August 2011 - The Last Word Newsletter

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The Last Word
The Independent Tournament SCRABBLE® Newsletter
A Monthly Newsletter
Issue 20 - August 2011
Ambigrammic Letter Tiles
July 4th at Albany
Inaugural WGPO Word Cup
The Last Word is an independent publication for tournament SCRABBLE® players. It is not
affiliated with Hasbro, Mattel, the North American SCRABBLE® Players Association (NASPA),
the Word Game Players’ Organization (WGPO), or the National SCRABBLE® Association (NSA).
Our mission is to provide content of interest to all SCRABBLE® players, so please let us know if
there are topics you would like us to add. We welcome contributions: stories, artwork, etc.
For the time being, we are hoping to provide this Newsletter at no charge; however, since it is a
100% volunteer effort, we would appreciate any donations. Advertisers are encouraged, too. If
you would like to have The Last Word emailed to you, please send a request with your email
address to [email protected] and we will add you to our mailing list.
Editor in Chief: Cornelia Guest
Columnists: Joe Bihlmeyer, Jan Cardia, Timothy Cataldo, Judy
Cole, Diane Firstman, Ryan Fischer, Stu Goldman, Jeff Kastner,
James Leong, Joan Mocine, Art Moore, Lester Schonbrun, Larry
Sherman, Chris Sinacola, Siri Tillekeratne, Linda Wancel
Editors-at-large: Robin Pollock Daniel, Joe Edley, Stefan Fatsis,
Ted Gest
Contributors: Sandee Bloom, Vince Castellano, Roger Cullman,
Peggy Grant, Cheryl Kagan, Eric Harshbarger, Keith Hagel, Cheryl
Kagan, Dan Krieger, Jerry Lerman, David Lewis, Jessica Meller,
Mack Meller, Judy Newhouse, Larry Rand, Richard Silberg, Allan
Simon, Rebecca Slivka, Bob Umlas, Betsey Wood, Nancy Yu
The Last Word is a volunteer
effort. We appreciate your
donations.
(PayPal or snail mail--contact
[email protected])
For advertising rates,
please email
[email protected]
Copyright © 2011 GuessWhat! Some data copyright ©1999-2011 NSA; copyright © 2010-2011 NASPA; and copyright © 2005-2011 Seth Lipkin and Keith Smith.
SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark of Hasbro, Inc.in the USA and Canada. Elsewhere it is the trademark of J.W. Spear & Sons, Ltd.
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Table of Contents
From the Editor 3
Advertising Section: Equipment, Tournaments, Organizations, Books 4
Emails to the Editor 9
Tournament News 11
Albany 4th of July Weekend: SCRABBLE® Fireworks! 11
WGPO Word Cup 2011 by Larry Rand 15
11th Annual Washington, D.C., Summer Tournament by Ted Gest 19
Old Greenwich: Summer SCRABBLE in the C.T. 21
Tournament Results 25
New Faces: Bob Umlas 27
Scrab-doku by Jeff Kastner 29
The Wordsmith by Chris Sinacola 32
Diane’s DEFALTS by Diane Firstman 36
What’s Your Play? 37
Mack Meller: Youngest SCRABBLE Expert by Cornelia Guest 41
Go Fish? by Mack Meller 44
Know the Rules by Jan Cardia 46
U.S. World Championship Team Selected 47
Linda’s Library by Linda Wancel 48
Club News edited by Larry Sherman 50
Ambigrammic Letter Tiles (v2.0) by Eric Harshbarger 52
One Up! Cup for August by Timothy Cataldo 54
SCRABBLE® and Scrabblers in the News edited by Judy Cole 55
Word Trivia Quiz by Siri Tillekeratne 62
Historic Moments: SCRABBLE® Throughout the Years by Stu Goldman 64
Word Star by Jeff Kastner 65
Passages edited by Larry Sherman 66
SCRABBLE® Resources 70
Tournament Calendar 73
Archives 80
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From the Editor
As we go to press, 327 players are in Dallas for the 21st National SCRABBLE® Championship.
Entries are the lowest since 1994 (294), and well off the peak of 837 in 2004. Various guesses have
been made as to the reason: the economy, the WGPO controversy, the Dallas heat. But one player
mentioned to me another possibility: Interest in SCRABBLE may have peaked.
Is it possible? Stefan Fatsis’s fantastic book Word Freak, which attracted so many new players to
the world of tournament SCRABBLE, has just been reissued in a special “10th Anniversary” issue.
Stefan will be at Nationals, introducing the new edition and talking about some of the changes that
have happened since Word Freak was published (many because the book was published).
But have the numbers of new players gone down recently? It’s hard to say. When the NSA allowed
one free tournament before becoming an NSA member, there may have been more first-timers;
however, how many of them stayed with it? The WGPO lets players participate in tournaments
without even joining the organization (which is free to join). But how do new players find out about
their tournaments--or any tournaments? After the initial rush of interest with Word Freak, numbers
seem to have leveled off. The new players I see at my tournaments learn about them mainly by
word of mouth. There isn’t much promotion for tournament SCRABBLE.
This past month there have been several large, multi-day tournaments with strong attendance. But
not many newcomers. Albany: 114 players; 0 newcomers; WGPO Word Cup: 114 players; 1
newcomer; Old Greenwich: 68 players; 2 newcomers. The Old Greenwich Newcomers Tournament I
ran attracted only 8 new faces, down from 20 who attended my 2008 Danbury Newcomers
Tournament, or the 28 who came to the 2003 Danbury Newcomers Tourament in 2003--my first
tournament, which I learned about from an ad in the Danbury News-Times.
The tournaments that drew the most newcomers had the most publicity. Several years ago a local
paper did a front-page feature about my upcoming library tournament--an unrated 4-game
tournament with youth and adult divisions. The tournament sold out, with 40 players and a waiting
list of 20. The next year I ran the same tournament, but got no publicity. Only 16 players attended.
Unrated benefit tournaments with advance press attract large numbers. Interest is there.
What can we, as organizers and directors, do to encourage new players to try tournament
SCRABBLE? What can we do to ensure players come back for a second, third, and possibly 553rd
tournament (go Stu Goldman!)
Try to publicize the event--beyond cross-tables.com and NASPA, NSA, and WGPO calendars.
Reach out to local papers--or an Internet news source such as Patch. Consider running ads, in
papers or on Google or Facebook. Perhaps some of the money from NASPA participation fees
could be used to advertise upcoming tournaments--at the same time promoting NASPA.
Consider shorter tournaments or divisions for first-timers and younger players (4 games seems a
good number; 8 scares off many of my cold callers). Offer a reduced entry fee and/or special prizes
for new players.
And think about how to keep new players coming back. Ira Freehof’s amazing New York
tournaments showed how much fun tournaments can be--dinner, ice cream, massages! Let’s think
outside the box and revitalize tournament SCRABBLE!
Cornelia Guest
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SCRABBLE by the SEA
The Berkeley Oceanfront Hotel - Asbury Park, NJ Saturday, August 20, 2011
9:30 am Registration
This event will be organized into 3 divisions:
OPEN (for expert players, and players rated over 1,000)
LITE (for the casual player and players rated 1,000 and under)
JUNIOR (for casual players 15 and under).
Starting at 10:00 AM, players will complete three games against opponents with similar
skill levels. After the third game, the top 5 players in each category will win cash and/or
door prizes. Prize amounts will vary based on number of entrants, although the top OPEN
prize is expected to be approximately $250.
TICKETS: Tax Deductible Donations by Division: $20 (Junior), $35 (Lite), $50 (Open)
Early bird pricing (before August 1) is available through pre-registration at:
http://www.arcofmonmouth.dreamhosters.com/wordpress/scrabble
For more information, contact [email protected]
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Emails to the Editor
Should you wish to send an email to the editor or comment on any of the Newsletter articles—or
make suggestions or corrections—please email Cornelia Guest at [email protected].
Snail mail is welcome at 135 Codfish Hill Road, Bethel, CT 06801. Emails chosen for publication
may be edited at the editor’s discretion.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Cornelia,
I found this pretty cool. Quoted from my LiveJournal:
"Nigel, Conrad and I played three games of SCRABBLE® in the park [in early July]. Nigel and I
were pitted against Conrad in the first round, and he led for the first half of the game. Then we drew
DIELDRI(N) 83, FLUIDIT(Y) 98, A(L)IQUaNT 122, and CONTEMn 89 to go out and win by around
200. Next, Conrad and I were pitted against Nigel. Our first four plays were AbELIAS 64, (E)
IGHTIES 89, DREID(E)LS 77, and GIRA(S)OLE 68. We then played OUZO for 44 and drew NARR
(A)TER for 62. That's a total of eight bingos in a row!"
I've been enjoying The Last Word, as always! Thanks for continuing to manage it. :)
Best, Noah Walton
_______________________________________________________________________________
Everyone-Many of you know that I have awarded a Geezer Prize at last month's Word Cup, given to the best
performing senior, and you may also know that there are plans to endow the prize so it will continue
after--hopefully long after--I am not around. This is to explain why there is not a similar arrangement
with NASPA, and what may be done to change that.
I first thought of endowing a geezer award about three years ago when I learned that I would
receive a windfall from my retirement fund, though I did not know when it would happen. I wanted to
give back to SCRABBLE, which has meant so much to me for nearly 40 years. I approached Chris
Ctree with the idea at the first World Players Championship, and he was enthusiastic about it.
After that the NSA stopped funding our tournaments and supporting our clubs, NASPA was formed,
and then WGPO was formed. I was troubled by the negative attitude of NASPA toward WGPO.
When my windfall came through early this year, I notified Rick Wong of WGPO and Chris Cree; but I
told Chris that I could not go through with the endowment for an organization that was trying to
eliminate another SCRABBLE organization. There was some discussion via email, but Chris
maintains that NASPA is not willing to do anything with WGPO, which is regarded as a competitor.
What I told Chris was a minimum to show that NASPA was willing to be with WGPO was elimination
of the rule that a WGPO director cannot also be a NASPA director, and for NASPA to donate to
cross-tables--along with WGPO, whose directors had agreed to it--so that cross-tables would list
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WGPO events and ratings along with NASPA. About the latter, Chris said that NASPA would not
allow WGPO to advertise in the same venue as itself, which makes as much sense as Macy's
saying it would not advertise in any newspaper that also had ads for Saks Fifth Avenue.
