The event
Every two years, Australia and New Zealand compete in the Trans-Tasman event.
In 2018, the competition will be held in Dunedin, New Zealand, and the format has reverted to the traditional one
of 12 Aussies and 12 Kiwis.
Selection process
This is an invitational event where players are selected by the Council of Australian Scrabble Players
Association.
Qualification criteria
The qualification criteria are:
- A player must be a financial member of ASPA for the entire qualifying period.
- A player must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident. Temporary visa holders are not eligible.
- The method of ranking candidates is by the three peak statistic (the Q statistic) described below.
The three peaks Q statistic
The primary criterion for ranking candidates is the Q statistic calculated like this:
- The qualification period is May 1 2017 to April 30 2018 inclusive.
- Subperiods are May to Aug 2017, Sep 2017 to Dec 2018 and Jan 2018 to Apr 2018.
- A multiday tournament which spans two periods will be treated for peak
and game count as occurring on the first day.
- The qualifying statistic is Q = (P1 + P2 + 2 x P3)/4 , which is a weighted average of peak ratings in
three subperiods.
- If you play no games rated by ASPA in a period, your peak in that period is equal to the rating
before that period minus 200.
- You must have played at least 60 games rated by ASPA in the qualifying period before the last peak.
The secondary criterion is number of rated games within the qualification period.
If two players have the same Q statistic,
the one with the greater number of rated games in the qualification period is ranked higher.
The contenders
The table below shows the notional team as at
04.05.2018 plus 20 more who are almost in.
Selection has now finished. Carol Johnsen is contacting people to
finalise acceptances.
More details revealed as you move your mouse over the table.
Missed a peak:
Naween Fernando (VIC) (currently rated 1950) Peak 1 = 1960−200
Peter Kougi (VIC) (currently rated 1870) Peak 1 = 1966−200
Michael Cameron (SA) (currently rated 1860) Peak 3 = 1860−200
Jakob Teitelbaum (ACT) (currently rated 1824) Peak 1 = 1982−200
Ron Baginski (QLD) (currently rated 1621) Peak 1 = 1729−200
Too few games