A significant tournament
Getting started
Tournament director Wilma Vialle welcomed everyone, and helped ensure that every table had boards and clocks.
There are 94 players in each section. Barry Harridge is overseeing the computer operations and web coverage.
The first round draw used quarters. The top quarter played players in the second quarter, and the third played the fourth. Play started a little late at 9.20am Queensland time. Because there are so many players, the stage area has to be used, so the best Championship players get to tread the boards above the hoi polloi.
Round 1
At the end of round 1, Olga Visser welcomed everyone (she was not there at the start because she had to go home to retrieve computers which had been forgotten). High word so far is SQUARES for 108 by Jan Jones in the plate, and ROAMING for 110 by Julie Belle in the Championship section.Round 3
The lunch break is staggered, with the Plate section having their lunch break after round 3, but the Championship section breaking after round 4.Round 4
The Championship section take their lunch break. However all players have been fed very well with cakes and scones and fruit each break. Olga Visser, president of ASPA Qld, is missing this afternoon. Her son is getting married and could not find a convenient time other than now. Martin Waterworth has kindly agreed to be what parliamentarians call a pair with Olga.Round 5
The Championship sees the current number 1 and number 2 playing off, David Eldar versus Natasha Podesser. Both played Scrabble in Victoria in their early teens, and were in the first World Youth Scrabble Championship. There are several other young players here, which is very pleasing to Karen Richards. She had as usual conducted a training program for young players before Easter. This year, with no alignment with school holidays, attendance was reduced to four.
However the lack of quantity was compensated by quality. John McNaughton (Wellington) and Lewis Hawkins (Christchurch) are part of a new breed of New Zealand players. John has started this tournament well winning all of his first four games. The smiling young Queensland player, Shekinah Giffen has never before travelled away from Cairns to compete (although her mother, Marjorie, has). Tim Mason from Perth, WA had the highest rating gain in Australia in 2012, and is still rising rapidly, including a 62 point gain at Thursday's warmup tournament. These four rising stars join a more experienced group of players under the age of 21, Sam van Vliet (NSW), Anand Bharadwaj (Vic) who was the World Youth Scrabble Champion in 2011, Michael McKenna (NSW) who was the World Youth Scrabble Champion in 2012, Kitty-Jean Laginha (NSW), Natasha Podesser (Vic), Alastair Richards (Qld) and Cameron Farlow (Qld). Eleven players ranging in age from 8 to 20. The photo at right shows a later round with Natasha playing Anand, with Cameron Farlow and Karen Richards also in view.
Round 6
The Plate section changed this round from 3 undefeated players to no undefeated players. The top two are on 5.5 wins!Round 7
An 11 letter word appears, built up as TRAJECT then TRAJECTION then TRAJECTIONS. This was a game between Peter Kougi and Trevor Halsall where Peter got STINKIER at the end and won 506 to 404. This round sees all three of the Richards family on the stage (which holds the top 24 players). The best in show is Paul Richards, who is undefeated and steps up to challenge the only other undefeated player, King David the Eldar. But by the end of this round, only one is left standing, David.Round 8
Partway through this round, all the lights go out. It is the custom at Returned Services League Clubs to extinguish lights and play The Last Post as a remembrance for those who died in war. Clocks were stopped, players stood in silence, then play recommenced.End of Saturday
Martin Waterworth, the National Ratings Officer, processed interim ratings overnight. Notable rises were Henry Yeo +94, Paul Richards +94, Richard Phillipps +91, Elize Plaganyi +65 and Jean Schafer +51.This tournament will also have an international rating by WESPA (the World English Language Scrabble Players Association).
Some of the players headed off to see the football, St Kilda and Gold Coast Suns. A most enjoyable, although expensive night. Others headed to other Gold Coast nightspots. And some just went back to their accommodation and flopped.
Here are some boards captured in photos by Nick Ivanovski.
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Sunday
A delayed start for the Plate Section while the computer futzes around doing Windows Update.Blessed are the peacemakers this Easter Sunday. Wilma Vialle soothes management to avoid a certain player being ejected for calling the manager a rude name when reprimanded for entering a cordoned off area. Wilma later explains to players that the venue have been obliging by allowing us in earlier than their opening time, but players must respect out of bounds areas.
Round 9
I hear a confident but excited voice counting out a big score. Shekinah Giffen got 106 points for SEEKING on a double double. David Eldar suffers his first defeat at the hands of Henry Yeo.
Round 10
Dylan Sharma from Singapore has fond memories of Queensland. He lived here and played Scrabble some time ago. This round, playing Michael Tang from Singapore, they call over tournament director, Wilma Vialle, to see what the procedure is for overdraw. Dylan had one tile too many, so Michael selected one tile to go back. It was the Q.
Round 11
Andrew Fisher gets a whopping 638 against Peter Kougi's 353. The word SCRAWLER contributed 194.Round 12
Ryan Anderson got 5 bingos in his game against Trish Brighton, PENCELS, WISELIER, OUTRANCE, IDEALISE and SNOUTING. His score of 619 is amazing, but eclipsed by the aforementioned 638 by Andrew Fisher. The field has flattened at the top end of Champs, with 2 players on 10 wins (Alastair and Henry), 5 players on 9 wins (David, Andrew, Anand, Bob and Naween), and 10 players on 8 wins. It looks like being an interesting tournament.Round 13
This round marks a reset. So effectively this round is King of the Hill (1 v 2, 3 v 4 etc) ignoring whether players have been paired earlier. All later rounds will avoid rematches from pairings of this round onwards.Round 16
Jenny Brysha is thrilled to get the chance to play YTTERBIA.End of day 2
Martin Waterworth again calculated interim ratings overnight. Notable rises over the two days so far are Henry Yeo +116, Carmel Dodd +84, Tan Jin Chor +72, Richard Phillipps +145, Tim Mason +70, Mary Curtis +111.Monday
Start of the final day. The raffle is drawn. Two players (Ryan Anderson and his mum Kaye) are missing for the first round because of a flat tyre. Ryan arrives with about two minutes left on his clock. A television crew is here to cover the event for the Today show (Channel 9 from 5.30am to 9am weekdays).Round 18
Michael Tang has the habit of playing a phony on the first round of each day. Today the phony is MP. Despite arriving late and having 2 minutes left on his clock, Ryan Anderson completes his game with 2 seconds to spare.Round 19
The Today Show have been interviewing players as they go to the challenge computer. Presumably at least one of the players will be happy. A tile has been discovered on the floor but we are not sure which board it came from. Wilma tries to discreetly scan the boards nearby, and then the television crew comes over to find out what is happening.Round 20
Carol Johnston and Arie Holla had an awful game. The board was so blocked that it had to end with 7 tiles on each rack and 7 more in the bag. The Today show follows the progress of the game between Helen Maurus and Peter Shaw.Round 21
A bad start to one game where the bag had 200 tiles, black and white.Round 22
Into the last stretch, this is the first game after lunch. Players are shaking the hand of David Eldar who can be assumed to have won the title for sure, since he is three games clear of his rivals (and a massive spread) with three games to go. However David loses this game to Peter Kougi.