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33-478: The first officially sanctioned Scrabble tournaments in the U.S. were spearheaded, organized and run by Joel Skolnick in the mid-1970s. Skolnick was a recreation director for the New York City Parks and Recreation Department. He approached Selchow and Righter in late 1972, and the first tournament, open to Brooklyn residents only, commenced on March 18, 1973. The Funk and Wagnalls Collegiate Dictionary

66-532: A 25–6 record. In 2012, Amalan Iyengar of North Carolina won Division 4 with a 22–9 record. Also in 2012, Chris Canik of Texas won Division 3 with a 26–5 record, the best record in that division's history. In 2013, Andy Hoang of North Carolina won Division 3 with a 23–8 record. Bradley Robbins and Andy Hoang are the only people to have won both the National School Scrabble Championship (2010 for Robbins, 2009 and 2012 for Hoang) and

99-399: A 5-game playoff. Rafi Stern won division 3 of the 2006 National Championship, posting a 20-8 record. Joey Krafchick out of Georgia won division 5 at the 2007 Players' Championship with a 25.5-5.5 record, followed by Bradley Robbins from New Hampshire winning division 6 going 24-4 in 2008. In 2010, Richard Spence of Arizona won Division 4 with a 25.5–5.5 record, and in 2011, won Division 2 with

132-617: A division in the National Scrabble Championship (2008, Division 6 for Robbins & 2013, Division 3 for Hoang). Mack Meller of New York placed seventh in Division 1 in 2013. He started the 2014 event with a 7–0 record, giving him first place in Division 1 after the first day of the event, and again finished seventh overall. Funk and Wagnalls Funk & Wagnalls was an American publisher known for its reference works , including A Standard Dictionary of

165-571: A group of Funk & Wagnalls executives, who in turn sold it to Field Corporation in 1988. In 1991, the company was sold to K-III Holdings, Inc , and then in 1993 Funk & Wagnalls Corporation acquired the World Almanac . After failing to purchase rights to the text of the Encyclopædia Britannica and World Book Encyclopedia for its Encarta digital encyclopedia, Microsoft reluctantly used (under license)

198-455: A rotation between five regions: southeast, southwest, northeast, northwest, and central). The 2020 and 2021 events were canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic . The 2022 event, the first under the new SPC identity, was held in Baltimore on July 23–27, and was won by Michael Fagen, a data analyst from Quebec. In 2012, a Collins division for international-English play was added for

231-676: A time, was the Family Library Of Great Music , a 22-album series of classical recordings. One famous composer was highlighted in each release. The records were manufactured exclusively for Funk & Wagnalls by RCA Custom. In 1965, Funk & Wagnalls Co. was sold to Reader's Digest . In 1971, the company, now Funk and Wagnalls, Incorporated, was sold to Dun & Bradstreet . Dun and Bradstreet retained Funk & Wagnalls New Encyclopedia , but other reference works were relinquished to other publishers. In 1984, Dun & Bradstreet sold Funk & Wagnalls, Inc., to

264-700: The New Standard Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language was published under the supervision of Isaac K. Funk (Editor-in-Chief). The New Standard Unabridged Dictionary was revised until 1943, a later edition that was also supervised by Charles Earl Funk. The encyclopedia was based upon Chambers's Encyclopaedia : "Especially are we indebted to the famous Chambers's Encyclopaedia  ... With its publishers we have arranged to draw upon its stores as freely as we have found it of advantage so to do." Wilfred J. Funk ,

297-494: The $ 1,500 first prize, followed by Dan Pratt and Mike Senkiewicz. In 1980, soon after the publication of the first Official Scrabble Players Dictionary, control of the national tournament passed to the National Scrabble Association . They continued to organize the tournament until 2008. The official name of the tournament has been National SCRABBLE Championship in recent years, except in 2006 when it

330-509: The Adult Nationals. The team with the most wins is determined the winner. If there are multiple teams with the same number of wins, cumulative point spread is used to break the tie. Matthew Silver of Connecticut became the first competitor to win two consecutive National School Scrabble Championship titles, in 2007 (with Aune Mitchell) and 2008 (with Logan Rosen). Matt Silver accumulated a 14-0 record in those two years. In 2009, for

363-726: The Concord hotel (won by Harriet Zucker) in New York's Catskill region. Another two tournaments quickly followed in November that same year: in Baltimore, Gordon Shapiro topped approximately 400 contestants; and at the Brooklyn War Memorial approximately 2,000 people entered the nine weekly preliminary rounds of the first all–New York City Scrabble Championship. It was won by Bernie Wishengrad. The New York City Championship

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396-549: The English Language (1st ed. 1893–5), and the Funk & Wagnalls Standard Encyclopedia (25 volumes, 1st ed. 1912). The encyclopedia was renamed Funk & Wagnalls New Standard Encyclopedia in 1931 and in 1945, it was known as New Funk & Wagnalls Encyclopedia , Universal Standard Encyclopedia , Funk & Wagnalls Standard Reference Encyclopedia , and Funk & Wagnalls New Encyclopedia (29 volumes, 1st ed. 1971). The last printing of Funk & Wagnalls New Encyclopedia

