Tournament Information
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Tournament Information
International Quiz Bowl Tournaments, LLC. is pleased to announce that we will be hosting the inaugural Kentucky School Scrabble Invitational in Lexington, Kentucky on November 14, 2026.
This will be a one day, eight-round tournament. Registration will be held on Saturday from 8:30-9 a.m. An opening announcement will follow, with play beginning shortly thereafter. There will be eight rounds of play on that day, with an hour for lunch; we expect the tournament to conclude by approximately 6 p.m.
All players will compete in a single division. This tournament is open exclusively to current students up to the twelfth grade. Future tournaments will explore having a specific middle school division if there is sufficient demand.
Two-time national champion Mack Meller will be in attendance as a judge.
This tournament will be held at the Fairfield Inn & Suites Lexington North at 2100 Hackney Place, Lexington, KY, 40511.
Depending on the number of players, we’ll have either a modified Swiss pairs format or a round robin potentially with king of the hill rounds at the end.
The Gibsonization rule will be in place in either case, based on number of games plus 1000 points per game remaining.
The field for this tournament will initially be capped at 60 competitors, but it will be expanded as interest, space, and staffing allows.
Entry Fees
The entry fee for this tournament is $60 per player, which includes sales tax.
A portion of entry fees will be go towards the prize pool for this tournament.
Tournament rules & lexicon
This tournament will use the NSWL2023 lexicon.
Players who live outside of Kentucky are welcome to attend.
The tournament will be held using the NASSC rules, with the modification that only 1 vs. 1 play will be used in this tournament.
Entry fees
All entry fees must be paid by November 13. Please contact Fred Morlan at fred@iqbtnasat.com regarding payment flexibility if necessary.
Prizes
There will be a prize pool of at least $500 for this tournament. Further information on prizes will be announced in the near future.
Player Eligibility
Players must currently be enrolled in school as the twelfth grade or below to be eligible to play. Players from outside of Kentucky are eligible to compete.
Study Tips
This tournament is meant to partially attract new competitive Scrabble players. If you are in this group, the following resources will be of use to you.
- Zyzzyva – Software with word look-up, cardbox, and quizzing features.
- Wordwalls – A web application that has new quizzes each day, as well as other study tools.
- Play Scrabble – A web-based platform that allows you to play Scrabble remotely, as well as a couple of daily puzzles.
- Woogles – another web platform for playing against other people or computer opponents. There is also a Puzzle mode.
- Mack Meller’s YouTube page – Mack is the #1 player in North America as of September 2024, and won the 2024 Scrabble Players Championship. He has two particularly helpful playlists regarding studying: How to Get Better at Scrabble Without Memorizing Tons of Words, and Word Study.
- Will Anderson’s YouTube page – Will won the 2017 Scrabble Players Championship. His YouTube breaks down high profile games and the strategy used in them, as well as some theory with his “Better Know a Letter” series.
- NASPA Club Roster – A list of all NASPA-affiliated Scrabble clubs that meet on a regular basis.
Sponsorship
IQBT is searching for sponsors for this tournament, including those who are interested in contributing to the prize pool. If you are interested in sponsoring this event, please contact Fred Morlan at fred@iqbtnasat.com.
Additional Tournaments
We aim to hold a state championship in March 2027.
There are additional open tournaments where anyone, regardless of age, can compete in Lexington. The weekend of September 25-27 will have three one-day tournaments hosted. There will also be a one-day tournament on November 15, the day after this School Scrabble tournament.
The Bluegrass Scrabble Club meets weekly at Sedona Taphouse on Palomar Centre Drive in Lexington, Kentucky. Please contact Fred Morlan at fred@iqbtnasat.com if you plan on attending, particularly if you’re bringing several people. This is a public restaurant and space is somewhat limited.
The North American School Scrabble Championship is scheduled for April 10-11, 2027 at the Planet Word Museum in Washington, D.C.
Additional Information
Anyone that has additional questions may contact Fred Morlan at fred@iqbtnasat.com.
Scrabble is a trademark of Hasbro, Inc. IQBT makes no claims to any Scrabble-related trademark or other intellectual property.