Recapping the 14th annual Crescent City Cup
You'd think that after 14 trips to New Orleans, it all might start to get a little old - and yet somehow, it never does.
Even after 14 times going out for a poboy or a muffuletta or a big steaming bowl o' gumbo, 14 times enjoying an evening of music and dancing on Frenchmen Street, 14 nights of wild partying in the Quarter (if that's your thing) … it's still the best vacation you could ever ask for. There's nothing like it.
And of course, the same can be said of the city's marquee Scrabble event, the Crescent City Cup, which took place for the 14th time this past weekend. Even after all these years, it's still one of the best tournaments in North America time and time again, and the 2026 event was no exception.
We were thrilled to have 42 Collins players descend upon New Orleans this weekend for the CCC. With 24 players in the Open division and 18 in Lite, there was plenty of spirited competition for players of all levels to enjoy. And when the dust finally settled at midday Monday, we had two very well deserving champions.
In the Open division, that champion was Josh Sokol, who was Gibsonized with a round to play. Josh put on a strong performance from wire to wire, which enabled him to hold off a late charge from fellow top experts Eta Karo, Dave Wiegand, and Rob Robinsky. He clinched the tournament victory with a win over Eta in round 19, then racked up an extra win for good measure in round 20. Josh's final record of 16-4, +1072 goes down as one of the best in CCC history.
In Lite, Nits Chagti secured the victory in spectacular fashion, racking up countless huge wins throughout the weekend en route to a record of 17-3, +2262! For a while, it looked like Nits might run the table and win all 20 games, but after a few late setbacks, she had to settle for a measly 17. Amazingly, Adebola Sanya won 17 of his own, and Nits ended up winning the tournament by only a few hundred points of spread. Quite a one-two punch atop the standings.
Congratulations to everyone who performed well at this year's Crescent City Cup. Shout-outs are due to our top finishers in Open - Josh, Eta, Dave, Rob, and Erickson Smith - as well as class prize winners Kevin Fraley and Scott Jackson. Props also to the money winners in Lite - Nits, Adebola, Melissa Routzahn, Ayodele Odekunle, and class prize winner Joe Roberdeau.
And of course, many thanks are due to the whole Crescent City Cup team for making this tournament happen yet again in 2026. Lindsay Shin went above and beyond in her directorial duties this year (even at one point dealing with a rodent infestation!). Tim Fukawa-Connelly was a directing superstar as usual (and celebrated a milestone birthday over the weekend - cheers!). Christian and Andrew Kay produced a world-class livestream yet again, with Conrad Bassett-Bouchard and Jesse Day calling the games this year. Austin Shin, Kate Fukawa-Connelly, Lila Crotty, and Tim Crotty all helped behind the scenes to ensure the event ran smoothly. It was a total team effort, and the team crushed it yet again.
The 14th go-round in New Orleans was a blast - just as much so as the first 13. I can already predict with confidence that #15 a year from now will be just as awesome. NOLA never disappoints, and this tournament doesn't either.