Looking back at the first 20 in-person CoCo tournaments
When a small group of us directors first got together to form the CoCo back in late 2019, we had no idea what to expect. A new organization, completely independent, dedicated to Collins Scrabble in North America, and building a new tournament circuit from the ground up - could this possibly work? Would people go for it? There were many questions and few answers.
A lot has happened since then. We've been through a global pandemic, a great deal of upheaval in the Scrabble world, and the passage of almost three years' time. It's a whole new world.
But, looking back now with the benefit of hindsight, we can safely answer the above questions in the affirmative. The CoCo experiment has worked! We have built the tournaments and you all, the players, have come.
Earlier this month, the CoCo as an organization reached a notable milestone - 20 total in-person tournaments played, dating back to early 2020. Now is a great time to take a look back at all 20 of them - when and where they happened, who played, who won, and all the fun times our players have had along the way.
Let's begin…
Hood River, OR
Feb. 15-17, 2020
Champion: Conrad Bassett-Bouchard (15-5, +1332)
The CoCo tournament slate began with the third Hood River Open - our annual group retreat in the woods in Oregon. Twenty players converged upon Panorama Lodge for a weekend of camaraderie and competition. The event reached a thrilling conclusion on Monday, as Conrad and Chris Lipe went right down to the wire in the final game, with Conrad prevailing by just 10 spread points in the end to win the tournament.
Lincoln City, OR
Sept. 4-6, 2021
Champion: Dave Wiegand (15-5, +1733)
After a 19-month hiatus due to the pandemic, we returned to in-person Scrabble late in 2021, and our first tournament back was a beach weekend over Labor Day. Dave Wiegand was dominant over the board, winning 15 of his 20 games and cruising to the Labor Day Oregon Coast Open (LOCO) title; when it came time to enjoy fun and sun on the beach, though, we were all winners.
Portland, OR
Oct. 16-17, 2021
Champion: Dave Wiegand (10-2, +1560)
As you read on, you'll notice a trend here - Dave wins a lot of tournaments, and often in commanding fashion. This was the first of many Portland-Alberta Beer Scrabble Thing (PABST) events Conrad has directed in Northeast Portland, and in this one, Dr. Bing was in control from start to finish. The rest of us mere mortals could hardly put up a fight.
Charlottesville, VA
Nov. 13-14, 2021
Champion: Sam Rosin (12-2, +993)
The first East Coast CoCo event was a tourney at Southern Crescent, a New Orleans-style restaurant and cocktail bar near downtown Charlottesville, VA. We had a rousing crowd of 18 players, and Sam ultimately prevailed over us all, going an impressive 12-2. He had a great self-effacing explanation for this ("something something blanks something"), but the truth is that he played quite well from start to finish!
Seattle, WA
Dec. 11-12, 2021
Champion: Alec Sjöholm (11-3, +1035)
Jennifer and I were thrilled to host Scrabblers at our home in Seattle for the first time. We drew a solid field, and much fun was had throughout the weekend. Alec ultimately ran away with the tournament - but shout out to Ruth Hamilton, who surged almost to the top of the standings and was facing off with Dr. Bing for second place in the end!
Feb. 19-21, 2022
Champion: Jesse Day (15-5, +1666)
This was the fourth annual HORO, and it was even more fun than the HOROs before it. As usual, the field was stacked with world-class players, and this time it was Jesse who finished on top, outlasting Conrad in the final game to seal the deal. Jesse, Conrad, and Bing were all 15-5 when the dust settled - impressive work all around.
San Diego, CA
March 12-13, 2022
Champion: Dave Wiegand (10-4, +643)
Puneet Sharma and David Whitley ran the show this time, with Puneet getting us an absolutely stunning venue in the beautiful Del Mar neighborhood of San Diego. The competition was fierce throughout this one, with six players in contention for first place going into the final day - but in the end, Dr. Bing could not be denied. Dave beat Jesse in the final round to secure his third CoCo tournament win.
Austin, TX
April 2-3, 2022
Champion: Dave Wiegand (10-4, +1359)
Becky Dyer and James Curley hosted 20 Scrabblers in their home city in early April, and they put together an outstanding event. Again, the competition was close the whole way - at one point, we had played 9 rounds and there was a 9-way tie for first place at 6-3. In the end, it was Dr. Bing versus yours truly for the title, and Bing took it home with a clutch win in round 14. (Though I got to eat Texas barbecue four times in one weekend, so who's the real champion here?)
Boston, MA
April 23-24, 2022
Champion: Becky Dyer (11-3, +937)
I was thrilled to host 12 players at my old alma mater, Tufts University, and it was great to spend the weekend with a contingent of New England area Scrabblers for a change. Though it was no New Englander who snagged top honors in the end - Becky took the title home to Texas by winning nine straight games and steamrolling to victory. Congrats to Becky! All the winning.
Portland, OR
May 7-8, 2022
Champion: Alec Sjöholm (11-4, +657)
This was Conrad's second CoCo directorial effort - and it was Alec's second CoCo tournament victory! Alec outlasted David Whitley in the final game to seal the deal. Honorable mentions go to Peter Armstrong, who started off 8-1 but unfortunately had to leave before the end of games on Sunday, and KC Frodyma, who played her first CoCo event and netted the class prize with a hard-fought 7 wins.
