Texas and California have a lot of things in common. Both of them were once under Spanish colonial control; both are now states where you can order an In-N-Out Burger. And between the two of them, they've represented the Western Conference in 22 of the last 25 NBA Finals. (Seriously - look it up!)

Oh, and also: They're two of the largest and most populous states in the country, both in total humans and Scrabble-playing humans specifically. So when there's a big tournament in either one of them, you'd best stand up and take notice.

That's why today, we're excited to announce that we're hosting two of the biggest ones, one in each state. Let's take a look ahead to the Texas CSW State Championship, coming up on Oct. 28 and 29, and the California Open, slated for the weekend of Dec. 8-10.

Texas CSW State Championship

The CSW Scrabble scene has been booming in Texas for the last year and a half. It started with the Austin Tile X-Words multi-day event that James Curley and Becky Dyer inaugurated in the spring of 2022, and it's been continuing in 2023, as Jesse Day has been cranking out successful 1-day tournaments once every month or two throughout the year.

Now, Jesse is gearing up to host a bigger event, and he's hoping to bring in competitors from all over the Lone Star State (and beyond!). Come one, come all to the Texas CSW State Championship, to be held in Austin next month.

This will be a 13-game event taking place over two days, and Jesse is planning to build a robust prize pool so that all players - experts and rookies alike - can earn themselves at least a little something.

There's already an impressive field coming together - and you can make it even stronger by registering today.

California Open

Of course, the California Open is an institution in Scrabble, and it has been ever since 2008. For a decade and a half, players have flocked to San Francisco every fall to compete in perhaps the most elite tournament west of the Mississippi. A host of Bay Area directors including Chris Patrick Morgan, Ed De Guzman, and others have led the way running the CO over the years.

This year, players can expect something a little different. The usual directing crew in the Bay is taking a year off - so instead, the CO is moving to Southern California for the first time. Director Dave Postal and tournament organizer Deborah Komatsu are teaming up to host the first CO in Palm Springs.

The 2023 California Open will have a different look, but we're still hoping to deliver the same great player experience, and we're hoping for a robust CSW field as well. You can be a part of it.

So let's get after it! We're looking forward to two awesome tournaments, in two awesome states, run by two awesome cohorts of directors and organizers. All that's left to do is build two stacked fields of CSW competitors. So go do your thing - get signed up for these tournaments today.