2026 AUSTRALIAN MASTERS

Twenty of the top players will play the Australian Masters as a round robin in somewhere. At the same time, teams of three players from each of seven states or territories play the State Team Challenge as head-to-head matches.

Rule variation

Masters section has 5 point penalty for each word challenged but correct.

The contenders

The table below shows the teams according to qualification criteria set by the Council of the Australian Scrabble Players Association. A player must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident. Temporary visa holders are not eligible.
IMPORTANT: Selection processes will now give priority to Australian players who have told CASPA that they will attend or might attend. Send an email to barry.harridge@gmail.com with the subject line including AMSC25, and an indication of YES, NO or MAYBE. Any Australian ASPA member may ask to be considered, not just the ones listed as contenders.

Australian Masters

The selection comprises the best twenty active players (those players who have played at least one game during the qualification period) ranked by Q statistic.

State Team Challenge

Each state team will comprise three eligible players who have not already been selected for the Masters event and are the next best three from their state, ranked by Q statistic.
If insufficient eligible players are available … If insufficient eligible players are available, the state will not be permitted to participate in the State Team Challenge for that year unless a maximum of one stand-in can be fielded before the tournament from any state (generally, but not necessarily, that state in which the tournament takes place). That stand-in must also meet the above criteria.
An eligible stand-in may also be fielded in the event of illness or other unforeseen circumstance during the tournament.

Selection by ratings

The primary criterion for ranking candidates is the Q statistic
Details

Players may appeal to CASPA for a special dispensation in exceptional circumstances. In the event of any unforeseen issue the decision of CASPA is final.






Australian Masters


Contender
Q Stat
06.10.2025
Games
need 40
Peak (games)
Jul to Oct
Peak (games)
Nov to Feb
Peak (games)
Mar to Jun

David Eldar
2229.0049 2229(49)

Jakob Teitelbaum
2043.007 2043(7)

Andrew Fisher
2008.0032 2008(32)

Naween Fernando
1931.0032 1931(32)

Cameron Farlow
1930.0059 1930(59)

Peter Kougi
1922.000

Ayorinde Saidu
1919.0025 1919(25)

Edward Okulicz
1911.0068 1911(68)

Josh Watt
1871.0026 1871(26)

Joanne Craig
1858.0089 1858(89)

Sam Amarasinghe
1848.000

Ryan Sutton
1836.0068 1836(68)

Bob Jackman
1807.0098 1807(98)

Esther Perrins
1806.0068 1806(68)

Tony Hunt
1806.0092 1806(92)

Trevor Halsall
1794.0068 1794(68)

Ronnie Bennett
1759.0050 1759(50)

Max Mason
1754.0034 1754(34)

Nick Ivanovski
1753.0022 1753(22)

State Challenge


Contender
Q Stat
06.10.2025
Games
need 40
Peak (games)
Jul to Oct
Peak (games)
Nov to Feb
Peak (games)
Mar to Jun
ACT1
Noel Barrett
1725.0052 1725(52)
ACT2
John Spaan
1709.0034 1709(34)
ACT3
John Hamilton
1661.0081 1661(81)
ACT4
Alex Boiko
1407.0033 1407(33)
ACT5
Tony Williams
1399.000
ACT6
Tim Reddan
1390.0034 1390(34)
NSW1
Rod Talbot
1744.0083 1744(83)
NSW2
Victor Tung
1704.007 1704(7)
NSW3
John Holgate
1697.0057 1697(57)
NSW4
Garth van Vliet
1608.0056 1608(56)
NSW5
Jeremy Yip
1541.000
NSW6
Jyoti Chandna
1529.0015 1529(15)
QLD1
Karen Richards
1708.00115 1708(115)
QLD2
Carmel Dodd
1664.00105 1664(105)
QLD3
Ryan Anderson
1606.0016 1606(16)
QLD4
Julie Brice
1587.0062 1587(62)
QLD5
Jane Brown
1567.0044 1567(44)
QLD6
Paul Richards
1536.00112 1536(112)
SA1
Adam Kretschmer
1748.006 1748(6)
SA2
Daniel Piechnick
1698.0018 1698(18)
SA3
Jane Taylor
1693.00120 1693(120)
SA4
Tony Miller
1646.0018 1646(18)
SA5
Malcolm McAnulty
1547.000
SA6
Michael Vnuk
1460.0023 1460(23)
TAS1
Stephen Mooney Purse
1702.004 1702(4)
TAS2
Dianne Brumby
1573.0068 1573(68)
TAS3
Jon Ford-King
1532.0030 1532(30)
TAS4
Martin Rose
1470.0012 1470(12)
TAS5
Khen Meerding
1409.004 1409(4)
TAS6
Margaret Webb
1391.004 1391(4)
VIC1
Oscar Ivanovski
1713.0054 1713(54)
VIC2
Alistair Kane
1610.000
VIC3
Geoff Wright
1593.0036 1593(36)
VIC4
Nat Podesser
1524.0062 1524(62)
VIC5
Chris Scholten
1517.007 1517(7)
VIC6
Heather Long
1505.000