Interschool National Scrabble Tournament 2020 (Beginner)

Tournament Rules

GAME FORMAT

1. Rules: WESPA Rules Version 3.0

2. Dictionary: Collins Scrabble Dictionary Edition 2019 (CSW19)
3. Number of Players: Two players per game
4. Total Number of Games
● Online Qualifying Rounds - 3
● Finals - 5
5. Pairing System:
○ Participants will be paired randomly by computer software for the first
round.
○ Qualifying Rounds: Knockout tournament style.
i. Round 1: Warm-up Round to familiarise players with using ISC
in a Tournament setting. Game results of this round will not count.
ii. Round 2: Knockout Round one. The Top 32 players from this
round will proceed to Round 3. Other players will be out.
iii. Round 3: 32 players will go head to head. The winning 16 will
qualify for the Finals. In the case of a draw, the participant that
advances will be chosen by the Tournament Director based on
their scores in the last game.
○ The top 16 players will proceed to the finals.
○ Finals: Swiss-system tournament style, during which all players will be
paired with opponents with a similar number of game points
(established once one round has been played).
6. Competition specific rules:
○ There will be a 300-point spread cap per game.
○ In the event that two players end a round (Qualifying/Final) with the
same number of game points and cumulative spread, the Tournament
Director will determine their rankings based on the final ranking of their
opponents from the games of that round. The player whose past
opponents have the higher final ranking will be awarded the higher
position.
 Qualifying Rounds
Score Tabulation
1. Score Reporting: At the end of each game,
participants are responsible for reporting the
outcome of their game in the live document
provided by the Organiser. A failure to do so
may result in their disqualification.
How Long Does a Game Last?
1. Each player is awarded 20 minutes of play
time per game.
2. Players will have a 1-minute grace period
after their 20 minutes are up. If the clock
ticks down to zero while it is still a players’
turn, they will automatically forfeit the game
even if they are winning at the time. To
avoid this, please be careful not to allow
your timer to run out.
3. If a player runs out of time, they will lose the
game regardless of their position at the time,
earning a game point of zero with a spread
of 250 to 300 points in their opponent’s
favour.
Finals
1. Scoresheet: Players are each responsible
for calculating their own scores and verifying
their opponent’s. This document is to help
players keep track of both their own and their
opponent’s plays during the game. The
player who goes first is Player A. Players
should continue to check in with each other
during the game that they are recording the
same scores.
2. Results Slip: This is to be completed by the
winner at the end of each round and passed
to the tournament official. It is to document
the winner and the Scrabble score
difference. This is also the designated piece
of paper to record the letters chosen for the
blank tiles to represent.
3. Individual Score Record: For a player’s
own record they are to use this sheet to
mark down their game point score (W-1, L-0,
D-0.5) and the Scrabble score difference
after the game. They are also to take down
their opponent’s information. It is important
for players to keep their own record in the
case of a dispute.
1. Each player is awarded 25 minutes of play
time per game.
2. There will be a 10-point penalty for each
minute a player exceeds their allotted time.
Once a player has exceeded their play time
by 5 minutes (accumulating a 50 point
penalty), the game is considered over.
4. The Tournament Director may intervene with
whatever necessary action if they deem a
game proceeding too slowly.
 Qualifying Rounds
Before We Begin
1. Ensure you are at your computer at least 10
minutes before your game is supposed to
start.
2. Parents/guardians must be accessible at all
times during the game through the WhatsApp
group chat.
3. Connect with your assigned opponent by
matching with their username.
4. Please stay at your computer for the duration
of the game.
Who Starts?
1. The ISC Software will decide which player
goes first.
How Do I Use the Timer?
1. The timer will automatically start counting
down during your turn.
2. Once you have made your play can click
“DONE” which will stop your timer and start
your opponent’s.
3. Note: You will not be able to pause your timer
during the qualifying game. Do pay close
attention to the board to ensure that you
make the most of your time.
Finals
1. Tiles must be laid out in four 5x5 grids, one in
each corner of the board.
