Scrabble pros head to Knox College for tournament
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Knox College will welcome nearly 60 competitive Scrabble players to Galesburg for a three-day, rated tournament over Labor Day weekend, bringing participants from around the world to campus before students return for the academic term.
The Midwest Showdown Scrabble tournament will be held Sept. 5-7 in the Lincoln Room at Knox College, according to a community announcement. Organized by Galesburg Scrabble, the event marks the fifth officially sanctioned Scrabble tournament hosted in Galesburg and the first held at Knox College.
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Galesburg Scrabble meets from 6-8 p.m. each Tuesday at Galesburg Public Library. Mayor Peter Schwartzman and tournament co-director Darla Krejci helped bring the event to the city and serve as tournament directors.
“Darla is interested in tourism to support the city, and as mayor, I’m interested in bringing people to Galesburg and supporting a game I love,” Schwartzman said. “There is nothing better than a tournament in your backyard.”
Players will compete across three divisions determined by skill, rating and lexicon. Each participant will play seven matches during the tournament's opening round. The top eight finishers in each division will advance to the next round of competition before the top four move on to the championship showdown.
Tournament organizers expect about 572 games to be played during the weekend.
“We’ll have close to 572 games played over the three-day weekend, which will double what we had last year,” Schwartzman said. “The extra day helps, but we also have more players.”
Hospitality a key focus for organizers
Schwartzman said the tournament has developed a reputation for welcoming competitors and providing support from local businesses and volunteers.
“One thing that separates our tournament from others is the hospitality,” Schwartzman said. “Darla and her friends volunteer a lot of time and know how to host a tournament. Also, we have local establishments that donate meals to tournament winners and snacks.”
Organizers are also partnering with Knox College dining services provider Bon Appétit to offer food and refreshments during the event.
Tournament to reach worldwide audience
Matches will be streamed live through Let’s Play Scrabble on YouTube, giving viewers around the world an opportunity to follow the competition and see Knox College and Galesburg.
“People from far away can watch as the tournament progresses with the Lincoln Room in the background, see the Lincoln bust, the Lincoln-Douglas Debate painting,” Schwartzman said.
Schwartzman said the livestream will also allow Knox College to highlight academic programs during breaks in play.
“Also, the stream will provide opportunities to promote what Knox has to offer,” Schwartzman said. “During breaks in matches, Knox will be able to promote programs over the stream. We’ll have a worldwide audience watching.”
Additional competition and prize money planned
In addition to the main tournament, organizers will host a Night Bird tournament at Best Western in Galesburg. The abbreviated event will feature four games played in a single evening.
Competitors will also be eligible for trophies and prize money. Organizers said the overall prize pool totals $6,000, with additional support coming from local restaurants that provide meals for winners.
“We have prize money across the board; we try to give all the player fees back to the players,” Schwartzman said. “Our total prize pool stands at $6000, but that doesn’t include local restaurants providing free meals to Saturday winners.”
For more information about the tournament, visit https://www.scrabblegalesburg.org/scrabblegalesburg.org.
This story was produced by reporter Nida Tazeen, [email protected], with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct.
This article originally appeared on Galesburg Register-Mail: Scrabble pros head to Knox College for tournament