Three phases over eight months — from in-school qualifiers in May, through 10 city regional rounds in summer and monsoon, to a National Finals.
The championship begins inside schools. Participating schools host their own qualifiers, supported by SAI-provided workshop material, sample game packs and a short rules briefing. The top players from each school qualify into the Regional Level for their city.
Schools that wish to host a workshop or run a structured qualifier can write to indianscrabble@gmail.com.
Ten regional rounds — one per host city. Each is a one-day tournament: 3–5 Swiss-paired games (25 minutes per side, per game), an optional Duplicate Scrabble round and a 5-point challenge using the CSW24 dictionary. Each regional round will run as two divisions; pairings, standings, qualification and prizes are all per division.
The top finishers from each regional round qualify into Phase 3, the National Finals. Registration is per student, through the official online form; a nominal local registration fee (₹200–500) may be applicable as announced by the regional organisation, and will be collected by the city club on event day.
A one-day showpiece final bringing together 30-40 of the best young players in the country. The top board is streamed live on SAI's official YouTube channel — the first time an Indian youth Scrabble final will be livestreamed nationally.
Awards include National Champion, Runner-Up, 3rd Place, Top 10 Merit Certificates, Best Female Player. The National Finals will run as two divisions; pairings, standings and prizes are all per division.
CSW24 — the Collins Scrabble Words 2024 list, the global standard for tournament Scrabble. Players are encouraged to study and challenge respectfully.
Swiss pairing — players are matched against opponents of similar standing. 3–5 games per regional round, plus an optional Duplicate Scrabble round and a 5-point challenge.
25 minutes per side per game. Standard tournament timing on chess clocks — fast enough to feel competitive, slow enough for younger players to think clearly.
Standard international Scrabble tile distribution and values (100 tiles, including 2 blanks). Boards and tiles are provided.
Tournament etiquette is mandatory — handshake openings, no coaching during play, gracious losing, and respectful challenges only.
Players need only themselves. Boards, tiles, racks, clocks and score sheets are provided by the host city club.
Pick your city, fill the form, and we'll take it from there.