429-471: The Magnificent " sketch by explaining that the envelopes he would hand to Johnny Carson (in character as "Carnac") had been: "...hermetically sealed in a mayonnaise jar on Funk and Wagnall's porch since noon today!" The envelopes contained questions, to which "Carnac" would divine the answers by reading a script on his desk. In an episode of South Park (Season 7, Episode 1) entitled " Cancelled ",

462-601: The character Eric Cartman is quoted as saying to his friends Stan, Kyle, and Kenny "What the Funk & Wagnalls are you guys talking about?", as the other boys are discussing a past memory of aliens abducting Cartman, which was a reference to the show's pilot episode. In season 1, episode 21 of " West Wing ", the character of C.J. tells the character of Toby, "Thank you, Funk and Wagnall's." Which Toby turns to another character Ginger as they are walking away from C.J., "What'd she call me?". Ginger replies, "Funk and Wagnall's. They make

495-499: The dictionary." Toby replies, "I know who Funk and Wagnall's are." National School Scrabble Championship The North American School Scrabble Championship, formerly the National School Scrabble Championship, is a Scrabble tournament for 3rd grade to 8th grade students, held annually in North America since 2003. In 2018, 3rd graders were allowed to compete for the first time. Prior to 2012, 5th graders were

528-448: The edges and the later volumes were not. A volume was typically priced at $ 2.99, but toward the later volumes the price had increased with the inflation of the 1970s . If one did not go shopping on a weekly basis, or delivery was spotty, there was a good chance that a volume might be missed to complete the set. The encyclopedia was also sold as a mail order set of 36(?) volumes; one volume a month. Also sold in grocery stores, one volume at

561-518: The encyclopedia through a supermarket continuity marketing campaign, encouraging consumers to include the latest volume of the encyclopedia on their shopping lists . Grocery stores in the 1970s in the Midwest (Chicago – Jewel Grocers) typically kept about four volumes in a rotation, dropping the last and adding the latest until all volumes could be acquired with the initial first volume being 99 cents. The first several volumes were gold painted along

594-464: The final best-of-five series. David Eldar won the division in 2016 with a 27–4 record, beating past champion Logan by a six-game margin. Austin Shin won the top division in 2017 with a 22–9 record, prevailing over runner-up Dave Wiegand in the final round; this was the first year that Collins players were divided into two divisions. Austin repeated his win in 2022, defeating Waseem Khatri from Pakistan in

627-480: The firm as a partner and the name of the firm was changed to Funk & Wagnalls Company. During its early years, Funk & Wagnalls Company published religious books. The publication of The Literary Digest in 1890 marked a shift to publishing of general reference dictionaries and encyclopedias . The firm published The Standard Dictionary of the English Language in 2 volumes in 1893 and 1895, and Funk & Wagnalls Standard Encyclopedia in 1912. In 1913,

660-402: The first Canadian champions: Alex Li and Jackson Smylie from Ontario. In 2018 and 2019 Noah Slatkoff, also from Ontario, was champion (with Jeffrey Pogue from Connecticut). In 2014, champion Thomas Draper became the first three-time finalist. The 2014 NASC was the first tournament to return to Providence since 2009. 2015 was the second year in a row where a bi-coastal team won the tournament and

693-722: The first time ever, the event was won by a team of 5th graders, Andy Hoang and Erik Salgado of Salem Elementary in North Carolina. They were the last team to finish the tournament with an undefeated record (7-0) until 2018, when the team of Jeffrey Pogue (CT) and Noah Slatoff (ON) finished with a perfect 9-0 record. The champions finished 6-1 in 2010, 7-1 in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016, and 8-1 in 2017 and 2019. The winners have often been invited to be on Good Morning America and Jimmy Kimmel Live! . The event has also received recognition from president Barack Obama and NBA superstar Shaquille O'Neal , who are advocates for

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726-483: The first time, won by Sam Kantimathi with a 24–7 record. In 2013, John O'Laughlin, creator of the Quackle software program, won the division with a 24–7 record, winning $ 2,500 and claiming his first NSC divisional title. Past world, national, and Canadian champion Adam Logan won the division easily in 2014 with a 23–4 record and four byes. Peter Armstrong prevailed over past champion Dave Wiegand in 2015, winning 3–2 in

759-447: The fourth consecutive time where a team from North Carolina played in the final game. In 2018 the first U.S.-Canadian team won. Selected games from these tournaments were aired live with commentary on the internet. In 2017, champions Zach Ansell and Jem Burch both won for the second time, but with different teammates. Zach won with Noah Kalus in 2015, and Jem won with Cooper Komatsu in 2016. In 2019, Jeffrey Pogue and Noah Slatkoff became

