CoCo Blog
Check back every Monday for a new post featuring event coverage, tips on how to improve your Scrabble play, and the latest news from the CoCo’s club and tournament directors.
Recapping a summer of CoCo virtual club play
The CoCo virtual club on Woogles scaled back its schedule for the summer quarter, but the fun and intense competition wasn't scaled back at all! The five-game weekly schedule helped keep the standings close, and sure enough, the summer quarter club championship wasn't decided until the very final week.
Announcing 4 more in-person Scrabble tournaments
Today, we're very pleased to announce four new in-person Scrabble tournaments. Without further ado, let's run down the four events.
On supporting women in Scrabble
Take a look at the typical Scrabble tournament, and you'll notice a pattern: Fewer than half the entrants are women, and even fewer finish at the top. As we at the CoCo strive to attract and retain a broad diversity of players, we're exploring how to support players who identify as women in Scrabble.
Recapping the third annual Labor Day Oregon Coast Open
Over Labor Day weekend, we finally resumed live Scrabble with a 20-game tournament on the Oregon Coast, and we're pleased to say the event went smoothly. We're grateful to everyone who helped make it happen.
Results from the Labor Day Oregon Coast Open
Dave Wiegand successfully defended his title and takes home a jellyfish plaque to join the octopus plaque he won in 2019. Conrad Bassett-Bouchard won second place, Kolton Koehler snagged third, and Ruth Hamilton earned the class prize.
Previewing the third annual Labor Day Oregon Coast Open
Each September, the Labor Day Oregon Coast Open (LOCO) brings players from around North America to a small beachside town. This year, 16 players will convene for the first live CoCo tournament in more than a year.
Pivoting back to in-person Scrabble tournaments
Live tournaments were our goal when we first set out - and now that a substantial number of players are vaccinated against COVID and ready to resume small in-person gatherings, live tournaments are once again our focus. Real, over-the-board Scrabble is back.
Opening up the CoCo mailbag
From the very beginning, we've striven to be a transparent and player-first organization, and that means being willing to listen to feedback from the player community and respond honestly. This is important to us at the CoCo. If you ever have questions, comments, concerns, fears, worries, or anything else you want to express, our inbox is open.
Another perspective on the state of North American Scrabble
In 2009, NASPA was formed, and the new organization took over the license to use the 'Scrabble' trademark in North America. Thirteen years later - on July 22, 2021 - Hasbro announced it was terminating NASPA's license to use that trademark. What went wrong?
Scrabbler Q&A: Matthew O'Connor
There hasn't been much in the way of live Scrabble lately, but that hasn't stopped Matthew O'Connor from teaching virtual Scrabble lessons to players all over the world via Twitch. Matthew holds these sessions once a week, on Tuesday nights, at twitch.tv/64bitscrabble.
On the state of the tournament Scrabble scene today
On Thursday, it was announced that Hasbro is terminating NASPA's license to use the "Scrabble" trademark. Effectively, this news means that North America no longer has an official Scrabble organization - all of us, NASPA included, are independent and unsanctioned.
A word about directing Scrabble tournaments
Directing tournament Scrabble, I've learned, is a lot like playing it - you might find it scary at first, but you can learn the ropes quickly enough, and it's actually quite satisfying once you get the hang of it.
On 'reopening anxiety' and Scrabble
How does it feel to be getting back into Scrabble after a year away?
An update on the CoCo virtual club
The CoCo Club on Woogles.io has been a big hit, and we want to express our heartfelt thanks to all of our participants. The high level of play, the good sportsmanship, the enthusiasm - it's all been great fun, and it continues! Tuesdays, the scoring never stops.
Featured Blogs
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Scrabbler Q&A: Eric Rosen, Chess Expert and Twitch Streamer
The Full Story of Why We Founded the CoCo