Hong Kong Scrabble Championship 2026

HKSPA is organising the Hong Kong Scrabble Championship 2026 (the Championship) to select the official Hong Kong Scrabble Champion for 2026.

The Championship is open to HKSPA individual members with Hong Kong representation statuses defined under the Hong Kong Player Statuses Regulation. Hong Kong players from all ages and levels can enter the competition.

Division A of the Championship will be a two-day tournament (for the top 20 players) over the Labour Day weekend, competing for the title of Hong Kong Scrabble Champion and the Lion Rock Trophy. Division B and C of the Championship will be one-day tournaments.

Apart from the Lion Rock Trophy, players may also compete for Individual Awards (including ranking awards and youth awards) and Best Player from a School award. Division A of the tournament will be WESPA-rated.

Entry Handout

Date and Time:
Division A: 1 to 2 May 2026 (Friday and Saturday), 09:00 - 19:00 on both days.
Division B: 2 May 2026 (Saturday), 10:00 - 18:00.
Division C: 1 May 2026 (Friday), 10:00 - 16:30.

An hour lunch break will be arranged. The finishing time of the tournament may vary subject to the actual tournament schedule.

Venue: 5/F, Spark City Cheung Sha Wan, 124-126 Castle Peak Road, Cheung Sha Wan, Kowloon

Eligibility: HKSPA individual members with Hong Kong representation statuses defined under the Hong Kong Player Statuses Regulation (i.e. Hong Kong permanent residents) may play in the tournament.

Division arrangement: There are three divisions.

Players who have played at least 20 HKSPA-rated games and have a peak rating of 1300 or above must play in Division A. Those who have a peak rating of 700 or above (regardless of the number of rated games played) should play in Division B. All other players will be assigned to Division C by default.

The peak rating, including provisional ratings, from 1 January 2025 to the deadline of application will be used to determine the division of the player. Players who intend to play up a division should indicate his / her selection when completing the online enrollment form. All applications will be carefully considered to ensure smooth running of the tournament.

All divisions of the tournament will be HKSPA-rated. Division A will be WESPA-rated as well.

Format: Each players has 25 minutes to play each round. 5 points unsubstantiated challenge penalty for both divisions. The latest edition of Collins Official Scrabble Words and WESPA rules are applicable to all divisions. Gibsonisation rules apply where appropriate. The following format is subject to change at the discretion of the organiser.

Division A
‌‌18 games, 9 games per day.

• Game 1 to 3: Init Fontes Swiss - Players will be categorized into 4 groups by their HKSPA ratings immediately prior to the tournament. Sub-divisions will be formed by selecting one player from each group to form a sub-division of 4 players. These 4 players will play a single Round Robin. If the total number of players is not divisible by 4 (due to players’ absence), there will be a group containing all the remaining players. They will play partial round robin and opponents / bye will be arranged by random.
• Game 4 to 16: Australian Swiss Draw (sometimes lagged). There will be a reset in number of repeats in Round 7 and Round 13, or the number of repeats permitted will increase by one in Round 7 and Round 13.
• Game 17 to 18: King-of-the-Hill (KOTH)

Division B
6 games, first 5 games Swiss Draw (first game random draw, sometimes lagged subsequently), last game KOTH

Division C
5 games, first 4 games Swiss Draw (first game random draw, sometimes lagged subsequently), last game KOTH

Prizes:
Division A
Champion – the title of “Hong Kong Scrabble Champion” + the Lion Rock Trophy + plaque
1^st Runner-up – medal
2^nd Runner-up – medal
3^rd Runner-up – medal

Individual Youth Awards
Best Under-18 Player (born on or after 1/1/2008) – medal
Best Under-16 Player (born on or after 1/1/2010) – medal
Best Under-14 Player (born on or after 1/1/2012) – medal
Best Under-12 Player (born on or after 1/1/2014) – medal
(Players may receive more than one award, e.g. the Best Under-16 Player might as well be the Best Under-18 Player. The award will only be set up if there are more than one eligible player from the age group)

Team Unity Award
(Players will be divided into several groups according to their HKSPA ratings immediately before the tournament. Each player may then choose their own team of players: one player from each of the other groups, plus themselves. At the end of the tournament, team scores will be computed, combining the individual results of each team's members. The player whose team scores the highest will be the prize winner. The "individual results" refer to the combination of number of wins and cumulative spread.)

