Introduction: This tournament is to select the Hong Kong representatives for the World Youth Scrabble Championship 2016 to be held in Lille, France from 27 to 29 August. This tournament is HKSPA-rated.
Date: 20th and 27th February 2016 (Saturdays)
Time: 9:00 – 19:00
Registration starts at 8:30
Venue: Methodist College
Eligibility: Hong Kong permanent residents born on or after 1/1/1999
Participants must join HKSPA Membership before the competition.
Format: Australian Swiss draw (sometimes lagged), 16 games, 8 games per day
No lagged draw for last 2 games
25 minutes per player, 5 points unsubstantiated challenge penalty, WESPA rules version 3
This is not an inter-school event. Players from the same school can face each other.
Students must ask for school teacher’s permission to join this qualifier, as school absence approval is needed if you qualify (players will probably miss the first day of school)
Dictionary: Collins Official Scrabble Words 2015 (CSW15)
Qualifying criteria: Top 40% of players, maximum 20, to represent Hong Kong in the WYSC 2016.
Top 10 finishers to represent Hong Kong as “quota players”.
The 11th - 20th ranked players (or less, to be determined by the “40% rule”) can choose to represent Hong Kong or not as “non-quota players”.
Players after the 20th ranked player cannot choose to represent HK as “non-quota players” through HKSPA under any circumstances.
Quota players will have priority in receiving sponsorships from HKSPA. Non-quota players are extremely likely to receive no sponsorship from HKSPA as they have the least priority in receiving sponsorship (after association representatives and some WSC representatives) and are required to pay an entry fee to the organiser (last year US$100).
Entry fee: As this is a high-level qualifying tournament but not a competition for newbies to hone their skills (of course new players who think they have the ability can enter), entry fee will be collected to avoid a floodgate of applications, especially from a same school.
HK$60 (Plus HK$30 for HKSPA Student Membership if you are not yet a member)
A HK$50 deposit will be collected before the start of the competition. The deposit will only be returned if the player completes all his/her games in the qualifier.
How to enter: Please visit http://goo.gl/forms/pGza843bFP to fill in the online application form on or before 15th February 2016.
