Old News:
Summer/Fall 2008
NSA Announces new Rules
Just prior to the Nationals in July 2008, the NSA announced some changes to the Official Tournament Rules. Some of the changes were to existing rules, and some new rules were added.
The proposed rule changes were put into effect 25 July 2008, and are still labeled "Draft" however it appears they are officially effective as the changes have been incorporated into the online version of the Rules. You can read the summary of changes on the NSA website. We have also created a printable version.
15 November 2008
Seattle WINS Vancouver-Seattle Interclub Challenge!
On the heels of winning the Portland-Seattle Challenge earlier this fall, in a closely matched contest Seattle came out ahead with 92 wins to Vancouver's 84 for the victory in this team challenge tournament.
Division A had the strongest showing, with the most number of Seattle wins and Seattle players taking the top three spots: Club director Rebecca Slivka came in first, followed by Dan Goodwin and then Rafi Stern. Dan also won a prize for High Game.
Claudia Finn won Division B, and Geoff Tongue placed third (and High Loss) and Mark Peltier took fourth place. David Ruby also won a prize for High Game.
In the (larger) Division C Jane Bissonnette took second place, followed by Jim Porter in third (a great performance in his first tournament), Dave Foerstel in fourth, Georgianne Fiorini in fifth, and Matthew Nelson in sixth place. Byron Nelson won a prize for High Loss and Lynn Dreyer won for being closest to the middle (she was 4-4 -3).
Thanks to the Vancouver club for organizing and to all the Seattle players who showed up and helped us to Victory!
Full details and pictures! at: Vancouver-Seattle Results page.
1 November 2008
Portland Results
NINE Seattle club members went down to Portland for their one-day tournament at OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry). It was a lovely venue, with very cool exhibits and a tasty cafe on site.
Matthew Nelson came in 4th place in Division 5, while his father Byron Nelson finished one place above, in 3rd. In Division 3, it was Dave Foerstel in 4th Place and Midori Howard in 3rd. And, the highest placing Seattle finisher was George Bissonnette who had high game and finished in 2nd place in Division 4.
Congrats to all for making the trek and doing so well!Complete results: NSA Cross-table
15-19 October 2008
Calgary Results
Several Seattle club members went to the Western Canadian Championship in Calgary. The table below shows awards won by Seattle members. Nice job folks!
Early Bird 1 Alice Goodwin : 2nd Place, Division 2 Early Bird 2 Dan Goodwin : 2nd Place, Division 1
Rebecca Slivka : 4th Place, Division 1
Alice Goodwin : 4th Place, Division 2Main Event Rachel Christensen : 4th Place, Division 2
Rachel Christensen : High Game (550), Division 2
Rachel Christensen : High Play (194 PORTABLY), Division 2
Alice Goodwin : Bingo Ace, Division 2Full results, including links to the NSA crosstables at the Calgary Club website: www.calgary374.org
27 September 2008
Seattle WINS Portland-Seattle Challenge!
For the first time in at least eight years, the SEATTLE TEAM WINS!!!
Seattle team players dominated in the Second Division, with Walker Willingham taking first place, followed by Daniel Goodwin in second, and Richard Johnson in third place. Dan also got high game and Walker got high loss.
Seattle also did very well in the Fourth Division, where Dave Foerstel (in his debut tournament) came in first place, followed by David Grochowski in second, and Dawn Camille Wisniew in third place.
George Bissonnette placed third in the Third Division. George also had the High Game, and Midori Howard had the High Loss. Matthew Nelson had the High Game in Division Four and Mike Frentz got High Game and High Loss in Division One.
Full details at: Portland-Seattle Results page.
4 October 2008
Tacoma SCRABBLE® Club moves to First SATURDAY
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Tacoma SCRABBLE® Club will be meeting at a NEW location (see below), and start earlier (4 pm) and move to Saturday. The next session will be Saturday October 4th.
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View Larger Map |
Directions from the North:
1. Drive South on I-5 (about 33 miles from Seattle)
2. Take Exit 130, S. 56th St (0.2 mi)
3. Take the Tacoma Mall Blvd ramp toward 56th St W (0.2 mi)
4. Turn Left on Tacoma Mall Blvd (0.5 mi)
5. End at 6221 Tacoma Mall Blvd (on left)
Directions from the South:
1. Drive North on I-5 (about 24 miles from Olympia)
2. Take Exit 129, 72nd St (0.3 mi)
3. Turn Left on 72nd St (0.1 mi)
4. 72nd St becomes 74th St (0.1 mi)
5. Turn slight Right onto S Sprague Ave/Tacoma Mall Blvd (0.7 mi)
6. End at 6221 Tacoma Mall Blvd (on right)
20 September 2008
Scrabble at Erika's in Blaine
Val Gallant and Erika Werdal are hosting a scrabble party Saturday September 20th and would love it if some southerners would come. It will be from 1pm until the last person gives up the ghost, and there will be food.
Says Erika: I do have several beds available if folks (that we know and like, lol) want to come up Fri or stay over Sat night.If you plan to attend, please contact Erika at (360) 306-8769 or ewwerdal@hotmail.com so they know how many people to expect (they'll also send you directions).
5 September 2008
New SCRABBLE Club starts in Tacoma
Newly sanctioned director Lynn Dreyer and Geoff Tongue have organized a SCRABBLE Club for Tacoma. They will be meeting once a month to start with, on the First Friday of the month, with the first session scheduled for this Friday September 5th.
Where: Tully's Coffee, 764 Broadway, Tacoma [intersection of Broadway, St. Helen's, and 9th (the triangle building)]
When: 6 pm to 10 pm, 1st Friday of the month
What: Bring your own equipment (boards, tiles, clocks, score sheets, writing implements)
Who: All players are welcome!
Director: Lynn Dreyer 253-579-3004, emdreyer@gmail.com
Website: Tacoma Scrabble Website
Lynn reports about the first session of the Tacoma Scrabble Club:
I think it went really well. Geoff Tongue, Ken Clark, Georgiana Fiorini, Betsy Moschetti, Shannon Kreuger, Jane and George Bissonette, and yours truly were in attendence. We played only 3 games since Tully's closes at 9 pm.
There was some interest from people walking by and I handed out some flyers. Considering that the meeting was virtually unpopularized, attendance was excellent. I had a good time and hope others did too. We are looking for a venue change so we can play until 10. Friday looks best for people since it is not a school/work night for most.
See you soon,
Lynn
29 August-1 September 2008
DAVID RUBY wins Division 2 Portland Tournament
David Ruby took first place in the Second Division of the Labor Day Tournament in Portland. Way to go David!!!
Matthew Nelson placed fourth in Division Four, and Alice Goodwin placed fifth in Division Three. Additionally, Frank Kashuk got High Play in Division Two (RECEIVED for 140 pts) and Mike Frentz got High Game in Division One (660 pts).
23 August 2008
Fabulous Scrabble Saturday at Eileen's on August 23rd
Returning Seattle clubmember Eileen Gruhn hosted a SCRABBLE Saturday at her residence on Saturday, August 23rd. Sit-down lunch (salmon, rice pilaf, vegetables) was served at Noon in the 19th floor room with stunning views to the North, West, and South (Mt. Rainier was out and lovely).
After lunch was consumed (thanks Eileen for hosting!), the tables were quickly transformed to their true purpose: holding Scrabble games. Mike Frentz coordinated the collection of $3 entry fee for prizes and announced the prize category and winner for each round. Prizes were give out for the first six rounds (e.g., "best seattle word", "highest-scoring phoney that stays on the board", "most words formed in the play", "I Spy"--something visible out the window, etc.).
Several people brought snacks (chips, pretzels, cheese, crackers, brownies, wine, and beer) which were appreciated later in the afternoon. Some folks got as many as eight games in before we were all kicked out at 8pm.
Folks who attended (doing this from memory...I'm sure I've forgotten someone):
- Jane & George Bissonnette
- Uri & Dinah Breda
- Alice & Daniel Goodwin
- Bob & Jane Jackson
- Ann Ferguson
- Mike Frentz
- Eileen Gruhn
- Claudia Finn
- Ben Collett
- Bev Nelson
- Christina O'Sullivan & Tobin Lathrop & Charles
- Steven Jones & Jennifer & Madeleine
- Bob Sluys
- Dawn Camille Wisniew
- Lynn Dreyer
- Rebecca Slivka
- Robert Kearn (visiting from Kentucky)
16 August 2008
RAFI STERN wins Vancouver One-Day Tournament
Rafi Stern took first place in the Top Division of the August 16th Tournament in Vancouver, B.C. Frank Kashuk placed second in Division Two of this very well attended (52 players!) one-day tournament.
