Scrabble Spring 2014 Week 3 Notes
Congratulations to Len Ennis---this week's winner of handmade Scrabble racks.
Thanks to Asheville Scrabble Club Members, Aaron Art, and Jay, for taking time to teach the beauty of this
game.
Long time between classes, so, lots of Scrabble stuff for you to pick through:
Alfred Mosher Butts- inventor of the game and designer of its symmetrical board is remembered in these
articles:
http://www.nytimes.com/1993/04/07/obituaries/alfred-m-butts-93-is-dead-inventor-of-scrabble.html
http://www.anb.org/articles/20/20-01922.html
http://www.scrabble-assoc.com/info/history.html
Alphabet on your scoresheet- When looking for front and back hooks, I find it helpful to look at an alphabet on
my scoresheet. You could just write an alphabet on yours if you like the idea.
Big teaching games- With many players on each team there are lots of great ideas for plays. Join us if you haven't
already done so.
Bingoes!- Couldn't have planned a better lesson about the value of bingoes as what happened in today's big game.
There were 5 bingos (alternate spelling) played and a 6th one unplayable. And, unbelievably, one team had 4 bingoes
in a row!---STUCCOED, SWOONERS, SPINDLER, and another I can't remember. I have never seen that done in
thousands of club games. You saw firsthand how bingos can change the course of a game. A student asked me how
she could develop her bingo skills. I highly recommend Bill Snoddy's weekly feature on our website and linked in
our weekly newsletter. He created very entertaining and helpful PowerPoints on bingo stems using high probability
letters. Each week there is a new 6-letter stem to make 7-letter bingos and a 7-letter stem to make 8-letter
bingos. Each stem has a mnemonic phrase that goes with it to remind you which letters can be added to the stem to
make bingoes. Ex: RETINA is the stem. The mnemonic is THE RED PUPIL PREFERS MUCH WINKING. Each of the
letters in the mnemonic combines with the letters in the RETINA stem to make 55 bingos! It's one of the best
ways to learn to recognize bingoes on your rack. Here's the Bingoes page on our website:
http://ashevillescrabble.com/Asheville_Scrabble_Club/Bingoes.html
Challenge the last play of the game- You have nothing to lose. Unless your opponent plays CAT or some other
obvious word, challenge the last play if you have any doubt about it.
Class Notes- all previous class notes are archived on the course website:
http://olliasheville.com/courses/20100-0
Club Players- Perhaps some of our Asheville Scrabble Club members have shared how they got started with club
play. Jay took this course last year. The scoring stats I shared about the club in general are not typical for players
just starting. A quick scan of players' stats after one year at club shows an average of about 315-330. If you
are used to playing four person games, your average score probably is about half of this range. We only play
one-on-one in club. Average bingos per game after one year at club is about 0.3-0.5 (1 bingo every 2-3
games). Surely there was some development even during the first year. I'll bet these averages are close to what
most class members are doing right now or would be after one year of club play. In other words, you are just like
us! So join us for more fun for all!
Leave 1 tile in the bag- a useful strategy at the end of the game that prevents your opponent from bingoing* (*
indicates a phoney) out. You are allowed to count how many tiles are left in the bag, so, play a word that lets you
draw all but one tile. Your opponent will have to draw once more allowing you a chance to retake the lead.
Otherwise, if s/he bingoes out, s/he gets double the face value of the tiles left on your rack.
Overdraws- Here's the procedure:. If you haven't mixed replacement tiles with tiles on your rack, then your
opponent gets to turn over X + 2 of the unmixed replacement tiles (where X = number of overdrawn tiles). The
opponent returns X number of tiles to the bag. If you have mixed replacement tiles with tiles on your rack, your
opponent gets to turn over X + 2 tiles from your entire rack and return X to the bag. This is why it is very
important to place your replacement tiles face down on the table not directly to your rack. If you overdraw and you
happen to have a blank or an S on your rack, your opponent would have a chance of selecting it for consideration of
which tiles to return to the bag.
Playing long- A technique to use, especially early in the game, to rid your rack of up to 6 letters by playing long
words. It frees your rack for replacement tiles increasing your odds of drawing one of the 10 power tiles (2 ?, 4 S,
J, Q, X, Z).
Playmaking- try these steps (abbreviated), in order, each time it's your turn, to increase your chances of winning:
1. Replacement tiles face down
2. Board hooks/premiums?
3. Alphagram
4. Bingo?
5. Move tiles
6. Offense/Defense
7. Play clunky/duplicates
8. Best leave
9. Best play; find better
Progress? A student delighted me reporting that she has seen progress already in her play. An opponent who used
to beat her 80% of the time now is doing so only 60% of their games. She finds herself thinking about the
strategies and considerations we have discussed in class. Another student told me that her opponent on online
Scrabble has seen a difference. Testimonials like these are every teacher's dream. Please share with me any
improvements you see in your own game. Keep me delighted!
Scrabble Rug http://www.samtimer.com/st-rugs.html
Strategy books available for checkout (last checkout Week 6):
• Everything Scrabble, 2nd ed. by Joe Edley and John D. Williams, Jr.
• Everything Scrabble, 3rd ed. by Joe Edley and John D. Williams, Jr.
• How to Play Scrabble Like a Champion, by World Scrabble Champion, Joel Wapnick
• Scrabble: Become Your Family Champ and Beyond, A Course Taught by Jacob Cohen
• Scrabble Strategy: The Secrets of a Scrabble Junkie by Todd Kreisman
• Scrabble Strategy Guide: from Australia; some words not good in N. American Scrabble, yet the strategy
instruction is excellent
• Official Kids’ Guide to Scrabble, by Bradley Robbins
• Official Scrabble Players Handbook, edited by Drue K. Conklin
• Tournament Success, by Darrell Day
•
Study? The word makes some Scrabblers cringe. I take a different approach which I just call learning. It's what
you've been doing all your life since you were exposed to your first word. Whether you pay attention to new words
played in games, browse through a dictionary, or focus on words with the highest probability of showing up, it's all
learning. And, we've already seen how learning can be fun!
Tutoring on Your Own Terms- I had a fun impromptu teaching game with one of our class members. She found
our time together very helpful. I will schedule time with any of you at the Reuter Center. Let me know what aspect
of the game you would like to learn more about.
The Last Word Newsletter- I highly recommend you subscribe to this free email newsletter. Cornelia Guest,
editor, covers the vast world of club and tournament Scrabble. Highly entertaining and informative:
http://www.thelastwordnewsletter.com/Last_Word/PDF_files/TLW April 2014.pdf
Zarf (the app I was using today to check for bingoes)- Zarf Scrabble app for iPhone & iPad
Zyzzyva http://zyzzyva.net
Preview of Week 4
• Completion of the Hot Spots (TWS-TWS)
• Scrabble Dabble (Skill Building)- hook letters for 6-letter words; anagramming 4-letter words
• Cheat Sheet
• Scrabble Guy teaches the 2s in 3 Minutes- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOaSzSV0ZXI
• Move Tiles on Your Rack
• Tile Order of Usefulness
• Rack Management
• Scrabble Dabble (Skill-Building)- anagramming 5-letter words
• Teaching Games- Maybe I was premature to suggest that some of you may be ready to play with closed racks
(not viewable by your opponent). Open racks are a great way to teach and feel free to continue that way for
the whole course. Yet, some of you may want to try closed racks. I asked my club helpers to continue to
discuss their strategy and yours whichever way you choose. It's your call.