About the Association

The Scrabble Association is the national body for tournament Scrabble in Singapore. The Association organizes and sanctions rated tournaments, including major events like the Singapore Nationals, Singapore Open and Millennium Cup. The results and member ratings are maintained in a computer-generated Archive. The Association communicates regularly with its members through a quarterly members-only newsletter, SA News, and various online channels. The Association also administers a titles system.

History of Scrabble in Singapore

The earliest record that the Association has of any organized Scrabble activity in Singapore comes from a note by the late Terry Hollington, who relates how as an RAF officer in Hong Kong, he was introduced to the game during a holiday in Singapore in 1956 or 1957.

National Championships were held from 1978 to 1984 at the Mandarin Hotel, which was also the sponsor. Those were the days before word lists and personal computers; the dictionary used then was the two-volume Shorter Oxford and word judging left much to be desired. The tournaments were knockouts held over successive weekends.

Singapore was an early user of a points penalty for wrong challenges as a deterrent to wanton challenging. The penalty was originally 10 points but 5 points was subsequently found to be adequate.

After the Mandarin era, the National Championships were held at Teck Ghee Community Club for a while. Hong Kah East (since renamed Jurong Green) Community Club became a staunch supporter of the game during the 1990s and remains a major organizer of events.

The current Scrabble Association was formed in September 1996 by a core group of enthusiasts. Activity has increased substantially, with more tournaments and events, the most lavish thus far being the Channel NewsAsia 1st World Masters at the Grand Hyatt in 1999. Singapore players now frequently travel abroad to play, while Singapore tournaments are frequently attended by players from overseas.