Other Seattle club prize winners: Nigel Peltier placed 4th in Division One, Jane Bissonnette placed 4th in Division Four, Georgianne Fiorini placed 9th in Division Five, and Ellen Lin placed 10th in Division Five. Congratulations everyone!
You can view complete results at the Vancouver Club Website.
NSA crosstable (shows new ratings)
25-29 July 2008
Live Coverage of the NSC in Orlando
Once again folks who can't make it to the National SCRABBLE Championship can follow along LIVE.
It's Over!!! Seattle-area player results:
- Rachel Christensen placed 10th in Div 3 (18-10 +618) $125
- Mike Frentz placed 46th in Div 3 (14.5-13.5 -67)
- Alice Goodwin placed 59th in Div 4 (14-14 -170)
- Daniel Goodwin placed 59th in Div 2 (14-14 +466)
- Nigel Peltier placed 7th in Div 1 (18-10 +634) $400
- Rafi Stern placed 34th in Div 1 (15-13 +286)
- Geoff Tongue placed 2nd in Div 3 (19.5-8.5 +1124) $1000
- Georgianne Fiorini placed 31st in Div 6 (15-13 +98)
Alice and Dan Goodwin enjoy a Luau in Orlando:
7 July 2008
Seattle Club members win in Reno!
Early Bird Congratulations to:
- Lynn Dreyer for winning Group 5 ($210)
- Eileen Gruhn for winning Group 4 ($210)
- Nigel Peltier for winning Group 1 ($210)
- Mark Peltier placed third in Group 4 ($80)
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Rebecca Slivka placed second in Group 2 ($120)Main Event Congratulations to:
- Mark Peltier for placing fifth ($250) in the Advanced Division
- Matthew Nelson who won the performance prize ($110) in the Recreational Division (Matthew also scored 573 in game 12!)
- Lynn Dreyer who won a performance prize ($40) in the Advanced Division (she split the prize with Betty Toole)
Mark Peltier and Lynn Dreyer also won "Friend of the Director" prizes.
Kudos to Eileen Gruhn for her strong performance after a tournament (and club) hiatus of almost three years. Welcome back Eileen!
28 June 2008
Nigel Peltier wins Seattle One-Day June 28 Tourney!
Congratulations to Nigel Peltier for winning the top Division at the (hot!) one-day tournament June 28th. Rafi Stern came in a close second. Congratulations also to Frank Kashuk for winning Group C!
Other strong Seattle club performers: Richard Johnson placed second and David Ruby took third place in Group B, and Byron Nelson placed second in Division E. Great job all!
24 June 2008
Club Rate Increase Announcement: $5 starting July 1st
For the first time in almost 7 years, the rate for attending Seattle Club will go up—from $4 to $5 per evening. This increase is a result of many months of thoughtful consideration and appears to have the support of most of the club membership. I've listed a few questions/answers on the subject, which I hope will explain why we've chosen to do this.
Q: Why the increase?
A: Our club expenses have increased and our attendance has dropped a little, so our current rate is not enough to cover all our expenses. When we moved from Fare Start to the University Friends in 2004, our rent almost doubled. At the time, we had a moderate balance in the club account, which has allowed us to maintain the same entry fee for 4 years, even as our attendance suffered from the change in location and attrition from other causes. Additionally, the club is now paying monthly for insurance. Increasing the club fee will help cover the increased costs, and give the club more of a buffer for future uncertainties.
Q: When is the change effective?
A: The rate change will be announced at club Tuesday June 24th and will go into effect the following week, July 1st 2008. We hope the rate change does not present a financial burden to our members. Please speak to the director privately if this is an issue for you.
Q: What are all the club expenses?
A: Club fees are used to pay rent at UFM ($230/month), insurance ($35/month), website hosting ($5/month), photocopying of score sheets, score cards, word lists, information sheets, postage (score cards are mailed to the statistician), game equipment (clocks, tiles, etc.), clock batteries, pens & pencils, and of course prizes at club ($20-30/week). Club funds are also used to subsidize the tournaments (refreshments for 1-day events, rent for the multi-day-all other tournament costs are paid from entry fees). Club directors, treasurer, statistician and other volunteers receive no compensation for their time (other than waiver of club fee).
Q: If I only play 2 games, shouldn't I pay less?
A: Even if you play only one game a night, you cost the club the same amount as someone who plays 4 games. You are still using the space (we pay rent for the space), equipment (boards, clocks, tiles), and score sheets, score cards, etc.
Q: What is the history of the club entry fee?
A: The last time the club fee was raised was October 2002, when it was increased from $3 to $4 per week. The previous rate had been in effect for at least 6 years at that point.
Q: How will this affect the weekly prizes?
A: Starting July 1st, prizes/bonuses will be paid for the following milestones:
Category word: $5 (games 1-3 only) 75+ non-bingo: $1 100+ play: $1 500+ game: $1 600+ game: $2 700+ game: $3 + undying awe and respect of your peers Bingo Bonus: $3+ (pot accumulates)
[Blue card: 3+ bingos in a game;
white card: 3+ bingos in a row]Sitting out: $3 (when players are uneven, rotates) If you have suggestions for additional prizes/bonuses, please let me know. We like to reward players for great playing and improved playing. If you have ideas on getting more prizes to newcomers, I'd like to hear it.
I hope this answers all your questions and I look forward to continued improvement and expansion of the Seattle Club.
Thank you,
Rebecca Slivka
Director
7 June 2008
Rebecca Slivka takes 2nd place at Calgary Summer Tournament
Seattle club members Lynn Dreyer and Rebecca Slivka went on a road trip to Calgary to compete in their 25th annual Summer Tournament.
On the way, they stopped at the beautiful Chateau Lake Louise (the view on the right was what they saw out the window of their hotel room while they were playing a few games of Scrabble).
Rebecca was unable to repeat her winning performance at the same tournament in 2005, but placed 2nd in the top division. She also won a prize for high game (518).
25-29 July 2008
National SCRABBLE® Championship Registration Open
Registration for the July 25-29, 2008 NSC in Orlando is now open and available online at the NSA website at a discounted rate.
Note: All registrations go up $30 as of June 9th! (Last day to register is July 1st!) Issue 219 of the SCRABBLE News has a printed entry form. There is an additional $10 handling fee for mailed in and faxed entries.
26 May 2008
DAVE WIEGAND wins Seattle Memorial Weekend Tournament!
Congratulations to DAVE WIEGAND for winning the 2008 Emerald City Tournament! Dave won the Memorial Weekend tournament in 2004 and 2005, but was kept to just 2nd place last year and 2006. What will happen next year?
- Crosstable for Rounds 1-10
- Crosstable for Rounds 11-20 (shows final rating)
29 March 2008
Dave Wiegand wins Seattle One-Day Tournament
Dave Wiegand, the only Portlander to come up for the tournament, went undefeated to win Division One at the Seattle one-day tournament. Seattle Club Statistician Mike Frentz was right behind him with a 6-1 record, and Chris Grubb came in third.
Seattle players dominated Division Three, with Frank Kashuk in first, followed by Midori Howard in second, and Mark Peltier in third.
Congrats to Matthew Nelson for winning Division Five.
Other money winners: George Bissonnette placed Second in Division Four, Lynda Shayne came in Third place in Division Two, and Georgianne Fiorini placed Third in Division Five.
View complete results.
9 March 2008
New stat: Milestones
Club Statistician Mike Frentz has come up with a new statistics report for the weekly club session: Milestones. This new report lists significant events or milestones for the session, and is also appended to the bottom of each session report on the Stats page (starting with Feb 19th session).
2 March 2008
Geoff Tongue wins Div 2 in Vancouver BC
Geoff Tongue wins Division Two in the annual spring tournament in Vancouver, BC. That's two in a row for Geoff--he won the same division last year! Keep it comin' Geoff!
Chris Grubb placed 4th in Division One and upped his rating to 1705.
Daval Davis placed 2nd in Division Four. Congratulations Guys!There was a newspaper article about the Tournament in the March 1st Vancouver Sun, and Global BC did a short video story centered on Matthew Nelson, one of the youngest players to come to the Seattle club (he lives in Poulsbo, so he doesn't come to club often--but has made it to a few of our tournaments).
NSA Cross-table [complete results and new ratings]
18 Feb 2008
Bob Jackson wins Div 5 and Nigel wins Phoenix Early Bird
Bob Jackson wins Division Five in the main event at Phoenix. Bob was ahead early on then slipped a little (he was in 4th place at the start of the last day), but then came back to win. Way to go Bob!
Nigel Peltier placed 4th in Division One in the main event, and won Division One Early Bird in Phoenix. He also won the "Friend of the Director" drawing (early bird). Congratulations Nigel!