My own view is that WGPO does not compete with NASPA any more than the American League in
baseball competes with the National League. As in baseball, they are two organizations that
promote the same activity. Many SCRABBLE enthusiasts belong to both organizations. What
about NASPA and WGPO tournaments at the same time? This does happen occasionally, but in
several markets a National League team occasionally plays on the same day as the American
League team in the same area. (Once in the San Francisco Bay area, the Giants were playing
on the same day as the Oakland Raiders and the 49ers to boot.)
As for the rule about directors, it would be much more sensible to allow directors to direct for both
organizations, as was done for a couple of years. This is especially important when a director
wishes to have a Collins division, since only NASPA tornaments will be rated by WESPA (unless
there's been a recent change tat I'm not aware of). This would require a committee vote to change. I
appeal to all NASPA members going to the NSC to request that change to committee members. I
regret that I cannot be there myself for that purpose. And not supporting cross-tables reporting on
WGPO tournaments amnd player ratingscreates a dual sysatem that makes it difficult to see where
a particular player ranks. I have tremendous respect for what Brian Galebach has done for WGPO
ratings, but I believe even he would agree that a single system is better.
So how about it NASPA folks? Can we have cooperation with WGPO? When there is, there will be a
NASPA Geezer Award.
Stu Goldman
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I received a comment about last months “From the Editor” correcting a misperception I had about
the fine the Patrick Hodges is supposed to pay. Apparently the reason there was a $500 fine was
because Patrick won $500 in prize money at the Phoenix tournament where the cheating occurred.
Since there wouldn't be an easy way to take that money back and redistribute it to the folks who
should have won it at the tournament, the decision was made to have Patrick donate that same
amount of money to a charity of his choice in lieu of repayment. So this wasn't a case of adding a
fine to the suspension; the fine was in part trying to undo the gain from cheating.
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Albany 4th of July Weekend: SCRABBLE® Fireworks!
Every 4th of July weekend Annette Tedesco is Queen of SCRABBLE, organizing a tournament that
is possibly the most popular event for Scrabblers on the East Coast. In addition to offering more
games than seem possible--an 8-game Early Early Bird, a 6-game Early Bird, a 6-game Collins
Early Bird, a 21-game Main Event, a 21-game Collins Main Event, and a 6-game Late Bird--Annette
invites all the players and their families and friends to her house on the Hudson for a spectacular
barbecue, complete with impromptu jamming and games.
This year stormy weather threatened to keep players away from the outdoor event; however,
tournament director John Robertson implored people to attend, promising a tent. As players headed
toward Stillwater, where Annette lives, the skies cleared and a rainbow arched across the sky to
greet the guests. Seems everyone loves Annette!
Each year Albany attracts a goodly collection of Canadian players. July 1, the first day of the Main
Event, was Canada Day; so the tournament opened with players singing of the Canadian National
Anthem. Three days later, players celebrated the 4th of July by singing the U.S. National Anthem.
Patriotic spirit was high with both nationalities, and many U.S. players donned red, white, and blue
outfits to celebrate the 4th.
Celebrating the 4th in style: (L-R) Cheryl Allen-Munley (insert of shoes);
Ida Ann Shapiro, and Barb Kester.
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Barbecue at Annette’s
Left and bottom right photos:
Relaxing along the Hudson; Chris
Lipe and Kevin Colosa jamming; the
traditional end-of-barbecue
marshmallow roast. Photos by
Roger Cullman http://
www.rogercullman.com
Bottom left photos: Sylvia Polson
and Lany Ramos; Marci Mikesell
and Cornelia Guest playing a pairs
game; the ice cream truck drives up
and attracts a crowd. Photos
courtesy of Betsey Wood.
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The tournament, directed by John Robertson and Allen
Pengelly, opened on Thursday, June 30, with an 8-game
tournament, the first of two Early Birds. Division 1 went to
Evans Clinchy, fresh from his NAST finals win. Evans
finished 7-1 +501, nosing out 2nd-place finisher Jason
Keller by 89 spread points. In Division 2, Judy Rosenthal
won with a 7-1 +73 record over Canadian Mad Palazzo (6-2
+486). Another Canadian--Diane Brown of Toronto--took
Division 3 with a 7-2 +270 record over Ida Ann Shapiro.
The second Early Bird, on July 1, attracted 59 players for 6
games. Division winners were Doug Brockmeier (5-1 +416)
over Seth Lipkin in Division 1; Brian Galebach (4-2+593)
over David Lewis in Division 2; Mona Larsen (5-1 +417)
over Judy Cole in Division 3; Cheryl Melvin (5-1 +313) over
Lydia Keras in Division 4; Sam Heinrich (5-1 +480) over
Susan Blanchard in Division 5; Russell McKinstry (5-1
+566) over Elouise Pearl in Division 6; and Les
Hipenbecker (5-1 +418) over Glenn Aery in Division 7.
Event organizer Annette Tedesco with
Polish Scrabbler Michal Joska.
The Collins Early Bird on July 1 featured two international
players: Marion Loewenstein from Israel and Michal Joska
from Poland (now living in Rochester, NY). But it was an
American, Bradley Whitmarsh, who dominated, winning all
his games to take the division 6-0 +714 over Richard Buck.
The 21-game Main Event attracted 114 players, and another
11 competed in the Collins Main Event. The top division
went to Joey Mallick, who finished with a 15-6 +956 record
over Marlon Hill (14-7 +1019). Bradley Whitmarsh was
third. Joey has been having an excellent year, with this his
4th Division 1 win. He is currently ranked 7th in North
America, with a 2009 rating.
Division 1 winner Joey Mallick
Division 2 was hotly
contested, with the top
three finishers all having
15-6 records. Steve Tier
prevailed on spread (+933)
over Brian Galebach (+779)
and David Lewis (+599).
Sue Gable, seeded 37th,
finished 4th, earning her a
class prize.
In Division 3, Virgil Talaid, in only his 4th tournament,
prevailed with a 15-6 +383 (with one bye) over rising 8th
Director John Robertson
Director Allen Pengelly with his twins, Sarah
and Tasha; his wife, Jenna Paikowsky; and
John Robertson. Photo by Roger Cullman
http://www.rogercullman.com
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grader Matthew O’Connor (14-7 +721), Susan Blanchard
(14-7 +636), and Daniel Blake (14-7 +630).
A tie in the Collins division helped give the win to
Canadian David Boys, a former World and National
Champion who will be competing for Canada at the 11th
World SCRABBLE Championship in Warsaw, Poland, this
October. Boys finished 18.5-2.5 +2108 to nose out Sam
Kantimathi (18-3 +2061) and Joel Wapnick (17.5-3.5
+2047). But the talk of the tournament was the big upset
in game 15: 536-rated Kay Faust, seeded last, beat
Canadian National Champion (and former World
Champion) Joel Wapnick, rated 1908, in what has to be
one of the biggest upsets in tournament SCRABBLE
history.
Division 3 winner Virgil Talaid
Just when you felt there couldn’t possibly be any more
SCRABBLE, on July 4th there was a final 6-game Late
Bird Open, which attracted 28 players. Doug Brockmeier
finished on top, 5-1 +908, to take his second win of the
Albany weekend. Following Doug were three other
players with 5-1 records: Jason Ubeika (+626), Brian
Galebach (+468), and Andrew Friedman (+427).
Before players headed off to battle the holiday-weekend
traffic, there was a hearty round of applause for Annette,
who had pulled off yet another spectacular Albany July 4th
Weekend of SCRABBLE.
Doug Brockmeier topped the field in the 7/1
Early Bird and the 7/4 Late Bird. Photo by
Roger Cullman http://www.rogercullman.com
Thanks,
Annette!
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WGPO Word Cup 2011
By Larry Rand
Over the Fourth of July Weekend, more than 120 players and their
families gathered at the Grand Sierra Hotel, in Reno, NV, to play in the
inaugural WGPO Reno Word Cup. This exciting tournament was
organized by Jeff Widegren, with Rick Wong and Larry Rand directing.
The members of the WGPO Executive Committee and Board of Player
Representatives served as the tournament’s organizing committee; and
Melissa Brown, Janice Kaye, and Bobbi Hendrickson assisted with
membership, the raffle, and the WGPO business meetings.
All players who entered the tournament by June 1 received a customdesigned and embroidered shirt to commemorate the first WGPO
international event. Directors and volunteers who were unable to attend
also received a shirt to recognize their service. Peggy Grant was
responsible for this successful project, and Celebrity Cruises was the
main sponsor.
Sheryl DeMers, daughter of Al and Vicky DeMers (who died in 2008 in a tragic car accident)
donated three beautiful Word Cup trophies that were presented to the winners in the Championship
event. Each cup was engraved “In memory of Al and Vicky DeMers.” Neighboring Sparks, NV, was
the DeMers’s home for many years, and many Scrabblers enjoyed their hospitality during Reno
tournaments.
In addition to the games, the Word Cup featured three special events. On Saturday night, Bennett
Jacobstein hosted an outing to watch the Reno Aces, a triple-A baseball team, at Reno’s new
stadium. On Monday night, Bennett ran a trivia contest, which attracted a large group of buffs, with
Peter Dolgenos emerging as champion. On Tuesday evening, the WGPO leadership held an open
meeting for all players. About 50-60 players were in attendance to ask questions of the leadership
team and offer suggestions for the future of the organization.
On July 1st, the first day of the tournament, 46
players competed in the Preamble event, an 8game Open tournament. The top 4 finishers
were Rafi Stern, Albert Hahn, Mark Pistolese,
and Nigel Peltier, with several other players
earning “performance” prizes.
The 35-game Championship event ran for 5
days: July 2-6. A new WGPO attendance record
of 114 players competed in three divisions: Red,
White, and Blue.
All of the division winners were decided in the
final three games of the tournament. In the Blue
division, Ron Barker, James Johnson, and Erik
Preamble winners
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Sheryl DeMers presenting the beautiful Word Cup trophies she donated in memory of her parents, Al and Vicky
DeMers, to division winners (L-R) Conrad Bassett-Bouchard (Red), Carlynn Mayer (White), and Ron Barker (Blue).
