Information for Players

This page will be updated frequently as the 2009 World SCRABBLE^® Championship draws nearer. Participants are requested to check it for last-minute announcements before travelling to the event.

Registration

If you have qualified to represent your country at the 2009 WSC, please read and follow the registration instructions carefully. In particular, be sure to fill out the online registration form as soon as possible, and be sure that you arrive on time for event registration at 7:00 P.M. on Wednesday, 25 November at the Zon Regency Hotel. All players must register with Mattel in person at the Zon Regency Hotel during the designated registration period in order to play in the WSC. No exceptions will be made.

What to Bring

All equipment, including game timers, tiles, tile bags, boards and racks will be provided. Scoresheets however will not be provided.

Prizewinners will be paid by credit transfer after the contest so please ensure you have details with you of a bank acccount that your prize can be paid into.

Rules

WSC 2009 will be played under WESPA Game Rules. The dictionary of reference will be Collins Scrabble Tournament & Club Word List, and as in past years, unsuccessful challenges attract a 5-point penalty for each word challenged that is found to be in the dictionary. Wilma Vialle (Australia) will be Tournament Director.

There will be a 24-round modified Swiss tournament, starting each day at 8:00 A.M. The top two players will contest a five-game final on Sunday, 29 November beginning at 10:00 A.M., with closed circuit coverage to an audience.

In the first round, no two players representing the same country will be paired with each other. The freely available tsh program will be used and the pairing system that will be used is described in its online documentation.

Venue

Please see the venue page for information about the Zon Regency Hotel

Meals

All WSC contestants are invited to a Gala Dinner sponsored by the local government, on the evening of Wednesday, 25 November. We have a limited number of places at the Gala for partners, spouses, etc. If you would like to bring a guest, please let us know as soon as possible; we may not be able to accommodate all requests. Guests are limited to one per player. Refreshments will be provided during the Tournament, but no other meals, except as part of the hotel package.

Other Accommodation

If you are looking for budget accommodation within Johor Bahru, we would suggest the Tropical Inn, Dorsett or Linkway Hotels which are within a short taxi ride from the Hotel.

Other Tournaments

Michael Tang <mtang@sdimediagroup.com> is organizing the Causeway Scrabble Challenge (2-6 December), a 45-round invitational event for ten national five-player teams, and the World Youth Scrabble Championship (8-10 December) at the same venue as the WSC. Please contact him for more information about these events.

Publicity

We would be grateful if you would co-operate with requests for interviews etc. from now on and including the event.

Visas

Visa requirements for entry to Malaysia can be found at the following websites:

• Malaysia Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Tourism Malaysia

Singapore Changi Airport (IATA:SIN) is the closest major international airport. Most players will fly there and then take ground transportation to Johor Bahru. If you do so, you should consult the Singaporean Ministry of Foreign Affairs website for their entry and visa requirements.

Local Information

Tourism Malaysia also has a wealth of general information about tourism in Malaysia.

Contacting Other Players

You can discuss accommodation and other aspects of the event at wsc09@yahoogroups.com discussion group, which has been renamed from the former wscindia07 group.