The 2020 AGM was held virtually on Sunday 1st November. The minutes have been published and will be circulated to all members.

Now that the membership rate for 2021 has been approved by the AGM, membership renewals for 2021 are now available.

The ABSP committee met at the end of July to discuss a number of current issues, and you can see a summary of decisions taken in the next OnBoard. You will have also already seen some action as a result of the meeting such as our polling on the slurs debate.

It has been some time now since we reviewed our position on face-to-face events. Getting people back to playing over a board rather than a computer screen is something we all want but government guidelines have made it very difficult to allow tournaments as they used to be. However, with some of the lockdown restrictions now eased and more things opening back up, the ABSP have decided that small invitational events for groups of 6 people or fewer, and 1-1 league matches that mostly take place inside homes, will be allowed to be rated from Saturday 1st August.

Larger events in community centres, hotels, or other such buildings will still not be sanctioned for rating until further restrictions are lifted and these events can operate safely. Everyone can, and must, make their own decision, whether the time is right to get back to live play and we recommend players look at their own individual circumstances and consider what precautions may be necessary. We ask members to make the right choice for them, but also respect other people's choices. We encourage all players to assess their own risk levels, as they would other aspects of their daily lives. Any players with underlying health conditions or in a high risk category are advised to be extra cautious. If you choose to play any form of rated Scrabble from 1st August, it will be at your own risk.

The ABSP's COVID-19 statement has been updated in line with the above.

It is impractical for the 2020 AGM to be held face to face. However, the ABSP need to hold an AGM no later than 15 months after the last one to be within the rules of the association. We have therefore taken the decision that this will be held online on the Zoom platform. The date will be the afternoon of Sunday 1st November, and we are asking for motions to be submitted by Monday 31st August to give us time to prepare the agenda and get the pack to members. There'll be further details on how to do this in OnBoard.

Whilst it may still be some time before we can all meet again in person, don't forget there are regular events on ISC and the ABSP Online league to help you with your Scrabble fix, and to stay in touch with the wider community.

Stay safe.

Congratulations to Olaiya Kabir for winning the gold medal for the Mind Sports Olympiad 2020 Scrabble main event, finishing with an unbeaten 12-0 (+1445) record in a field with over 70 players, featuring many strong players from around the world.

Although Olaiya had been Gibsonised, there were 9 other players sitting on 8 or 8½ wins going into a tense final round. Adegboyega Akintokun (9-3, +847) took the silver medal and Samuel Onifade (9-3, +728) the bronze, with Austin Shin (9-3, +612) and Olumide Oyejide (9-3, +425) just missing out on spread.

Over 50 players took part in the Speed Scrabble event the previous evening. There were three players level on wins after the 10 preliminary rounds were completed: Adegboyega Akintokun (8-2, +920), Olaiya Kabir (8-2, +894) and Waseem Khatri (8-2, +538)   This tournament used a play-off to determine the medallists, where Adegboyega defeated both Olaiya and Waseem to take the gold medal, with Olaiya beating Waseem to secure the silver.

The two events were organised in partnership by ABSP and Mind Sports Olympiad. Chris Harrison and Wayne Kelly ran the tournament, with assistance from Natalie Zolty. Many games were streamed live on Facebook and/or Twitch:

 • Will Anderson and Sumbul Siddiqui: Main Event, rounds 9-12 and also Speed Scrabble (FB);
 • Craig Beevers: Main event and also Speed Scrabble, his own games (Twitch)
 • Ben Schoenbrun: Main event, rounds 6-12, his own games (Twitch)

Note that streams on Twitch may expire after a few weeks

Results: Main Event | Speed Scrabble | Speed Scrabble Play-offs (PDF)

The ABSP are pleased to announce two exciting partnership events with Mind Sports Olympiad which will take place on Friday 7th and Saturday 8th August.

Typically, MSO hold a week-long programme of events in London, but as that was not possible this year, instead they are holding a month-long festival of games online. The full schedule is available on the MSO website.

Both Scrabble competitions will be played in real time on ISC and timings are in line with MSO's overall aim to appeal to a global audience. There will be cash prizes to be won and the top 3 finishers in each event will also receive physical MSO medals. Unlike at previous MSO events, placings will be decided on wins and then spread, rather than their usual tie-splitting method.