Anderson took home the top honors. In the White division, Carlynn Mayer, Michael David, Carlene
Wallis, Kay Patterson, and Michael Wier were the victors. And in the Red division Conrad BassettBouchard took home the $2,000 first-place prize money. Carl Johnson, Kenji Matsumoto, Dominick
Mancine, and Jesse Day finished 2nd through 5th, respectively. With additional money added to the
prize pool by the Grand Sierra Resort, the Championship events received over 100% of the entry
fees back in prizes.
ALL of the fun prize winners!
One of the unique tournament offerings was Rick Wong’s “fun prize.” For each round in the White
and Blue divisions, there was a specific play where players could earn prize money. In the White
division, which had 62 players, prizes of $20, $10, and $10 were awarded. In the Blue division,
which had 20 players, one player won $20 each round. The fun prize contributed to the players’
enjoyment of the event and spread the tournament prize money to over 75% of the contestants in
those two divisions. $1,750 was allocated for the fun prizes.
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Sheryl DeMers with Red Division winners
Stu Goldman presents the “Geezer” award,
which he sponsored, to Nancy Scott, the
best performing senior.
On the final day, Jeff Clark rounded
up 16 players to compete in an
impromptu 7-game Late Bird
tournament, which was rated by the
WGPO. Two groups competed, and
the winners were Ron Tiekert,
Winter, Ralph King, and Mary
Capalbi.
White Division winners
Some of the tournament expenses
were offset by the generosity of
Gene Tyszka, Paul McCarthy, and
Luise Shafritz, who donated
SCRABBLE® wares to a raffle,
handled by Janice Kaye. Gene
donated quite a number of boards,
clocks, and racks, and the
organization recognized his support.
The raffle was a huge success, and
several players donated their prize
winnings to the WGPO. These funds
enabled the organization to pay all
Sheryl DeMers with Blue Division winners
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tournament expenses ad have a small amount of
savings for a rainy day.
Players agreed that the inaugural WGPO Word Cup
was a success, and the organization looks forward to
the 2012 WGPO Word Cup, which is tentatively
sheduled for August in the Twin Cities, MN. All future
WGPO Word Cup tournament sites will be decided by a
vote of the membership.
For complete results go to: http://www.sjscrabble.com/
wordcup2011/
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Play often, play fair, have fun.
That, of course, is the WGPO mission, and
the 2011 Word Cup in Reno provided a
glittering example to the SCRABBLEplaying community of just how well that
could be translated into a major WGPO
event.
Play often: How about 50 games for those
hardy souls who played an 8-round early
bird, a 35(!)-round main event, and a 7round late bird.
Play fair: For an event, with as many
games as the Word Cup offered, the
sportmasnship and camaraderie were
exceptional throughout. What a pleasure!
Credit goes both to all the players and to
directors Rick Wong and Larry Rand, aided
by organizer Jeff Widergren and a host of
other dedicated WGPO volunteers, none of
whom received a dime for their efforts,
Left to right: Larry Rand, assistant to the Director; Ron
Barker, winner Blue Division; Carlynn Mayer, winner White
Division; Conrad Bassett-Bouchard, winner Red Division;
Sheryl DeMers (Al and Vicky's daughter and Word Cup
benefactor); Rick Wong, Director.
Have fun: If you were there, you saw it,
because you couldn't miss it. The 2011
Word Cup exemplified not only rigorous
competition, but also an overflowing cup of
fun, both over the board and away from it.
A great, most-reasonably priced venue, a
more than 100 percent return on entry
fees, and a range of enjoyable activities,
both on- and off-site, at night combined to
make the event one that abounded in
smiles.
Finally, I want to mention the players'
meeting on Tuesday night, July 5. The
WGPO leaders really didn't know how
many players would show up after a long
day over the board, particularly given the
competing lures of good food and drink,
casino action, and a variety of other
enjoyable activities. So when 50-60 players
not only attended, but also openly
and amicably shared questions, concerns
and ideas, that to me demonstrated that
WGPO had become something quite
special for many in our community.
2011 Word Cup
commemorative shirt logo
WGPO's 2011 Word Cup was a great
experience. I can't wait for the 2012 event!
Keith Hagel
WGPO Executive Committee member
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11th Annual Washington, D.C., Summer Tournament
By Ted Gest; photos by Cheryl C. Kagan and Vince Castellano
For the last 11 years, the Washington, D.C., NASPA
SCRABBLE® Club #171 has held a summer
tournament. It started after a previous summer tourney
organized by the late Tim Maneth at a local county fair
was cancelled.
The D.C. tournament began as an unrated affair with
23 players. By this summer, it was a rated event that
attracted 56 players to suburban Bethesda, Md. Ted
Gest and Carole Denton directed, with assistance from
Cheryl Kagan.
The four division winners were Jason Bednarz, Ted
Mast, Carol Tillson, and Harrison Pierce. We also gave
prizes for high game and high word in each division. A
highlight was Evan Krieger, only 9 years old and in his
first rated tournament, winning the Division D high
game prize with a 401-point effort. (Evan’s dad, Dan,
also played.)
Runners-up and other prize winners included (we gave
only one prize per person, so some top division
finishers had higher games and words than the listed
winners):
Division A: David Koenig, Jeff Jacobson. High game:
Richard Popper, 500. High word: LEASHING, 122, by
Shah Ali.
Division B: John Stinson, Linda Oliva. High game: Gary
Skowronski, 474. High word: EXPOSED 85, Robin
Schlauch.
Division C: John Wright, Cheryl Kagan. High game:
Jacqueline Harpp, 566. High word: DELETING 149,
Matthew Rupert
Division D, Tat Reistrup, Betty Berger. High game: Evan
Krieger, 401; High word: INVADED 97 Lily Gasperetti
We usually give a special award for a word relating to a
Washington, D.C, person or news development. In the
past, we’ve given prizes related to election results and
Tournament director Ted Gest with (top to
bottom) Division A winner Jason Bednarz,
Division A runner-up David Koenig, and Division
C winner Carol Tillson. Photos courtesy of
Cheryl C. Kagan.
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the economy, among other subjects. This time we decided
to mark the case of Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who lived in
D.C. as director of the International Monetary Fund until
his recent encounter in a New York City hotel room.
The winner was RUINOUS by Brian Galebach. Close
seconds were EXPOSED by Robin Schlauch (high word in
Division B), TAWDRIER by Cheryl Kagan, and the pair
HORNIER by Joanna Ward and HORNIEST by David
Spitzer.
Other entries, for your reading pleasure:
Evan Krieger, 9, won the High Game prize
(401) in his first tournament. Photo courtesy
of Vince Castellano.
TRAMPIER, GEEZER, RAPE, SLEAZO, OUTRAGE, STUNNED, BATHER, SLITHERY, MORONIC,
TRAVESTY, JAIL, FOOL, DEMESNE, SMUDGED, RETAINER, DISHY, INSNARED, ERR,
SCATHED, HAUNTED, DRIP, SNEAKER, ENTWINE, UNSAVED, TONGUE BUNGLER, ROBE,
SINNERS, DISGRACE, WEARIES, DERANGED, OUTSAID, QUEER, RUTTY
Full results are at http://cross-tables.com/tourney.php?t=7303
--Ted Gest, Club 171
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Old Greenwich: Summer SCRABBLE® in the C.T.
The Hyatt Regency Hotel in Old Greenwich, CT, was an elegant setting for the first Old Greenwich
SCRABBLE Tournament July 22-24. Seventy-four players challenged each other for three days,
with some exciting firsts coming out of the tournament. First-place winners won cash prizes,
trophies, and custom tile bags from Incredible Tile Bags.
The tournament started Friday afternoon with a 5-game Early Bird
tournament directed by Cornelia Guest that attracted 29 players,
including Elena Abrahams, an Old Greenwich resident playing in
her first tournament. Elena continued on to the Main Event,
playing a total of 21 games in her first foray into tournament play.
(She was awarded a package of SCRABBLE Cheez-Its for her
fortitude!)
Ben Schoenbrun, a rising college sophomore from Ardsley, NY,
took Division A at the Early Bird with a 4-1 +192 record to mark
his first Division 1 win. Evans Clinchy was second and Brian
Galebach third.
First-time player Elena Abrahams,
who played 21 games over 3 days,
with organizer Cornelia Guest.
In Division B, 16-year-old Adam Ginzberg had the best spread of 5 players with 3-2 records to win
the division over Verna Richards Berg and Peter Barkman. The division also welcomed back Ed
Neugroschl, a top player who had not played in 7 years.
Another young player, rising high school junior Ted Barrett, won Division C with a 4-1 +240 record
over Judy Horn and Linda Wancel. Ted is the current yearly leader for most lower-division wins in
NASPA tournaments, now 7.
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Above, L-R: Early Bird winners Ben Schoenbrun (Div. A); Betsey Wood (Div. D) with Cornelia Guest; Ted Barrett
(Div. C); Scott Morese (Div. E).
Betsy Wood was surprised to win Division D with a 3-2 +193 record, but every player in the division
was 3-2 or 2-3. Cheryl Melvin, in from Michigan was 2nd, with rising 8th grader Sam Heinrich from
Massachusetts third. Cheryl is leading this year's NASPA race for most games, and her games at
Old Greenwich stretched her record to 499!
Division 5 went to Connecticut player Scott Morese, who finished with a 4-1 +176 record, just 5
spread points against 2nd place finisher Ida Shapiro. Bill Kaufman was third.
Saturday featured an unrated Newcomers Tournament that attracted 10 local players, the youngest
being 7-year-old Sophie Guo, in her first tournament. Sophie's siblings DeeAnn (11) and Sheng
(10) were playing in the Main Event. The winner of the event was Rich Stein, who won all of his 5
games with a +557 spread, also winning prizes for Adult High Game (482) and High Play
(RUSTING, 89). Second was rising 5th grader Jack Kochansky, who finished with a 3-2 +312
record, also winning the prizes for Youth High Game (478) and High Play (*UNPOWER, 74). The
winner of the prize for "Best Hot Word" in the tournament was Sophie, who played BURN. Although
adults and Youth Players played together, there were separate awards for the Youth Players, with
Jack finishing on top to win a SCRABBLE Flash game generously donated by Hasbro and NASPA.
