Tilebag Confessional


Updated November 23, 2005 (Philadelphia)


My name is Winter, but in Scrabble circles they call me "Pimp Style", because of my keen sense of fashion, and how I ravage the board when I play. Okay, so maybe no one has actually called me that in so many words, but I know they are thinking it. Especially the ladies.

On December 1st, 2002, I traveled to College Station to sell a person some used MiniDiscs, with the hopes of also spending some time with a girl I had met during my previous trip to town (to visit the new Starbucks). The girl changed her plans, disappointing me, as girls often do, but while I killed time at the Barnes & Noble waiting for her I spotted a paperback edition of Word Freak and picked it up. I was immediately fascinated by the competitive Scrabble scene as described by author Stefan Fatsis, and a week later I attended my first club meeting at Club #359 in Houston.

I was anxious to play in a tournament, and had to wait a month for a club tournament in Houston, and then another week for my first major tournament in Lampasas. But after those first tournaments, I was totally hooked.

I played Salado in February. Then, beginning with the Lubbock tournament in March, which happened to coincide with the opening of the first Starbucks in Lubbock, I decide to chronicle my Scrabble travels along with my Starbucks travels.


TOURNAMENT RECORD


2003
Houston (club)  
Lampasas, TX
 
Salado, TX
 
Lubbock
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Lake Murray
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Jonesboro
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Chicago (Arden Cup)
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Mid-Cities
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Reno and the journey home
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Houston
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Jonesboro
 
Atlanta
 
Lafayette
 
Club #56, Bayside, NY Tournament, and Washington Square Park
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Baltimore
 
Stamford
 
Cape Cod
 
Bayside
 
Philadelphia
 
Corona, NY
 
Oshawa, Ontario, CA
 
Shelton, CT
 
Philadelphia
 
Farmington, MI
 
Parsippany, NJ
 
   


 
   
2004
 
   
Rome, GA
 
Bayside
 
Melbourne, FL
 
Atlantic City
 
Newport Beach, CA
 
Salado, TX
 
Danbury, CT
 
Bayside
 
Philadelphia
 
Corona
 
Hudson, OH
 
Westford (Boston area)
 
Saratoga Springs, NY
 
Berlin, NJ
 
Stamford
 
Philadelphia
 
Odenton, MD
 
Piscataway
 
Indianapolis
 
Mid-Cities (Arlington)
 
National Scrabble Championship (incomplete)
 
Oakland
 
Farmington
 
Atlantic City
 
Parsippany Early Bird
 
Parsippany
 
Brownsville, TN
 
Lafayette, LA
 
Philadelphia
 
Philadelphia
 
Bayside
 
Stamford
 
Farmington
 
Shelton
 
Philadelphia
 
Farmington
 
   


 
   
2005
 
   
Bayside
 
Bayside
 
Philadelphia
 
Danbury
 
Farmington
 
Wilmington
 
Charlotte
 
St. Louis
 
Philadelphia
 
Bayside
 
BAT Early Bird
 
BAT Main Event
 
New Hartford, NY
 
Hudson, OH
 
Farmington
 
Bayside
 
Stamford
 
Philadelphia
 
Philadelphia
 
Toronto
 
Philadelphia
 
NSC
 
Parsippany
 
Dover
 
Bayside
 
Philadelphia
 
Bayside
 
Philadelphia
 
Lake George
 
Cape Cod
 
Twin Cities
 
Bayside
 
Philadelphia
 
Philadelphia
 
   
   
   


 
   
2006
 
   
Laguna Woods
 
Minneapolis Red Eye
 
Los Gatos
 
Salado
 
Dallas Open
 
Ardmore
 
New Orleans
 
Fort Worth
 
Albany (aborted)
 
Los Gatos
 
USSO
 
Berkley
 
Los Gatos
 
Portland EB
 
Portland
 
Portland LB
 
Los Gatos
 
Laguna Woods
 
Berkeley
 
Los Gatos
 
Berkeley
 
Los Gatos
 
Berkeley
 
Los Gatos
 
   
   
   


 
   
2007
 
   
Philadelphia
 
Hudson
 
Atlantic City
 
Bayside
 
Philadelphia
 
Saratoga Springs
 
Oshawa
 
North Salem
 
Bayside
 
Philadelphia
 
Berkeley
 
Farmington
 
Philadelphia
 
Port Jefferson
 
New Orleans
 
Atlantic City
 
New York City
 

 
The Great Streak
 
1 - Players Championship
 
2 - Bayside
 
3 - Philadelphia
 
4 - Farmington
 
5 - Philadelphia
 
6 - Wilmington
 
7 - Philadelphia
 
8 - North Salem
 
9 - Baltimore
 
10 - Bayside
 
11 - New York
 
12 - Lake George
 
13 - Philadelphia
 
14 - Bayside
 
North Salem
 
15 - Asheville
 
16 - Manchester
 
Philadelphia
 
17 - Elmhurst
 
18 - Oshawa
 
19 - North Salem
 
Philadelphia
 
20 - Port Jefferson
 
21 - Farmington
 
22 - Albany
 
   
   
