TOURNAMENT - Association of British Scrabble Players



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The Association of

British Scrabble® Players

.uk

TOURNAMENT

ORGANISERS’

GUIDELINES

Issue 3.5 August 2003

INTRODUCTION

These guidelines are aimed primarily at the first-time organiser, although it

is assumed that you already have some experience of playing in tournaments.

We cannot anticipate every set of circumstances that may arise, but the

following information aims to cover most of the factors you may need to

consider.

You should remember that amongst ABSP members there is a wealth of experience of organising tournaments, and advice based on that experience is yours for the asking.

All ABSP-rated events must be run by, or under the auspices of, a Scrabble club. Having decided to run an event, you must first find a suitable venue and fix a date. This document provides guidance on these aspects, plus many other topics that need considering before, during and after the event. It should be read in conjunction with the current ABSP Members' Handbook, which contains information on rating criteria and game rules etc.

Relevant contact names and addresses are given at the end.

DATE

The ABSP Tournament Co-ordinator maintains a calendar of planned events. He will be able to advise you of a suitable date and help avoid clashes with other events. This does not mean that you have to pick a completely free date, as it is possible to run events on the same day in different parts of the country.

As soon as you have decided on a date you should inform both the Co-ordinator and Philip Nelkon at Mattel. This will help them to prevent potential clashes with other planned events.

When selecting a date, allow enough time to apply for ratings approval, publicise the event and distribute entry forms. Ideally, you need to plan about six months ahead.

VENUE

In selecting a venue you should consider public transport, especially on Sundays, and the availability of parking. Catering facilities and space are also important, as is disabled access.

Most halls have their own tables and chairs and a simple way of judging the capacity of a room is to count the tables and chairs already there. Don't forget to allow sufficient space between tables to enable players to sit comfortably and runners to move about.

Typically, you will get two games on a 5ft table. Remember to allow space for timers and score-sheets. There should also be enough room to turn the board without players having to lift racks off the table. All this may require more room than is available at some club venues.

You will need space and the appropriate furniture for the organisers, adjudicators etc. If you plan to use a computer, allow space for that and check the position of power points. Also, depending on the time of the year, you may need to consider heating, ventilation and lighting at the venue.

Assess the suitability of the venue with regard to disabled access – see Appendix B for a detailed checklist. If you are satisfied that there is good disabled access, this should be mentioned on the entry form and the events listing in The Last Word will show the “wheelchair” logo. If accessibility is poor, you should seriously consider using a different venue.

Ensure that there will be somewhere away from the playing area for players to go between games. It may be worth asking what other activities may be taking place in adjacent areas; for instance, a disco or five-a-side football tournament could prove disruptive!

Make sure you know what is included in the hire costs, such as which rooms and facilities are available, what times you have booked etc, and get this confirmed in writing.

Remember to allow time for setting-up and clearing away afterwards. Some venues may allow you to set up the night before; others may do it for you. Check who is to be responsible for opening up the premises and locking up afterwards, and note their contact details.

BUDGET

Budgeting is very important in order to set the entry fee and to avoid making a loss. Most events are not run to make a profit, but a small surplus is sometimes added to club funds. Some events are run to raise money for charity.

You must keep accurate records of all money received and spent. You can either set up a separate bank account for the event or use your club's account.

If an entrant's cheque bounces, you are advised to return it and not accept the entry until payment is received. You may also have to return cheques to entrants who have not been accepted due to late entry etc.

The entry fee will be determined by the cost per player, which is calculated by dividing the total cost of the event by the expected number of players. Below is an example showing all the items that may need to be included. More details relating to some of these items are contained in the following sections.

BUDGET CALCULATION

£

1. Hire of premises

2. Tournament Director

3. Adjudicator

4. Runners

5. Reserves

6. Refreshments/Lunch for officials

7. Computer hire

8. Clock/timer hire

9. Printing, postage etc.

10. Refreshments/Lunch (if included)

11. Prize fund

12. Insurance

13. Charity donation

14. Organiser’s fee __________

Total __________

Cost per person = TOTAL =

Number of players

ABSP’s rating levy + (see note below)

Non-ABSP-member supplement (optional, but recommended) +

17. Refreshments/Lunch (per head) +

TOTAL COST PER PERSON £

BUDGET NOTES

Prize Fund

This may be budgeted on a per head basis or as a single overall sum. Remember that you are limited to a total prize fund of £950 unless you sign the Third Party Agreement with Mattel (see Member's Handbook). The individual prize limit is £350. You may decide not to award cash prizes, but if you intend to present trophies these should still be included in the budget.