Division B and C, for each Division
Winner – medal
1^st Runner-up – medal
2^nd Runner-up – medal
3^rd Runner-up – medal

Individual Youth Awards
Best Under-18 Player (born on or after 1/1/2008) – medal
Best Under-16 Player (born on or after 1/1/2010) – medal
Best Under-14 Player (born on or after 1/1/2012) – medal
Best Under-12 Player (born on or after 1/1/2014) – medal
Best Under-10 Player (born on or after 1/1/2016) – medal
(Players may receive more than one award, e.g. the Best Under-16 Player might as well be the Best Under-18 Player. The award will only be set up if there are more than one eligible player from the age group)

School Awards
Best Player from a School – medal
(Applicable for school with at least three players in Division B)

Based on the results of all divisions:
High Word – medal
High Game – medal

Certificate of Participation will be given to participants at the end of the tournament free of charge on request during the application.

Players may request to issue Certificate of Award if they are an award-winner. A certificate fee will be charged per certificate issued (one award title per certificate). Players may request for such certificates after the prize presentation ceremony and pay the certificate fee of HK$20 per certificate by cash on the spot. The certificate will be sent to the player by ordinary mail.

Entry Fee: To play in the tournament, one must be an HKSPA member. The entry fee for the tournament is as follow:

The following types of players may enjoy a HK$20 entry fee discount:

• Division A players who enroll and paid the applicable fees in full on or before 7 April 2026; or
• Players who will play in the Championship for the first time

Lunch is not included.

Players can join HKSPA Individual Membership before the tournament by filling in the online application form. HKSPA will be offering the following special membership rates for non-current members joining the Championship:

• Full members: HK$100 for membership till 31 August 2026
• Student members: HK$40 for membership till 31 August 2026

Enrollment: All HKSPA individual members with Hong Kong representation statuses defined under the Hong Kong Player Statuses Regulation may play in the tournament. Click here to enroll now!

Entries are normally accepted on a first-come-first-served basis. The deadline of enrollment is 17 April 2026. The organiser reserves the rights to refuse entry or make changes to the division arrangement.

Applications after the deadline will only be accepted in exceptional circumstances. A late charge of $20 should apply in addition to the original entry fee. Late entrants are not allowed to compete in any school award.

Payment method: Players are required to pay the entry fee, deposits and membership fees to the Association's Hang Seng Bank account upon enrollment.

We encourage players to pay their fees through FPS. Instructions will be provided during the enrollment procedure. However, players may also pay by the following methods:

• ATM Transfer (HSBC/Hang Seng Bank)
• Cash or cheque deposit using Cash/Cheque Deposit Machine/Smart Teller

Players who pay the fees via bank counter (but not self-service machines) shall deposit an additional HK$30 to cover the bank charges. Student players are encouraged to seek assistance from their parents, teachers or coaches in paying the entry fees if they do not have a bank account.

Application will only be accepted upon receipt of the payment in full.

No-show Policy: Players who have enrolled for the tournament should make themselves available for all the assigned games. Any players who are absent from any games in the tournament will cause disruption to the tournament and inconvenience to their opponents. The concerned player will be barred from joining the next event organised by the HKSPA. To lift the restriction, the player shall pay an administrative fee of HK$100 to the Association on or before the next event. Alternatively, the player may produce a copy of his/her medical certificate indicating (s)he is unwell on the event day.

Refund Policy: The membership fee and entry fees are non-refundable in all circumstances, unless the organiser is unable to accept a particular player due to venue capacity or any other reasons caused by the organiser.

Verification Policy: Players are required to bring their HKID Card (for local players - birth certificate if they do not have an HKID Card). Students should also bring their Student ID Card (student handbook if they do not have a Student ID Card). Players who fail to bring the required documents may not be allowed to play / being charged HK$50 administrative fee payable on the spot by cash or FPS.

Enquiry: Please direct all queries to info@hkscrabble.org.