Everything you need to know about the North American Collins Championship (NACC)

It's been a few weeks now since we announced the inaugural North American Collins Championship (NACC), and I can't help but feel like it's been lost in the shuffle a little bit. After all, quite a few things are shuffling! In just the first couple months of 2023, we've already co-sponsored one of the biggest events of the year in New Orleans, welcomed 20 players to one of our most beloved events on the calendar in Hood River, and announced a host of other opportunities to play Scrabble, both in person and online. There's a lot going on.

But let's make sure the main thing stays the main thing: We still fully expect the NACC to be our biggest tournament of the year, bar none. It's where we're focusing the most of our energy internally - and for you, the players, we plan on pulling out all the stops. If you join us in Seattle in November, you can expect more players, stronger competition, and bigger prize money than at any other event on the CoCo calendar.

Having said all that, this is still a very new event, and I can't blame anyone out there who's still a little unsure what to expect. So today, let's go through a few of the most common questions we've gotten from players about our upcoming championship. Without further ado, here's everything you ever wanted to know about this year's NACC...

There are a lot of championship-type events on the Scrabble calendar this year. Why should I choose this one?

Good question! With all the different organizations and different flagship tournaments in the Scrabble world these days, you've got plenty of options. Here's why we hope you'll choose the NACC...

First and foremost, our championship event is the only one in North America that's Collins-only. We believe CSW is the only lexicon in which to play truly top-level Scrabble, as it's the only book used by elite players all over the world. If you feel the same way, you'll feel right at home at our championship.

Secondly, Seattle is a great city. There are few better spots in America to visit for a long weekend than the Emerald City, with its fantastic culture and food and sightseeing opportunities. Our tournament venue, the Crowne Plaza hotel, is right in the heart of downtown Seattle, easily accessible for players near and far.

Finally, we hope you're interested in supporting the CoCo as an organization. If you believe in our shared values - democratic governance, innovative new technology, diversity and inclusion, and of course the growth of CSW Scrabble - then you're always welcome at a CoCo event.

It's not a championship without a championship-level purse. What can you promise in the way of prize money?

It's difficult to say exactly without knowing how things unfold over the next nine months - player entries, donor contributions, sponsorship deals. But we'll start with this: The prize for the Division 1 champion is guaranteed to be at least $3,000, and that's at a bare minimum.

Thanks to all of the above revenue streams, plus a little extra cash from the CoCo coffers, we're optimistic that we can pay out more than that, as well as offer generous prizes to those who fall short of first place. More to come on that later in 2023.

And of course, if you'd like to play a role yourself in building a larger NACC prize pool, we would graciously accept any donation you're willing to make.

What's the division structure for this year's championship?

We're going to do something similar to what we've done for other large tournaments in the past - two divisions, with a cutoff of 1600 between Divisions 1 and 2, with unlimited play-ups allowed.

One of the cool things about a championship event is that anyone, regardless of rating or experience level, can enter the top division and compete with the best players in the world. We encourage everyone out there who wants to compete in Division 1 to do so. But if you'd prefer to pick on someone your own size, so to speak, that's totally fine as well. We're expecting a robust Division 2 field for this event, and anyone under that 1600 threshold is welcome to throw their hat in the ring.

So this is the North American Collins Championship, huh? What if I'm from overseas - is it OK for me to play too?

Yes! Absolutely. This is actually one of the CoCo's core values as an organization - we believe in being citizens of the world. We want the U.S. and Canada to compete with the rest of the Scrabble world, and we want them to come and play with us, too.

We're proud to say we had players from 11 different countries join us at at least one CoCo tournament in 2022. In addition to the U.S. and Canada, we welcomed competitors from Australia, Germany, India, Ireland, Kuwait, Nigeria, Pakistan, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. We're eager to welcome even more international competition this year. No matter who you are, or where in the world you hail from, everyone is welcome at CoCo events - especially our championship.

What do you have planned in the way of live coverage for this event?

Obviously, it's still February, and all of this is still fairly early in the planning stages, but we're optimistic we can pull out all the stops when it comes to covering the NACC. We're in talks to develop a world-class livestream, and we plan to pump out a bevy of web content as well, including live blogs published on this very site you're reading right now.

And, as with every CoCo tournament, you can always follow along on your social media platform of choice (we can be found @cocoscrabble on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram), and you can get game-by-game updates on stats and standings via our dedicated live coverage site. There will be plenty of ways to follow along with this tournament. The choice is yours.

I've heard enough - I want in! How do I get my name on the player list for this year's NACC?

The easiest way to enter is by paying your entry fee and signing up today. Guaranteed spots at the NACC are available now in our Play Store.

But if you're not ready to commit the moolah at this early date, you're also perfectly welcome to put your name on the list as tentative for now, then pay later. Just use the handy little purple "Contact the Directors" button on our tournament page, and shoot us a quick note saying you want to play. We'll have your name on the list within minutes.

In any event, whether you sign up now or later, we hope to see you in Seattle come mid-November! This should be the tournament of the year for hardcore CSW players in North America, and you won't want to miss it.