Insurance

It is prudent to hold Public Liability insurance as your club (i.e. its committee and members) can be sued if a mishap occurs during your tournament. Public liability insurance for clubs and tournaments is available for GB registered clubs. The cost for the calendar year 2003 is £21. Cheques payable to Castlebank Insurance Brokers Ltd should be sent to Scrabble Clubs UK, Mattel House, Vanwall Business Park, Vanwall Road, Maidenhead, Berks SL6 4UB. Tel: 01628 500283 for further details.

It is important to check the "small print" conditions for hire of premises. Make sure these are acceptable to you and that you can fully observe them on the day of the event. Any terms which make you assume liability for damage to property - even if you are not negligent - should be avoided if possible, as your Public Liability insurance cover will not operate in this case.

Non-ABSP Members & Timers

The ABSP allows its members a discount at all events they organise. Some other organisers, in recognition of the help given by the ABSP, also offer a reduction of £1 or 50p. If you feel that such a discount is appropriate for your event please bear in mind that the majority of players are likely to be ABSP members. Therefore, when budgeting, it is reasonable to assume that all players will claim the discount. Similarly, if you are offering a discount for those who bring timers, assume that most players will do so.

Ratings Levy/New Fees Structure

It is anticipated that at the 2003 AGM a new fees structure will be approved, which will mean an extra £1 or 50p will be payable to the ABSP from January 2004, as well as the Ratings Levy payable to the ratings officer. Tournament Organiser as advised to cost events on the basis of this being £1.

RATINGS APPROVAL

To have your event rated you must complete an application form, which can either be photocopied from this guide or the ABSP Members' Handbook, requested from the Co-ordinator, or downloaded from .uk/publications/handbook2003.doc. You must send this form RATINGS APPROVAL (cont.)

together with a draft of your entry form, to the Co-ordinator. Assuming that all the requirements are met you will get a confirmation of rating approval. The Co-ordinator will inform the ABSP Newsletter Editor, the Ratings Officer and Philip Nelkon of Mattel. You should have already checked the date with the ABSP Tournament Co-ordinator before seeking approval.

If the event is invitation-only, an entry form may not be necessary. However, you should still supply entrants with details of costs, timetable, prize fund etc, and the Co-ordinator will need to review this information in order to give approval.

Your event will be listed in The Last Word from the date of ratings approval up to the date of the tournament. For one day tournaments this will include full details to enable people to use the generic entry form. Should organisers wish to include an entry form for a longer event with The Last Word, then this is subject to a charge of £15. For longer events, TLW will include relevant contact details. It is up to you to provide Alec Webb with an A5 copy of the approved entry form for printing if you wish it to be distributed in this way. The Ratings Officer will automatically send you an up-to-date ratings list just before the event. You do not need to contact him before the event unless you require any information earlier.

For your information, TLW is published as early as possible in the following months February, April, June, August, October, December and the deadlines for contributions or entry forms is generally midway through the previous month and is explicitly shown on each issue.

To get an idea as to what information to include on your entry form, check the guidelines in Appendix A. You could also look at other entry forms you may have received from other organisers. Alternatively a generic form for customisation is available from the Tournament Co-ordinator.

PUBLICITY

Think about how you intend to advertise your event. Having it formally approved for rating will automatically ensure that it is listed in The Last Word. It will also appear in Scrabble Club News. Onwords magazine copies its list from these publications, but you could also inform the editor separately. Many organisers also circulate details to local clubs.

If you feel there is anything particularly newsworthy about your event, please contact the ABSP Publicity Officer.

PUBLICITY (cont.)

The ABSP currently offers a form printing and distribution service for rated events of more than one day. Forms are sent out with The Last Word, which is published towards the end of January, March, May, July, October and December. The current charge for this service is £15. Note that as part of the ratings approval process the entry form must include a paragraph giving details of how to join the ABSP.