Minneapolis, MN
May 21-22, 2022
Champion: Rob Robinsky (10-4, +1031)
This was our first tournament in Minnesota, which has long been a hotbed of Scrabble talent. Rob took on the task of directing the May Minnesota Madness (3M) event, and he reeled in a crowd of 10 players - then, he beat them all! It was a competitive event, with Jim Kramer, Mike Johnson, and Chris Lipe also in the mix on the final day, but Rob outshined the field in the end to win his first CoCo tournament.
Madison, WI
June 4-5, 2022
Champion: Charles Reinke (12-2, +995)
Peter Armstrong hosted this one, bringing in a field of 10 Midwesterners for a fun weekend at a lake house on Lake Mendota. Attendees played Scrabble together, broke bread together, and ultimately lost a lot of games to opponents named Reinke. Charles and his twin brother Thomas were dominant in this event, going 12-2 and 10-4 respectively. Non-Reinkes did their best to keep things competitive, to no avail.
Saint Louis, MO
June 25-26, 2022
Champion: Evans Clinchy (10-4, +383)
This event took place in the Delmar Loop area of Saint Louis, just down the street from the city's famed chess club, where many of the world's best compete. There were quite a few top Scrabblers in town on this particular weekend, too. Rob Robinsky, Brian Bowman, David Whitley, and Geoff Thevenot all made this event a highly competitive one, but I was able to put together a nice run on the final day to finish first at 10-4.
July 9-13, 2022
Champion: Dave Wiegand (23.5-7.5, +1776)
This was the big one! Our first major championship. We had 71 players join us in total, including many of the world's absolute best. Players fought through 31 rounds over 5 days, and in the end, Dave Wiegand was your champion, holding off a late surge from top experts Jesse Day, Will Anderson, and David Eldar. Meanwhile in Division 2, Noel Livermore outlasted BJ Premore to take home top honors.
Seattle, WA
July 23-24, 2022
Champion: Conrad Bassett-Bouchard (12-2, +1390)
After the hectic Word Cup, it was nice for Jennifer and myself to return home and host a small event in our own backyard - literally. We hosted a 2-day tournament and it was quite nice. During the day, players played their games on picnic tables outside; in the evening, we BBQ'd ribs and chicken for dinner and enjoyed the sunsets. Conrad cruised to victory in this tournament, finishing three games up on his nearest competitors David Whitley and Cecilia Le.
Minneapolis, MN
Aug. 6-7, 2022
Champion: Rob Robinsky (12-3, +1103)
Our second Minnesota event of the year was on the smaller side, but the five players who turned out still had an enjoyable weekend together. Lisa Odom got off to a stellar start and looked poised to win the tournament, but a late surge from Rob put a stop to that. Rob defeated Lisa in the final game and finished one win ahead when the dust settled, 12-3 to her 11-4. A competitive race to the very end.
Potomac, MD
Aug. 20-21, 2022
Champion: Sam Rosin (14-0, +1134)
The most dominant performance in CoCo history! Sam's 14-0 finish was absolutely unprecedented. And the field he beat was no joke, either - Sam racked up win after win against high-rated opponents like Josh Castellano, Winter, and Bob Linn. On this particular weekend, Sam just couldn't be stopped, no matter who he faced. Just total domination from wire to wire.
Lincoln City, OR
Sept. 3-5, 2022
Champion: Dave Wiegand (16-4, +1293)
A year after we first reopened post-pandemic, we returned to the beach for the fourth annual LOCO - this time in a new-and-improved house that included a hot tub, pool table, and fantastic beach access. As for the Scrabble, Dave won his third consecutive LOCO title in convincing fashion, racking up 16 wins and getting himself Gibsonized before the final round. Alec Sjöholm fought off Kolton Koehler and Conrad Bassett-Bouchard to win a very competitive race for second place.
Brattleboro, VT
Oct. 1-2, 2022
Champion: Matthew O'Connor (13-3, +987)
This event brought the directorial debut of Mark Francillon, who invited a horde of CoCo players to his home state of Vermont for a 16-game tournament. And Mark very nearly won the tournament, too! It was a close race the whole way between Matthew and Mark, and ultimately Matthew snagged the tournament win by beating Mark in back-to-back extremely close games at the end - 405-402, then 406-393. Talk about a dramatic finish!
Portland, OR
Oct. 8-9, 2022
Champion: Kolton Koehler (11-3, +297)
Oh, and speaking of dramatic finishes: Just one week later, Kolton earned his first CoCo tournament victory in absolutely ridiculous fashion. Against Kolton in the final game, Alec Sjöholm tried a creative gambit at the end - he played a phony outplay for the tie with the tournament on the line, forcing Kolton to make a massive decision. Play it safe and take the tie, or go for the win and the tournament title? Kolton challenged, he won, and that sealed the deal. Incredible!
Then again, a lot about these last few years has been incredible. Thanks to everyone who has helped propel the CoCo this far - everyone who organized and directed these events, everyone who played in them, everyone who followed along from afar. These first 20 tournaments have been a blast; we already can't wait for the next 20.