Frank Kashuk placed 2nd in Division Four in the main event (and he placed 3rd in group four in the Early Bird). Nice going Frank!
17 Feb 2008
Unrated one-day Handicap Tournament in Vancouver: 23 February
Norbert Saldanha is organizing an 8-game one-day Unrated Handicap Tournament.
WHEN: SATURDAY 23 FEB 2008
TIME: 9.30 AM, REGISTRATION AND DRAW: 9.15 AM [Estimated close: 6.30 pm]
WHERE: The Masonic Lodge, 1495 W. 8th Ave. (1/2 block east of Granville).
Entry fee: CDN $25.00 (Including Lunch)Please register with Norbert Saldanha. Only cash entries will be considered firm.
Last date for registration Thu 21st Feb 2008.
Tel: 604-277-5580 Cell: 604-377-9477Complete details on Tournament Flyer.
15 Feb 2008
New OSDP4/OWL2 Franklin Available!
It's here! The newly updated Franklin. Features over 100,000 2-8 letter words that are acceptable under the rules of SCRABBLE Brand Crossword Game. Main dictionary entries include a brief definition, part of speech label and inflected forms. Adjustable skill levels for word building exercises. OSPD4 endorsed by the National SCRABBLE Association (NSA) for recreational and school use.
SPECIAL FEATURE for NSA members! Shipment will include a password to activate the Offical Club and Tournament Word List, Second Edition (OWL2). The OWL is a complete list of words that the NSA considers suitable for tournament play.
Requires 4 AAA batteries, not included. SHIPMENTS START WEEK OF FEBRUARY 25.
Order now from www.wordgear.com[....of course, if you already have a PDA device that runs Palm OS, you can get Paul Sidorsky's LAMPWords for free....]
26 Jan 2008
Dan Goodwin wins Seattle NAST Jan 26th!
Dan Goodwin went undefeated (6-0 +476) to win the one-day NAST Satellite Tournament on Saturday, January 26th. In addition to the $125 first prize, Dan qualifies to enter the NAST final to be held in Minnesota this coming June. Lam Tang finished second with 5-1 +118, taking home $75 and also qualifying for the NAST final.
21 Jan 2008
Congratulations Mark!
Mark Peltier went 7-1 (+830) to take 1st place in Group 6 of the Early Bird at the Reno Tournament over the Martin Luther King holiday weekend. Dawn Camille Wisniew (who just recently relocated to the Seattle area from Pullman), placed 4th in Group 8 with a 5-3 (+17) record.
Some other Seattle club members were not so fortunate; many rating points were exchanged.
1 Jan 2008
Congratulations Nigel!
Congratulations to Nigel Peltier for taking 3rd Place at the New Year's Tournament in Albany, New York.
Nigel performed well against a very strong field.Mark Peltier (Nigel's father) and Adele Peltier (his grandmother) also competed at the tournament.
There is also a short news video story on the tournament (scroll down and click "play" button, you have a view a short ad, then the story comes on after a blank screen). Nigel is visible for a short bit, and Mark says you can see the back of Adele's head.
1 Jan 2008
Scrabble at Nancy's
Because our normal club venue was closed, we had a special Scrabble gathering at Nancy Roeder's house on New Year's Day. Folks started showing up about 3pm and Nancy kicked the last people out a little after 10pm. Nancy made a delicious chicken curry, with a plethora of condiments. Others brought snacks and drinks. Yum!
Folks who attended (in no particular order--and I hope I got everyone):
- Dawn Camille Wisniew
- George Bissonnette
- Jane Bissonnette
- Ben Collet
- Lynn Dreyer
- Diana Carter
- Mike Frentz
- Claudia Finn
- J. Midori Howard
- Adam Henderson
- Dave Zick
- Lynda Shayne
- Frank Kashuk
- Uri Breda
- Dinah Breda
- Tod Taylor
- Bob Jackson
- Jane Jackson
- Georgianne Fiorini
- Rebecca Slivka
31 Dec 2007
2007 Year-end Individual Stats
Year-end club statistics for members who have played at least 12 club games in the calendar year have been computed and posted. Go to the Stats Page to see your year in Scrabble.
17 December 2007
Live Chat with NSA Executive Director John D. Williams Dec 17th
There will be a Live Chat with National SCRABBLE® Association Executive Director John D. Williams, Jr., on Monday Dec 17th, 2007, from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM Pacific Time.
To join the chat, go to the NSA Live Chat page (during the appointed time) and sign in.
6 December 2007
ALERT: Special "Club" January 1st...at Nancy Roeder's house!
The UFM building will be closed January 1st, so we WILL NOT have a regular club session Tuesday, January 1st.
However, club member Nancy Roeder has graciously volunteered to host a Scrabble get-together at her house on the 1st. So, please come starting about 3pm (we'll stay and play until Nancy kicks us out). Bring your own equipment (and score sheets)!
Nancy said she'll provide some food, so bring a beverage of your choice. If you want to bring something to eat, please keep in mind that Nancy doesn't have a very large kitchen and we'll be using all available surfaces to play scrabble.
Rebecca will send email to all clubmembers with Nancy's address and directions. If you have not received an email notice by Dec 7th, please contact Rebecca (perhaps she has misplaced your email, or you were never on the list...this is her chance to get updates).
Happy New Year!
27 November 2007
ALERT: NO CLUB Tuesday December 25th!
There WILL NOT be a club session Tuesday, December 25th.
It looks like the UFM building will also be closed on Tuesday, January 1st, so we are looking for an alternate location (suggestions welcome). Happy New Year!
25 November 2007
Adam Henderson wins Division 2 at Lake Oswego One-Day Tournament!
Congratulations to Adam Henderson for taking first place in the second division at Lake Oswego on Sunday, November 25th. Five Seattle-area players attended the one-day event.
17 November 2007
Mike Frentz wins Vancouver-Seattle Interclub Challenge Tournament!
Congratulations to Mike Frentz for taking first place in the second annual Vancouver-Seattle Interclub Challenge Tournament, held in Bellingham Nov 17th. Geoff Tongue won the second division, and Ken Clark placed second in the top division, and Ben Henwood took second place in division three.
Thanks to Jane Bissonnette for organizing and directing (as well as playing in) this tournament!
View complete results.
7 November 2007
World SCRABBLE® Championship: Live Coverage
The World SCRABBLE® Championship takes place November 9-12 in Mumbai, India. You can Follow along LIVE.
1 November 2007
New SCRABBLE® Study WordBook Available
Mike Baron has released an updated version of his popular study guide. The price is still a bargain: only $9.95!
The newly titled SCRABBLE® Word Book has been updated to include the new words from OWL2, but has been expurgated. You can view a list of the expurgated words on our website, or get a printed copy of the list (in the form of a bookmark) from Mike Baron.
For more printed study guides, check our Study Tools page.
28 October 2007
Seattle players stand out in Tucson & Lake Oswego
Congrats to Mike Frentz and Nigel Peltier for their performances at tournaments the weekend of Oct 28-29.
Mike Frentz took second place in the Lake Oswego NAST qualifier (earning him a spot in the Final event to be held in Minnesota next summer), and Nigel Peltier came in third place in the Tucson weekend tournament.
17 October 2007
Goodwins suffer a loss - Memorial scheduled Sat Oct 27th
On a sad note, George Goodwin (father of Dan Goodwin and husband of Alice Goodwin) died October 4th. George was not a Scrabble player, but he often accompanied Alice and Dan to tournaments. He will be missed.
Memorial Gathering: Saturday Oct 27th, FareStart (7th & Virginia), 2-4pm. Please RSVP to Alice Goodwin if you are planning to attend, so she can give the restaurant an accurate estimate. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Seattle Youth Symphony.
17 October 2007
NSA asks all members: Activate your NSA membership profile
The NSA has asked directors to ask all members to activate their membership profiles. This can be done by going to the NSA website and clicking the big red prompt or by clicking "Join or Renew" then clicking "Access Your NSA Membership Page".
Be sure to enter your zip code EXACTLY as is listed on your newsletter (9 digits) and your name EXACTLY as it is listed on the ratings list/on your NSA newsletter.
What are the benefits of doing this? For starters, a whopping $5.00 off of your annual membership when you use this forum come re-up time. You also get access to: online wordlists, info sheets, copies of past issues of newsletters, etc.
Once you activate your profile, you can choose how much info is published to other members.
Please direct any Membership questions to Jane Ratsey Williams or Theresa Bubb, Membership Director (631-477-0033 ext. 15).
14 October 2007
Seattle players perform in Calgary
At the Western Canadian Championship, Lynda Shayne placed 2nd in Division 2 of the Main Event (she also won money for High Loss, 430).