Ensure you apply for rating approval at least two weeks before the copy deadline of the Newsletter edition you are aiming for, to allow time for the Co-ordinator to give approval and for any amendments to be made.

STAFF

It is very important to have enough help on the day, so make sure you have plenty of club members available to help - they won't all be able to play. You will not be able to do everything yourself, so you need to get full support from your club.

Tournament Director

The director should not be a player, unless in extremis, as their games could be disrupted to deal with incidents at other games. If the director does play, a deputy will also be needed in case the director's own games need rulings. The ABSP has published a Directors' Guide which is available on request, and which can be downloaded from the ABSP website, .uk.

It is customary to make a small payment to the Tournament Director, particularly if they have to travel to the event. To avoid any embarrassment or misunderstanding, discuss this with the TD in advance and include it in your budget calculations.

Adjudicator

If you are going to use the ABSP computer program for adjudication, then the computer operator can perform this task, although it is a good idea to have two people involved as this reduces the chance of making an error. The director may also act as an adjudicator. If you are using only the OSWI book (Official Scrabble Words International) you will need at least two adjudicators - possibly more, depending on the number of games.

Computer operator

This can be the adjudicator, but it is best not to have the director doing this job full-time as they may be needed elsewhere. A small payment may be in order if you have brought someone in especially to do the job.

Runners

It is essential that you have enough runners. One runner per twenty players is recommended, so three will probably be enough for an event with 64 players. Again, a small payment or gift should be considered. Possible sources of runners may be children of club members, non-playing spouses, local students, guides, brownies etc.

Reserves

Even the best planned events can be marred by players not turning up. You need an even number of players, so it is essential to have at least one reserve player in case of non-arrivals. Note that non-arrivals may require you to assign players to different divisions at the last minute. A reserve may be used as a runner if not needed to play. An alternative method is to identify a player who is prepared to drop out on the day if necessary to even the numbers up.

Organiser

Organisers are entitled to build in a nominal fee for themselves as part of the overall budget. The ABSP recommends £50 for a single day event, or £100 for a weekend event is a reasonable sum.

EQUIPMENT

Computer hire

If you wish to use a computer and cannot provide your own you could ask Graeme Thomas or David French. Graeme charges 25p per player per day to cover his costs, and would probably need to be playing at your event in order for you to hire his equipment. David’s rates are available on request. See back page for contact details.

The ABSP makes its tournament program available free of charge. You may find it useful to speak to Graeme Thomas to determine what hardware is needed, unless he will be bringing his own computer to the event. You could also consider asking one of your team to assist at another tournament to gain experience of using the program.

Hire of Timers

Most regular tournament players have their own timer and so organisers do not generally have to worry about having sufficient timers at an event. Entry forms should enable entrants to indicate whether they intend to bring a timer or not ( a small reduction in fee is customary for those who commit to this) so an organiser will have an idea whether there is likely to be a surplus or deficiency of timers ahead of the event. Analogue clocks can be hired from Tony Corfe (01707 659080) of Potters Bar if there is a risk of a shortage.

Scoresheets

The ABSP can supply challenge slips/result sheets, which also serve as scoresheets. These can be obtained via the ABSP Scoresheet Distributor & Document Controller for a small charge (currently 1p each). These sheets can often be delivered via a Committee member, or other distributor attending the event otherwise there will be a hefty postage charge involved. It is customary to use a different colour scoresheet for each division. This is subject to availability from the ABSP. If organisers wish to arrange printing of their own scoresheets then the ABSP can supply a master copy.

One printer to use is Catford Print Centre [ 020 8695 0101 , email: post@catfordprint.co.uk, website catfordprint.co.uk ]. As at March 2003 a typical cost for 500 coloured double-sided A5 forms is £28 plus vat. Delivery is free and there is 5% discount for payment with order. Any local printer should be able to offer a similar deal.

NUMBERS of PLAYERS

At a 5-game event, (assuming there are no tied games) a division of 32 players will produce:

1 player on 5 wins

5 players on 4 wins

10 players on 3 wins

10 players on 2 wins

5 players on 1 win

1 player on 0 win.