792-704: The game themselves. In 2012, Andy Hoang and Erik Salgado of North Carolina became the first team to win two NSSC titles, their first as 5th graders in 2009, and their second as 8th graders in 2012. In 2019, Jeffrey Pogue and Noah Slatkoff became the first team to win consecutive championships. The 2013 NSSC was held in Washington D.C. 2013 marked the first time since 2009 that a previous champion did not compete. In 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2019 Andy Hoang, Erik Salgado, Bradley Robbins, Evan McCarthy, Jeffrey Pogue, and Noah Slatkoff were champions that returned. Andy Hoang and Erik Salgado and Jeffrey Pogue and Noah Slatkoff were

825-818: The only ones to repeat during the streak, with Jeffrey Pogue and Noah Slatkoff being the first to win back-to-back championships. With Jeffrey Pogue and Noah Slatkoff's win in 2019, Connecticut became the first state to hold 4 National titles: Connecticut players Matthew Silver (2007 and 2008), Aune Mitchell (2007), Logan Rosen (2008), and Jeffrey Pogue (2018 and 2019). California and North Carolina teams have won 3 National titles: California players Zach Ansell (2015 and 2017), Jem Burch (2016 and 2017), and Cooper Komatsu (2016); and North Carolina Players Andy Hoang (2009 and 2012), Erik Salgado (2009 and 2012), Kevin Bowerman (2013), and Raymond Gao (2013). Canadian teams were permitted to compete in this event starting in 2010, and 2011 saw

858-578: The son of Isaac Funk, was president of the company from 1925 to 1940. In 1934, Funk & Wagnalls started the Literary Digest Books imprint. It launched with seven titles with up to twenty-five a year intended. The imprint lasted into mid-1935. Unicorn Press (later known as the Standard Reference Work Publishing Co.) obtained the rights to publish the encyclopedia, and by 1953 that firm began to sell

891-671: The text of Funk & Wagnalls encyclopedia for the first editions of its encyclopedia. This licensed text was gradually replaced over the following years with content Microsoft created itself. In 1998, as part of the Information division of Primedia Inc. (the renamed K-III), the encyclopedia content appeared on the Web site "funkandwagnalls.com". This short-lived venture was shut down in 2001. Ripplewood Holdings bought Primedia's education division in 1999, which became part of Reader's Digest Association in 2007. In 2009, Funk & Wagnalls

924-514: The youngest grade allowed to compete. The School Scrabble Championship uses the Official Scrabble Players Dictionary . The competition is in tournament Scrabble play, in which teams of two play for 25 minutes with digital timers similar to those used in the board game of chess . The time limit was originally 22 minutes for each side until 2012 when the switch was made to coincide with the traditional times of

957-549: Was acquired by World Book Encyclopedia . During certain scenes of banter between Dan Rowan and Dick Martin on the NBC comedy-variety show Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In , after a particular anecdote of trivia or wisdom , Dick Martin would close with: "Look that up in your Funk & Wagnalls!" Sales of the dictionary reportedly increased by 30% as a result of this recurring joke. On The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson , sidekick Ed McMahon would begin each " Carnac

990-463: Was in 1997. As of 2018 , annual Yearbooks are still in production. The I.K. Funk & Company , founded in 1875, was renamed Funk & Wagnalls Company after two years, and later became Funk & Wagnalls Inc. , then Funk & Wagnalls Corporation . Isaac Kaufmann Funk founded the business in 1875 as I.K. Funk & Company. In 1877, Adam Willis Wagnalls , one of Funk's classmates at Wittenberg College (now Wittenberg University ), joined

1023-566: Was named US SCRABBLE Open . In 2015, to recognize the longtime eligibility of Canadian members, it was renamed North American SCRABBLE Championship . Since 2009, the tournament has been organized annually by NASPA Games (formerly known as North American SCRABBLE Players Association). The first event under NASPA was held in Dayton, Ohio , in August 2009. Since then, the championships have been held in various U.S. cities (chosen more or less based on

Scrabble Players Championship - Misplaced Pages Continue

1056-756: Was thereafter held annually, jointly sponsored by Selchow and Righter and the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation. The first national tournament was the North American Invitational, held May 19–21, 1978, in the Presidential Suite of the Loews Summit Hotel in New York City. Joel Skolnick and Carol Felstein, as usual, served as the tournament director and word judge, respectively. David Prinz took

1089-515: Was used to rule on challenges, and the official word judge was Skolnick's then-wife Carol. Carol's sister, Shazzi Felstein, who would later finish in ninth place at the first North American Invitational tournament, won the first preliminary round with 1,321 points over three games. The final round took place on April 15, 1973, and Jonathan Hatch was the winner of the first official Scrabble tournament The summer of 1973 saw two more tournaments, held respectively at Grossingers (won by Minerva Kasowitz) and

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