Date: Saturday, 17th April 2027
Venue: Edinburgh Central Youth Hostel, 9 Haddington Pl, Edinburgh EH7 4AL. PLEASE NOTE – This is at a different venue to last year's event.
Admission: The standard entry fee is £14. If you are entering Sunday's Scrabble tournament, the combined entry fee for both is £25. Please fill out the entry form, where you will find payment details: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/GDx4ivMfcb
Hosted by: James Burley
Doors open: 10:30
Games to be played: 7 9 Rounders, plus a 15 Round Final between the top two
Refreshments: Some will be freely available. There is also a café at the venue where you can purchase more
Finishes by: 18:15
Wheelchair accessible: Yes
Parking onsite?: Very limited. Park and Ride via the Tram is advised for those driving (alight at McDonald Road)
Format:
You will be playing 9-Round games in 'Bristol' style, where everyone plays the same selections in pairs, with each pair choosing their preferred numbers round format.
Game presentation will be using RoboRiley – selections will be projected on a big screen at the front.
We will play seven games, then the top two players will face each other in a 15 round Grand Final.
The first round will be drawn randomly, but don't worry if you have a bumpy start – for the remaining games you will be playing opponents that have scored similarly to you, so everyone should get some good, well matched games. The primary aim is to have fun!
Rough timetable for the day:
Doors open: 10:45
Welcome/Round 1 Draw: 11:15
Practice Round: 11:30 (for newcomers to get familiar with how the event will work)
Game 1: 11:45
Game 2: 12:25
Lunch: 13:00
Game 3: 14:00
Game 4: 14:40
Game 5: 15:20
Game 6: 16:00
Game 7: 16:40
Final: 17:20
Prizegiving: 17:50
Post-event group meal plans:
There will be a group meal booked in Edinburgh after the event, provisionally at Jolly's. Please let James know if you're interested in attending. Once there's been a sufficient response, a link to the spreadsheet will be posted for any preorders that may be required.
How to enter:
To sign up, please complete the entry form: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/GDx4ivMfcb
Public transport:
The venue is located about half a mile from Edinburgh Waverley Station, and also on the tram line – making it easy to get to and from, whether you're local or travelling from further afield.
Staying over?:
The venue also offers both private rooms, and shared hostel dorms for accommodation – see https://www.hostellingscotland.org.uk/hostels/edinburgh-central/ for more details. There are of course plenty of other options in Edinburgh and the surrounding area too.
Scrabble Sunday:
Following the success we had at York in 2026, Edinburgh will also be hosting a Scrabble tournament on Sunday 18th April. Both tournaments will be at the same venue. Entry to the Scrabble and the Countdown are individually £14, but entry to both is a single discounted payment of £25. If you have any questions about the Scrabble tournament, please email james@focalcountdown.com
Any questions?
Feel free to get in touch with us at hello@focalcountdown.com
Attending or organising a FOCAL event is subject to the Code of Conduct.
