In what's already been quite the year of firsts, this weekend brought another exciting first in CoCo history - it was our first time getting to cohost one of Scrabble's marquee tournaments.

The California Open has long been a Scrabble institution - ever since the debut event way back in 2008, players have flocked to the Golden State from all over to compete against the best of the best. The tournament started out in San Francisco, but this year's CO had a new look, and new people at the helm, too.

Thanks to organizer Deborah Komatsu and director Dave Postal, the CO got a reboot in 2023, moving from the Bay Area to Southern California for the first time. Deborah and Dave ran the event this weekend in sunny Palm Springs - it was their first time directing the CO, and the CoCo's first time sanctioning the CSW division. It was a big honor for our organization to be a part of this great tournament, and we're thankful to Deborah and Dave for making that possible.

Here's Deborah to recap the weekend:

Dave Postal and I (with extreme help from Bennett Jacobstein) hosted the California Open this year, which was a collaboration between the CoCo and WGPO.

Six CSW players played 17 games in the community room of Dave's housing complex. They shared the space amicably with 42 TWL players and enjoyed a few days of (not-too-hot) desert life. Weather was PERFECT - sunny and mid-70s. In between games, players got to look out at the pool and the San Jacinto Mountains.

In the end, it was Yukiko Loritz who conquered David Whitley, with an identical number of wins and a spread advantage of just 127 points! Yuki finished 12-5, +771; David was 12-5, +644. Bruce Ward took third place with a 10-7, +707 record.

The venue was really special. Dave and I are hoping to make the California Open in Palm Springs a must-go tournament and an annual tradition.

All hail Queen Yuki!

That's a wrap from Palm Springs, CA - and moreover, that'll do it for the CoCo's slate of tournaments in 2023. Cheers to Yuki for being the final CoCo tournament champion of the year, and felicitations to everyone else who performed well throughout our 24 tournaments this past year. And of course, a boisterous thank-you to Deborah, Dave, and everyone else who organized and directed tournaments in 2023. You all make the world go 'round.