Tournaments
There is an active Scrabble Tournament circuit in India. The following tournaments are held by their respective clubs every year. These are rated tournaments which means that player performance at these tournaments is considered in calculating player ratings.
Bangalore: The iGate International Scrabble Tournament. Held mid january every year and scheduled for 15th to 17th January 2011. Top players from all over the World take part in this gruelling tournament vying for a prize purse of approximately $12000.
Chennai: The Chennai Open. Held end March or early April every year. This tournament attracts the cream of Indian players plus seasoned tournament competitors and youg kids too from neighbouring Sri Lanka.
Goa: The Goa Open is held early may each year in charming Goa. The atmosphere can only be described as “serious fun” with player groups wandering off to beach shacks or the casino every evening and then honing up their wits the next morning as they sit down to play.
Mumbai: The biggest of all Indian tournaments, this is the Bayer Indian Nationals held every year. The winner of this tournament is declared National Champion and Indian representatives to the World Scrabble Championships are decided on basis of ratings and results of this tournament.
Pune: Pune returned to the Scrabble tournament circuit in 2008 with the cosy and comfortable Pune Open conducted at the Pune Club. The Pune Scrabble Club has been growing and has been able to attract a number of newbies to the tournament circuit. Look out for the next Pune Open around September 2009.
Hyderabad: The city of Nawabs hosted the Deccan Challenge Scrabble Tournament in November this year. There are two divisions – Seniors and Juniors.
The Asia Cup Youth Scrabble Championships 2024 will be held in Delhi from 10th – 12th Novembers 2024. Visit the Tournament Details page to view more details (including the parallel Open Tournament) and to register for the event.
This will be followed by The Delhi Open Scrabble Cup 2024
Read More
Deccan Cup, Hyderabad from 13th to 15th Dec. Details to be announced.
Dates 23rd to 26th Jan 2025, details below:
Divisions
Division A: 1200 or above
Division B: 800-1199
Division C: below 800
Division D: Enthusiast/Corporate (Only unrated players can participate)
Note:
- Assignment to divisions will be based on SAI or WESPA ratings as on Jan 1, 2025.
- Higher of SAI or WESPA rating will be considered for all participants. Only if SAI ratings are not available, WESPA ratings will be considered. If neither SAI nor WESPA ratings are available, KSSA will decide on the player’s division. They will base the decision on the player’s Woogles/ISC ratings and history.
- Winner and first-runner-up of last year’s B, C and D divisions must play in one division above. This is mandatory, regardless of their current rating.
- Organizers reserve the options to move participants up a division if needed to deliver an optimal tournament experience.
Venue
The tournament will be held at the MuSigma campus in Bengaluru. Set amidst a bustling Technology Park, there are several hotels and restaurants and a mall in the area.
MuSigma, Aviator Building, ITPL, Whitefield, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India 560066.
Rules
Word List: Collins Scrabble Wordlist (CSW21)
Challenge: 5-point penalty per word, the player does not lose turn.
Rating: Tournament will be SAI and WESPA rated.
Prizes
INR 12,00,000/- guaranteed prize purse. Prize Pool details will be shared shortly.
Prizes are subject to tax deduction at source as per Indian laws.
Food & Beverages
Registration fees include lunch, tea-time snacks, tea, coffee, and drinking water. Only vegetarian food is served at the MuSigma cafeteria. Players may avail non-vegetarian food services elsewhere on the campus at their own expense.
Schedule
The tournament will start at 8:30 am on Jan 23. Games start at 9.00 am every day, except on the first day. Prize distribution at 4.30 pm on Sunday, Jan 26.
Divisions A & B (4 days, 33 games)
Jan 23 – 8.30 am: attendance/ fellowship, games to start at 10.00 am.
9 games each on Jan 23-25 and 6 games to be played on day 4.
Chew pairing for first 25 games. Repeats from day 3. KOTH pairing for last 8 games.
Gibson rules apply.
Division C (2 days, 15 games)
Jan 25 – 8.30 am: reporting time, games to start at 9.30 am.
9 games on Jan 25 and 6 games to be played on day 2.
Chew pairing for first 9 games. KOTH pairing for last 6 games.
Gibson rules apply.
Division D – Enthusiasts (1 day, 6 games)
Bring your friends and family to the “Enthusiasts” Division – 1 day, 6 games on Sunday Jan 26th, 2025
Jan 26 – 8.30 am: reporting time, games to start at 9.30 am.
Chew pairing for first 4 games. KOTH pairing for last 2 games.
Disclaimer: The committee holds the right to change the number of games if required and this would be communicated accordingly. Decisions made by the organizing committee are final regarding chew pairing and repeats and will be communicated before start of tourney
Registration Fees
Registration for Division A, B and C automatically avails you KSSA membership for the calendar year 2025.
| Type | Division A | Division B | Division C |
| Indian Nationals | INR 7500 | INR 5500 | INR 3500 |
| International participant | USD 100 | USD 75 | USD 50 |
| Senior/Youth (Indian nationals) | INR 4000 | INR 3000 | INR 2000 |
NOTE:
- Early bird discount of INR 1000/USD 10 is available for Div A & B. Div C gets an early bird discount of INR 500/USD 5. These discounts apply to the above rates only for registration and payment completed before December 15th, 2024.
- Early bird discounts do not apply to discounted rates for senior/youth players.
- Flat fees of INR 1000 for Division D (Enthusiasts).
- MuSigma employees can play in Division D without any fees payment.
Registration Process
Fill the registration form and send your registration fees as indicated above to complete your registration. Registrations close Jan 15th, 2025 and no refund would be made after Jan 15th, 2025.
UPI Payments (GPay, PhonePe, PayTM) – kssascrabble@ybl. It may indicate that the payment has been made to pbolaki – or Pankaj Bolaki who is our ex-treasurer. You may also scan the QR code below:
Paypal ID – kssa.scrabble@gmail.com
Bank Transfer Details
HDFC Bank
Account name: Karnataka State Scrabble Association
Account number: 50100265175859
Type of account: Savings
IFSC code: HDFC0000133
Refunds
Registration fees, once paid, are not refundable. Refunds are given if KSSA is forced to cancel the tournament due to COVID or any other unusual occurrence. However, if someone needs to withdraw due to a personal emergency before Jan 15th, 2025, they may request a refund. They should write to kssa.scrabble@gmail.com and drop a WhatsApp message including your UPI ID to Siddhartha at +919990475138. Refunds won’t be entertained after 15th Jan 2025.