It is always possible to have a few more or less players in each division and still have a viable event. More divisions containing fewer players may allow more prizes to be won. Some one-day events have been played over six games rather than five. This has the advantage that, in divisions of 32, players losing their first round game may still be able to win their division as five wins out of six may be sufficient. Of course, the extra game adds to the duration of the event and may increase your costs.

Round Robins are becoming increasingly popular. One format is to have an odd number in each group (9 for example) with one player sitting out in each round, who can act as a runner or an adjudicator.

Guidelines on allocating players to divisions are available from the Co-ordinator. Take care when allocating unrated players. Do not automatically place them in the lowest division, but try to assess their approximate rating from people who know them.

TIMETABLE

Resist the temptation to cram in too many games. You will need to allow enough time for players to arrive and depart, and for refreshment breaks. You should also build in enough time between games to process results and produce the next set of fixtures. The ABSP recommend a gap of an hour and ten minutes between the start times of games.

Always display the timetable prominently at the event, preferably in more than one location, as a reminder to players.

CATERING

It is usual to provide tea/coffee or cold drinks on arrival, at the lunch break and either mid-afternoon or at the end while waiting for the results. If your entry form states that drinks are provided, then this is what people will expect. You can of course provide a slap-up meal and drinks and biscuits all day if you wish, and if the budget allows.

Depending on the facilities at the venue, you can consider providing lunch or letting players bring their own food. If you decide to provide lunch, you will need to determine whether you have enough facilities and helpers or whether you will need to hire outside help. Remember to ask entrants for special dietary requirements on the entry form.

ON THE DAY

A few points to remember:

Ensure that the premises will be open on time. At smaller venues, when you hire the premises, find out who is responsible for opening the venue and locking up afterwards, and get a contact telephone number.

Ensure you have access to a phone at the venue if you have published its number on entry forms etc, or provide a mobile phone number for emergency contact on the day.

Remember to have the correct edition of the dictionary available for adjudications outside the scope of OSWI (for longer words etc).

Remember to have a copy of the current ABSP Handbook, which includes the playing rules. It is also recommended that a copy of the ABSP Directors Guide is available for guidelines on actions to be taken by the director, should an incident occur.

At the end of the event remind people to take all their belongings with them when they leave. Many organisers have been left with enough abandoned items for a car-boot sale afterwards!

AFTER THE EVENT

There are still some things to do after the event. It is very important that the results are sent to the Ratings Officer immediately afterwards. The full name and address and club of each player is required, along with their round-by-round pairing and result (win, draw or loss). If you are using the computer program this can easily be printed out. If you do not use the program, make sure that you supply the information in a clear and logical manner. Do not just send in all the score-sheets. A good example format is shown below:

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Here, each round shows the player number of the opponent and the spread. Thus, M Ball played B Talbot in round 1 and won by 45 points.

The Ratings Officer needs this information promptly after the event in order to produce up-to-date ratings lists for events due the following weekend. You must also remember to send the ratings levy, payable to the officer, not to the ABSP. The ratings levy is 50p per player per event until 31st Dec 2003. For events taking place from 1st Jan 2004 the ratings levy will be 60p per player.

A report should be written for The Last Word and sent to the Editor. The amount of detail tends to vary, but you should list the divisional winners as a minimum, preferably 1st/2nd/3rd place in each division.

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

We hope that you have found these guidelines useful and, if you do decide to organise an event, we wish you every success.

Every care is taken in the compilation of this information, but no responsibility is accepted by the ABSP for errors or omissions or their consequences.

In all cases, the responsibility for the tournament lies with the organiser.

APPENDIX A GUIDE TO ENTRY FORMS

There is no standard layout for all entry forms, but it is essential that certain items are included and recommended that other items are included where possible. Using this check list before applying for rating approval may save time by preventing later amendments.

ESSENTIAL ITEMS

1. Event title, usually referring to its location but this is not compulsory.

2. The form must clearly state the name of the organising club - usually at the top.

3. The date(s), plus times of arrival and start of the first game.

4. The name and full address of the venue

5. The format of the event - eg. Round Robin, Matchplay, number of expected divisions, options to choose divisions etc. You must state that clocks will be used and the time per player - usually 25 minutes. The method of splitting people on equal wins must be stated, eg wins + spread, or S.O.S (brief explanation required).

