ABSP Online League

Welcome to the ABSP Online League - a free, online Scrabble league for ABSP members.

All games are played on the Scrabble GO app. This is available on Android and Apple devices as well as a desktop version via Facebook app.

In each round, players play a full round robin against all the other players in their division - typically, 10 games - at the same time. At the end of the round, the top players in each division will be promoted to the next highest division. Rounds last for two weeks, starting every other Tuesday at 8pm UK time.

In order to play in the league, you will need to join the ABSP Online Facebook forum, where the league administrators and other players will be happy to answer any questions. The league administrators are Anne Ashmore and Wayne Kelly. This is a private group, so you need to request access to it before you can post questions or see answers. When you request access, you will need to supply your ABSP membership number, so that the administrators can see that you are an ABSP member and one of them will respond to your request as soon as they are able. The most commonly asked questions are in the Frequently Asked Questions list below.

You will also need to register on myscrabbleapp.com to play. Registration is free for ABSP members wishing to play in the ABSP Online league. Sometimes, e-mail notifications are sent out (final game scores, notification of rounds starting), so make sure you remember to enter your e-mail address in My Details when signing up.

The league also has an etiquette guide with which players are expected to comply.

Quick start checklist

1. Ensure you are a current member of ABSP or sign up or renew
2. Visit the Facebook home page for the league and request access to the group, quoting your ABSP membership number.
3. Create an account on myscrabbleapp.com
4. Read the etiquette guide
5. Register for the next round and wait for it to start

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a Facebook account to play in the league?

Only if you want to play on the Facebook app. Users on Android or iOS devices can use the Scrabble GO app on those devices without requiring a Facebook account.

Do I need to 'friend' my opponents on Facebook?

No. However, you may wish to add your opponents to your favourites list inside Scrabble GO, as it makes it easier to identify these players in your list of active games.

Can I 'unfavourite' my opponents once the games are finished?

Yes. However, it is recommended that you do not routinely unfavourite your opponents, because in all likelihood, you will be playing against many of the same people again in the next round or so.

Can I play on my iPhone, iPad, Android phone or tablet?

Yes, Scrabble GO is available on both the Apple and Android app stores.

Can I play on my laptop or desktop computer?

Yes, there is a Scrabble GO Facebook app that is available if you have a web browser on any platform (you will need to log into your Facebook account from that browser first)

What if I'm going to be away and will not be able to play in the next round?

Do not register for the next round - or unregister from it if it has not yet started. If you miss multiple consecutive rounds, you will start dropping down one division every two rounds, but you can always miss one round and maintain your division without penalty.

What if I discover I won't be able to play for a few days after the round starts?

Use the chat facility in each of the games to explain to your opponents that you will not be able to play for a number of days. You can also post in the Facebook group, although if you're going away, it's best not to broadcast that fact on Facebook, even though it's a private group. Letting your opponents know what is going on is important - people start to worry if they've not heard from an opponent for a few days.

What happens if I don't finish all my games before the end deadline?

The league administrators will use screenshots provided by the players in the final half hour up to the deadline to adjudicate the game and determine the fairest final score possible.

Are there any penalties for not completing all my games before the deadline?

A system is currently under trial whereby any player who fails to finish two games or more in two successive rounds will be suspended for one round. If, after resuming play, they fail again to complete two or more games they will be suspended for a further two rounds. Extenuating circumstances will always be considered before penalties are imposed, as we know that sometimes unpredictable or unavoidable things will happen. We are not looking to impose draconian measures, but simply hope that this will encourage players to finish all their games and not leave them to the last minute.

How long does each round last?

Two weeks. Rounds start at 8pm UK time on Tuesdays every other week.

How many games do I play in each round?

Usually, 10.

How do I know who I am playing against and who starts?

All the management of who starts against whom is handled by the myscrabbleapp.com website once the round starts. More detailed instructions may be found in the How to play section elsewhere on this page.

