2026 AUSTRALIAN MASTERS

Twenty of the top players will play the Australian Masters as a round robin in somewhere. At the same time, teams of three players from each of seven states or territories play the State Team Challenge as head-to-head matches.

Rule variation

Masters section has 5 point penalty for each word challenged but correct.

The contenders

The table below shows the teams according to qualification criteria set by the Council of the Australian Scrabble Players Association. A player must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident. Temporary visa holders are not eligible.
IMPORTANT: Selection processes will now give priority to Australian players who have told CASPA that they will attend or might attend. Send an email to barry.harridge@gmail.com with the subject line including AMSC25, and an indication of YES, NO or MAYBE. Any Australian ASPA member may ask to be considered, not just the ones listed as contenders.

Australian Masters

The selection comprises the best twenty active players (those players who have played at least one game during the qualification period) ranked by Q statistic.

State Team Challenge

Each state team will comprise three eligible players who have not already been selected for the Masters event and are the next best three from their state, ranked by Q statistic.
If insufficient eligible players are available … If insufficient eligible players are available, the state will not be permitted to participate in the State Team Challenge for that year unless a maximum of one stand-in can be fielded before the tournament from any state (generally, but not necessarily, that state in which the tournament takes place). That stand-in must also meet the above criteria.
An eligible stand-in may also be fielded in the event of illness or other unforeseen circumstance during the tournament.

Selection by ratings

The primary criterion for ranking candidates is the Q statistic
Details

Players may appeal to CASPA for a special dispensation in exceptional circumstances. In the event of any unforeseen issue the decision of CASPA is final.






Australian Masters


Contender
Q Stat
03.11.2025
Games
need 40
Peak (games)
Jul to Oct
Peak (games)
Nov to Feb
Peak (games)
Mar to Jun

David Eldar
2229.0049 2229(49)

Jakob Teitelbaum
2043.0019 2043(19)

Andrew Fisher
2008.0032 2008(32)

Naween Fernando
1931.0039 1931(39)

Cameron Farlow
1930.0066 1930(66)

Peter Kougi
1923.007 1923(7)

Ayorinde Saidu
1919.0032 1919(32)

Edward Okulicz
1911.0068 1911(68)

Josh Watt
1871.0026 1871(26)

Esther Perrins
1821.5076 1806(68)1837(8)

Bob Jackman
1807.00110 1807(110)

Trevor Halsall
1794.0068 1794(68)

Ryan Sutton
1793.0076 1836(68)1750(8)

Joanne Craig
1793.0097 1858(89)1728(8)

Nick Ivanovski
1761.0026 1761(26)

Ronnie Bennett
1759.0057 1759(57)

Max Mason
1754.0034 1754(34)

Adam Kretschmer
1748.006 1748(6)

Rod Talbot
1733.50103 1746(95)1721(8)

State Challenge


Contender
Q Stat
03.11.2025
Games
need 40
Peak (games)
Jul to Oct
Peak (games)
Nov to Feb
Peak (games)
Mar to Jun
ACT1
Noel Barrett
1725.0052 1725(52)
ACT2
John Spaan
1709.0034 1709(34)
ACT3
John Hamilton
1649.0086 1661(81)1637(5)
ACT4
Tim Reddan
1390.0041 1390(41)
ACT5
Lexia Smallwood
1381.0031 1388(26)1374(5)
ACT6
Alex Boiko
1364.5038 1407(33)1322(5)
NSW1
Victor Tung
1721.5027 1704(19)1739(8)
NSW2
Tony Hunt
1709.00100 1806(92)1612(8)
NSW3
John Holgate
1674.5077 1697(69)1652(8)
NSW4
Garth van Vliet
1608.0068 1608(68)
NSW5
Rocky Sharma
1503.0032 1503(32)
NSW6
Graeme Lock Lee
1495.0026 1495(26)
QLD1
Carmel Dodd
1674.50119 1673(112)1676(7)
QLD2
Sam Amarasinghe
1648.00*0 1648(0)
QLD3
Karen Richards
1635.50149 1708(134)1563(15)
QLD4
Ryan Anderson
1606.0016 1606(16)
QLD5
Julie Brice
1587.0062 1587(62)
QLD6
Jane Brown
1567.0044 1567(44)
SA1
Daniel Piechnick
1712.0024 1712(24)
SA2
Jane Taylor
1693.00126 1693(126)
SA3
Tony Miller
1646.0024 1646(24)
SA4
Antony Kimber
1497.0040 1497(40)
SA5
Michael Vnuk
1460.0029 1460(29)
SA6
Malcolm McAnulty
1347.00*0 1347(0)
TAS1
Stephen Mooney Purse
1703.0018 1703(18)
TAS2
Dianne Brumby
1573.0068 1573(68)
TAS3
Jon Ford-King
1545.0044 1545(44)
TAS4
Martin Rose
1470.0026 1470(26)
TAS5
Khen Meerding
1409.004 1409(4)
TAS6
Margaret Webb
1391.004 1391(4)
VIC1
Oscar Ivanovski
1728.0061 1728(61)
VIC2
Geoff Wright
1593.0043 1593(43)
VIC3
Nat Podesser
1524.0069 1524(69)
VIC4
Chris Scholten
1517.007 1517(7)
VIC5
Ray Alford
1478.007 1478(7)
VIC6
Kashi Thiris
1448.0026 1448(26)