The tournament attracted three other players with family members in the Main Event: Inge and
Maureen O'Connor (mother and aunt, respectively, of Matthew O'Connor) and Donna Barkman
(mother of Peter Barkman). Cornelia Guest directed.
L-R: Newcomers Tournament winners Rich Stein and Jack Kochansky; Maureen O’Connor faces Sophie Guo, 7, the
youngest player in the tournament.
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Saturday night Frank Tangredi debuted a new team game show format, which was a huge success.
The team of Mike Ecsedy, Linda Wancel, Judy Cole, and Peter Epstein won the contest, nosing out
the next team by a single point in an exciting final round. Earlier in the evening Timothy Cataldo of
Uppity Shirts (www.uppityshirts.com) ran an informal One Up! competition, with winners taking
home games and t-shirts.
The Main Event went smoothly, with expert direction from Jason Keller, assisted by Cornelia's son
Andrew Mitchell. At the end of 15 games two players were Gibsonized: Kate Fukawa-Connelly in
Division A and Adam Ginzberg in Division B.
Kate finished with a 13-3 +1096 record, setting
another new first as she reached 1900 for the
first time with her new rating of 1931. Kate is
now the second-highest rated female player in
North America (after Laurie Cohen). Second in
Division A was Joe Edley, with 11-year-old
phenom Mack Meller taking third to raise his
rating to 1711, the highest rating every
achieved by a player his age. A classic
moment for the rising 6th grader was in Game
15, when Mack challenged Joel's play of
REEKIE* (good in Collins, but not TWL), on his
way to a win. The division prize for High Win
went to Evans Clinchy (662); Brian Galebach
took the prize for High Loss (466); Brad
Whitmarsh for High Bingo (DITHERER, 158);
and Marjorie Schoneboom for High Non-Bingo
(JEEZ, 90).
Kate Fukawa-Connelly, Division A winner, flanked by
Cornelia Guest and tournament director Jason Keller.
Kate was Gibsonized after game 15 on her way to a 13-3
+1096 win.
Adam Ginzberg’s final record in his Division B win was 13-3 +832. Verna Richards Berg was
second, with Adam Townsend third. Judy Cole won the prizes for High Win (579), High Loss (469),
and High Bingo (SHIELDED, 167). The prize for High Non-Bingo was shared by Adam (CHAW, 67)
and Nancy Konipol (ZOO, 67).
Division C went to another Youth Player, rising
8th grader Matthew O'Connor, who won with a
12-4 +1049 record over Tim Lutts and Steve
Sikorski. When Matthew lost his first two games
of the tournament, he joked that he was giving
the competition "a head start"--a joke that
proved prophetic! Tim Lutts won the division
prize for High Win (518); Gerianne Abriano the
prize for High Loss (427); Jo Anne Cohen the
prize for High Non-Bingo (ZESTS, 74); and Bill
Kaufman the prize for High Bingo (QUARTOS,
104).
L-R: 16-year-old Adam Ginzberg finished first in Div. B in
both the Early Bird and the Main Event; Cornelia Guest
with Matthew O’Connor, winner of Div. C.
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The Collins Division had only 4 players; however, 3 were among
the elite players who will be representing the U.S. at the World
Scrabble Championship this October: John O'Laughlin, Laurie
Cohen, and Chris Lipe. They were joined by Judy Steward,
some 500 ratings points lower. John O'Laughlin finished first
with an 11-5 +795 over Laurie Cohen, in from Arizona,. Chris
Lipe won division prizes for High Game (659), High Loss (448),
and High Bingo (WISPIEST, 140). Judy took the prize for High
Non-Bingo with ZINGER for 105 points and was also awarded
the sportsmanship prize for her good cheer while winning 3
games in the world-class division.
Gene Tyszka generously donated long racks for the top youth
players in each division, with Mack Meller, Adam Ginzberg, and
Matthew O'Connor winning them. Sheng Guo also won a prize
for youngest competitor in the main event.
On a weekend where the heat outside was so intense that trains
were cancelled throughout the state, players at the Hyatt were
almost chilly with the air conditioning. In honor of those stuck
outside, we had a prize for "Best Hot Word," which ended in a
tie between Rich Hamilton's SUNBURN and Chris Lipe's
HUMIDLY.
Collins winner John O’Laughlin
finished 11-5 +795. This is John’s 4th
Collins win this year. He will be on the
U.S. team at the World SCRABBLE®
Championship in Poland this October.
The tournament was featured in a nice story by Taylor Coe in
Sunday's Greenwich Time, with great photographs of some
participants by Bob Luckey: http://www.greenwichtime.com/
news/article/Word-warriors-Greenwich-the-scene-ofScrabble-1556198.php
Thanks again to Jason Keller, who expertly directed the Main
Event; Andrew Mitchell, who assisted; Jessica Meller, who was
instrumental in hotel negotiations (and acted as tournament
photographer); and Frank Tangredi and Timothy Cataldo, for
their great games.
Mack Meller, 11, finished 3rd in Div. A
to set a new record as the youngest
player ever to reach 1700. Mack’s
new rating is 1711.
Complete results are online at http://www.scrabbleplayers.org/tourneys/2011/xt/07/021.shtml (Main
Event) and http://www.scrabbleplayers.org/tourneys/2011/xt/07/019.shtml (Early Bird).
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Tournament
Results
ALBANY MAIN EVENT
(COLLINS) 7/1-4
JUNE 30-JULY 31
WGPO WORD CUP
EARLY BIRD 7/1
ALBANY NY EARLY
BIRD 6/30
1. Evans Clinchy
2. Judy Rosenthal
3. Diane Brown
ALBANY NY EARLY
BIRD 7/1
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Doug Brockmeier
Brian Galebach
Mona Larsen
Cheryl Melvin
Sam Heinrich
Russell McKinstry
Les Hipenbecker
ALBANY NY EARLY
BIRD COLLINS 7/1
1. Bradley Whitmarsh
SAN ANTONIO TX 7/2
1. Greg Stone
2. Matt DeWaelsche
3. Michael Donegan
LAGUNA WOODS CA
7/3
1. Rachel Knapp
ALBANY MAIN EVENT
7/1-4
1. Joey Mallick
2. Steve Tier
3. Virgil Talaid
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OMAHA NE 7/9-10
1. Matthew Ridout
2. Daniel Heck
BERKELEY CA 7/10
1. Rafi Stern
1. Jesse Day
2. Jon Demeter
3. Pat Diener
WGPO WORD CUP
MAIN EVENT 7/2-6
GUELPH ON CAN 7/10
1. Conrad BassettBouchard
2. Carlynn Mayer
3. Ron Barker
1. Evan Berofsky
2. Joseph Bowman
LAGUNA WOODS CA
7/3
1. Stephen Knapp
2. Dean Scouloukas
1. Rachel Knapp
ALBANY LATE BIRD 7/4
STRONGSVILLE OH
7/10
INDEPENDENCE OH
(LCT) 7/12
1. Doug Brockmeier
1. Christopher Sheppard
WGPO WORD CUP
LATE BIRD 7/6
AKRON OH NSC
QUALIFYING (TCC,
COLLINS) 7/15-17
1. Ronald Tiekert
2. Ralph King
ALASKA CRUISE 7/8-15
1. Jan Cardia
ALASKA CRUISE
(WGPO) 7/8-15
1. Mark Kenas
DALLAS TX 7/16
1. Sam Dick-Onuoha
2. Mary Rhoades
3. David Saia
1. Rob Berahovich
TORONTO ON CAN
7/16-17
BETHESDA MD 7/9
1. Zev Kaufman
2. Jackson Smylie
3. Bruce Gram
1.
2.
3.
4.
Jason Bednarz
Ted Mast
Carol Tillson
Harrison Pierce
LUBBOCK TX 7/9
MOUNTAIN VIEW CA
7/17
1. John Karris
1. Wendy Major
2. Kay Weston
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1.
2.
3.
4.
Joe Petree
Adam Ginzberg
Jay Strieb
Celia Dayrit Thompson
NOCAL V SOCAL (SAN
LUIS OBISPO CA, TCC)
7/22-24
1. Jesse Day
2. Judy Levitt
3. Margy Slavin
OLD GREENWICH
EARLY BIRD 7/22
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Ben Schoenbrun
Adam Ginzberg
Ted Barrett
Betsey Wood
Scott Morese
OLD GREENWICH MAIN
EVENT 7/22-24
1. Kate Fukawa-Connelly
2. Adam Ginzberg
3. Matthew O’Connor
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FORT LAUDERDALE FL
7/23
1. Randy Greenspan
2. Larry Gradus
3. Mitchell Brown
PINELLAS PARK FL 7/23
1. Doug Brockmeier
VICTORIA BC CAN
7/23-24
1. Winter
2. Rhonda Reece
3. Helen B. Douglas
AKRON OH 7/28
1. Joe South
AKRON OH 7/28
1. Joe South
AUSTIN TX 7/30
1. Kevin Leeds
2. Jean McArthur
3. Patricia Hiller
CLARKSBURG WV (TCC)
7/30
OLD GREENWICH MAIN
EVENT (COLLINS) 7/22-24 1. Aaron McGuffin
1. John O’Laughlin
VICTORIA BC CAN
7/23-24
1. Michael Baker
2. Jane Bissonnette
3. Helen B. Douglas
OLD GREENWICH
NEWCOMERS
TOURNAMENT
(UNRATED) 7/23
1. Rich Stein
2. Jack Kochansky
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PORTLAND OR (WGPO)
7/30
1. Julie Wright
2. Kathy Sutrov
ELMHURST IL 7/30-31
1. Doug Brockmeier
2. Jonathan Kofoed
3. Brad Williams
FINDLAY OH (TCC)
7/30-31
1. Brian Bowman
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New Faces
Since our last issue, 24 new faces have competed at NASPA, NSA, and WGPO
tournaments. This month our featured “New Face” is from a June Tournament: Bob Umlas,
who won Div. 4 at the Norwalk CT Tournament on 6/25 (7-1 +642) to gain a 1488 rating.