Dan Goodwin placed 4th in the First Early Bird. In the Main Event, Frank Kashuk got the High Play (134, RETINAS) in Division 2, and in only her second tournament, Lynn Dreyer finished just out of the money in Division 4.
30 September 2007
Portland-Seattle Interclub Challenge Tourney Results
In only his second tournament, Dave Zick had 5 wins (2 against Dave Wiegand) to finish just out of the money in Division 1--but with a new rating of 1705!
Ben Henwood won Division 4, with Debbie Goldy in second place and John Connell taking third.
Lynda Shayne and Walker Willingham placed second and third, respectively, in Division 2.Complete results on our Interclub Challenge Results page.
6 September 2007
New Peace Arch International Scrabble Club
The club will be sanctioned by the National Scrabble Association and will meet for the first time at Blaine Public Library (610 - 3rd Street, Blaine ) Saturday September 8th from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Read more about the new club in the Peace Arch News article: Words across the border.
For more information about the Peace Arch International Scrabble Club, contact Erika Werdal at 360-927-2575 or ewwerdal@hotmail.com, or Valerie Gallant at 778-292-1904 or scrabblegirl@shaw.ca
5 September 2007
Portland Labor Day Tourney Results
Club director Rebecca Slivka won Division 2 at Portland. Christopher Grubb also had a very strong showing, coming in 3rd place in the same division. Christopher's rating jumped 167 points to 1632! Way to go Chris!
Other Seattle club winners: Frank Kashuk won a prize for high play (203 for DITCHERS) and Jane Jackson placed 10th (in the money) in divison 4.
NSA Crosstables:
27 August 2007
NSA Announces Shared Membership changes
Do you have a shared membership with the NSA?
We received the following message from the NSA about membership changes that affect you.
SHARED MEMBERSHIPS
Dear Directors,
As you all know, coming this September our NSA Membership process will be changing. Members will have on-line access to create their own page and manage their memberships. We will use their membership numbers as their usernames. This will eliminate confusion when people change names, have nicknames, forget what name they play under etc. The on-line cost for one year for both US and Canadian members will be $20. Postal memberships will cost more.
BEFORE WE LAUNCH THIS (hopefully by 2nd week of September) We ask that you please inform your club members that anyone who currently shares a NSA membership should contact me ASAP, and I will split the membership at no extra charge. Each party will receive the current amount of issues left on the membership. This offer will not be available after we launch.
Once we are on-line, each person will have to register to activate their account and the first person to do so will keep the original membership number. The second person will have to pay for a full renewal before they can sign up and be current again. Inactive members will not have access to their pages until they renew.
PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR CLUB MEMBERS AND FRIENDS TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS OFFER NOW.
Theresa Bubb, Membership Manager
National SCRABBLE Association
PO Box 700
Greenport, NY 11944
631-477-0033 x 13
tb@scrabble-assoc.com
8 August 2007
Congratulations James Leong - Winner of 2007 Player's Championship
Many of you know Vancouver's James Leong from local tournaments. Few of us are surprised at how well he did in Dayton, and we are cheering for him now. Way to go James!
Read Vancouver Sun article.Our own Rafi Stern finished 2nd Place in Division 2 of the Player's Championship. Rafi was at the top table for the last two days of the tournament, but couldn't beat Ben Harrison enough times to get the win. I'm sure he's happy with the $1250 prize. Nice going Rafi!
Frank Kashuk and Mike Frentz each won a Scrabble Rug for low win. Frank's was 308, but Mike's low win was 28-11! His account of the game:
I opened with FIG (8G) keeping AITV. Jean responded with ZIT 7F, blocking my AV(I)ATION. I played VI(G)A I6, keeping ANOT. Here's the board situation (the I in FIG is on the star):
* - - V * Z I T I - - F[I]G - - - - A -Score: 38-21, my favor.
Jean trades five. My rack is AAMNORT. Since the I for ANIMATOR got blocked, there's really no reason to make a play on this board, so I trade AMO. Jean trades five again, and now I have AEENRTW, Again, there's no reason to do something live VAW or AWE, so I trade EW, effectively forcing her to make some kind of play,
Jean trades four (the fifth consecutive score of zero), and according to her, she realized what she'd done about five seconds too late. My rack is now AEENRTV, and NERVATE actually plays at J9. However, after thinking it over for a few seconds, I realize that once again, there's no reason to make a play... or rather, there's a very good reason not to make one! I probably should have exchanged the V, but was too hasty and decided to pass. We both had ten points on our racks, so the final score was 28-11.
If this doesn't hold up for low win, I'll need to be carted out on a stretcher. Honestly, I felt a little embarrassed about it, but I'll take wins anywhere I can get them in this field.
Mike
Seattle Club members who played at Dayton (click on name link to go directly to their performance during the tournament):
3 - 8 August 2007
Player's Championship - Follow Live
Even if you are not attending the Player's Championship in Dayton, Ohio, you can still follow the action live. Just click on PC07 Live Feed.
26 June 2007
New Club Statistician: Mike Frentz
Mike Frentz has stepped up to take over the job of Club Statistician from Doug Kruyt.
Doug has faithfully done the club's stats for the past year and a half (since January 2006). Even though Doug was not able to make it to club much, he has done our stats every week. Not only that, but since Doug travels for work he's often had his wife scan the score cards and email them to him so he could do the stats on his laptop computer on the road! Talk about dedicated. But, all good things must come to an end, and Doug is happy we've found a replacement.
Thanks again to Doug for all his hard work, and thanks to Mike for taking on this new responsibility.
28 May 2007
RAFI STERN wins Seattle Memorial Weekend Tournament!
Congratulations to RAFI STERN for winning the 2007 Emerald City Memorial Weekend Tournament!
Rafi put on a great performance, besting previous tournament winners Gail Wolford, Michael Baker, and Dave Wiegand. Way to go RAFI!Crosstables from NSA:
- Tournament results (final standings)
- Crosstable for Rounds 1-10
- Crosstable for Rounds 11-20 (shows final rating)
Press on tournament:
- Wordplay is serious business in Scrabble Tournament : Seattle P-I, 28 May 2007
- Winning word by word : Everett Herald, 27 May 2007
22 May 2007
Press Release: Emerald City SCRABBLE® Tournament 26-28 May 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASESeattle SCRABBLE® Club
Rebecca Slivka, Club Director
206-285-7188
www.seattlescrabble.org
ZA beats QAT!
The 19th Annual Emerald City SCRABBLE® Tournament: Memorial Day Weekend (26-28 May 2007)SEATTLE, Wash. -- (22 May 2007) -- The word qat, a middle eastern shrub, used to be considered the most popular word played in competitive Scrabble®, but now it's a toss-up between ZA and QI (two of several thousand new words added to the SCRABBLE® Dictionary last year). Word freaks and the curious can observe this year's Emerald City SCRABBLE® tournament at the Lynnwood Convention Center over the Memorial Day Weekend, and discover these words for themselves.
The three day tournament will begin Saturday, May 26th at 9am. With 95 participants, separated into 5 divisions, over $6000 in prize money will be given out to the top finishers. The 20-round tournament will be played Round Robin style with a king-of-the-hill game at the very end to determine final standings. There will be eight games on Saturday, eight on Sunday and four on Monday.
Once again, this year's tournament is family-friendly. Mark Peltier and his son Nigel have been coming to the Seattle Club for several years; then they enticed Mark's mother, Adele, into joining the competitive SCRABBLE® scene. Adele will be flying out from New York State to join them at the tournament.
The ultimate SCRABBLE® family is from Vancouver, BC. Norbert and Miriam Saldanha immigrated to Canada, and began playing Scrabble with their children to help them learn English. The oldest, Dean, is now vying with his youngest sister Dielle to become two of t he top players in the world. Both parents and all three children, Dean, Dion and Dielle, regularly attend Scrabble® tournaments in Canada and the US.
Participants are coming from all over North America, some from as far as New York and Hawaii. The youngest participant is Matthew Nelson, 11, from Poulsbo (who has convinced his father, Byron, to join him at the tournament). The highest rated participant is David Wiegand, 2005 National Champion from Portland, who's currently ranked 3rd in North America.
Rebecca Slivka is the organizer of the tournament, as well as the Director of Seattle's SCRABBLE® Club. She is entered in the tournament, but will be available to answer any questions.
###National SCRABBLE® Association Club #253, Seattle is in its 22nd year of existence, with approximately 55 members. The club meets every Tuesday at 6 pm at the University Friends Meeting House in Seattle, and new attendees are always welcome. For more information please visit the club website at www.seattlescrabble.org
4 April 2007
Dan Goodwin does it again in Coeur d'Alene!