Friday 7th August will be a Speed Scrabble event, where competitors will have 5 minute clocks. It will be played using void challenge and CSW2019 over 10 rounds from 19:30-22:30 BST. There will be a mid-session break of at least 15 minutes.

Saturday 8th August will be a more traditional Scrabble event, where competitors will have 15 minute clocks. It will be played using free challenge and CSW2019 over 12 rounds from 15:30-23:00 BST. There will be a mid-session break of at least 45 minutes.

These events are open to all and completely free to enter although entries may be closed if demand exceeds expectations and the events get over-subscribed. So, it's in your interests to register early if you want to take part. You can register for one, or both as you wish, and you can do that in two ways.

The easiest way to enter is is to drop a Facebook message or an email to Chris Harrison with your name and ISC handle. Closer to the time, all entrants will receive some specifics they may need to know for the day, such as timings, how to report results and how to join the ABSP ISC channel. Please note the organisers reserve the right to refuse entry.

We're already looking forward to the events, and we hope plenty of you can join us for what should be a great celebration of Scrabble, and Mind Sports in general.

With several events already completed, here's an update on the ABSP's online tournaments.

We hope everyone is keeping safe and well during these difficult times. Staying home and not meeting friends and relatives poses many challenges and has impacted greatly on the game we love. There is nothing to replace meeting across a real board, but to keep us playing competitively and in touch with each other, we have a busy calendar of online events which are played on ISC (Internet Scrabble Club).

There are tournaments most weekends, with a mixture of interesting formats and a Tuesday night Scrabble Club too. We are even presenting virtual medals to the winners!

By far, the easiest way to keep track of events is via Facebook. If you have a Facebook account, make a request to join the members-only ABSP Discussion group on Facebook, if you have not already joined it.

You can set up a Facebook account with minimal information if you are concerned about privacy issues. If you would prefer not to join Facebook for any reason, please e-mail Chris Harrison for more information about how to play.

These tournaments are proving a great way of keeping our community together during this time when we can't meet in person. We would love to see you there!

The latest edition of OnBoard is now available from the database (login required).

The committee prepared the following statement, which is also downloadable, that was intended to be sent out with postal copies. However subsequent guidance from government means that we are unable to post OnBoard at the present time as it does not qualify as an essential journey. All members who usually receive a postal copy should still be able to download the latest version from the database.

STOP PRESS — Urgent Member Communication

The latest OnBoard has been published in the midst of an extraordinary and unprecedented situation for us all. Almost all our daily lives are being impacted in some way by the Global Pandemic Covid-19, also known as Coronavirus.

For the ABSP, these are also worrying and uncertain times. Face-to-face tournaments are on an indefinite pause, and it is currently unclear if and when things will be able to return to normal. As a result, the committee must be mindful of the potential impact and effects over the coming months, and potentially longer.

With no ratings levy, and an expected dip in membership, the ABSP's income is expected to be severely reduced. It is prudent, therefore, to hold onto funds in order to protect the future of the organisation, and ensure we can weather this storm and come out on the other side.

OnBoard is our biggest ongoing expense, so we have taken the difficult but necessary decision to suspend production of at least the postal version for the time being. Maintaining current standards and sourcing fresh interesting content will be increasingly challenging with no events taking place, and there is no guarantee we would even be able to have it printed and posted. We hope to still produce a version of OnBoard in some form, so please continue to send contributions to the editor to help us with this.

We hope you understand the reason we have taken this decision, and we will review it on an ongoing basis as events unfold. During any break, we will still endeavour to send out any essential communication to all members via email if possible, and regular post otherwise, as well as continuing to share interim updates on social media and the ABSP Website.

Our members-only Facebook discussion group is the best way to keep in touch with all things ABSP. During these times, when other social interaction will be more limited, we'll strive to have more regular and varied online activity including Consensus Games and Real-Time Online ISC Tournaments. If you are not already joined, find us by searching for 'ABSP Discussion', or via the link above.

We also have a members-only online league, which renews every two weeks and is currently played through the EA Scrabble Facebook app. Typically, this means completing ten games over two weeks at your own pace, making moves at times that suit you. Your commitment to the league is only ever for two weeks at a time, and you can opt in and out as you wish. Search for 'ABSP Online (League)' or join at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/absponline/.

Please stay safe and well in these challenging circumstances, and we all look forward to a time when it is safe to meet again across the boards and we can look to the future with renewed energy and confidence.

ABSP Committee