_________________________________________________________________________
Bob Umlas
When Bob Umlas called to enter my Norwalk
Tournament on June 25th, I asked if he played online
or at club. “Occasionally online,” he answered. “I
don’t play at a club. Mostly I play with my wife. But
I’m a pretty good player,” he added. That was an
understatement! Bob won Division 4 easily, finishing
7-1 +642 to gain an initial rating of 1488. Most of
Bob’s games were 400+, and he demonstrated great
word knowledge and anagramming skills.
Bob, a 69-year-old Microsoft Excel expert from
Palisades, NY, has played SCRABBLE for as long as
he can remember. He is good at many kinds of
games, and enjoys playing table tennis, bridge,
backgammon, and chess. He has a ready sense of
humor -- “I love magic tricks, jokes, and puns” -- but
also appreciates the Tao. His book, This Isn’t Excel,
It’s Magic!, has earned him a reverential following in
the computer world.
Bob did not prepare in any special way for the Norwalk Tournament. However, he did know
his 2-letter words--and most of his 3s. “It was lots of fun,” he said. “The new part was
keeping track of played letters. I’d never done that before.”
Bob had no trouble adjusting to the clock, and he finished his games in good time. “My wife
and I play pretty quickly,” he said. “And I was familiar with the clock from chess matches.”
He recommends new players become familiar with “SCRABBLE” words. “In your spare time,
browse the official tournament word list [the OWL]; look for odd words. Know all the 2-letter
words and 3-letter words.” (Bob confessed he’s not totally memorized the 3-letter word list.)
The best moment of the tournament for Bob? “Finding a bingo from ANIYSR? -- SYRINGA -a word I’d remembered from browsing that book a long time ago.”
Bob looks forward to competing in more tournaments and to playing the higher-rated players
he’ll now be facing. His next tournament will be in Norwalk on August 13th. But lowerdivision players aren’t necessarily safe. Bob will be bringing another newcomer with him: his
wife and SCRABBLE partner, Judy.
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Welcome to Bob Umlas and the following other new faces:
SAN ANTONIO TX 7/2: Earl Beverly, Claude Koonhow, Greg Randolph
ALASKA CRUISE (WGPO) 7/8-15: Vicky Cox
BETHESDA MD 7/9: Jenny Backus, Dan Krieger, Evan Krieger
OMAHA NE 7/9-10: Clay Koziol, Adrian Mulele, Joan Suddarth, Christian Tinsley
BERKELEY CA 7/10: Andrew Laurence
INDEPENDENCE OH 7/12: Sarah Holecko, Debra Shattuck
MOUNTAIN VIEW CA 7/17: Ron Genauer
PHILADELPHIA PA 7/17: Erik Benson, Nicolas Constantinesco, Andy Molholt
OLD GREENWICH CT 7/22: Elena Abrahams
FORT LAUDERDALE FL 7/23: Jake Toffler
PINELLAS PARK FL 7/23: Billy Alexander
AKRON OH 7/28: Lynne Albert
ELMHURST IL 7/30-31: Anthony Canzoneri
PORTLAND OR 7/30: Carol Walker
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Scrab-doku
By Jeff Kastner
In a standard Sudoku, your object is to fill in every square of the grid so that all nine rows across, all nine
columns down, and all nine 3-by-3 boxes contain the numbers 1 through 9, with no repeats.
Same rules apply to this Scrab-doku, but I’ve added a few twists to help you solve it. First of all, I use letters
to replace the numbers. These letters are part of a “Keyword” which I’ve scrambled below. I’ve also provided
a clue to help you find the correct anagram. Once you’ve unscrambled the Keyword, one of the rows or
columns will contain all of its 9 letters in the proper order.
This week’s “Scrambled” Keyword: VAGUS RIOT
Clue:
Sounds like a disease one could catch at a wild frat party.
SOLUTION on the page after next
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Word-Finder Challenge:
Here’s an additional test of your anagramming ability. Your object is to find as many words as possible
that either start with or end with the letter “R”, using only the 9 letters of this month’s (Scrambled)
Keyword: VAGUS RIOT.
Words can be of any length, from 2 to 9 letters, and must be OWL2 acceptable. Each letter of the Keyword
may be used only once within any word you find. So, for instance, RUST is acceptable, but not RUSTS.
Par Scores for this month’s Word-Finder Challenge:
40 Words (Novice); 50 Words (Intermediate); 60 Words (Advanced)
Once you’ve compiled your list, check out my SOLUTION on the next page.
See you next month with another Scrab-doku puzzle and Word-Finder Challenge! …Jeff Kastner
Jeff Kastner, originally from New York City, has been living in Phoenix, AZ since 1985. Jeff is one of
a handful of players who has ever been ranked in the USA-top-50 in both SCRABBLE® and chess.
He is the 2009-2010 Phoenix SCRABBLE® Club champion as well as the 2008 and 2009
Scottsdale SCRABBLE® Club champ. His chess, Sudoku, and word puzzles appear weekly in The
Jewish Press newspaper and on its website. He has recently begun hosting the Internet program
Who’s on the Show?, where one of his first interviews was with directors Larry Rand and Barbara
Van Alen: http://whosontheshow.com/shows.html
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SOLUTION
Word-Finder List
Keyword (Unscrambled): TOGAVIRUS (76 Words Total)
AIR
AR
ASTIR
GAR
GATOR
GAUR
GIAOUR
GOR
GUITAR
OAR
OR
OSAR
OUR
RAG
RAGI
RAGIS
RAGOUT
RAGOUTS
RAGS
RAI
RAIS
RAS
RAT
RATIO
RATIOS
RATO
RATOS
RATS
RIA
RIAS
RIG
RIGS
RIOT
RIOTS
ROAST
ROT
ROTA
ROTAS
ROTI
ROTIS
ROTS
ROUST
ROUT
ROUTS
RUG
RUGA
RUGOSA
RUGS
RUST
RUT
RUTS
SAUTOIR
SAVIOR
SAVIOUR
SAVOR
SAVOUR
SIR
SITAR
SOAR
SOUR
STAIR
STAR
STIR
STOUR
SUGAR
SUITOR
TAR
TOR
TOUR
TSAR
VAIR
VAR
VIATOR
VIGOR
VIGOUR
VISOR
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The Wordsmith
Hooray for Americanisms
By Chris Sinacola
By now, I think regular readers of this column know that I have a strong preference for American
English and the OWL2 lexicon. Although I appreciate that Alfred Butts’ creation has long since
outgrown its American childhood, to me it is quite sufficient (and sufficiently challenging) to strive for
SCRABBLE® competence in American English.
Indeed, I have no more desire to play “world” SCRABBLE than I have to take up cricket, Australian
rules football, or buzkashi*, that Central Asian form of polo that uses headless animal carcasses in
place of a ball.
Given that, nothing could have made a slightly curmudgeonly word conservative such as myself
happier than to discover Mitford M. Mathews’ A Dictionary of Americanisms on Historical Principles.
Published in 1951 by the University of Chicago, this 1,946-page, one-volume tome is known as the
Oxford English Dictionary of American English. I found my copy recently in the used book shop at
the Worcester Public Library, and wonder only that I had never encountered it before.
Work on the Mathews, as I’ll call it, began in 1944, on the basis of the famous OED and its
supplement, as well as the English Dialect Dictionary by Joseph Wright, and the Dictionary of
American English (DAE).
The DAE is itself a famous work, published between 1938 and 1944, also by the University of
Chicago, with the conscious intent of picking up, for American readers, where the OED had left off.
The Mathews contains a lot of phrases and hyphenated expressions, as well as words that derive
from proper names or remain capitalized. All such entries are rightly excluded from SCRABBLE.
But it also contains treasures which will add immeasurably to any SCRABBLE player’s
understanding of and appreciation for American English.
While much of what is in the Mathews also makes it into the OWL2, I won’t guarantee that reading
this or any other word book will make you a better player, although that may be a happy side effect.
Such reading will, however, surely open your mind further to the richness of our language – which
is, in my view, a more worthy goal.
Herewith, in the spirit of the Fourth of July, is an alphabetical and unabashedly American tour of the
“Mathews”:
A is for ARGONAUT. Yes, acceptable as a marine mollusk, but also “One who went to California to
hunt gold soon after its discovery there in 1848.” The reference is, of course, to the legend of Jason
and the Argonauts, who sought the Golden Fleece in classical mythology.
B is for BABBITT. As a verb, this word means to line a box with an alloy consisting of nine parts tin
to one part copper, invented by Isaac Babbitt of Boston, who obtained a patent for the process in
1839. But as a noun, BABBITRY or BABBITTRY, it comes from another direction entirely, meaning
“a derogatory term for a vulgar, but smug, self-satisfied business man who readily conforms to the
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views and standards of his set, so called in allusion to the novel (and its hero) of this name by
Sinclair Lewis.”
Don’t let the “derogatory” fool you – Lewis’ character is quite sympathetic and the novel well worth
reading.
C is for COALHOLE, which is exactly what it sounds like, “a hole in a sidewalk, covered by a lid,
leading into a coalbin or coal cellar.” Not the first word we think of in connection with meeting energy
needs these days, but a very common word in the past.
D is for DOGGERY. “Surly behavior,” according to the SCRABBLE dictionary, but also “a saloon of
a cheap or disreputable sort,” as in “Dutch doggery,” which meant a “low grog shop,” and was
obsolete even in 1951.
E is for ESTANQUILLO*, a Spanish word for a cigar shop. It appears in accounts of life in the
Southwest in the mid-19th century, as in “Entering an estanquillo, or shop licensed to sell cigars….”
Spanish has added many words to SCRABBLE, but not this one. My advice: If you get a chance, try
it anyway.
F is for FLAMBEAU, a flaming torch. But to be specific to Louisiana, “One of the kettles, especially
the fourth, in a series, usually of five, in which sugar-cane juice is treated in sugar making.” It takes
S and X.
G is for GREASEWOOD, “a name widely applied to any one of various resinous plants and shrubs
common to western desert regions.” The Mathews also gives GREASEBUSH*, GREASEROOT*
and GREASEWEED*.
H is for HOMESTAKE*, which meant a land claim, but with the suggestion of less permanence than
a HOMESTEAD. This excerpt from Fred H. Hart’s The Sazerac Lying Club (1878), a book about life
in Nevada, covers it: “Many a man made a home-stake…by standing in line till he got up pritty close
to the winder, and then sellin’ out his chance … to fellers as had more money than time.”