Still waiting for complete results, but here are the top finishers:
Division 1 (16 players)
- 1st: USA Daniel Goodwin
- 2nd: CAN Randall Thomas
- 3rd: USA Nigel Peltier
- 4th: CAN Jeff Fleetham
Division 2 (14 players)
- 1st: CAN Pam Taylor-Bailey
- 2nd: CAN Betty Bergeron
- 3rd: USA Jane Bissonnette (Played as an honourary Canadian however)
- 4th: CAN Juraj Pivovarov
High Game: Ruth Hamilton 587, Juraj Pivovarov 534
High Loss: Rachel Christensen 437, Joey Cross 391
Low Win: Mary LeCompte 322, Betty Bergeron 315
High Bingo: Ruth Hamilton ESSAYING 185, Tim LeCompte DEAFNESS 140
High Non-Bingo: Dan Goodwin JEWEL 83, Pam Taylor-Bailey DOZENS 78
Comeback: Siri Tillekeratne 120, Juraj Pivovarov 85Most Outrageous Phoney: KHIBLIS#, Randall Thomas, with a close runner up for WEDELNED# by Huguette Settle.
Congratulations all!
4 March 2007
Seattle players dominate in Vancouver!
Seattle players won every division at the spring tournament in Vancouver:
- Div 1 Winner : Daniel Goodwin [11 wins, +1000]
- Div 2 Winner : Geoff Tongue [10 wins, +749]
- Div 3 Winner : Tod Taylor [10 wins, +839]
- Div 4 Winner : Daval Davis [12 wins, +1067]
Some other Seattle players also did well:
- Nigel Peltier : Div 1, 3rd Place
- David Ruby : Div 2, 3rd Place
- Jane Bissonnette : Div 3, 4th Place
- Rachel Christensen : Div 3, 5th Place
Congratulations all!
View Complete Tournament Standings, or see your new rating on the NSA Crosstable.
Read the newspaper article about the tournament in the Vancouver Sun.
25 Feb 2007
Seattle players win in Phoenix
Seattle club-member Lynda Shayne cleaned up at the Phoenix Tournament last weekend. First, she went 7-1 in the early bird to win group 4; then she went 16-4 in the main event to win Division 4. Lynda's rating rocketed from 1393 to 1512. Congratulations Lynda!
[Lynda's husband Frank Kashuk came in 4th place in Division 4]
15 Feb 2007
Another One-day tournament announced: August 4th
Jane Bissonnette is planning another one-day tournament.
Unlike the Feb 3 club tournament, this August tournament will be fully-rated!Register online NOW! Full details at our One Day Tournament Page.
3 Feb 2007
First One-day Club tournament a success!
32 players (mostly from Seattle, but a few from Oregon, BC, and Eastern Washington) came to our first one-day club tournament Saturday February 3rd. Jane Bissonnette directed and Renee Bang helped with data entry. Others (George Bissonnette and Jim Ryan) helped with setup and cleanup. It all went so well that Jane is planning future one-day tournaments. We'll post dates soon.
29 Dec 2006
2006 Year-end Individual Stats
Year-end club statistics for members who have played at least 12 club games in the calendar year have been computed and posted. Go to the Stats Page to see your year in Scrabble.
22 Dec 2006
Toby Cozens (1928 - 2006)
Long-time Seattle Scrabble Club Treasurer Toby (Thora) Cozens passed away the morning of December 22nd. Toby had been battling brain cancer for months and was able to stay in her own home until the last few weeks (she was assisted in maintaining her independence as long as possible by her very supportive family).
In addition to being the Treasurer of the Seattle Scrabble Club, Toby also recorded game stats for every club session for years, and provided incomparable assistance at every Memorial Day Tournament. Toby also volunteered with several other organizations and libraries.
Toby has been part of the Seattle Club from the very beginning--she became involved initially as the babysitter of club co-founder Mark Oppenheimer. She will be missed.
Condolences and remembrances on our Memorial Page.
Toby was cremated. At this point, there are no plans for a memorial service (Toby thought they were "a waste of money"), but if that changes the information will be posted here.
17 Dec 2006
White/Blue Card Cutoff changed to 365
After the new wordlist (OWL2) was adopted, the cutoff between Blue Card and White Card was raised from 360 to 375, anticipating that scores would rise significantly with the addition of QI and ZA with OWL2. Scores haven't gone up that much and the unanticipated effect of the change was that Blue Card players have won the Bingo Bonus about 85% of the time in the last year (compared to about 50% in preceding years). So, we're dropping the cutoff back down to 365.
Cutoff history: it was 350 until 2002 or 2003, when it was raised to 360. The next change was February 2006, when it was increased to 375. The most recent change (from 375 down to 365) becomes effective 1 January 2007.
17 Dec 2006
Cascadia Challenge Tournament: March 31-April 1st 2007
Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, is the place! 14 games.
WA, OR, ID, MT, WY, UT (Team 49 South) v. BC, AB, SK, MB (Team 49 North)
Complete details, and printable registration form Cascadia Challenge Brochure [PDF].
12 Dec 2006
One-Day Club Tournament: February 3rd
It's official! Seattle club member Jane Bissonnette will be directing Seattle's first one-day tournament Saturday February 3rd. There is only room for 32 players, so sign up soon!
Complete details, including online registration on our One-Day Tournament Page.
1 Dec 2006
2007 PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP
NSA Ombudsman Chris Cree announced the 2007 Players Championship Tournament, a player-organized national tournament to take the place of the USSO/Nationals that will not be held next year. Read the announcement Chris sent out a few days ago:
30 November 2006
I am pleased to announce that an agreement has been reached with the Dayton Convention Center in Dayton, Ohio to house the 2007 Players' Championship August 3-8, 2007.
The reasons for this choice include:
Reasonable geographic centrality, reasonable accessibility, an incredible amount of meeting space for playing, registration, after hours play, etc., a very reasonable rate for the facility and hotel rooms, and a "medium sized fish in a medium sized pond" scenario to name a few. One of the most significant reasons is that a Scrabble player, Lois Greene, is the director of the Dayton Convention Center, and therefore, knows from national tournament experience a great deal about what it is that we need.
The host hotel will be the Crowne Plaza which is joined by skywalk to the Convention Center at a room rate of $99/night. It is my understanding that this rate includes a king or two queen sized beds.
I stayed at the hotel the past two nights and found the accomodations to be pretty darned good.
****PLEASE DO NOT make hotel reservations until we announce the reservation code****.
There are so many things to be done - this is only Step One.
Step Two - Find a director who has lots of experience directing major events. OK, got one. Mary Rhoades has agreed to direct this event. No doubt she will assemble a crack supporting cast.
She will also arrange for The Players' Championship to have a website. She said that she will have this done by year's end.
The schedule, divisions (we are shooting for 6 divisions), prize money, hotel registration info, best air routes and fares, answers to the questions that we will get, etc. - details to be announced on our website, CGP and OSPD by year's end, but no later than January 15, 2007.
The only way that this thing will work is with the support of the players - both in attending the event and by room nights purchased at the host hotels.
Not everybody is online, so please spread the word.
Game on!
Chris Cree
28 Nov 2006
Club cancelled due to weather
The Club Director cancelled our regular Tuesday evening session due to treacherous road conditions, and anticipated continued icy roads.
27 Nov 2006
On-line chat with NSA's John Williams, Nov 28th
NSA Executive Director John Williams will host the first in a series of on-line chats on Tuesday, November 28th, from 6:30-8:00 PM (EST) [3:30-5:00 PM Pacific Time]. Just log on to the NSA site www.scrabbleassociation.com during the designated time and click on the On-Line Chat icon and sign in. At that time NSA members may email any questions they may have about the current state of the organization, upcoming plans, etc. John will reply as best as possible on a "first come/first served" basis. The next chat will be after the holidays.
National SCRABBLE® Association
info@scrabble-assoc.com
27 Nov 2006
Vancouver-Seattle Challenge Trophy
Hey Scrab Club members:
I brought the 'Trophy' to Club tonite, so those who couldn't make it up to Bellingham could see it. The Grail is brass, tall and fancy, I think. We, as a club, won a year's storage/ownership of it in the Vancouver Border Battle.
I think Rebecca asked me to hold onto it when we were filing out of the tournament partially because I was in one of the last few packs of people to leave, and partially oh, because Nigel and I had a fairly good tournament.
It kind of reminds me of the Stanley Cup in Hockey, so I would like to push forth a tradition that it spend a little time in everyone's house who was on our Roster in Bellingham. Or, as time and logistics allow, anyone in our Club who wants a turn with it. Anyone who played contributed to our 103.5 -to- 89.5 WINS victory. And in a sense, we train together so everyone has a hand a club Win.