How to play in the league

Instructions for playing in the league and using myscrabbleapp.com:

• Please join the ABSP Online group forum on Facebook before registering for the next round, so that you see any announcements. When you join the group, you need to quote your ABSP membership number.
• Log in to the myscrabbleapp website and choose ABSP ONLINE from the left-hand panel to see all your games.
• Within myscrabbleapp.com click the button to register for the next round, starting every other Tuesday at 8pm (UK time). Each round lasts two weeks and scoring closes at 8pm.
• When the round starts, find your matches under My Games. Further instructions on entering results can be found there.
• The 'starter' column indicates who should start the game. Use the opponent's Scrabble GO ID number to start a new classic Scrabble game with them.
  N.B. sometimes there are multiple people with the same name - make sure you play against the correct person! Using their player number instead of name will ensure that you play with the correct person.
  If your opponent has not started within 48 hrs, you may start (and you may, if you wish. make the first move or pass).
• Please enter a short message in the in-game chat to identify the league, the round and who is playing, e.g.: ABSP Online Rd 1 Rachel v Tom.
• Once you have played your first move, enter it in the 'first word' column and click the update button, to record that the game has started.
  If you exchange tiles, enter something like "Exch 5"; if you passed, just enter "Pass".
• Finishing: The player who lays the last tile should record the result immediately. To record a result, enter the scores in the order they appear in the Scrabble app (the starter on the left, the responder on the right). Click update or just hit return after editing but please note that you can only update one result at a time.
  If your opponent finished the game but did not enter the scores reasonably soon, you should enter them yourself to ensure that the scores are not lost.
• If you accidentally enter an incorrect score, you can simply re-enter the correct one or enter the scores as 0-0 until the game has finished.
• Your opponent is informed when you update a result. You can optionally include a short message in the 'Last Message' field. NB All result updates are recorded in the results log. The last message recorded is displayed.
• The spread is highlighted in green if you won and red if you lost. Note that the spread value shown is always the first score minus the second score. The stat table, when shown, gives a summary of all the results listed.

At the end of each round, promotions and relegations will occur, before the next round begins. Generally, the top 3 in each division will be promoted to the next higher division and the bottom 3 demoted to the next lowest division. However, sometimes the number of players who move division is different due to players missing a round.

Players who sit out will return below players in their previous division but above those in lower divisions. If two or more consecutive rounds are missed, players will drop one division per 2 rounds missed. New players will be added to the lowest division which will usually contain fewer than 11 players. *The highest division is Division A. If many players return at once it is possible some promotions in lower divisions will not occur as anticipated. On the plus side, when players sit out, some players may avoid demotion or extra players may get promoted. In all cases, the final ranking from the last round will be preserved (with top 3/bottom 3 swapping places).

League Etiquette

1. Please be courteous to other players on the Facebook page and within the games themselves.
2. No anagram checkers (ULU/Zyzzyva/Scrabble Checker etc) should be used when playing the games – you can check on the online dictionary before playing, or try multiple choices, but all attempts to play must be your own. The "Teacher" is also not to be used as this may give hooks away etc. The Teacher can be disabled in the Facebook Scrabble options.
3. Please remember to use the chat function to introduce the game – eg Hi opp – ABSP round xx, first word (your first play) will suffice. This is because people may have multiple games going and need to know which is a league match.
4. Please enter the first word played and the final scores as soon as you can – the player starting enters the first word and the player who concludes the game must enter the scores. If you see your opponent has not done either then you can do this yourself.
5. Please try to start games and complete as soon as you can within the deadlines – it’s not a race, but people can have other commitments and may not be around in the later stages. Opponents may start the game 48 hours after the start of the round.
6. If you think you may struggle to complete games in a round, then it may be worth missing out a round. This may lead to a demotion, but incomplete games may also count against you if you have not finished.
7. Please try and communicate with each other and admins – we don't put notices up for the fun of it! PMs are encouraged as they are unlikely to see messages on the game if they are unable to play. It is certainly good practice to let your opponents know if you are going to missing for a while – especially at the beginning or end of a round.
8. Nudging is not recommended as a prompt for your opponent to play as it doesn't have much effect - and no effect if they do not have notifications for the game active.
9. Resigning games is strictly not allowed. First offences will get a warning, second cases may result in a ban. In extreme cases, such as resigning all games in a round, will result in automatic ban of 10 rounds.
10. Please try and register for the next round when you know you can play, to save chasing people at the last minute. You can let admins know if you do not wish to play in the next round if this is not wanted to be broadcast.

As ever, if you have any queries please contact your admin: Anne Ashmore and Wayne Kelly