6. Costs, stating clearly what is included - eg. refreshments, rating levy. For residential events remember to quote a non-residential price too.

7. Refreshments provided. Advise entrants if they need to bring food, or if food is not allowed to be consumed on the premises. Ask for details of any special dietary needs.

8. Contact name, address, telephone number.

9. To whom cheques should be made payable (eg Club, or person’s name)

10. The nature of the prizes should be mentioned. You must state if there will be monetary prizes and give some indication of the size of the prize fund.

11. State if the organising individual will be making a profit out of the event, or if the event is raising money for a charity.

12. Entrant's details must include full name, address and club. It is also useful to request a telephone number, mobile phone number and e-mail address. It is best not to allow more than one entry per form as this often leads to one address with several names.

13. The following text is strongly recommended: "The organisers reserve the right to refuse entries, and if the number of entries makes it necessary, to adjust the sizes of the playing groups and/or prize allocations".

14. The following credit line must appear at the foot of the page:

SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark of J W Spear & Sons Ltd., a Mattel company, Maidenhead SL6 4UB

ADDITIONAL ITEMS TO CONSIDER

15. If you wish to have the entry forms distributed with The Last Word, this will cost £15 and is not available for one-day events. Entry forms should also include the text: "Membership of the ABSP costs £15 for 2003. To join, send a cheque made payable to ABSP, to the Membership Secretary, Viv Beckmann, 16 Benwell Grove, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE4 8AQ".

16. State if there is a closing date for entries.

17. Provide a map and/or detailed directions to the venue, although this is usually sent with confirmation of entry.

18. Timetable, again more commonly sent with confirmation of entry.

19. Estimated departure time.

20. A note asking people who bring timers (and claim a discount) to be prepared to lend them to other players.

21. Notes detailing any relevant venue facilities and/or rules - such as no smoking or no alcohol on the premises

22. The entrants' details can also include a choice of division, whether they will provide a timer, total amount paid, refreshment details etc.

23. Double sided entry forms should be designed so that the tear-off slip does not remove any vital information on the other side.

24. Always request an SAE for sending confirmation of entry.

The above lists contain quite a lot of information. It is therefore important to ensure that the entry form is carefully laid out and easy to read. If necessary, you can use both sides of the paper, but be aware of point 23. Remember that the organiser is responsible for ensuring that the event takes place as advertised. If you promise drinks but then don't provide any, you will receive complaints and probably fewer entries the next time.

APPENDIX B

DISABLED ACCESS – A GUIDE FOR ORGANISERS

The aim of this checklist is to help organisers to assess venues, and to encourage them to give preference to premises with good facilities for disabled players, so that nobody is excluded from participating fully because of a physical disability. This is not only good practice, but will be backed up by the Disability Discrimination Act which comes into full effect in October 2004.

Remember that “disabled” does not mean only wheelchair users. Many players may have some degree of impaired mobility and will appreciate a venue that is easy to move around in.

It is recommended that organisers personally visit and inspect all facilities, rather than rely on second hand information from someone else.

Arrival

Check whether vehicles can drive right up to (or close to) the main entrance. Are there any special arrangements – eg car park barriers etc. Check disabled parking spaces – how many, how near, any restrictions? Is pre-booking necessary, and how is this organised?

Entrance

Ideally the main entrance should be either level or ramped. If there are steps, take a note of how many and how steep in order to inform any disabled players. It is generally not acceptable for disabled access to be only via the “back yard” or service entrance, for instance.

Main Areas

There should be level access throughout, from the entrance, to the playing area, refreshments area, cloakrooms etc, preferably with no steps or raised bars at doorways. Obviously lifts from one level to another are fine, but do check that the doors open wide enough to accommodate a wheelchair and that the lift control buttons are within reach of a wheelchair user.

Toilets

Check if there are designated disabled access toilets. Otherwise check if the doors are wide enough for reasonable access to cubicles within the “ordinary” toilets.

