To whom it may concern,

RESUMPTION NOTICE: INTERSCHOOL NATIONAL SCRABBLE TOURNAMENT 2020

(BEGINNER) IS BACK IN PLAY

Greetings and regards from Scrabble Malaysia. We hope this message finds you well.

We thank you for your patience and understanding as we put the Interschool National Scrabble
Tournament 2020 (Beginner) on hold during the Movement Control Order (MCO) period. We know
that this has been a challenging time for teachers especially as you have had to make a multitude
of adjustments to continue educating your students while keeping them safe.

As we move into the RMCO period, we’re glad to announce that the Interschool National Scrabble
Tournament 2020 (Beginner) is back in play! However to ensure our participants’ peace of mind,
we will be moving the Coaching Sessions and Qualifying Rounds online! We will be moving
the Qualifying Round of the competition to the Internet Scrabble Club (ISC), the choice online
arena for competitive Scrabble on a global level. The Tournament will culminate with an on-
ground Final Round in the Klang Valley at the end of September1.

1
The rollout of the on-ground Finals is subject to postponement based on the direction of the Ministry of Education.
Updated Tournament Mechanics
Students who have registered with us will be automatically enrolled into the online Qualifying
Rounds. If one or more of your students is unable to participate in the tournament, you may submit
a new name to replace them. Do keep in mind that any student who wants to participate in this
tournament must be unrated by the Malaysian Scrabble Association at the time of their
registration/submission of their name. This is to ensure a fair and fun competition for all.

While coordinating teachers will continue to be responsible for registration of participants and
liaising with the Organiser, we will also require the cooperation of a parent or guardian of each of
the participants if you are not going to be there with them during the online Qualifying Rounds. A
parent or guardian will be needed to assist with the technical aspects of the game (helping to set
up games and report results) but are not to interfere with the gameplay in any way. If the
Tournament Director suspects tampering of any sort, the participant in question may be
disqualified. All participants will require access to a stable internet connection and a fully charged
computer or tablet (they may not use a phone) to play the games from.

Here is how the tournament will be divided into stages:

Phase 1 - Briefing Sessions: How to use the Internet Scrabble Club (ISC)
25th and 26th July 2020, one time slot between 9am - 6pm, Zoom
● Before attending the Briefing session, participants will be sent instructions on how to
create an account on ISC. They should follow these instructions and register for an
account prior to the briefing.
● Participants must attend one 1-hour training session on how to use ISC conducted by the
Tournament Director. They will need to be accompanied by a guardian.
● After attending the session, participants will need to play a minimum of 10 games on ISC
to familiarise themselves with the platform before entering a competitive setting.
● Briefing sessions will be assigned by region.
● Participants who do not attend this session or do not compete in at least 10 games on ISC
by the Thursday before their Qualifying Round will not be eligible to compete in the
Qualifying Rounds.
Phase 2 - Online Qualifying Rounds
8th - 23rd August 2020, 10am - 2pm, Internet Scrabble Club
● Participants who have signed up for the Interschool National Scrabble Tournament 2020
(Beginner) are invited to claim their spot in the competition.
● Online Qualifying Rounds will be held in a knockout format by region. It will occur in three
rounds:
○ Round 1: Warm-up Round to familiarise players with using ISC in a Tournament
setting. Game results of this round will not count.
○ Round 2: Knockout Round one. The Top 32 players from this round will proceed
to Round 3. Other players will be out.
○ Round 3: 32 players will go head to head. The winning 16 will qualify for the Finals.
In the case of a draw, the participant that advances will be chosen by the
Tournament Director based on their scores in the last game.
● One parent/guardian must be available to assist with the technical aspects of the
tournament during the Qualifying Round. This includes helping to set up games as well as
report scores to the Organiser. They are not to assist with gameplay under any
circumstances.

