Division A finished with a tight race at the top, as Mack Meller and Joey Krafchick both closed at 6.0-1.0. Meller took first place on spread, finishing at +340, while Krafchick landed just behind at +309 after a strong final-game win. The top two were separated by only 31 spread points, which made every point across the event matter. Jeff Fiszbein claimed third place at 4.0-3.0 with a healthy +245 spread, completing the paid place positions. Meller wins the division on sprea

Kristy Zurbrick’s long wait ended in Division B with a first-place finish that was 22 years in the making. In her 86th tournament appearance, Zurbrick claimed her first tournament division win, finishing at 5.0-2.0 with a +291 spread. She edged Daniel Stock, who also finished 5.0-2.0, by 33 spread points to take the top spot and the $150 first-place prize. The final standings came down to a tight race at the top, a meaningful last-round result, and one of the best stories a t

Division C finished with a tight race at the top, as three players closed the event at 4.0-2.0. Spread decided the final order, and Gaurang Shah finished first with a commanding +642 spread after a strong final-game win. The final standings also included a separate high-win prize outside the place money. Joe Roberdeau claimed that $20 award with a 516-277 win over Bob Brail in Round 3. Shah takes first place on spread Gaurang Shah, Penny Sitler, and Sam Swain all ended with f

Division D came down to a tight finish at the top, with Joshua Ruark and Andrew Wade both ending on 5.0 wins and 2.0 losses. Ruark claimed first place on spread, finishing at +275, while Wade took second at +212 after defeating Ruark in their final listed game, 443-378. David Gill rounded out the paid place positions in third, finishing 4.0-3.0 with a strong +173 spread. Chris Sitler, who landed just outside the top three, still walked away with the $20 high win out-of-place

Division E finished with a tight race at the top, a separate high-win prize, and three players ending on identical 5.0-2.0 records. The final standings came down to spread, where Chukwuemeka Bosah held off Mitch Mathias and Craig Bushman for first place. Bosah wins Division E on spread The final Division E standings were decided by win-loss record first, then spread. That made every point matter in the closing round. Bosah entered the final accounting with a 5.0-2.0 mark and

Division F finished with a tight race at the top, as Prince Barlow and Keith Pringle both closed the event at 6.0-1.0. Barlow claimed first place on spread, finishing at +914, while Pringle took second with a strong +769. The final standings also delivered a clear third-place finisher, a notable high-win performance outside the prize list, and several decisive last-round results that shaped the final order. Barlow takes first place on spread Barlow and Pringle matched each ot

A good tournament side prize needs the right mix of skill, surprise, and wordplay. The Best COWABUNGA Word award had all three. The prize went to Donna Courtney, whose play of ABALONE scored 72 points and contained five letters from `COWABUNGA`. That was enough to take the award under the event’s rules, which rewarded the valid play, with no phonies, that used the most letters from the word `COWABUNGA`, excluding any blanks. Courtney took home $30 for the victory. It is the

Round 6 delivered a clean separation at the top of Division A, a tighter chase in Division B, and a three-way logjam in Division C. Across all three divisions, the latest results did more than add wins and losses. They changed the pressure points for the next round. Mack Meller stayed perfect in Division A with another high-scoring win. Daniel Stock took firm control of Division B. Gaurang Shah kept the top spot in Division C, but the division remains crowded with three playe

Round 6 brought separation at the top in Division D and Division F, while Division E turned into the kind of five-player traffic jam that can define a tournament. With only spread separating several contenders, every point scored in the final turns now carries extra weight. Across Divisions D through F, three themes stood out: Joshua Ruark stayed in front in Division D, Pete Baney claimed the top line in a crowded Division E, and Prince Barlow held off a strong chase from Kei

Round 5 tightened some races and widened others, with Divisions D, E, and F all showing very different shapes at the top. Division D has a two-player fight for first. Division E is just as tight, separated by only 10 spread points at the top. Division F has the most crowded lead group, with three players sitting at 4.0-1.0 and strong spreads behind them. The biggest story is simple: wins still lead the table, but spread is starting to matter in a serious way. One close win, o

Round 5 brought the first clear separation at the top of the field, but only Division A has a perfect leader. Mack Meller moved to 5-0 with another high-scoring win, while Division B and Division C both tightened into crowded chases behind their leaders. The spread column now matters more with every round. Several players sit on the same win-loss records, and a single strong result could shift the order quickly. After five rounds, the leaders are set, the middle packs are pac

Four games in, Cowtown Scrabble Tourney has crowded races in Divisions D, E, and F. Several players share the same records, but spread is doing plenty of work near the top of each table. Division F has the widest separation at the top, with four players sitting at 3.0-1.0 and Prince Barlow leading by a huge spread. Division E also has a three-way race at 3.0-1.0, while Division D remains tightly packed after a result that put Joshua Ruark and David Gill level on wins. Here is

Round 4 gave Cowtown a clean leader in Division A, a crowded race in Division B, and a three-way chase at the top of Division C. The standings are starting to separate, but not enough for anyone outside the top spot in A to feel safe. Mack Meller remains the only undefeated player across Divisions A through C after a 435-405 win over Jeff Fiszbein. Division B tightened around two 3-1 records, while Division C now has three players sitting at 3-1 with big spreads that could ma

Three rounds are in the books, and the standings have already started to separate the steady starters from the crowded chasing packs. After Round 3, Mack Meller, Dan Stock, Joshua Ruark, and Linda Nervis remain perfect in their respective divisions. Meller, the 2024 and 2026 US Champion, is the lone undefeated player in Division A at 3-0 with a commanding +222 spread. Stock, better known to many as the Purple Man, leads Division B at 3-0 with a +122 spread. Ruark has opened t

Round 2 at Cowtown 2026 has already created the first real separation across the field. Every division still has plenty of room to shift, but the undefeated lists now tell the early story. In Division A, Mack Meller and Joey Krafchick remain perfect, with Mack holding the top spot by 56 spread points. Division B has three players at 2-0, led by eighth seed John Healey on spread over Kristy Zurbrick and Dan Stock. Division C has the cleanest picture so far, with Penny Sitler s

The first tiles are down, the clocks are running, and the Cowtown 2026 Scrabble Tournament is officially in motion. A field of 48 players is now engaged in Round 1 play, marking the start of a full tournament schedule that will test vocabulary, board vision, time management, and nerve. Every rack matters from the opening exchange, and every point earned in this first round can shape the path ahead. Good luck to all players competing today. Round 1 begins with fresh racks, ope