   


 
   
2008
 
   
23 - Bayside
 
24 - Philadelphia
 
25 - Minneapolis Redeye
 
26 - Atlantic City
 
27 - Bayside
 
Wilmington (club)
 
28 - Rocky River
 
29 - Charlotte
 
30 - Saratoga Springs
 
31 - Hyde Park
 
32 - Dallas Open
 
33 - North Salem
 
Philadelphia
 
34 - Farmingdale
 
35 - Princeton
 
36 - Charleston
 
37 - Poughkeepsie
 
38 - Philadelphia
 
39 - BAT
 
40 - Bayside
 
NAST Final
 
Minneapolis NAST
 
Reno
 
Reno Night
 
Reno Late
 
National Scrabble Championship
 
Rocky River NAST
 
Big Apple Showdown
 
Charlotte
 
Charlotte Late
 
Fenton
 
Fenton
 
Indianapolis
 
Battle Creek
 
New York City
 
Wisconsin Dells NAST
 
Wisconsin Dells
 
Elyria
 
Lexington
 
Lexington Late
 
Minneapolis NAST
 
Minneapolis
 
MOO
 
Elmhurst
 
Strongsville
 
Danbury
 
Albany
 
Albany Late Bird
 
   
   
   


 
   
2009
 
   
Redeye
 
Ortonville
 
Rocky River
 
Guelph
 
Warren
 
Plainfield
 
Guelph
 
Twin Cities NAST
 
Twin Cities
 
Fenton
 
Fenton Late Bird
 
Sioux Falls
 
Oregon Tile
 
Oregon Tile Late Bird
 
Mississauga
 
Guelph
 
Akron
 
Austin
 
Austin Late Bird
 
Dallas
 
Mid-Cities
 
Mountain View
 
Cambridge
 
Rhinebeck
 
Port Jefferson
 
Baton Rouge
 
Cape Cod
 
Bayside
 
Wilmington
 
Essex
 
Manchester
 
Elmhurst
 
Bayside
 
Philadelphia
 
Safety Harbor
 
Albany
 
   
   
   


 
   
2010
 
   
BY1 - Rhinebeck
 
BY2 - Redeye (Main, NB)
 
BY3 - Hudson
 
BY4 - Atlantic City
 
BY5 - NAST Final, Berkeley
 
BY6 - Charlotte (EB, Main, NB)
 
BY7 - Pittsburgh, Philadelphia
 
BY8 - Saratoga Springs (EB, Main)
 
BY9 - Worcester, Rhinebeck
 
BY10 - Elyria
 
BY11 - Fort Lauderdale
 
BY12 - Princeton (EB, Main)
 
BY13 - Bayside
 
BY14 - Rockville
 
BY15 - BAT (EB, Main)
 
BY16 - Ardsley, Philadelphia
 
BY17 - Portland (EB, Main, LB)
 
BY18 - Buffalo (EB, Main)
 
BY19 - Hudson
 
BY20 - Durham, Philadephia
 
BY21 - Atlanta
 
BY22 - Tampa/Laguna Woods
 
BY23 - Charlotte
 
BY24 - Nashua
 
BY25 - Fort Lauderdale
 
BY26 - Reno/Albany
 
BY27 - Chevy Chase/Rome
 
BY28 - Toronto
 
BY29 - Michigan/Ohio Undercard
 
BY30 - Akron/Rocky River/La Grange Park
 
BY31 - National Scrabble Championship
 
BY32 - Guelph
 
BY33 - Independence
 
BY34 - Dover
 
BY35 - Portland, ME
 
BY36 - Bayside
 
BY37 - Philadelphia
 
BY38 - York
 
BY39 - Berlin
 
BY40 - Baltimore/Philadelphia
 
BY41 - Lake George (EB1, EB2, Main)
 
BY42 - Port Jefferson
 
BY43 - Rocky River
 
BY44 - Bayside/Philadelphia
 
BY45 - Guelph
 
BY46 - Essex
 
BY47 - Lexington
 
BY48 - Northampton
 
BY49 - Bayside/Portsmouth
 
BY50 - Strongsville
 
BY51 - Delaware