Scrabble Australia

The WESPA Scrabble Championship 2017

Selective events 2017

WESPAC is a prestige invitational event in the spirit of the World Scrabble Championship. The first such event was held in Perth in 2015, and it is intended that it should take place under the supervision of WESPA every odd year. In 2017 the WESPAC will be held in Nairobi, Kenya from 6-12 November 2017.

Selecting Australia's team for 2017

A team of thirteen Australians will be selected to play in the 2017 WESPAC.

Open events

Alongside the selective event, there will be open events for which players not selected by Australia may travel to Nairobi to compete in. There will also be a last chance event in Nairobi, offering a further opportunity to play in the main event.

Qualifying period The qualifying period is the twelve month span from 1 May 2016 to 30 April 2017.
Eligibility: You must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident on 30 June 2017, and be a financial member of ASPA on 30 June 2017.

Selection by major titles

A maximum of two eligible players are selected by tournament success, namely

(1) The winner of the 2016 Australian Masters.
(2) The highest placed eligible Australian in the 2017 Australian Championship.

Players who qualify this way must also play 90 games recognised by ASPA during the qualifying period.

If any of these berths is unfilled for any reason, the place is taken by another player selected via ratings.

Players who qualify via ratings

All remaining eligible places will be determined by ratings as follows
  1. The method of ranking candidates is by the three peak statistic (the Q statistic) described below.
  2. Players may appeal to CASPA for a special dispensation in exceptional circumstances.
  3. In the event of any unforeseen issue the decision of CASPA is final.

The three peaks Q statistic

The primary criterion for ranking candidates is the Q statistic calculated like this:

  1. Subperiods are May to Aug 2016, Sep 2016 to Dec 2017 and Jan to Apr 2017.
  2. You must play at least 90 games recognised by ASPA in the qualification period.
  3. For the game count, ASPA will recognise up to 30 games played in international or overseas competition, provided they are played to the same dictionary as used in Australia. not only ASPA rated tournaments but also any WESPA rated tournament.
  4. You must play 60 games rated by ASPA before recording a peak in the third subperiod.
  5. A multiday tournament which spans two subperiods will be treated for peak and game count as occurring on the first day.
  6. The qualifying statistic is Q = (P1 + P2 + 2 x P3)/4 , which is a weighted average of peak ratings in the three subperiods.
  7. If you miss a game for any reason other than an assigned bye, you cannot count a peak attained in that tournament for any qualification purposes. Games played will count towards games quotas. Ratings will be calculated as usual, with byes and forfeits not rated.
  8. If you do not earn a peak in a subperiod , your peak in that subperiod is equal to the last rating minus 200. Only one subperiod may be missed in this manner.

If two players have the same Q statistic, the one with the greater number of games in the qualification period is ranked higher.

Etiquette for acceptance

Once the selection process is finished, it is incumbent on team members to accept their places within a reasonable amount of time. With regard to competitions where international travel has to be organised, plus allowing for time for more focussed study, it would be preferable for team members to accept their places by at least three months prior to the event. Any issues that may prevent a member from playing in the event should be discussed with CASPA as soon as reasonably possible after they arise. Such discussion may include negotiating with the reserve team members as to their ability to replace the team member.


CONTENDERS
13 quota		 Games Q Stat
05.07.2016		 Peak (games)
May-Aug		 Peak (games)
Sep-Dec		 Peak (games)
Jan-Apr
1. David Eldar (VIC) 0 2113.00
2. Alastair Richards (QLD) 0 2035.00
3. Andrew Fisher (VIC) 24 2014.002014 (24)
4. Naween Fernando (VIC) 0 2005.00
5. Richard Jeremy (ACT) 0 1946.00
6. Esther Perrins (NSW) 24 1928.001928 (24)
7. Trevor Halsall (VIC) 7 1928.001928 (7)
8. Edward Okulicz (NSW) 0 1917.00
9. Cameron Farlow (QLD) 0 1902.00
10. Peter Kougi (VIC) 0 1895.00
11. Daniel Piechnick (SA) 22 1886.001886 (22)
12. Julian McKail (VIC) 0 1863.00
ALMOST IN
14. Anand Bharadwaj (VIC) 0 1847.00
15. Michael McKenna (ACT) 0 1838.00
16. John Holgate (NSW) 21 1797.001797 (21)
17. Joanne Craig (NSW) 32 1789.001789 (32)
18. Michael Cameron (SA) 10 1778.001778 (10)
19. Bob Jackman (NSW) 28 1772.001772 (28)
20. Nick Ivanovski (VIC) 38 1769.001769 (38)