If you don't know the NHL tradition, each player gets about a week with this big ol' trophy that has grown to about 4 foot tall since it's creation in 1910 or 1920.
I don't mind at all hanging onto it myself, but I've gotten enough mileage out of it and I want to make sure everyone who would enjoy showing it off to friends and family gets a chance. There isn't nearly enough 'hardware' in the prize pools of this great recreation of ours, so please take a turn - you've earned it.
As the initial keeper of The Grail, I feel a responsibility to not lose the thing, so I would like to know WHO has it at all times. Just drop me an e-mail, phone or tell me in person that you gave it to _____. If you are not sure who's next just bring it to club on Tuesday (or even to 3rd place books Sunday (Lk Forest Park)). For now it's be a free-for-all. First come, first served, so I'll make a schedule if there's a lot of you who jump on the offer.
~MARK P. H 206-784-9706
updated 20 Nov 2006
Portland One-Day Tournament - November 26th
It's all over: Lake Oswego Tournament Results
Congratulations to Seattle club-members: Mike Frentz and Geoff Tongue, who came in first and second respectively in Division B, and Tod Taylor who placed 2nd in Divison C!Dave Wiegand is organizing a one-day (6-game) tournament in Lake Oswego (just south of Portland), on Sunday, November 26th. Play starts at Noon. Format is RR and KOH. Entry fee: $20. Limited to 36 players! Tournament Flyer [pdf]
Lakewood Center for the Arts - [Google Map Directions]
368 S. State St.
Lake Oswego, ORYou must pre-register by phone or email by 11/25. The Official Lake Oswego Tournament Details can be found on the NSA website. Contact David by email or phone (971) 404-5205 to register.
17 Nov 2006
SCRABBLE® Publicity Event in Seattle, Nov 17th
Seattle-based Real Networks purchased the on-line rights to SCRABBLE® earlier this year. RN and NSA are coordinating a publicity event in Seattle to highlight their new SCRABBLE® product. There will be a "Man-versus-Machine" match where Jim Kramer (2006 USSO Champion) will play the RN Scrabble® program for money.
The event will take place on Friday, November 17th at Westlake Center from 11:30 AM until 1:00 PM.
MAN vs. Machine Press ReleaseIt's Over! See Results, Quackle game data, etc. on Jim K v. RN Machine page.
12 Nov 2006
Vancouver-Seattle Challenge Results
The tournament is over, and Seattle edged out Vancouver to win 103.5 wins to 89.5.
Read Mark Peltier's VCR-SEA Trip Report.Full results posted on the Vancouver Club Website
New ratings from NSA crosstable published on our Interclub Results page.
13 Nov 2006
Vancouver Tournament, 3-4 March 2007
Vancouver Club has announced details of their annual tournament: two days, 14 games, beautiful scenery, nice people, good eats--what more could you ask for?
Full details at Vancouver Club Website
12 Nov 2006
Spelling Bees in Seattle
Not SCRABBLE®, but it does involve words: there is a monthly Seattle Spelling Bee at the Rebar, 1114 Howell St (@ Boren). WHEN: The first Monday of every month. The next one is either December 4 or December 11 (2006).
For more info, check out the Seattle Spelling Bee Website
8 Nov 2006
French SCRABBLE® - SCRABBLE® Française!
A small group meets the first Friday of every month at 7:00 PM and the third Saturday at 10:00 AM at the Alliance Française de Seattle, Suite 205, The Good Shepherd Center, 4649 Sunnyside Ave. N. Note that Suite 205 is the official address of the AFdeS, but they vary which room we meet in, depending on what else is going on. Often they meet in the library, which is kitty-corner across the hall, but it will be obvious where they are. Also, there are two parking lots on the property.
For more info, contact Bob Mauritsen.
18 Oct 2006
No Nationals (USSO) in 2007
In a press release on their website, the NSA has announced that there will NOT be a U.S. Scrabble Open in 2007. The next USSO will be 2008, celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the game. This shouldn't be a big surprise, since it was hinted at by NSA and Hasbro officials during this year's Phoenix USSO.
You can read the full text of the press release for more details.
16 Oct 2006
Carl Barish (1941? - 2006)
A good friend and a kindly man. Always ready to do a favor without any expectation of repayment. Carl Barish played a very sharp SCRABBLE game, and was a regular member of the Seattle Club for over 14 years. He loved to tinker with electronics and radios. Carl designed and sold his own line of digital Scrabble clocks the '2Timer' that is still in use today at the Seattle Scrabble Club and elsewhere. He was also a member of the Mike and Key Amateur Radio Club (his callsign: KC7ZK).
Memorial Service (Casual):
3pm Thursday Oct 26th
Customer Research Company
2108 SW 152nd, Burien, WA Map
206-242-9969 (ask for Dolores)
In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to a no-kill animal shelter.
Condolences and remembrances on our Memorial Page.
3 Oct 2006
Portland does it again!
This year's Portland-Seattle Interclub Challenge Tournament was held Saturday September 30th, at the Kit Carson Restaurant in Chehalis, Washington. This fully-rated, one-day tournament was open to Seattle-area and Portland-area players only. Seattle Club Director, Rebecca Slivka, directed.
Tournament Results and NSA Crosstables posted on our Interclub Results Page.
6 Sept 2006
Seattle Players clean up at Portland
17 Seattle players made the trek to Portland's annual Labor Day Weekend tournament last weekend. The following Seattle players won prizes:
- Nigel Peltier - 1st Place, Div 2
- Lynda Shayne - 2nd Place, Div 3
- Jean Bryant - 2nd Place, Div 4
- George Bissonnette - 3rd Place, Div 4
- Dan Goodwin - 4th Place, Div 1
- Walker Willingham - 6th Place, Div 2
- [EB]Nigel Peltier - 2nd Place, Group 3
- [EB]Mark Peltier - 2nd Place, Group 4
Tournament cross-tables have been posted on the NSA website.
9 August 2006
RAFI STERN WINS USSO DIVISION 3!
Congratulations Rafi!!!
Rafi finished with an incredible 20-8 record, with a spread of +1708!
You can see detailed coverage of Rafi's performance at this year's US Scrabble® Open at the Biltmore in Phoenix, Arizona.
Photo at left [taken from NSA website] shows Rafi receiving the winning trophy from John Chew. (He'll get a check for $2,500 in the mail, later).
14 July 2006
Save the date: VANCOUVER-Seattle Challenge Nov 11th
Vancouver SCRABBLE® Club Director Val Gallant is organizing the first ever Vancouver-Seattle Interclub Challenge Tournament. She is finalizing details for a one-day tournament in Bellingham, Saturday November 11th [Note: date change].
Entry Fee: $15. Seattle players contact Rebecca Slivka to sign up (Vancouver players register with Lam Tang). You don't have to be an NSA member to play in this rated tournament (if it is your first tournament), but you must be a Seattle (or Vancouver) club member to play.
Full details on this tournament (including who's signed up so far) on our Interclub Challenge Tournaments page
21 June 2006
Portland-Seattle Interclub Challenge Date Set
This year's Portland-Seattle Interclub Challenge Tournament will be held Saturday September 30th, at the Kit Carson Restaurant in Chehalis, Washington. This fully-rated, one-day tournament is open to Seattle-area and Portland-area players only. Seattle Club Director, Rebecca Slivka, will be directing.
7 Games $10* Entry fee [*As in past years, in lieu of paying rent for the tournament room, players are expected to eat lunch in the restaurant. No outside food allowed.] 9:30am Check-in and Setup don't be late! You don't have to be an NSA member to play in this rated tournament (if it is your first tournament), but you must be a Seattle (or Portland) club member to play. Seattle players contact Rebecca Slivka to sign up (Portland registration person to be announced).
Full details on this tournament (including who's signed up so far) on our Interclub Challenge Tournaments page
8 June 2006
2007 Tournament Details Finalized
Next year's Memorial Weekend Tournament will be at the Lynnwood Convention Center May 26-28th, 2007. The tournament hotel will be the Hampton Inn & Suites in Lynnwood.
Complete details at our Tournament Page (it's never too early to sign up!).
8 June 2006
New Study Tools Page
Information about improving your game, and links to various word lists and study tools have been consolidated onto our new Study Tools Page.
31 May 2006
Computerized word judging at Club
Our Statistician, Doug Kruyt, has donated an old laptop computer for Word Judging at club. The program we are using is Zyzzyva written my Michael Thelen. Thanks Doug!!!
30 May 2006
NO CLUB Tuesday July 4th!
Because we anticipate really bad traffic due to proximity to the Lake Union fireworks display, there will be
NO CLUB Tuesday July 4th!