Phase 3 - Exclusive Coaching Session for Teachers

5th and 6th September 2020, 10am - 4pm, Zoom
● All coordinating teachers are invited to sit in on an exclusive Coaching Session with
Ganesh Asirvatham, the current World’s No.1 Scrabble player. During this session, he will
share tips and tricks on how best to play Scrabble as well as familiarise attendees with
the structure of playing Scrabble in a competitive setting.
● Coordinating teachers are to share what they learn with their students - especially those
who have qualified to move onto the on-ground Finals.
● The Organiser will assign sessions by region.
Phase 4: Finals
26th September 2020, IPC Shopping Centre, Petaling Jaya
● Top 96 participants will compete in a Swiss pairing tournament format. Each participant
will play five games of Scrabble to compete for the title of Interschool National Scrabble
Champion 2020 (Beginner).
● Finalists must be accompanied by an adult who will remain within the vicinity of the
tournament during its duration.

We will need your cooperation and support to make this tournament a success. We request that
you:
- Confirm your student’s participation by 20th July 2020. If you are replacing a student,
please also do so by this date.
- Distribute the tournament materials to the students under your supervision. Please ensure
they are familiar with the rules of the tournament and that they are aware they will need to
be accompanied by a guardian at each stage of the Tournament.
- Please ensure that participants are aware that if they do not comply with the guidelines of
the tournament, they may be disqualified.
Prizes and certificates2:
All participating students and coordinating teachers will earn participation certificates.

First Place Second Place Third Place Fourth Place Fifth Place

Limited Edition Scrabble Set, Trophy

RM1,200 cash RM800 cash RM500 cash RM 300 RM 200

RM800 RM500 RM300 RM200 RM150

in vouchers in vouchers in vouchers in vouchers in vouchers

Top 6th to 20th finalists will receive a travel-size Scrabble set and book vouchers.

All participating teachers and students will receive certificates

For WhatsApp and e-mail enquiries, kindly contact:

Name : Ms Loh Hui Ping
Mobile No. : 016 220 5647
Email : scrabblemalaysia@gmail.com

We look forward to continuing the Scrabble legacy with you!

Thank you,

Chris Chan, Head of Marketing

Mattel Southeast Asia

2
Final prizes may vary. Subject to changes prior to final dates.
 APPENDIX

Eligibility Checklist for online Qualifying Rounds

● A supervising adult to assist in the case of any technical difficulties and to help report
game results
● A fully charged laptop or tablet
● Stable internet connection
● Attend one of the online Qualifying Round Briefing Sessions
● Play a minimum of 10 games on the Internet Scrabble Club (ISC)

Phase 1 - Briefing Sessions: How to use the Internet Scrabble Club (ISC) Dates

25 July 2020 26 July 2020

9:00 am Penang schools (Group 1) 9:00 am Penang schools (Group 2)

10:00 am Break 10:00 am Break

10:30 am Malacca schools (Group 1) 10:30 am Malacca schools (Group 2)

11:30 am Break 11:30 am Break

12:00 pm Ipoh schools (Group 1) 12:00 pm Ipoh schools (Group 2)

1:00 pm Lunch Break 1:00 pm Lunch Break

2:00 pm Klang Valley schools (Group 1) 2:00 pm Klang Valley schools (Group 2)

3:00 pm Break 3:00 pm Break

3:30 pm Johor schools (Group 1) 3:30 pm Johor schools (Group 2)

4:30 pm Break 4:30 pm Break

5:00 pm Klang Valley schools (Group 3) 5:00 pm Klang Valley schools (Group 4)

6:00 pm End of sessions 6:00 pm End of sessions

Phase 2 - Online Qualifying Rounds Dates

Qualifying Round Online Date Region

8 August 2020 Penang

9 August 2020 Ipoh

15 August 2020 Johor

16 August 2020 Malacca

22 August 2020 Klang Valley 1

23 August 2020 Klang Valley 2

Phase 3 - Exclusive Coaching Session for Teachers Dates

Coaching Session Date Time Region

5 September 2020 10am - 1pm Penang & Ipoh

5 September 2020 2pm - 5pm Johor & Malacca

6 September 2020 10am - 1pm Klang Valley