I  mportant Notes.....

• Queries : please contact Jenny (jennykeating@protonmail.com).

• Our rules are not the same as those applied by the PixiePit.  Essentially, we use the PixiePit site purely for the Scrabble board technology and the dedicated rooms.

• Slow Play - this is, without a doubt, the most frustrating situation for players and admin alike - please carefully read the rules.

• Dictionaries..... all Scrabble approved dictionaries can be used and we do not prohibit the use of word finders.

• Corrections..... if a mistake has been made, the "correct play" feature can be used - however, this must be done immediately and may not be used as a strategy to pull a better set of tiles.

• Stalemate..... this is when neither player can move.  If you're near the end of the game and cannot start another game, the game should be declared "stalemate" - a final score email will be sent by the system with the value of the remaining tiles deducted from the scores.

• Email Addresses..... please do not use members' email addresses for circulars, mass mailings or any other promotional reasons.  We do not use our website as a mechanism for advertising at all. 

• Clabbers Words..... as a courtesy please capture (in the comments box) what the word should be.  This must obviously match the tiles that have been somewhat scrambled on the board.  However, mistakes can be made and the final check must always be the tiles on the board.  If they spell a legitimate word, it should not be challenged. 

• Deleting Games..... please do not delete your game immediately after the last play - the game will automatically drop off the system after 24 hours but most importantly, your opponent will not get to see the final play on the board.  If you've made an error, the other player can no longer challenge because the game is gone.

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How do we start.....

A general "ready-to-go" email will be sent advising that the new tournament can commence. In the Game Setup page on this site you'll find setup tables. Step two is clicking on the link above the table.... this will take you directly to the correct room on the PixiePit site where the game can be started. 

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Just click on the "Set up new game" button to start.....

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• the player creating the game will be #1 (P1);

• the other player will be #2 (P2);

• copy and paste the email address of the other player from the table on the website, making sure that the text format described at the top of the table is used;

• the letters "FC" must always be included so that the link is established to our dedicated rooms;

• if an error message appears, it's almost always related to incorrect syntax or email address;

• below the "Setup new game" button, the list of open games will be visible - it's always possible to access games from this list if emails go astray; and

• once set up, a system generated email is sent to P1 to start the game

 

Below is an example of what the process looks like on the PixiePit site:

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​How long do we have to finish our games?......

​For FC tournaments, the period is 2 weeks.  For all other tournaments, the duration is 4 weeks.  The start and end dates are clearly indicated on the Home page, the Game Setup and Scores pages.

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Scoring......

• ​Scoresheets are updated and players are promoted/relegated.... generally, 1st and 2nd positions are promoted and the bottom two players are relegated.  However, when divisions are small, or players go away or leave/join our group, there's sometimes a bit of "juggling" necessary. In a tied game, each player earns 0.5 points

• It does happen occasionally that final-score emails from PixiePit go astray so we'd urge players to keep a record of their scores.

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​What do I do if I don't get an email for the start of a game, or to play my turn?...... 

​This does happen from time to time, but there is an option on the game page to request a new "start" email from PixiePit. If that fails, please send an email to Jenny who can usually conjure up the details.  

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We recommend that you check the "games list" in the dedicated room on the PixiePit site to play your turn if you haven't received an email - it may well be that the email has gone astray on either side.  If a few days have gone by, check the "games list", it will immediately be obvious as to whose turn it is.  Open the game and proceed.

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What if the other player plays slowly, or a player is away?...... 

​This is the biggest issue in the administration of the tournament and the most frustrating for many players.  We have devised some simple rules to cope with this situation:

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• starting..... the general rule is that games must be started within 48 hours of the start email being sent, unless previously agreed by players.  Some of the quicker players may start their games a bit later but as they're never guilty of slow play, it's not an issue;

• being absent..... it's possible to have a life away from Scrabble so please extend the courtesy of some extra time when a player is away - of course, it's up to the absent player to let everyone know;

• players can leave and rejoin at any time, starting in the lowest division and working their way up;

• slow players..... when a player becomes aware that he/she is playing slowly and the game will not be finished, please award the game to the other player by sending an email, with a copy to Jenny - in this way, players are not penalised for slow play.  For the specific rules covering slow play, please click here.​

• failure to finish...... if a player fails to complete 80% of his/her games, that player will be dropped from the next tournament for one round and if this persists in the round therafter, the player could be dropped permanently from that specific tournament.  Such a player would be encouraged to join the ZFC tournament that allows for 4 weeks, instead of two.

• continuing to play after tournament is closed... we ask players to refrain from continuing with games after the time deadline has been reached.

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