Introduction
The WESPA Youth Cup 2023 (hereinafter “WYC”) will be held in Trang, Thailand, from 1 to 3 December 2023 (Friday to Sunday) with a warm-up tournament on the day before (i.e. 30 November 2023, Thursday).
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 ten quota players to represent Hong Kong in WYC. The ten quota players will not be required to pay entry fees to the event. However, all non-quota players need to pay US$100 or 3,400 Thai Baht to participate in the WYC.
To select the ten quota players, a Qualifier will be organised. All quota players will be selected through the Qualifier.
Details
Date: 8 July 2023 (Saturday)
Time: 09:00 - 17:30 (tentative)
Venue: HKMA K S Lo College (exact location to be confirmed)
Eligibility: The WYC is only open to players born on or after 1 January 2006. To join the Qualifier, players must also:
- meet the criteria in the Hong Kong Player Statuses Regulation
- be an active HKSPA individual member on the day of the Qualifier
- ask for the school teacher’s permission to join this qualifier, as school absence approval is needed if you qualify (applicable to students only - other players should make themselves reasonably available for the WYC).
Format: The Qualifier will be HKSPA-rated. 7 games, Australian Swiss Draw (sometimes lagged), last game King-of-the-Hill (KOTH). 25 minutes per player, 5 points unsubstantiated challenge penalty, latest version of WESPA rules and CSW dictionary applicable.
Players from the same school can face each other. There are no prizes for this Qualifier.
Entry fee: An entry fee of HK$30 will be charged per player to cover the administrative cost of organising this Qualifier and enrollment arrangements.
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 an HKID card) to the venue 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 an HKID card) have to pay an administrative fee of HK$50. Registered participants would not be allowed to play if no identification documents were shown before the event.
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.
How to enroll: Please click here to enroll via HKSPA Tournament Enrollment System on or before 30 June 2023.
The list of enrolled participants are available here.
Arrangement after Qualifier
There will be ten quota players in the WYC for Hong Kong.
The Association will prepare a list (hereinafter “Ranking List”) of players ordered by the rankings of the Qualifier. Players with a higher ranking on the Ranking List have priority over the lower-ranked players to join the Hong Kong Youth Scrabble Team 2023 for WYC.
Players will be required to confirm their interest in joining the WYC after the Qualifier. HKSPA will announce the qualified players' information after the confirmation deadline.
Players not qualified will be placed on the waiting list. Should any qualified players drop out from the tournament, those on the waiting list will replace the qualified player.
Players not qualified may also join the WYC or WESPA Youth Plate by paying the entry fee on their own. The entry fee for WESPA Youth Cup (non-quota player) and WESPA Youth Plate is USD 100 and USD 7 respectively, if they enrol by 31 July 2023.
HKSPA will coordinate the trip to Thailand. Non-quota players who are interested in joining the trip may contact us for arrangements. Details will be announced in due course.
Contact
Please contact us at info@hkscrabble.org should you have any enquiries.