I is for IMPHEE, an African grass. I include it for those who might object to the “foreign” words that
the OWL2 already contains. It’s foreign, to be sure, from the Zulu imfe, but can be found as early as
1859 in a journal of the Illinois Agricultural Society: “A meeting was convened… for the purpose of
discussing all matters of interest connected with the culture and manufacture of the Chinese Sugar
Cane and Imphee.”
J is for JOSH, to joke, banter or tease. The origin of this word is obscure, and the Mathews settles
for discounting the possibility that it derives from Josh Billings, pen name of the humorist Henry
Wheeler Shaw, because the term was in use before 1860, when Shaw/Billings became well known.
So serious!
K is for KIBITZ, a word we all love, but an activity we discourage during SCRABBLE games. It
came into English in the 1920s from the Yiddish modification of the German word kiebitzen, which
means “to look on at cards.” It’s true, the Germans have a word for everything!
L is for LISTABLE. Yes, something that can be written down in a particular order, but its original
meanings are land or estates that were subject to taxation, and men who were considered eligible
for military service, as in this 1665 reference in Rhode Island: “Their sones and sarvants that are
listable, which are to be listed, and to traine.”
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M is for MAROON. We used this word exclusively to mean to abandon in the wild, and most usually
on a desert island. But it was used beginning in the late 18th century to mean “an extended camping
trip or picnic.” Going for a day? That’s a picnic. Going for a week? That’s a maroon. Just don’t get
lost,.
N is for NOCAKE*, which is “the meal of parched Indian corn, or food made from this,” similar to
HOECAKE. I intend to introduce this word into my household to describe the crisis situation in which
no decent baked goods are available.
O is for OQUASSA, “a small, somewhat slender lake trout, Salvelinus oquassa, found in Maine.”
Indeed, in Oquassa Lake, Maine. A beautiful native American word that just happens to contain
three power tiles and is seven letters long!
P is for PAPOOSE, an Algonquian word for an Indian baby, but also for blue cohosh, or papoose
root, so-called because, according to Mrs. M. Grieve’s famous Herbal, published in 1931, “In use it
is preferable to Ergot, expediting delivery, where delay results from debility, fatigue or want of
uterine nervous energy.” Yeah, but check with your doctor or midwife first!
Q is for QUAWK*, which an 1844 natural history publication from New York State describes as “The
Black-crowned Night Heron, or Quawk… derives its popular name from the deep guttural cry.” Heck,
they let QUARK in, which particle physicists appropriated from James Joyce’s Finnegan’s Wake.
What’s wrong with QUAWK*?
R is for ROADSTER, an open automobile, but before the automotive era it meant “a highwayman, a
tramp, a wanderer.”
S is for SCRIMSHAW, another word of obscure origin, but a thoroughly American one, referring to
“objects in ivory or bone carved by whalemen during their long voyages.” SCRIMSHANDER is also
good, but not, SKRIMSHANDER*.
T is for TIERRAS*, “the screenings and fine stuff from a quicksilver mine,” from the Spanish for
“earth.” We know the rack AEIRRST produces ARTSIER, TARRIES and TARSIER, of course, and
no TIERRAS*, but in a game that admits SIERRA and so many other words of Spanish origin, I’d
vote it in if I could.
U is for UNLOTTED*, which meant, in Colonial New England, land that was “owned by a colonial
town and not allotted to individual settlers.” There’s isn’t much of that anymore, of course, and the
word has long since fallen out of favor.
V is for VOLCANO, which in addition to places like Mount St. Helens also meant a type of alcohol
lamp, as well as a type of firework, or FIZGIG, which the dictionary will tell you also means a fishing
implement. Around and around goes English!
W is for WAGTAIL, “any one of various American birds, esp. the oven bird and water thrushes of
the genus Seiurus that bob their tails as they walk.” OVENBIRD is one word, as well, and WAGTAIL
is synonymous with WIGGLETAIL*, which Mathews lists, but which the OWL2 does not.
X is for very little in Mathews, but it does list XERGA,* another Spanish word, meaning a
saddlecloth, that was used in the Southwest. What a weapon that would be at SCRABBLE!
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Y is for YEGG, a real “SCRABBLE” word, and another one of obscure origin. “One theory,”
Mathews reads, “attributes it to an alleged John Yegg, a safeblower.” Whatever the origin, it means
“a tramp, thief, safebreaker, or criminal. In full, yeggman.” Indeed, YEGGMAN and YEGGMEN are
acceptable.
Z is for ZIPPER, which was originally a trademark, then carried quotation marks for a while, and
finally suffered a common fate – that of the BANDAID, XEROX and FEDEX.
Chris Sinacola is director of NASPA SCRABBLE Club #600 in Worcester, Massachusetts.
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Diane’s DEFALTS
By Diane Firstman
Diane Firstman published her first book of DEFALTS, Generous to a
DEFALT: Vol. 1-3, in 2006. Since then, she has published a second
volume of her humorous alternative definitions to common (and notso-common) words--DEFALTS Vol. 4--and selected DEFALTS have
appeared in SCRABBLE® News and on the online SCRABBLE®
discussion groups crossword-games-pro (cgp) and OSPD. The
Last Word is pleased to offer the following selection of DEFALTS.
BALKLINE: telephone call-in show for pitchers with bad pickoff moves
BALLUTES: 1) a vehicle used to bring baseballs onto the field for pre-game
practice; 2) catchy name for the Utah ballet company
BALMORAL: ChapStick and similar lip balm products
BANDANNA: musicians for group fronted by former tennis player Anna Kournikova
BANGTAIL: in the primate world, slang for "knocking boots"
BAREBOAT: "The Love Boat" for nudists
BARFLIES: falsehoods told regarding how vomit ended up somewhere
BARKLESS: a state of canine laryngitis
BASEBORN: being brought into this world on a military base
BATHETIC: 1) pathetic bathing or showering results; 2) substandard bathtub
plumbing
Diane Firstman is a lifelong New Yorker and has been playing SCRABBLE® competitively since
1994. When not thinking up DEFALTS, she attends crossword puzzle tourneys and writes on the
New York Yankees for www.bronxbanterblog.com. She is adept at math, can reach items on top
shelves in supermarkets, and does a dead-on impression of a sea lion. The collected “DEFALTS”
are available at http://stores.lulu.com/dianagram.
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What’s Your Play?
David Lewis, Jerry Lerman, and Richard Silberg had interesting plays this past month. If you have a
play you’d like to share with our readers, please send it to [email protected].
_______________________________________________________________________________
From David Lewis:
I had a bunch of tight games and interesting positions at Annette Tedesco’s Albany tournament over
the July 4 weekend, including this one, on the last day, against another player who was also in the
hunt for the D2 victory.
My opponent has had the last blank and has just played RUG to empty the bag, creating a second
lane and hoping to draw one of the Os that are part of the drek on my rack. As it is, he has oNEIRIC/
Go for 72. He also threatens a big bingo down the O column, also forming ADZE. I didn’t see how to
block either bingo while scoring enough points or clearing my rack so that I would still be ahead
after he got the doubled points for the remaining tiles.
I later ran this game through Quackle. It pointed out a bunch of errors – I spaced on using the hooks
to GIT on five successive turns – but also turned up what appears to be the only winning play in the
situation above.
Go to the next page to see the surprising play that wins the game.
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ANSWER:
Quackle likes BEVOR,
which positions two tiles
for my opponent to play 8s
through, including a
possible 3x3! If only I were
as sure of my word
knowledge! It turns out that
the rack ?CEIINR through
the R makes no 8s, and
none of the 8s through the
O play. In this scenario,
the opponent plays
oNEIRIC, gets another 14
points off my rack, and
loses by 2.
(What actually happened in the game was much less interesting – we traded big errors. I didn’t see
any 7s in his rack but calculated that I could score enough to withstand an 87-point bingo from
ADZE, so I played RIF/BI/OF O1 for 27. I was very surprised when he laid down a bingo and
announced it as 97 points! Fortunately, it was a phony – EIReNIC turns out to be the only 7 that
plays. I was able to play GO/OVA and block the bingo I knew about.)
_______________________________________________________________________________
From Jerry Lerman:
At the No Calif/So Calif tournament 7/22-24, I was
playing David Pearl in the next-to-last round,
and to my surprise I was leading the tournament.
David started out the game with a double-blank
bingo (not all that many points) – EnAtION going
across starting at 8F. The following play he made
VENATION and VOTED, going down from E8,
taking a good lead.
At that moment, I thought of a valuable 4 letter
front-extension, but didn’t have any of the letters
to make it. I wrote them down on the back of my
scoresheet to remind myself that I might want to
retain those letters, should I ever see them.
ANSWER on the following page.
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I managed to do that – over the course of several turns – and put down REJU(VENATION) for 63
points. ( I did manage to win the game.)
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
From Richard Silberg
Your opponent begins the game with QUICKEN H4 for 114. Your rack is EEIRSTU. Can you find all
10 playable bingos? The best play may surprise you.
ANSWERS on the following page.
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ANSWER
8H (K)EIRETSU 89
4H (Q)UIETERS 86
4F RE(Q)UITES 84
7F EU(C)RITES 63
10B ESURIE(N)T 62
7H (C)UTESIER 62
10D RETI(N)UES 62
10E REU(N)ITES 62
7H (C)ERUSITE 62
SURETIES and EMERITUS are the only other 8s with EEIRSTU.
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Mack Meller: Youngest SCRABBLE® Expert
By Cornelia Guest
A little over a year ago I got a call from a mother whose
ten-year-old homeschooled son was interested in joining
one of my SCRABBLE classes. In my response I
suggested he try the Internet SCRABBLE Club (ISC) for
practice. She said he was already playing on ISC, with a
rating in the 900s. I watched a few of his games and felt
he was exchanging too often, sometimes throwing away a
bingo he didn’t know. But he seemed to have a good sense
of the board.
The first night Mack Meller came to my class at the
Ridgefield Library I played him to get a sense of his skills.
I had an S, so set up a play where I might hook it. Mack
played a double-double bingo straight away. He added up
the points almost instantly. I won the game--but not by
much.
