The 2025 North American Scrabble Players Association Championship Will Be Held In Anne Arundel County This Week; The international tournament will take place Aug. 8-14 at Maryland Live! Casino & Hotel in Hanover
ANNAPOLIS, MD – Visit Annapolis & Anne Arundel County (VAAAC) is pleased to welcome the North American Scrabble Players Association (NASPA) to Anne Arundel County for the 2025 Championship that will be held this week, Aug. 8-14, at the Maryland Live! Casino & Hotel in Hanover. The 34th annual international tournament features more than 300 players, ranging in age from 14 to 91, and hailing from 47 states and provinces and seven countries. Thirty players are from Maryland with additional representation from Canada, United Kingdom, Nigeria, Pakistan and Malaysia. Considered the most prestigious Scrabble competition in North America, this is only the second time that the tournament has been hosted in Maryland, with it previously held in Baltimore in 2022.
"Our players had such a great time in Maryland three years ago, we've been working hard ever since to find our way back,” said NASPA CEO John Chew. “And as a seafood and word game lover, I know Scrabble is best enjoyed when full of crab."
Players will be vying for a top prize of $10,000 and the tournament will be played in six divisions, including four North American and two international divisions. Several notable players will be competing, including:
Nigel Richards - Considered the greatest of all time in the Scrabble community.
- This will be his first return to the championship since 2018.
- He is a five-time champion in this competition, five-time world champion, two-time French world champion, and current Spanish world champion - an impressive feat considering he doesn’t speak either language.
Mack Meller – Defending champion.
- He is the youngest grandmaster at 25 years old and has played tournament Scrabble since the age of 10.
Will Anderson – 2017 champion.
- A considerable social media influence in the game with more than 50,000 followers on YouTube.
Joe Edley – Three-time champion.
Joel Wapnick – Past winner of this championship, a world champion, and a two-time Canadian champion.
Maryland Senator Cheryl Kagan, who represents District 17 which includes Rockville and Gaithersburg, is a nationally ranked Scrabble player and will also compete in this year’s championship. She has been an integral force in bringing this competition to Maryland.
"I'm a bit of a policy wonk, but I'm also a huge word nerd,” said Senator Kagan. “It's exciting to host the Scrabble Championships in Maryland again this year!"
“We’re thrilled to welcome the North American Scrabble Players Association Championship to Anne Arundel County. It’s a natural fit—our region is steeped in history and charm, and we hope our destination sparks inspiration for some impressive triple-word scores," said Kristen Pironis, CEO of Visit Annapolis & Anne Arundel County. "We’re especially grateful to Senator Cheryl Kagan for championing the return of this event to Maryland. As a former editor, I’ve spent years carefully crafting words, so watching them come to life in spirited competition will be a real treat."
The tournament kicks off this Friday and features a robust schedule:
Friday, Aug. 8: Registration and “Early Bird” round, an optional four-game warm up tournament.
Saturday, Aug. 9-12: Seven games a day for all competitors.
Wednesday, Aug. 13: Most players will play three more games.
- The top two players in the top North American and international divisions after 28 games will play a best of five series to determine the champion.
- Play ends for most players in time for them to watch at least one and up to three of the finals as a group.
Thursday, Aug. 14: “Late Bird” round, an optional four-game tournament.
After Hours Activities
In addition to Scrabble tournament play, there are several evening events scheduled, including:
- Trivia Competition – Attracts a good portion of the attendees, several of whom have been featured on Jeopardy! and other game shows.
- Musicale – Performances by attendees.
- Duplicate Scrabble Competition - Scrabble variant where all the players are faced with the same board and letters at the same time and must play the highest scoring word, a popular form of play in France.
- Stefan Fatsis Talk – Stefan is the author of the 2002 bestseller Word Freak: Heartbreak, Triumph, Genius, and Obsession in the World of Competitive Scrabble Players.
- Night Birds – Optional four-game rated Scrabble tournaments on Saturday through Tuesday evenings.
The full schedule and more information can be found here.
The tournament is open to the public for in-person viewing and via livestream on YouTube. The live stream will feature two games each round – one for each word list – and will be available to view on the NASPA website. Additionally, guests can view past championships and other matches on the NASPA YouTube channel.
Since 2009, NASPA has been the governing body for over 10,000 competitive Scrabble players in the United States and Canada. Scrabble is a trademark of Hasbro, Inc. in the USA and Canada, and of Mattel, Inc. elsewhere. NASPA and its activities are neither endorsed by nor affiliated with Hasbro or Mattel.
About North American Scrabble Players Association: The North American Scrabble Players Association (NASPA) is a nonprofit organization founded in 2009 that administers competitive Scrabble tournaments and clubs in North America. NASPA fosters a community for tournament, club, and avid home Scrabble players, providing a safe environment for players of all skill levels to enjoy the game. It serves as the official governing body for competitive Scrabble play in the United States and Canada, offering valuable resources and a sense of community to dedicated players.
About Visit Annapolis & Anne Arundel County: Visit Annapolis & Anne Arundel County (VAAAC) is a nonprofit, partnership-focused destination marketing and management organization dedicated to fostering a welcoming destination and promoting tourism for visitors, partners, and the community. The tourism and hospitality industry in Annapolis and Anne Arundel County significantly impacts Maryland's economy. In 2023, visitor spending injected $4.1 billion into the state economy, attracting more than 6.8 million visitors, and sustaining more than 26,000 jobs (both directly and indirectly), according to the 2023 Economic Impact of Tourism in Maryland Report. For more information, please visit www.VAAAC.org.
