If I may share a brief personal anecdote: When Jennifer and I first set out to buy a house together, back in the fall of 2020, one of the first criteria we talked about was the potential to host Scrabble tournaments.

Sure, we discussed all the usual stuff too. Location, size, price range, bedrooms and bathrooms and whatnot - we made sure to find a place that met all our basic needs. But after that, finding the right home Scrabble venue was next on our list. We discussed important issues like: Was there a big, wide-open living room where we could fit multiple Scrabble game tables? Were there decent guest rooms so that players could stay over? Was there ample parking outside?

If it wasn't already obvious, this might clear things up for you: We are not normal people.

But, weirdos or not, we are proud to say that our vision has turned into a reality. Three years later, we remain proud homeowners in Northeast Seattle, and we're coming up on our third annual house tournament.

In 2020 and '21, we endured a long COVID layoff before finally opening up our home for tournament play in December. In 2022, we moved our event to July, and the "Seattle Summer Scrabble Tournament" was born. Now, in 2023, the SSST is back, and we're thrilled to be hosting players this coming weekend.

Attendees this weekend can look forward to...

• A diverse field of Collins Scrabble players, ranging from former national champions to new players, and everywhere in between.

• A competitive slate of games all weekend long - a double round robin for the whole field, for 14 games in total.

• Scrumptious feasts throughout the weekend - plenty of home-cooked meals will be provided, along with copious fridgefuls* of seltzer, soda, beer, wine, and more.

• All sorts of after-hours gaming fun - games TBD.

• In addition to the players whose names you see on the entrants list, a few special guest appearances are expected! Stay tuned.

Every time we fill our house with Scrabblers, a weekend of fun ensues, and we expect that this coming weekend will be no different.

To all who are playing (or otherwise dropping by): See you soon! Jennifer and I both can't wait to host you. To all others: As always, you can follow along with all the action online. Keep an eye on this site throughout the weekend.