2. This step is to ensure that all 100 tiles are
accounted for.
3. Once tiles are accounted for, they are to be
returned to the bag and scrambled.
4. A full rack should only have seven tiles.
5. Players should always draw tiles while
holding the bag at or above eye level.
1. Players draw tiles from the bag to determine
who starts.
2. The player with the tile closest to “A” starts. A
blank tile supersedes all other tiles.
3. If the same tiles are taken, players are to
draw again until the starting player is decided.
4. A Tournament Director may choose to allow
the computer to decide which player starts.
Their name would be indicated by an asterisk
on the pairing sheet.
1. Players share one timer.
2. Both players are responsible for checking that
the timer works correctly before the game
begins.
3. The timer can be started once Player One
draws their first tile.
4. Once the person playing has completed
playing their letters, calculating and recording
their score, and replacing their tiles, they may
start their opponent’s timer.
5. In the case of a challenge or a dispute, timers
must be neutralised - stopped for both players
- until the dispute is resolved.
 Qualifying Rounds
It’s Your Turn!
1. A turn consists of playing a word.
2. After your word is played, the computer will fill
your rack with a random drawing of tiles.
3. If you do not want to play a word, you may
choose to “PASS” and give up your turn,
which will start the countdown on your
opponent’s clock.
Drawing a Blank
1. There are two blank Scrabble tiles that may
show up during gameplay. They are worth no
points and may represent any letter of the
English alphabet. Once played, they stay that
letter for the duration of the game.
2. Blank tiles are represented on ISC by tiles
with question marks [?] on them.
3. When you play them on the board, a pop up
will appear for you to select the letter you
would like for it to represent.
Finals
1. A turn consists of playing a word, calculating
and recording your score, and drawing more
tiles to replace those used.
2. Your timer cannot be stopped unless your
turn has been played to completion.
3. Once you stop your timer, your turn is over
and your opponent may begin.
4. A player may choose to pass instead of
taking their turn. When this is done, the pass
must be recorded on the scoresheet with the
word “PASS” and given a score of “0.”
1. There are two blank Scrabble tiles that may
show up during gameplay. They are worth no
points and may represent any letter of the
English alphabet. Once played, they stay that
letter for the duration of the game.
2. A player who wants to play a blank tile must
declare their intention to do so and write
down the letter they want it to represent on
the designated piece of paper before they
place their tiles on the board.
 Qualifying Rounds
I Don’t Think That’s a Word!
1. You may challenge a word that your
opponent plays if you believe it to be invalid.
You may do this during your turn immediately
after their play.
2. To challenge a word, type “challenge” into the
chat box.
3. If the word your opponent played is valid, it is
your turn to play a word. There is no penalty
for the challenger if the word they challenge is
found to be legitimate.
4. If the word your opponent played is invalid,
their tiles will be retracted and they will lose
their turn. It is your turn to play a word.
Oops! I Took too Many Tiles!
1. Don’t worry. There is no way to overdraw tiles
on ISC. The programme will ensure that you
will only be issued the correct number of tiles
for each drawing.
Finals
1. An opponent may challenge a player’s word
once it has been placed on the board.
2. A challenge can only be issued before a
player’s score has been added up. Once the
score has been added up, it is too late to
issue the challenge.
3. When a challenge is issued, the timer must
be neutralised while the word is looked up at
the designated station.
5. In the case of parallel play, multiple words
may have been formed with one move. All
words formed during the play may be entered
into the word checker, each separated by a
comma.
6. There is no penalty for the challenger if the
word they challenge is found to be legitimate.
7. If any word checked is found to be
illegitimate, the person who played it must
retract their tiles and play a new word.
8. The challenged player should have their side
of the timer started before they retract their
tiles.
1. A player is only to draw enough tiles to bring
their full rack up to 7.
2. Players should draw their tiles face down and
place them on the table before racking them
to prevent overdrawing.
3. If a player accidentally overdraws tiles, they
must reveal all overdrawn tiles and another
two of their racked tiles. It is up to their
opponent to decide which of the overturned
tiles return to the bag.
