Both of us remember when we walked into our first Scrabble tournaments. We didn't really know anyone, we were a little nervous, and we were unsure of what to expect. We lost a lot of games, but we had a lot of fun. Several years and many games later, we still derive as much excitement, heartache, and joy from tournaments as we did that first day.

We've said before that we are serious about reducing barriers to participation and making tournament Scrabble accessible to anyone with an interest in words and wordplay. But we know that for many people, the cost of attending a Scrabble tournament can be prohibitive. We believe that tournaments should not be limited to socioeconomically privileged players, or to those who happen to live within commuting distance of a tournament venue.

That's why, as we look to further expand the CoCo community, we're ready to take action by committing funds to attract new players. Today, we are very pleased to announce a new program - CoCo Newcomer Discounts.

Here's how this initiative will work:

• To encourage newcomers to give tournament Scrabble a try, we offer a 100% discount off the entry fee at a player's first Scrabble tournament. Yes - that means free entry at any CoCo event if you have never played a tournament before.

• To bring the world together playing a common lexicon, we're also offering a 50% discount off the entry fee at a player's first rated Collins tournament. 

We believe this program will be an important first step to open Scrabble up to players who might otherwise be left out.

The funds to support these discounts will come from the CoCo's organizational budget, which means that each tournament's prize pool will remain fully funded. We'd like to extend our thanks to the many players whose donations have made these newcomer discounts possible. And we hope to grow our newcomer initiatives in the future! If you care about broadening the Scrabble community, you can help support future initiatives like this one by contributing your ideas, time, or money.

We know from experience that tournament Scrabble can seem a little scary at first. Our goal is to provide as much support and information as we can to lower new players' anxiety and deliver a fun and positive experience from the moment players first walk in the door. In addition to Newcomer Discounts, today we are also launching a Newcomer Resources page. This page is dedicated to orienting new players to the tournament scene and answering common questions they may have about everything, from playing with a clock to squaring the tiles.

To further support first-time players and players new to the Collins lexicon, we offer a variety of other player resources as well, including Collins cheat sheets, strategy guides, and links to software study tools. If you have any questions, just contact us, and we'll connect you with a friendly director or organizer who can help you on your Scrabble journey.

If you've never played a Scrabble tournament before, or have never played with the Collins lexicon, there's no better time to take the leap. Eight live tournaments are on the calendar, and more are on the way as we resume in-person tournaments for vaccinated players. We welcome you to join us at our events. When you're ready to join the CoCo community, we'll be here. We have plenty of resources available to support you.