So, you'll have to go have a picnic, watch fireworks, or otherwise amuse yourselves....
29 May 2006
Our Memorial Weekend Tournament, 27-29 May 2006, is complete!
Read complete tournament results on our Tournament Page
Crosstables from NSA:
- Crosstable for Rounds 1-10
- Crosstable for Rounds 11-20 (shows final rating)
7 May 2006
Seattle contingent cleans up at Oregon TILE!
The inaugural Oregon TILE Open Tournament May 5-7th in Portland was a great success! Jim Geary bested Brian Cappelletto in the finals, and several Seattle players came away winners:
1st Place, Group B ($325) - Dan Goodwin High Game, 591 ($50) - Dan Goodwin 2nd Place, Group B ($175) - Rebecca Slivka High Play, 212 ($40) - Rebecca Slivka [QUIETENS, triple-triple] 1st Place, Group C ($200) - Rafi Stern
28 April 2006
Toby back home. Why not stop by for a visit?
Toby Cozens is settling in back home. Her offspring and their spouses are helping her adjust. She won't be driving any time soon, so if you want to stop by for a visit (or to play some Scrabble), I'm sure she'd appreciate it. Her phone number is: 206-937-7872
25 April 2006
Toby coming home tomorrow!
I just got a telephone message from Toby. She is being released from the rehab facility today. She'll spend the night in a hotel near Orlando, then fly home tomorrow morning (her son Paul is with her). She says she feels incredibly better than expected and looks forward to being home. Apparently most of the mail she was sent was forwarded back to her home address, so she'll be getting lots of cards tomorrow!
18 April 2006
Toby moved to rehab facility
I just spoke with Toby's daughter-in-law, Mary-Ann, who gave me the following updates:
The surgery went very well; the tumor was removed. The day after the surgery, Toby was answering crossword puzzle clues. Toby was discharged from the hospital on Sunday (April 16th) and was driven by her sons Paul and Bruce to the:
Sea Pines Rehabilitation Hospital
101 E. Florida Ave
Melbourne, FL 32901-8301
(321) 984-4600
(she is currently in room #112A)
Toby had very little control over her left side at first, but is now walking, and can move and grasp with her left hand. They are working on getting her strength back and teaching her how to move. She does not need any speech therapy.
Toby will be at the rehab hospital for at least one more week (she sees the neurosurgeon again next Monday). They expect she should be able to live on her own again after getting out.
Toby was on vacation in Florida with her son Bruce and his family. Bruce is still there with her (his wife & kids returned home) and son Paul also flew down to be with her. Paul will stay down there through at least May 1st (assuming she is there that long). Doctors don't want her to fly back home, so one of her sons will drive her back home. At least, that is the plan so far.
*** Just spoke with Toby @ 1:15pm. *** She told me she was playing SCRABBLE® with her sons. She sounded good, though a little tired. They didn't have to shave her entire head, for which she is grateful. She is hoping to fly home early next week (if the doctors say it's okay to fly).
16 April 2006
Ken Clark's OWL2 word lists posted
Added links to OWL2 Word Lists created by our club-member (and club co-founder) Ken Clark. Thanks Ken!
11 April 2006
Toby recovering from surgery
Message from Toby's son Paul:Her surgery went as expected; the small tumor was removed. She has very limited mobility on the left side, but the mobility is slowly returning. The neurologist seems optimistic, but the recovery will be slow. Bruce and I will be in town for a while and will send updates as necessary.Rebecca brought cards to club tonight and people wrote messages to Toby. They will be mailed tomorrow.
10 April 2006
Toby in the hospital
Our club's Treasurer, Toby Cozens, is at Celebration Health Hospital in Florida awaiting surgery. She was on vacation when she had a small stroke and when they did an MRI, they discovered a brain tumor. The tumor is operable and they are going in tomorrow morning (Tuesday) to remove it. I spoke with her this noon and she sounded fine--just bored and not looking forward to spending the rest of her vacation in a hospital(!). There is some weakness in her left side from the stroke (and the tumor), but otherwise she seems okay.
You can write to her at:
Patient: Thora (Toby) Cozens, rm #437The phone number at the hospital is: 407-303-4000. As of today, Toby is in room #437 (Intensive Care).
Celebration Health Hospital
400 Celebration Place
Celebration, FL 34747
29 March 2006
Stats Page Improvements
Stats page has been updated so now you can navigate between Session and Standings Pages using "Next" and "Previous" Links. You can also click through all the "other stats" the same way. Try it!
29 March 2006
Alternate Tournament Accommodations
Uh Oh! The Red Lion is filling up fast!
We are looking into some alternate accommodations, for when the rooms run out. Check our Alternate Accommodations Page to see where else you might stay.
5 March 2006
Congrats to Keith!
Keith Valentine came in 2nd place in Division Two of this weekend's Vancouver Tournament, the first regional tournament using the new words. Congratulations Keith!
28 February 2006
NSA Announcement: Improved Communications
The following email was received from the NSA on 28 February 2006:
Dear NSA members:
Thanks for your support during this time of great change in the NSA.
Recent events have made it clear we need to better communicate to NSA members about the NSA's role and the realities of our operation. With that in mind, I'd like to announce a couple of things:
I am sending this email out to all club directors, committees, CGP and a list of all recent NSC contestants. I'd like to invite you to email me any questions or comments you have about the organization, why we do things, etc. Then we will consolidate your inquiries in regards to duplicates, etc. and post them on a new "Ask The Executive Director" section on the NSA website with a reply. We will acknowledge the senders. Our goal is to have this posted by the end of March.
Another step I'd like to announce is the creation of a new position. It will be an official NSA Player Delegate, sort of an ombudsman who challenges/questions the NSA on issues the players feel are not adequately addressed or prioritized. This Delegate would have carte blanche to ask the NSA pretty much anything and share the findings directly with players both in person and on-line.
I am thrilled to announce that Chris Cree has accepted our offer to be this first individual in this job. Chris is uniquely qualified. He is highly respected in the NSA community both as a player and a person. He has extensive and highly successful business experience and a realistic take on how the world works. While he is a good friend of mine, Chris has no problem disagreeing with me or anyone else at the NSA. I know he will do this job in an articulate and passionate manner. Chris will hold the position for two years, after which we will have an open election, decided by the players. Anyone can be nominated and run.
The NSA thanks Chris Cree for stepping up during this important chapter in our history. We look forward to working with him for the common good.
Thanks,
John
John D Williams, Jr, Executive Director
National SCRABBLE Association
PO Box 700
Greenport, NY 11944
631-477-0033
631-477-0294 Fax
send email to JDW
www.scrabble-assoc.comContact info:
24 February 2006
ERRATA for OWL2 and OSPD4
Note that errors are continuing to be found both in the printed OSPD4 and the printed OWL2, as well as the Scrabble News (#201, announcing the new words did not include some expurgated words and had at least one typo). Check the NSA's ERRATA list (link below) for the final word.
- [NSA] OWL2 Errata (scroll to the bottom) * NOTE: Check this link often for the most recent updates!
- Printable OWL2 Errata [Word doc] *note updated 24 Feb 2006, check with NSA website for latest corrections*
- Printable OSPD4 Errata [Word doc] Includes Errata for OSPD4 as well as all new "expurgated" words (shorter than 10 letters)
For OWL2 word lists and other information about the changeover, see our OWL2 Transition section below.
15 February 2006
More Stats than you know what to do with
At the urging of our new statistician, Doug Kruyt, we now have even MORE stats. In addition to the Regular Weekly Stats (Session Summary and Regular Standings), we now have "most number of bingos", "winning streaks", "high loss", and many, many more. Enjoy!
14 February 2006
Cutoff between Blue Card and White Card changed...to 375
Average scores in club have been increasing, and with the addition of QI and ZA we expect the scores to go even higher. So, the cutoff between Blue and White Card has been raised from 360 to 375. We'll evaluate the situation in a few months, but we anticipate this should work for quite a while.
30 January 2006
The OWL2's are here! The OWL2's are here!
They just arrived today (Monday). I will be bringing them to club tomorrow (the 31st). If you will not be able to pick yours up tomorrow, please contact me so we can arrange another time (hopefully, just next Tuesday).
So starting Tuesday, January 31st, we will be using the NEW WORDS! Free challenges for new words until March 1st.
28 January 2006
Statistician Retires! Long live the new Statistician!
After faithfully doing the club stats for the last 7 years(!), Christina O'Sullivan has passed the Statistician "baton" to one of our newest club members, Doug Kruyt. A huge, HUGE Thank You! to Christina for her years of dedication. And, thanks to Doug for taking on this task.
27 January 2006
NSA Announcement: 2006 U.S. SCRABBLE® Open in Phoenix!
