Hong Kong Youth Scrabble Team 2018 Qualifier

Introduction

The 13^th WESPA Youth Cup (hereinafter “WESPAYC”) will be held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates from 13 December (Thursday) to 15 December 2018 (Saturday). As a member association of the World English-Language Scrabble® Player Association (hereinafter “WESPA”), the Hong Kong Scrabble Players Association (hereinafter “HKSPA”) is entitled to select 10 quota players to represent Hong Kong in WESPAYC. The 10 quota players will be regarded as the official “Hong Kong Youth Scrabble Team” by HKSPA and they are not required to pay entry fee to the event.

Meanwhile, the Mattel® World Junior Scrabble™ Championship 2018 (hereinafter “WJSC”) will be held in Torquay, United Kingdom from 20 October (Saturday) to 22 October 2018 (Monday). Mattel has offered HKSPA one free seat on the condition that there is another paid entry from Hong Kong, and may offer group discount if there is a large number of participants from Hong Kong. The entry fee for WJSC is £60, which the players need to be responsible for. The HKSPA will select 10 players and regard them as the official “Hong Kong Youth Scrabble Team” by HKSPA. The HKSPA will also grant the free quota to the best player in the Team.

Eligible players

• Players must be born on or after 1 January 2001 to participate in WESPAYC, and born on or after 1 January 1998 to participate in the WJSC.
• To play for or play under the name of Hong Kong, players must meet the criteria in the Hong Kong Player Statuses Regulation.
• Those who wish to participate in the qualifying process must be HKSPA Individual Members of session 2017 – 2018.

Qualifying Rules

Players wishing to represent Hong Kong as a part of the “Hong Kong Youth Scrabble Team” in WESPAYC and/or WJSC can qualify by (1) HKSPA Ratings, or (2) qualifier. Students studying in a local secondary school must ask for school teacher’s permission to join this qualifier, as school absence approval is needed if you qualify. Other players should make themselves reasonably available for the tournament.

The ratings and/or rankings mentioned below correspond to the Peak Ratings between the period 1 July 2017 and 30 June 2018. Peak Ratings refer to the highest attained ratings during the period.

Qualify by HKSPA Ratings

Players who satisfy the following criteria automatically qualify without the need to play in any qualifier:

1. Have played at least 50 HKSPA-rated games as at 30 June 2018, and
2. Have played at least 1 HKSPA-rated game during 1 July 2017 and 30 June 2018, and
3. Have a peak rating of 1900 or above between the aforementioned period, and
4. Is a HKSPA Individual Member.

Qualify by Qualifier

The remaining spots will be decided by a two-stage HKSPA-rated qualifier consisting of the Preliminary Rounds and the Finals Day.

There are a total of 16 spots in the Finals Day. Players who satisfy all the following criteria automatically qualify for the Finals Day automatically:

1. Have played at least 50 HKSPA-rated games as at 30 June 2018, and
2. Have played at least 1 HKSPA-rated game during 1 July 2017 and 30 June 2018, and
3. Have a peak rating of 1400 or above between the aforementioned period, and
4. Is a HKSPA Individual Member.

The remaining spots in the Finals Day will be contested for in the Preliminary Rounds. The Preliminary Rounds are open to all eligible players not automatically qualified for the Finals Day nor the Hong Kong Team.

Should any players qualified for the Finals Day withdraw beforehand, the extra spot(s) shall be determined by the final rankings of the Preliminary Rounds. Participants of the Preliminary Rounds not qualified for the Finals Day are thus welcomed to be present before the games of the Finals Day start as stand-by players.

Arrangement after Qualifier

The “Hong Kong Youth Scrabble Team” for WESPAYC and WJSC will consists of 10 members each.

The Association will prepare a list (hereinafter “Ranking List”) of players which consists of players qualified by rankings (ordered by Peak Ratings) and players qualified to play in the Finals Day (ordered by the rankings of the Finals Day).

Players below the age of 18 are required to express their interest in joining the WESPAYC / WJSC after the tournament. They can choose to join either of them or join both. Players who are aged between 18 and 21 are not required to express any interest since they are only qualified to join WJSC but not WESPAYC.

After receiving the responses from all qualified players, the Association will select the 10 members for each team based on the Ranking List and the members’ preference. Players who have a higher ranking on the Ranking List have the priority over the lower-ranked players to join either one or both team.

Registering for the Qualification Process

All players wishing to participate in the qualification process are required to register at this form on or before 20 July 2018. Registration is also required for players eligible to be automatically qualified via HKSPA Ratings.

As a non-profit organisation, we will be collecting entry fee to cover the cost of being a WESPA member as well as the cost of running this Qualifier. Players who are not automatically qualified for the Hong Kong Team (and thus are required to participate in at least one day of the Qualifier) are required to pay HK$30 entry fee for the Qualifier. If a player is required to participate in the Preliminary Rounds, he is also required to pay HK$50 deposit at the beginning of the day, to be returned only if (1) the player finishes all the games he or she should play, and (2) the player, if qualified for the Finals Day, does not withdraw without acceptable reason(s). The conditions for the returning of deposits are subject to the HKSPA Main Committee’s discretion and/or amendment without the need of prior notice.

Details of the Qualifier

Format

The Qualifier will be HKSPA-rated.

For both Preliminary Rounds and Finals Day: 8 games, Australian Swiss Draw (lagged except for game 5, which is the game immediately after lunch break), last 2 games King-of-the-Hill (KOTH)

25 minutes per player, 5 points unsubstantiated challenge penalty, WESPA rules version 3

Players from the same school can face each other.

Dictionary: Collins Official Scrabble Words 2015 (CSW15)

Verification Policy: All participants must bring their HKID card (passport or birth certificate showing that Right of Abode/Permanent Residence is established if they do not have a HKID card) to the venue before the Preliminary Rounds and Finals Day (if qualified) for verification. Players who can only show a photo or copy of the HKID card (passport or birth certificate showing that Right of Abode/Permanent Residence is established if they do not have a HKID card) have to pay an administrative fee of HK$50 per tournament day. Registered participants would not be allowed to play if no identification documents are shown before the Preliminary Rounds and Finals Day (if qualified).

If you think you are a Hong Kong player or have Hong Kong representation status under the Hong Kong Player Statuses Regulation but do not have any of the above documents to prove your claim, please contact us at info@hkscrabble.org stating your justifications and proof.

Contact

Please contact us at info@hkscrabble.org should you have any enquiries.

Acknowledgment

The venue for the Qualifier is provided through the courtesy of Methodist College.