} The Logophile's Lexicon by Paul Haidet Feb 25, 2008 · The Logophile's Lexicon Paperback – February 25, 2008 by Paul Haidet (Author) 2.4 out of 5 stars 2 ratings. See all formats and editions Hide other formats and editions. Price New from Used from Paperback "Please retry" $39.99 — $5.97: Paperback $39.992.4/5(2)Format: PaperbackAuthor: Paul HaidetImages of The Logophile's Lexicon By Paul Haidet bing.com/imagesSee allSee all imagesThe Logophile's Lexicon Paperback Paul Haidet ...https://www.ebay.com/itm/The-Logophiles-Lexicon...Email to friends Share on Facebook - opens in a new window or tab Share on Twitter - opens in a new window or tab Share on Pinterest - opens in a new window or tab Synopsis : The Logophile s Lexicon written by Paul Haidet, published by Anonim which was released on 11 February 2008. Download The Logophile s Lexicon Books now!Available in PDF, EPUB, Mobi Format. The Logophile's Lexicon is not your ordinary book; it's an eclectic compilation of thousands of bizarre and fascinating words along with their definitions which are sure to educate as well as ... Books Advanced Search New Releases & Pre-orders Best Sellers Browse Genres Children's & Young Adult Textbooks Exam Central Advanced Search New Releases & Pre-orders Best Sellers Browse Genres Children's & Young AdultReviews: 1Format: PaperbackAuthor: Paul HaidetThe Logophile’s Lexicon – The Philalethisthttps://thephilalethist76.com/the-logophiles-lexiconThis self-published dictionary contains over 1,300 vocabulary words, each including a pronunciation key and sample sentence, designed to enhance one’s experience and application of some of the rich… The Logophile's Lexicon: Haidet, Paul: Amazon.sg: Books.
    [Show full text]
  • The Center Star the Game Starts Here December 2005 Issue 6
    The Center Star The Game Starts here December 2005 Issue 6 NEWS FLASH- DAVID ear Readers, as I type this WIEGAND WINS NSC IN RENO! it is 2am on a dark and snowy night. What D thoughts come to mind as I sit here at my desk, trembling with anticipation while I prepare myself to hack and chop and ruthlessly libel much of our small community, other than – how small shall we chop, how ruthless can we be, and what in hell were they thinking when they put that picture of Madonna on this month’s issue of Rolling Stone magazine? Well, I’m thinking about the death of a newsletter, of course. We made it through a full year of The Center Star with this final issue and if those cards and letters (checks) don’t keep coming, this will be our last issue. Sure, some of you may be thinking, finally , but maybe a few of you are interested in stringing out this lowbrow humor for yet another year. RENO, NV - Although initial reports have yet to be So far a whopping 26 of you have renewed your confirmed from NSA headquarters, reliable sources for subscriptions. Only 129 more to go! Yes, December is a The Star report that Dave Wiegand is your 2005 wretched time of year, we know. A joyous wretchedosity, National Scrabble champion. Wiegand won the last to be sure, but a time when budgets are stretched thinner three games in a best-of-five final to defeat Panupol than usual, and we barely have time to polish our boards, Sujjakyakorn of Thailand 3-2 in Reno, Nevada.
    [Show full text]
  • World Scrabble Championship 5-8 November 1999 24 Games and Best-Of-Five Final
    World Scrabble Championship 5-8 November 1999 24 Games and Best-of-Five Final Finals Joel Wapnick 3 - Mark Nyman 1 24 Rounds Rank Player From Wins Spread 1 Joel Wapnick CA 18 1068 2 Mark Nyman UK 17 808 3 David Boys CA 17 693 4 Adam Logan CA 16 886 5 Andrew Fisher UK 16 797 6 Russell Byers UK 16 647 7 Ron Tiekert US 16 366 8 Nigel Richards NZ 15 1616 9 Andrew Cook UK 15 983 10 John Holgate AU 15 782 11 Brian Cappelletto US 15 711 12 Kendall Boyd NZ 15 603 13 Naween Fernando LK 15 217 14 Phil Appleby UK 15 191 15 Joel Sherman US 15 73 16 Suresh Chinnaiyah LK 14 910 17 David Wiegand US 14 820 18 Jakkrit Klaphajone TH 14 635 19 Virgilio Quiballo PH 14 566 20 John Luebkemann US 14 309 21 Mohan Chunkath IN 14 292 22 Femi Awowade NI 14 203 23 Lisa Odom US 14 151 24 Stanley Ndungu KE 14 102 25 Paul Epstein US 14 88 26 Bob Jackman AU 13.5 166 27 David Webb UK 13 602 28 Joe Edley US 13 447 29 Ronald Credo PH 13 439 30 Michael Gongolo KE 13 255 31 Steven Gruzd ZA 13 222 32 Joan Rosenthal AU 13 214 33 Howard Warner NZ 13 194 34 Gareth Williams WA 13 178 35 Randy Hersom US 13 106 36 Shafique Thobani KE 13 14 37 Amnuay Ploysangngam TH 13 -16 38 James Cherry CA 13 -27 39 Michael Pray OM 13 -369 40 Pakorn Nemitrmansuk TH 13 -382 41 Jeff Grant NZ 13 -588 42 Ishtiaq Chishty SA 12.5 399 43 Odette Rio PH 12 569 44 Brett Smitheram UK 12 555 45 Robert Felt US 12 360 46 Jim Geary US 12 358 47 Roland Filio BH 12 285 48 Lester Schonbrun US 12 100 49 Helen Gipson UK 12 37 50 Pui Cheng Wui MY 12 6 51 Saheed Jimoh NI 12 -22 52 Matayo Bwire KE 12 -31 53 Albert Hahn
    [Show full text]
  • CALENDAR SCRABBLE PLAYERS Compiled by Steve Perry