Refreshments

Ask to see where meals and other refreshments will be served and check that these areas can be easily reached from the main playing area. In cafeteria-type facilities, fixed seating may cause difficulties for disabled players and prevent a wheelchair user from sitting at the table with other people.

Residential Accommodation

Check if ground floor bedrooms are available and ensure that they can be pre-allocated on request. These should be as close as possible to the playing area, with level or ramped entrance if located in a separate building, and with level access indoors. Some venues may have specially adapted bedrooms and bathrooms available. Otherwise request spacious rooms, and check that doors to bedrooms and bathrooms are wide enough for wheelchair access.

Emergencies

It is important to check in advance on emergency procedures and escape routes. Disabled players may not be able to use fire escape stairs, for instance. Find out about any alternative routes and inform the appropriate people beforehand. It may be necessary to designate a helper in case of emergency evacuation from the premises. Have phone numbers to hand, for the nearest A&E or a local GP, in case any players (disabled or otherwise) should need emergency medical attention.

RATINGS APPROVAL FORM

To: Paul Cartman - ABSP Tournament Co-ordinator

9 Chapel Terrace, Stafford ST16 3AH

APPLICATION FOR ABSP-RATED TOURNAMENT

Please complete this application form if you wish your Scrabble tournament to qualify for ABSP ratings and send it to the ABSP Tournament Co-ordinator at the address above.

A draft entry form for the tournament must also be submitted.

On receipt of this form and a draft entry form, providing all the criteria for rating purposes will be met, the ABSP will reply with a Confirmation of Qualification.

Tournament Organiser : _________________________________

Scrabble Club : _________________________________

Tournament Title : _________________________________

Proposed Tournament Date : _________________________________

Tournament Contact : _________________________________

and address _________________________________

________________________________

To ABSP Tournament Co-ordinator,

I wish the above tournament to qualify for ABSP ratings and confirm that the tournament will fulfill the necessary criteria.

I enclose a draft Entry Form.

From: __________________________________ Date: _______________

Notes

Tournament organisers are advised to check availability of dates with the ABSP Tournament Co-ordinator first.

J W Spear require all tournaments to be organised directly by, or under the auspices of a Scrabble Club.

USEFUL CONTACTS

ABSP TOURNAMENT Paul Cartman

CO-ORDINATOR 9 Chapel Terrace, Stafford ST16 3AH

paul.cartman@

ABSP RATINGS OFFICER John Grayson

33 Pinewood Close, Malpas,

Newport, South Wales, NP20 6WR

ratings@.uk

MATTEL REPRESENTATIVE Philip Nelkon

Mattel, Mattel House, Vanwall Road

Maidenhead, Berks SL6 4UB

philip.nelkon@

THE LAST WORD Editor, Alec Webb

17 St Margaret’s Road, Lowestoft,

Suffolk, NR32 4HS

absp.tlw@

ABSP SCORESHEET Wayne Kelly

DISTRIBUTOR/DOCUMENT 17 Cossack Avenue, Orford, Warrington, WA2 9PB

CONTROLLER waynekelly74@

COMPUTER HIRE

Graeme Thomas 3 Grove Lea, Hatfield, Herts, AL10 8LA

graeme@graemet.demon.co.uk

David French 127 Carlton Road, Gidea Park, Romford

Essex, RM2 5AU

dafrench@

ABSP CHAIRMAN Allan Simmons

Edington House, The Bow, Coldingham, Scotland TD14 5NE

abspchair@

ONWORDS MAGAZINE Allan Simmons (as above)

ONWORDSMAG@

ABSP SECRETARY Amy Byrne

12 Northfield Terrace, Edinburgh, EH8 8PX

amybyrne@nevik34.freeserve.co.uk

ABSP PUBLICITY OFFICER Jackie McLeod

3a Church Road, Highgate, London N6 4QH

j.mcleod@rfc.ucl.ac.uk

INSURANCE

Public liability insurance for clubs and tournaments costs £21 for the calendar year 2003. Cheques payable to Castlebank Insurance Brokers Ltd should be sent to Scrabble Clubs UK, Mattel House, Vanwall Business Park, Vanwall Road, Maidenhead, Berks SL6 4UB. Tel: 01628 500283 for further details.

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