The Tel Aviv Scrabble® Club

Divisions
There will be a single division in the event, all games will be internationally rated and played according to WESPA rules. The pairings system (see below) ensures that players will be playing opponents with a similar record in the event.

Ratings
The tournament qualifies for international ratings and for ABSP ratings. Players' international ratings will be updated accordingly.

Pairings
The first games will be paired according to players' pre-tournament ratings. If players do not have an international rating, their Israeli, ABSP, or other available rating (in that order) will be used instead. The overall system will be Chew pairings, minimising repeats with 4 rounds of KOTH, all depending on the number of participants. The pairings and standings will all be done using internationally used software.

Prizes
The estimated prize fund will be about NIS10000 (2500 Euros). The winner will receive a cash prize, in addition to being the 12th Israeli Open Champion. The first and second runners-up will also receive cash prizes. In addition, there will be at least two very substantial ratings prizes, and other prizes for special achievements will also be awarded. The prize fund depends on the number of participants and the estimate is based on a field of 36 players and could fluctuate accordingly. 

Lexicon
CSW19 (a.k.a. SOWPODS, the international Scrabble dictionary) will be the official word source.

Challenges
A player may challenge any number of words played by his/her opponent. If all the words are acceptable, the opponent will get an additional 5 points added to his/her score. No turn loss for the challenging player. If one or more of the words are unacceptable, the move will be removed and the opponent will lose a turn. Players, supervised by the tournament director, will take their own challenges (self-adjudication).

Registration fee
To register, please contact Maureen Hoch at structuresense@gmail.com / +972-52-3495125

NIS 400. The first 15 players to register will receive a refund of NIS 50.

Cancellation policy: The registration fee is non-refundable.

How to register in 3-4 easy steps:

1.       Read the tournament information well (https://www.scrabble.org.il/israeli-open).

2.       Contact Maureen (above) with any questions.

3.       Pay. There are three payment options:

a.       Cash to Maureen.

b.       “Bit” transfer to Evan (only for Israeli players)

c.       Paypal to Evan. Note, add NIS20 to the Paypal payment for handling fees (i.e. NIS420).

4.       If selecting the Paypal option, contact Evan (evangarycohen@gmail.com) to confirm receipt. 

Note: The organisers reserve the right to refuse entries.

Contact organisers for further information.