    The bi-monthly magazine of the ASSOCIATION OF BRITISH CALENDAR SCRABBLE PLAYERS compiled by Steve Perry A quick reference to forthcoming competitions. (fuller list and details inside) No. 130 February 2010 Deadline for next issue: 5th March 1-2 or 2-1? Pakorn wins WSC Nigel 2nd Nigel wins Causeway Pakorn 2nd Quite a Malaysian feel to this month’s Last Word with reminiscences from the WSC, the Causeway and the WYSC from Allan Elie, Karen, and “The Phenomenon” which I am afraid I had to cut short as he does go on a bit!! cont’d inside TLW 130 52 49 ISSUE CONTENTS COMMITTEE Committee Corner 1 Scrabble for Beginners 27 Events Reports and Results 4 Ratings 30 Youth Matters 14 Edgeways 36 CORNER That Was Then 18 Forthcoming Events 41 Letters 21 Solutions ibc The Committee met on December 13th in Faringdon. WESPA 24 Calendar of Events obc Among the items discussed was the need for a Youth Scrabble Officer, as Karen Richards will be leaving the country in the near future. We hope to form a small team of interested people Throughout this publication, comments by the Editor do not represent the views of who will liaise with a representative from the school clubs already registered with Mattel, the ABSP Committee. Any statements by the Committee are clearly marked as such. as well as encouraging young players and overseeing WYSC qualification. If you would be All other contributions to The Last Word represent only the views of the contributor. interested in being part of this team please contact me or Ross.
    [Show full text]
  • Total SCRABBLE®
    Total SCRABBLE® The (Un)Official SCRABBLE® Record Book Jan 2009 Update Compiled by Keith W. Smith Page 1 Copyright 2003, 2005, 2009 Keith W. Smith HASBRO is the owner of the registered SCRABBLE® trademark in the United States and Canada. © 2005 HASBRO. All rights reserved. The SCRABBLE® trademark is owned by J.W. Spear and Sons, PLC, a subsidiary of Mattel, Inc. outside of the United States and Canada. Page 2 Acknowledgements This work would not have been possible without the support of the following people who provided information, suggestions and support: Steven Alexander, Paul Avrin, Mike Baron, Lynn Cushman, Bruce D'Ambrosio, Darrell Day, Jan Dixon, Mike Early, Joe Edley, Dave Engelhardt, Paul Epstein, Stefan Fatsis, Mady Garner, Stu Goldman, Bernard Gotlieb, René Gotfryd, John C Green Jr, Ron Hoekstra, Joel Horn, Robert Kahn, Sam Kantimathi, Carol Kaplan, Zev Kaufman, Jim Kramer, John Luebkemann, Joey Mallick, Lloyd Mills, Louie Muller, Philip Nelkon, Rita Norr, Steve Oliger, Jim Pate, Trip Payne, Bryan Pepper, Dan Pratt, Mark Przybyszewski, Mary Rhoades, Ann Sanfedele, Bob Schoenman, Peter Schwartzman, Dee Segrest, Joel Sherman, David Stone, Geoff Thevenot, Graeme Thomas, Ron Tiekert, Susi Tiekert, Joel Wapnick, Dave Wiegand, and Ben Withers. Page 3 A Plea The first thing you need to know about the book you are holding is that it's incomplete. As much as I'd like to have used complete data for every tournament ever played, I just don't have it (and in many cases it may not exist). Future editions will include more complete information and I hope to eventually have complete information.
    [Show full text]
  • November 2011: Vol. 3, No. 11
    N A S P NASPA Bulletin® The monthly news bulletin of the North American SCRABBLE Players Association A November 2011: Vol. 3, No. 11 Your Committees at Work by Chris Cree On Wednesday evening, November 30, NASPA held a conference call for a portion of its committee chairs. Each gave an over- view of what they have done and what they are currently working on. The highlights were: Membership Committee — Committee Member Tony Leah, in attendance to give the update for Chair Mad Palazzo, reported that the committee had just made their first proposal for the possibility of a NASPA Life- time Membership. NASPA has had the ben- efit of meeting and being able to speak with a few MENSA America officers about this and other facets of their organization. The com- mittee also looked at the United States Chess Federation’s model. NASPA is considering this possibility and will try to come to a decision during the first quarter of 2012. The Recognition portion of the Ratings and Recognition Committee — Cochair Dave Johnson (Portland, OR) presents a SCRABBLE Flash set to Seth Lipkin is working on a quantifiable Maggie Morley (Kensington, CA), the Most Improved Player at his tournament. method to determine a NASPA Expert, Master and Grandmaster. These terms are 2012 NSC Update 27-Year Friendly Rivalry bestowed upon people in bridge and chess, by the Championship Committee by John Chew amongst other endeavors. The Association Registration for the 2012 National Tournament SCRABBLE players start of British SCRABBLE Players (ABSP) also SCRABBLE Championship (NSC) is now playing because they’re competitive and like does this and was kind enough to share their open! As we go to press, there are 19 players the game, but what keeps everyone coming formula.
    [Show full text]