Note: Check NSA website for the latest info, but here are the details as we know them now:"The National SCRABBLE® Association (NSA) is pleased to finally announce preliminary details about the summer's upcoming tournament. First, we should note that the event's name is now being changed to the U.S. SCRABBLE® Open. We feel the new name better reflects the international nature of the tournament and falls in line with other events such as golf, tennis and the like.
We also appreciate the patience of everyone in awaiting this announcement. As many of your know, we had been all set to return to New Orleans for 2007 and had our plans change due to Hurricane Katrina. The NSA's Jane Williams and Sara Hallock have been scrambling over the last four months to find a new venue. They visited numerous cities and hotels, scoured the Internet and worked with an event consultant. There were very few places available on such short notice, and we are thrilled to have found a first-class resort and hotel complex that promises to be one of the most beautiful and accommodating venues ever.
We know there are many more details to be shared such as the Division setup, schedule, etc. But we wanted to get this information out so people can start planning. Please watch www.scrabble-assoc.com for further details. We'll see you in Arizona!"
John D Williams, Jr, Executive Director
National SCRABBLE Association
631-477-0033
Friday, August 4th to Wednesday August 9th
Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa
2400 East Missouri
Phoenix, AZ 85016
www.arizonabiltmore.com
800-950-0086
602-955-6600
Code: NSA06
Room price (single/double): $140 per night + tax ($120 + $20 resort fee). Limited availability
"Open to all current members of the NSA who have played in [at least] one rated tournament."
"Details to follow. Entry form will be up March 1, 2006"
18 January 2006
Great Performance!
Nigel Peltier and Rafi Stern finished 1st and 2nd, respectively, in Division 3 of last weekend's Martin Luther King Tournament in Reno. Nigel was doing so well he was "Gibsonized" after the 17th round. Way to go guys!
4 January 2006 [updated 24 February 2006]
Transition to OWL2
NSA has announced March 1st as the official start date for using OWL2. That means that as of March 1st, OWL2 is the official word source for both CLUB and Tournament play.
In order to facilitate the change over, we will begin using the new words at club in mid-January (as soon as we get the printed OWL2). During this transition period, there will be free challenges for the new words only for everyone [amended: no free challenges for words less than 5 letters long]. I have created a Cheat Sheet with the list of new words that folks can use during play (there are over(!) 10,000 new words, so this "cheat sheet" will only contain new short words, JQZX words, and high probability 7's an 8's).
This should give us about 4-5 weeks to get used to the new words. Of course, if the release of the printed OWL2 is delayed, this schedule will be adjusted.
Word lists and study tools for new OWL2:
Note: these MAY NOT have been updated with the latest errata! Check the NSA's Errata list (below)
- Cheat Sheet [Word doc] - New 2s, 3s, 4s, JQZX, expurgated, Type I+II 7 & 8's
- Fives to Tens [Word doc] - New 5s, 6s, 7s, 8s, 9s, 10s, K words
- Combined new words [Word doc] - New 2s, 3s, 4s, JQZXK, expurgated, Type I+II 7 & 8's, 5s, 6s, 7s, 8s, 9s, 10s
Links to other Word lists and study tools for new OWL2:
- Toronto Club Word lists - OWL2 changes with definitions
- [NSA] New 2's and 3's with definitions - OSPD3/OSPD4 (expurgated)
- [NSA] List of OSPD3/OSPD4 changes (does NOT include expurgated words, or new trademarks that have been added)
Many more links to word lists for OWL2 can be found on our Links Page.
ERRATA for OWL2 and OSPD4:
Note that errors are continuing to be found both in the printed OSPD4 and the printed OWL2, as well as the NSA's website and the Scrabble News (#201, announcing the new words). Check the NSA's ERRATA list for the final word.
- [NSA] OWL2 Errata (scroll to the bottom) * NOTE: Check this link often for the most recent updates!
- Printable OWL2 Errata [Word doc] *note updated 24 Feb 2006, check with NSA website for latest corrections*
- Printable OSPD4 Errata [Word doc] Includes Errata for OSPD4 as well as all new "expurgated" words (shorter than 10 letters)
31 December 2005
December 13 stats are missing, sorry. Probably delivered to the North Pole by mistake. The 2005 cumulative standings are up.
23 December 2005
Bulk order of new OWL2 has been placed
45 copies of the new OWL2 have been ordered from NSA (Word Gear). I'll let you know when the order arrives, but at this point I wouldn't expect it any earlier than the 3rd week in January. If you haven't paid for your copy yet, I'll start bugging you after the first of the year.
These people have all paid already:
- Dave Zick (1)
- Alice Goodwin (1)
- Rafi Stern (1)
- Walker Willingham (2)
- Geoff Tongue (1)
- Doug Honig (1)
- Suzy Stern (1)
- David Ruby (1)
- George Bissonnette (1)
- Doug Kruyt (1)
- Chris Schneider (1)
- Carl Barish (3)
- Midori Howard (1)
- Ken Clark (1)
- Mark Peltier (2)
- Bob Jackson (1)
- Uri Breda (1)
- Adam Michelson (1)
- Christina O'Sullivan (1)
- Susie Han (1)
- Toby Cozens (1)
- Rachel Christensen (1)
- Mike Frentz (1)
- Aaron Caplan (1)
- Debbie Goldy (2)
- Steven Jones (1)
- Ben Henwood (1)
- Nancy Roeder (1)
- Scrabble Club (2)
- Ben Collett (1)
- Vicki Perry (1)
- Ann Ferguson (1)
- Rebecca Slivka (2)
- Karla Tofte (1)
- Starlite Clark (3)
- Claudia Finn (1)
13 December 2005
Bulk order of new OWL2 Volume discount right now!
As announced at club a few days ago, I will be doing a bulk order of the new OWL2 (a.k.a., OCTWL2 or Official Tournament and Club Word List, 2nd Edition), which the NSA has announced: "has an expected delivery date of mid-January". By ordering in bulk, we save a significant amount on shipping so the cost is ONLY $16 per book. (This is $2-3 dollars less per book than ordering just one or two: it's $19.20 for one, or 18.70 each if you buy 2, etc.). See NSA OWL2 Listing
So, if you want to get in on this deal, please bring cash or a check to club next week (December 20th) (checks made out to Rebecca Slivka, please--I'll be charging the order on my credit card). The amount is $16 per book (this includes shipping; there is no tax).
If you can't make it next week, but still want to participate, you could just mail me a check. (Rebecca Slivka, P.O. Box 9069, Seattle WA 98109). I'll be placing the order December 21st, so please contact me by then.
5 December 2005
Just added: Club Player Roster!
Check out the newest page on our website: Club Roster.
2 December 2005
News Flash! Vancouver Tournament is back on!
The following notice was received 2 December 2005:
Following yesterday's announcement about canceling our spring tournament, I received many emails expressing disappointment and offers of help.
Due to this strong response, the decision has been reversed. Our tournament will proceed as previously scheduled.
I look forward to seeing many of you and I apologize for the confusion. This decision is permanent!
See you March 4th and 5th at the Vancouver tournament.
Sincerely,
Valerie Gallant
The following notice was received 1 December 2005:
Unfortunately The Vancouver Scrabble Club has decided not to host an NSA rated tournament this year. The NSA will be posting a cancelled notice for the tournament scheduled for early March.
We apologize to any who have been inconvenienced. Thanks to all who have helped us with their time and moral support in years past!
Regards,
Val and Judy
If you are stressed over the cancelled reinstated tournament, you might be interested in a relaxing massage for "way less than the cost of playing those intense word games, and all that expensive travel". One-time Seattle Club member Tod Taylor is now a licensed massage therapist and has opened his studio in West Seattle. He even has a website: www.earthtouchbodyworks.com
Way to go Tod! p.s., this free plug won't be here for long.... ;-)
1 November 2005
OSPD4 is out but not yet official for Club play
As you may know, OSPD4 was published in June 2005. However, OSPD is NOT the official word list for Club and Tournament Play. The National SCRABBLE© Association has posted a tentative update for the OWL, but the printed version will not be available until at least March 2006.
A list of differences between OSPD3 and OSPD4 can be seen at:
New 2's and 3's
List of OSPD3/OSPD4 changes
A Steve Wilkie Health Update
Robert Jamieson, Seattle Post-Intelligencer columnist, revisits Seattle Club member Stephen Wilkie: 26 May 2004.
Previous articles:
- 28 Dec 2003 (Ian Ith, Seattle Times)
- 30 May 2003 (Robert Jamieson, Seattle P-I)
- 17 April 2003 (Seattle Times)
- 9 April 2003 (Ian Ith, Seattle Times).