Recapping our July 4 weekend tournament in Seattle
One of my favorite things about these modest little tournaments that we host at our house in Seattle is the camaraderie among the group. We're all in this together - from the three meals a day that we share, to the after-hours activities we engage in, right down to the negotiations over who gets the bathrooms first to shower in the mornings. Everything is so open, communicative, collaborative - and I'd say that bleeds over into the Scrabble, too. These Seattle tournaments aren't as cutthroat as some of the other Scrabble events on the circuit. The players are competitive, yes, but they also really enjoy the games and enjoy each other's company. They wish each other "good luck" at the start of a game and seem to genuinely mean it. Ultimately, what you get is an environment in which all of us can really root for each other and take pride in each other's successes.
...of course, in the case of this weekend, there's a chance that I'm maybe a teensy bit biased when I say that.
We just hosted 10 players at Casa Clinchy for a 20-game tournament over the long weekend, and perhaps what was most notable about the proceedings was the appearance of a few fresh new faces toward the top of the leaderboard. And, well, full disclosure, one of those tournament leaders happens to be someone I married. Alec Sjöholm (for clarity's sake: nope, never married him) was the grand champion of the weekend - he led the tournament most of the way and was eventually Gibsonized with one round to play. Jennifer Clinchy (yes, married her!) scored her first-ever cash at one of these tournaments, going 14-6 and earning a remarkable second-place finish. Travis Chaney, who was near the top from wire to wire, ended up in third at 13-7. And Luke Yu, joining us for his very first tournament, ended up with 9 wins, a shiny new rating of 1592, and the class prize.
Really, it was these four players who were the talk of the tournament pretty much from start to finish. Jennifer was hot as wildfire from the very beginning - her record at the first lunch break was a ridiculous 4-0, +734. (I was on the business end of two of those four wins myself, so I can tell you firsthand what a roll she was on.) Luke and Travis also won three games each. Alec then surged after lunch on day 1; after seven games, the standings featured Jennifer at 6-1, Alec 5-2, with Luke and Travis just spread points off the pace.
As days 2 and 3 unfolded, it became extremely clear that the triumvirate of Alec, Jennifer, and Travis would dominate the tournament. After 18 rounds - a complete double round robin - we had Alec with 14 wins, Jennifer and Travis with 13, and no one else better than 9-9. There was a top three, and there was everybody else.
Alec finished the job, beating Travis in round 19 to seal his Gibsonization. This set up a potentially dramatic second-place game between Travis and Jennifer in round 20... but sadly, there wasn't much drama, as Travis struggled with awful racks and Jennifer ended up taking second with little suspense. In the end, it was Alec on top at 16-4, Jennifer 14-6, and Travis 13-7. Luke defeated Alex Chew, another new player joining us for the first time, in the final round to finish 9-11 and lock in the class prize.
First and foremost, kudos to Alec, who turned in yet another dominant tournament performance. I've been consistently impressed with his high level of play. And then there's Jennifer, of whom I am of course immensely proud after her second-place finish. She attributed quite a bit of it to favorable luck, and I'm sure that's true to an extent - everyone who cashes in a Scrabble tournament benefits from some good fortune - but her skill was also on dazzling display this weekend. You don't turn in a record like that without some pretty darn excellent play. And the exact same can be said for Travis, who posted an extremely solid performance en route to third place. As for Luke: Welcome to the Scrabble community. Stick around. I think you're going to do quite well here.
This was an awesome weekend all around (and I say this despite getting pummeled myself for much of the weekend, then scratching and clawing to salvage 10-10). I'll remember a lot of flashbulb moments that happened away from the Scrabble board. There were many excellent meals (Xi'an Noodles!). There were lots of other games besides Scrabble (Letter Jam!). There were other fun times (escape room victory!). And there was wonderful company all the while. Special shout-outs here to Luke, Alex, and Joe Thorngren, our newbies - it was a pleasure to meet all three of you.
What else can I say? Great people, great tournament, great weekend. Until next time, signing off from Seattle. Oh - and happy birthday, America.