That was one of the last games I’d ever play where I’d beat Mack. Over the summer he
studied some flash cards I’d loaned him, and he started our fall sessions with complete
knowledge of the 5-vowel 7s and 8s. And he wasn’t afraid to phony, either.
Mack’s first tournament was in Ardsley, NY, on November 21st. He had an inauspicious first
game, losing by several points. But he won his remaining 7 games to finish 7-1 +1504 and
take the division. He was our featured “New Face” in the December issue of The Last Word.
But Mack was still relatively unknown in SCRABBLE circles until Annette Tedesco’s Albany
New Year’s Tournament, played just days before he turned 11. He astonished all his
opponents in the Main Event by finishing 19.5-2.5 +2217, Gibsonized going into the final
game. His rating shot up to 1454. The world was on alert: A young star was born.
It was not just Mack’s performance that drew attention--it was his poise and politeness. In a
trend that continues today, one of his Albany opponents commented: “I just have to give
public props to Mack Meller, who is the most adorable, quiet, shy, sweet player [and who I'm
pretty sure I bored to tears during those last two games in which he totally slaughtered me]. I
loved watching Mack this weekend, and his super proud parents. He rocks.” Mack quickly
became friends with other youth players, and earned the respect of the adults--even those
who traditionally grimace when facing a young opponent.
Mack continued studying and playing top players at New York and Connecticut clubs. In
March, seeded last, he won Division 2 at the inaugural Norwalk Tournament (6-2 +408),
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bringing his rating up to 1582. At the May 7th Norwalk Tournament he was playing in
Division 1; his 4-4 -152 finish brought him to 1585.
At the June 25th Norwalk Tournament, Mack's 7th tournament in 7 months, Mack was
sensational again, finishing 2nd to 1847-rated Will Anderson. Mack’s rating climbed 53
points to 1638--and the National SCRABBLE Association (NSA) announced 11-year-old
Mack as the youngest SCRABBLE “expert” in official history!
In researching the record, I found that Canadian champion Adam Logan also reached 1600
at a young age. However, data from that time period (mid- to late ‘80s) proved difficult to
find. Adam himself did not recall when he reached 1600, though cross-tables.com
documents him reaching 1700 at 5/23/87, at age 12, and entering that tournament rated at
1692. Further complicating the issue is that the rating system was different in the 1980s
(“expert” was considered 1700 and rating points were determined differently), so it’s not a
direct comparison.
Putting the need to research further to rest, on July 24th Mack set another record. Playing
up into Division 1 at the Old Greenwich Tournament, Mack finished third to Kate FukawaConnelly and Joe Edley, with a 10-6 +454 record, taking home a new rating of 1711. This
record was easy to document--nobody younger than 12 has ever reached 1700 before--and
it seems likely Mack is on his way to break more records!
Over the course of the past year, Mack has studied word lists on Zyzzyva, played on
Quackle, and memorized an astonishing number of words. On June 16th he won all his
games at the prestigious New York City NASPA SCRABBLE Club #56, winning the Expert
Division. That evening he averaged 451.5 points a game, and was the “Most Prolific Bingo
Producer” with 11 bingos: SEJEANT, EUGENIA, POINTIER, RETILES, DICTATED,
LAUDERS, SOFTEST, PURLOIN, TRACINGS, IONISED, and CEILERS.
Former World and National Champion Joel Sherman, who has watched Mack play at Club
56, played him in tournaments, and offered him suggestions, had the following to say:
“Probably Mack's greatest strength is that he makes errors, and you can be sure he
remembers every improvement he's made aware of, but his temperament is coolly clinical,
he takes them all in his stride and doesn't beat himself up over them; he has the patience to
accept he's not going to do everything perfectly right away. If he can continue to tolerate
occasional disappointment when he gets into the 1900s and above (and becomes the
favorite to win every tourney he enters) as well as he does now, he can be a great
champion.”
Three-time National Champion Joe Edley, who has given Mack several lessons, was
similarly impressed:
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“Regarding Mack's playing skills: Besides quickly seeing all of the bingos he knows, an
exponentially growing list, he's picked up a profound understanding of strategy, including
how to play weak racks. He seems to understand that luck is a factor and doesn't get overly
concerned when drawing poorly--that's a skill often underdeveloped in younger players. As
far as sociability, Mack is very outgoing and personable, and is likely to develop many
friendships throughout our community. He can be a great ambassador for the game.”
I interviewed Mack after his record-setting Norwalk Tournament:
What do you enjoy most about SCRABBLE?
"I enjoy everything about it."
What study methods do you use?
"I use Zyzzyva to study words and Quackle to improve my play."
What was your favorite game at the Norwalk Tournament?
"My favorite game by far was the tie with Ben [Schoenbrun]. It was the most limited board I
ever had. In the end we both had high-scoring tiles on our racks. Since we couldn't play them
we passed the game out."
What is your highest scoring play?
"My highest-scoring play at a tournament was UNRAVELS, a triple triple for 185 points. I
played it in Albany over New Year's."
What is your favorite word?
"That's a tough one to decide. Some top ones are TEOCALLI, an Aztec temple; CONFERVA,
algae; BABASSU, a palm tree; and BOMBYX, a silkworm."
What has been your highest game?
"I had a 602 at a club against you!"
Now that you've become an expert, what is your next goal?
"I want to become a 1700!"
Within weeks of the interview, Mack Meller had reached that goal at Old Greenwich. Yet
when I congratulated him on reaching 1700, he commented modestly that he was “probably
overrated.” I disagree--and look forward to seeing him continue playing extraordinary
SCRABBLE.
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GO FISH?
By Mack Meller
It’s your turn. What are your chances of catching a fish (winning) if you Go Fishing?
Your Rack:
Unseen:
Score:
You 414 - Your Opponent 477
------------------------------------------------------------------ANSWERS:
There is no play that scores enough to win if you don’t fish. What happens if you do?
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Fishing option 1: Play off the U by playing UM at 8D for 5 points. Quackle says that this wins
about 88.5% of the time, but does it?
Draw one of the 4 “I”s – You simply have no bingos, your opponent will just play IFS at 5M and you
are lost.
Draw the “G”- Your opponent plays SI at C8, after which you have no bingo as he blocked your
GARCONS.
Draw the “L”- Again, you are bingoless and your opponent plays GITE at 14E.
Draw the “S”- Your opponent plays LI at 13D, blocking your NARCOSES at 14B, and winning the
game.
Draw the “T”- Your opponent plays SIGIL at C4, blocking CARTONS, CRATONS, CANTORS, and
CONTRAS, leaving you with nothing.
Fishing option 2: Play off the N by playing NE at 9D for 2 points. Quackle says that this also wins
about 88.5% of the time, but does it really?
Draw one of the 4 “I”s – Your opponent has only one move to win here, TINE at 9B for just 5 points!
This move blocks your CURIOSA and CARIOUS, winning the game.
Draw the “G”- Your opponent can’t block both COUGARS at C5 and COURAGES at B14. But, if he
blocks the much higher scoring bingo, COURAGES, by playing SLIT at 13C, he will win 491-488
after your COUGARS.
Draw the “L”- Your opponent can’t block your bingos of CAROLUS, OCULARS, and OSCULAR.
However, he can stop you from both reaching the double word score at 13C and playing
CAROUSEL at 14B by playing GIT at 13D for 10 points. But, after you play CAROLUS at C6,
OCULARS at C5 or OSCULAR at C4, you will win 489-487.
Draw the “S”- Your opponent simply can’t block CURASSOW at 1A, and even if he could, you would
have wins with CAROUSES at 14B or SARCOUS and SOUCARS at C8.
Draw the “T”- Your opponent’s GLIM at 8B will block your CUARTOS, SURCOAT, and TURACOS,
winning the game.
CONCLUSION: The best move is playing NE at 9D, winning 25% of the time, if you draw either the
S or the L. So bait your hook and GO FISH!
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Know the Rules
By Jan Cardia, NASPA Rules Committee Chair
Jan Cardia, a longtime expert player and chair of the NASPA Rules Committee,
writes this monthly column on rules for The Last Word. We are thrilled to have
Jan sharing her rules expertise with our readers, and we encourage you to
email any questions you may have about tournament and club rules to
[email protected]. (Photo credit: Jill Jarrell)
________________________________________________________________________
Question:
I have a question in reference to Positioning Tiles. When you refer to “flipped” tiles, are you
referring to tiles placed in the wrong orientation or to tiles that are actually flipped over so
that the face/letter cannot be seen? I would appreciate your help in clarifying this point.
Answer:
A "flipped" tile is one that is actually flipped upside side so that the face/letter cannot be
seen.
Jan Cardia has been playing competitive SCRABBLE® for 32 years and in tournaments for 29
years. She has been a member of the Rules Committee since its inception. She divides her time
between New York City with her husband, Aldo, and Delaware, where her children and
grandchildren all reside.
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U.S. World Championship Team Selected
The team that will represent the United States at the 2011 World SCRABBLE® Championship was
finalized on July 17th in Akron, Ohio, where a Qualification Tournament determined the last three
players and the first alternate. Heading to Warsaw, Poland, for the 11th WSC October 12-15 will be
the following fifteen players:
Dave Wiegand
Nathan Benedict
Brian Cappelletto
Joel Sherman
Geoff Thevenot
John O’Laughlin
Brian Bowman
David Koenig
Laurie Cohen
Chris Cree
Sam Rosin
Marty Gabriel
Mark Kenas
Chris Lipe
Jim Kramer
Bradley Whitmarsh is the first alternate.
The team includes two former World and National Champions (Brian Cappelletto and Joel
Sherman), dual National Champion Dave Wiegand, plus top returning U.S. players Nathan
Benedict, Brian Bowman, Chris Cree, Mark Kenas, Jim Kramer, John O’Laughlin, Sam Rosin. and
Geoff Thevenot.
Competing in their first World Championship are Laurie Cohen, a college administrator from Tempe,
AZ, and the top-ranked North American female SCRABBLE player; David Koenig, a computer
programmer from Silver Spring, MD; and Chris Lipe, a computer programmer from Rome, NY.
For coverage of the Akron Qualifying Tournament, won by Mark Kenas, go to http://
www.neoscrabble.com/base.cfm?page_id=1644&post_id=1279&action=view#comments.