 Qualifying Rounds
When is the Game Over?
1. A game is over when i) one player runs out of
tiles to play, ii) one player has used 21
minutes of playing time iii) all possible plays
have been made iv) both players have
passed twice in consecutive turns, i.e. both
players are unable or unwilling to place a
word after four consecutive turns scoring
zero, resulting from any combination of
passes, exchanges, and successful
challenges.
Who Won?
1. If neither player has run out of time, the
player with the higher Scrabble score at the
end of the game is the winner.
2. If a player runs out of time (including the
additional minute), they will automatically lose
the game regardless of if they are leading the
game.
a. If the game concludes on this forfeit,
no matter what the scores are at the
time of the game’s end, players will be
awarded scores of 300 to 250 in the
favour of the player who did not
default on time.
3. Players will be awarded 1 game point for a
win, 0.5 game points for a draw, and 0 game
points for a loss.
4. Players are to update the Organiser with the
outcome of their game.
Finals
1. A game is over when i) one player runs out of
tiles to play, ii) one player has used 30
minutes of playing time iii) all possible plays
have been made iv) both players have
passed twice in consecutive turns, i.e. both
players are unable to place a word after four
consecutive turns scoring zero, resulting from
any combination of passes, exchanges and
successful challenges.
2. When calculating their scores, players should
remember to deduct any time penalty they
accumulated (-10 points per minute over 25
minutes) as well as the value of the tiles they
have left on their rack.
3. If one player has zero tiles left at the end of
the game, they will be awarded extra points
equal to double the value of the tiles left on
their opponent’s rack. In this scenario, the
player with tiles left does not receive a tile
penalty.
1. At the end of each round, players are to tally
their own scores, sharing their final scores
with each other.
2. The winner should fill out the Results Slip,
both players must sign it, and the winner
should turn the slip into a tournament official.
3. The winner is the player with the higher
Scrabble score at the end of each round.
4. Players will be awarded 1 game point for a
win, 0.5 game points for a draw, and 0 game
points for a loss.
5. Players will be ranked by their game points.
Where game points are the same, Scrabble
score differences will be taken into account.
On the occasion that the number of wins and
score differences are the same, players will
be awarded the same ranking.
 Qualifying Rounds
Disputes
1. Should there be an issue that arises during
the Qualifying Round, the parent/guardian of
the participant involved should reach out to
the Organiser to resolve it.
2. Parents and guardians are to keep
Tournament-related questions to the
designated communication channel and are
not to message or call the contest Organisers
directly.
3. All decisions made by the Tournament
Director are final.
Reminders
1. Be ready for your game and at your computer
at least ten minutes before it is scheduled to
begin.
2. Play fair. You are expected not to refer to any
documents or references such as word lists
or a dictionary, and to play independently.
Your parents/guardians/teachers may not
assist during the game.
3. If the Tournament Director suspects that your
game has been tampered with in any way,
you may be subject to disqualification from
the Tournament.
4. All games on ISC are recorded by the
system; the Organiser will be able to observe
them live and watch them back to review.
5. Your submission of the game results to the
Organiser are final. Please double check that
you have reported the results correctly.
Finals
1. If there is a dispute over the legality of an
action, the timer is to be neutralised and both
players are to raise their hands to call on the
Tournament Director.
2. If a player fails to dispute a move or action by
their opponent during a game, they may not
raise it after the fact.
3. All decisions made by the Tournament
Director are considered final.
1. No electronic devices allowed during
gameplay.
2. No Scrabble notes of any kind may be
referred to during a game.
3. Players must use the scoresheets provided.
4. When drawing tiles, players must hold the tile
pouch at or above eye level and in full view of
their opponent.
5. Tiles must be returned to the 5x5 grids once
the game is over. Both players are
responsible for this task.
6. A third party may not intervene directly in any
way including but not limited to spotting errors
of mathematics or procedure or providing
assistance to players. Such instances must
be reported to the Tournament Director for
decisive action.