VM

[Per Starback]

Några gånger har vi pratat om huruvida det finns nåt intresse för spel
på engelska inom SSF. Jag är själv inte så särskilt intresserad, men
jag vill ändå sända vidare detta om årets VM. Om vi vill och talar om
det kan vi nog ha en uttagningstävling och låta vinnaren representera
Sverige i Kuala Lumpur i oktober.

(Kanske är det så att några av dom i Sverige som skulle vara mest
intresserade av detta inte är så intresserade av att spela på svenska,
och därför inte har med oss att göra eller läser detta?)

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28 January 2003

WORLD SCRABBLE CHAMPIONSHIPS

Mattel Inc. and Scrabble Masters Malaysia in collaboration with the
Malaysian Scrabble Association are delighted to announce that the 2003 World
Scrabble Championships will be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

VENUE/DATE

The venue will be confirmed in March. The tournament dates will be Sunday 19
to Friday 24 October with 1 day set aside for organised sightseeing.

FORMAT

24 round modified Swiss tournament with the two top players contesting a 5
game final. Official Dictionary - Official Scrabble Words International,
Websters 10th and Chambers to be used for adjudication of words over 9
letters. 5 point penalty on the challenger for each challenged word that is
found to be in the dictionary.

PRIZE MONEY

The exact prize money has yet to be determined at this stage but it will not
be less than US$40,000 in total with a first prize of not less than
US$17,500.

ALLOCATION OF PLACES

The provisional allocation of places is the same as at the 2001 World
Championships
with the following exceptions :-

Japan and USA earned one extra place from their performance in 2001. As
host, Malaysia will be allocated 2 extra places for this event only. England
Scotland and Wales are to be treated as distinct countries for the first
time and on that basis, as applied to the 2001 Championships, will be
allocated 9 places, 1 place and 2 places respectively. Other countries that
have formed approved National Scrabble Associations since 2001 will be
invited to send 1 representative.

VISAS

Contestants from many countries will require visas to enter Malaysia. The
Malaysian Government have assured us that, subject to the normal security
checks on individuals, citizens from all countries in the world are welcome.
It may take up to 90 days to process visas.

National Associations should take this time period into account in setting
qualifying dates for the submission of their representatives.

SECURITY

We are aware that there have been reservations expressed with regard to
individual security in Malaysia. The events of the last 18 months have shown
that terrorist attacks can occur anywhere in the world. Kuala Lumpur is a
modern cosmopolitan city which happily still receives and welcomes hundreds
of thousands of visitors from all over the world. We have consulted some of
the larger Scrabble Associations and the vast majority have assured us that
they have no objection to Malaysia as a venue.

We continue to take this matter very seriously and will be regularly
consulting with the government and local police to decide on the appropriate
precautions to be taken to ensure the success of the Championships.Having
carefully reviewed the situation with all parties concerned, we are
convinced that Kuala Lumpur is a suitable venue for the World Championships.

PUBLICITY

We'll be in touch again shortly with an update including details of the
venue, official WSC website and the Official Launch Ceremony. In the
meantime, we would be grateful if you could only contact us with urgent
queries.

REQUIREMENTS FROM EACH PARTICIPATING COUNTRY

Please confirm the name and contact details of your official country contact
for further communication as soon as possible.

We're looking forward to the best ever WSC. See you there !



Scrabble Masters (Malaysia)/ Malaysian Scrabble Association
Nikzamri@finprojects.com.my

Mattel representative
Philip.Nelkon@mattel.com
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