The North American SCRABBLE® Tour (NAST) is the brainchild of Club 42 Director Steve Pellinen. The first satellite tournaments were held in June 2007 and continued through April 2008. A total of 350 players played in 23 different satellite tournaments, resulting in 52 final event qualifiers from 20 states and two provinces. Twenty-four players chose to play in the final, including three players via the direct buy-in route. The winner and first Tour champion was Jim Kramer, taking home the $3,640 first prize in Bloomington, Minnesota.

With the goal of moving the Tour final event around the country and alternating winter and summer finals, each Tour now lasts about a year and a half. The second Tour saw 24 players in the February 2010 final in Berkeley, California, five of those by direct buy-in. The winner was Jerry Lerman, a direct buy-in entrant sponsored by eight others who all shared in the $3,200 top prize. The third Tour final was held in June of 2011 in Revere, Massachusetts, just outside of Boston. The winner was Evans Clinchy, taking home the $2,300 top prize after besting a field of 16 finalists that included three direct buy-ins.

Steve Pellinen can be reached at steve@pellpro.com.

Frequently Asked Questions NAST FAQ  [PDF version] Details for Players and Directors Overview for Directors  [PDF version] Changes for Second Tour  [PDF version] Final Event Format  [PDF version] Finances Table  [PDF version] Pairings Description  [PDF version] Pairings Tables 5-6 Rounds  [PDF version] Pairing Tables 7-8 Rounds  [PDF version] Place Prizes  [PDF version] SCRABBLE® White Papers SCRABBLE® for the Uninitiated  [PDF version] The Corporate Game  [PDF version] The Official Dictionary  [PDF version] Why It's Such a Great Game  [PDF version] The Rating Game  [PDF version] Downloadable Templates Tournament Flyer Template (MS Word) Tournament Flyer Template (PDF)

Current prize pool (estimate): $640 (80% of carryover fund) First prize (estimate): $416 (65% of prize pool) Upcoming Satellites Pending Final Event Winter 2013 at a location to be determined.   (All qualifiers are eligible, $180 direct buy-in for others) Finals Qualifiers Steve Glass, FL (Essex VT, 18 Nov 2011) Kit Morehead, MI (Essex VT, 18 Nov 2011) Evans Clinchy, MA (Boston Area MA, 13 Apr 2012) Jason Keller, NJ (Boston Area MA, 13 Apr 2012) Rob Robinsky, MN (Boston Area MA, 13 Apr 2012) Satellite Results Essex VT, 18 Nov 2011 Boston Area MA, 13 Apr 2012