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Linda’s Library
By Linda Wancel
As an avid reader and book lover, I have found that many other Scrabblers also share my passion
for books and for reading. So I am happy to have this opportunity to share some of my favorite
books with you. These reviews, for the most part, were written for Amazon.com, where I have been
writing reviews under a pseudonym for over ten years. I hope that the book lovers among you may
find your interest piqued by some of these books.
______________________________________________________________________________
Non-fiction:
The Hiding Place
By Corrie Ten Boom
This is an absolutely extraordinary book. Never have I read a book in
which the spiritual beauty of the author so resonated throughout the
story. The purity of heart that manifests itself in this inspiring saga of a
heroic Dutch family in Nazi-occupied Holland during World War II is
stunningly beautiful.
This is the true story of the Ten Boom family who, during the Nazi
occupation of The Netherlands, upon seeing what was happening to
their Jewish neighbors and friends, asked themselves the age- old
question "If not us,...who; if not now,...when?" They answered it,
ultimately at great cost.
The Ten Booms were devoutly Christian and lived a simple life. The
patriarch of the family ran a watch shop that had been in his family for a
century. Some of the family members, the author among them, worked
there, selling and repairing clocks and watches. They also lived in the
house in which the shop was located.
When the Nazis occupied their country, the Ten Booms saw the treatment given to their fellow Dutch
citizens of the Jewish faith and slowly realized what what it meant. Moved by the plight of these
Jews, the author at the age of fifty, together with other members of her family, including their father
who was nearly eighty, became active in the Dutch underground.
When it became clear to the Ten Booms that Jews were being targeted for deportation and death,
they had a false wall constructed in the author's bedroom, thereby creating a secret room. There
they would hide terrified Jews who were staying with them in the event of a Nazi raid upon their own
homes.
Eventually denounced to the Nazis, the Ten Booms were arrested and their home raided and torn
apart by the Gestapo in their search for the Jews they believed to be hiding there. At the time of the
raid, the Ten Boom home was filled to capacity with Jews in hiding. So well concealed was the
hidden room that these poor, terrified Jews managed to escape detection.
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The Ten Boom family did not fare so well. It was upon their arrest that they learned firsthand of
man's inhumanity to man, and their faith was put to a test that they had never dreamt possible. It
was faith, however, that sustained the author in what was to be her darkest hour of deepest despair.
To find out what happened to the Ten Booms, read this book. It is the story of an incredible family
who had the courage to put their convictions to the test.
This book is a masterpiece. The reader is sure to be captivated by the goodness and spiritual
beauty contained within its pages.
The Hiding Place is available at Amazon.com.
Fiction:
Fall of Giants
By Ken Follett
This is a huge, sweeping story, encompassing many characters,
events, and countries. At nearly a thousand pages, this book is not for
the faint of heart. What it is, however, is a wonderful, entertaining work
of historical fiction written by a master storyteller.
With well-developed characters and a riveting plot, the author takes
the reader down memory lane. The world of the early twentieth century
is presented with all its class distinctions, and the events that lead up
to World War I and beyond are beautifully integrated into this sweeping
saga that focuses on the British, the Americans, the Germans, and the
Russians.
The tragedy of World War I and its aftermath, the Russian revolution,
the suffragette movement, the erosion of class distinctions, and the
emergence of a middle class are some of the seminal historical
benchmarks that are touched upon in this epic novel. The evolvement
of these events is seen through the lives of the main characters, and
the reader is able to see how these events impact upon each of them.
I really enjoyed this well-written book and could not put it down for the two days that it took me to
read it. It was certainly time well spent, and I most definitely look forward to reading the other two
books that will be forthcoming in this trilogy.
Fall of Giants is available at Amazon.com.
Linda Wancel loves reading, writing, watching films, traveling, and Scrabbling. She is the mother of
28-year-old twins and has recently retired after having been a criminal prosecutor for nearly 25
years.
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Club News
Larry Sherman, Editor
If you'd like your club to be considered for an article or if a newsworthy event has taken place at
your club in the last month, please submit material to [email protected].
______________________________________________________________________________________
Words Ending with B
By John Robertson
On July 15 there was an interesting and unprecedented occurrence at NASPA SCRABBLE® Club
#471 in Cambridge, Ontario.
Each club night four $2 cash prizes are awarded for specialty categories of words played. (We call
them minor prizes.) On July 15 one of the categories was "high-scoring word ending in the letter B."
At the end of the night four different people had each played a 24-point word ending with a B. Our
club has been meeting since February 1996. This marked the first four-way split of a prize in the
club's history. (There had been darn few three-way splits, much less a four-way split.)
The end result: The prize was divided four ways. Each player got a whopping 50 cents.
Cambridge (ON) NASPA SCRABBLE® Club #108 (the Golden Triangle SCRABBLE® Club)
meets on Friday nights at 7:15 p.m. at Riverbend Place, Lower Level Rec Hall, 650 Coronation
Blvd., Cambridge, Ontario, Canada. Contact: John Robertson, 519-621-6432,
[email protected].
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Roy Kamen New Club #350 Champion
Roy Kamen ( http://www.cross-tables.com/results.php?
p=1587 ) is the new champion of NASPA SCRABBLE® Club
#350 (Costa Mesa/El Toro/Aliso Viejo) for the 2011-2012 year.
He beat out a field of fierce competitors over 8 games at
Borders in Costa Mesa, California to earn the title, the trophy,
and a full year of 'FREE' scrabble at the club.
See all the stats and photos at: http://web.mac.com/jftsoi/
2011_Cl_%26_Trn/CLUB_350_Tourney_Finish.html
Costa Mesa/El Toro/Aliso Viejo (CA) NASPA SCRABBLE®
Club #350 meets on Thursday nights at 6:00 p.m. at Denny’s,
105 East 17th St., Costa Mesa, CA; Wednesday nights at 6:15
p.m. at Arby’s, 23862 Bridger Rd., El Toro, CA; and Sunday
afternoons (except the 1st Sunday) from 12:30-4:00 p.m. in
April-October at Neigborhood Cup, I Journey, Aliso Viejo, CA.
Contact: Gary Moss, 949-510-1673, [email protected].
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Cell Phone Circus at Club #276
By Sandee Bloom
After four consecutive months of no cell phones ringing, the
silence at club was finally broken when we heard the melodic
ring of RANDY GREENSPAN's phone! Randy was everyone's
best friend that night because this meant that the cell phone
fund had finally reached the required $5.00 plateau which was
necessary for the prize to be awarded the following week. In
addition to the two times that Randy's phone went off during
the past months, the other contributors to this $5.00 plateau
were KAREN MATLES, LYA KORDA and MARY CAPALBI.
It's interesting to note this time it took eight months to reach
the $5.00 plateau!
On July 27 we all tried to score the highest word beginning with the
natural letter "C" for "cell phone" or "caught you!" CHERYL LEVIN
scored 72 points for "CLEANERS" and MICHAEL VACIANA tied
with 72 points for his word "COUNTERS." Instead of having a
"bakeoff" for the $5.00 it was decided to split the money and both
Cheryl and Michael were happy with the $2.50 they each received.
Lauderhill FL Scrabble® Club #276 meets Wednesday nights
from 5:45-9:00 p.m. at Veterans Park, 7600 NW 50th Street,
Lauderhill, FL 33351. Fee is $3 per week; score sheets and “cheat
sheets” are supplied, but please bring sets and clocks. Contact Sandee Bloom, 954-726-6449,
[email protected]; or Larry Gradus, [email protected]
_______________________________________________________________________________
New Calgary Club Player Excels
At the Calgary tournament on June 4-5, Roland
Simon, who had recently moved to Calgary from
Brantford, ON, won Division 2 with a record of 13-1.
He was seeded 10th out of 19 players going into
this event.
Calgary (AB) NASPA SCRABBLE® Club #374
meets on Thursday nights at 7:00 p.m. at West
Hillhurst Community Center, 1940 6 Ave. NW,
Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Contact: Siri Tillekeratne,
403-281-2459, [email protected]; Wayne Clifford,
403-241-0375, [email protected]; Betty Bergeron,
403-201-2206, [email protected]; Randall
Thomas, 403-220-9121, [email protected]; or
visit the club website: http://www.calgary374.org/
HomePage.php.
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Ambigrammic Letter Tiles (v2.0)
By Eric Harshbarger
I decided to add a new twist to my favorite crossword board
game.
These Ambigrammic Letter Tiles are designed such that many
of the square pieces, when rotated 90 degrees, display an
alternate letter. Some of the tiles can be used for up to three
different letters! The hope is that these tiles will inject a new
skill requisite into a typical game. Beyond word knowledge,
board tactics, and letter leaves, now spatial manipulation
becomes important. Being able to mentally rotate tiles will help
a player notice more possible words than before.
The tiles pictured above are engraved and laser-cut from 1/4" poplar wood. They are 3/4" squares
(not slightly oblong...since you may be rotating them and playing and playing them in 90-degree
increments). You can see all of the different possible letter orientations. You'll note that some letters
get both upper- and lower-case representations. The illustration below shows the full set of 100 tiles
I made.
SCRABBLE players will note that not
only is the letter distribution among
the tiles different from the standard
version of that game, but the point
values associated with each letter are
also altered. I changed some of the
values for a few reasons:
1.Since most of the "power" letters
can be used as other letters, and
because there are often more of them
(many more possible Js and Qs), I
lowered their values.
2.I think the values of Q and Z are a
bit better since QI and ZA are
acceptable (and powerful) plays under
the Tournament Wordlist. X was also
devalued a bit simply because of its
strong ability to form two-letter words.
3.I have always felt some of the other
tiles were a bit overvalued (C, H, and
P in particular).
4.
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[v2.0] Because of the added versatility of the tiles, I have removed the usual "blank" tiles.
Omission of blanks also removes any issues of "brailling" blank tiles. And, of course, there are
those players who think the blanks add too much luck to the game anyway.
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Of course, since tiles can possibly rotated and used as different letters, some of them have more
than one score/value on them. The point value in the lower right corner indicates the value of the tile
in a particular orientation.
Here is a set of pictures that shows the versatility these Ambigrammic Letter Tiles can add to a play.
This rack of seven tiles shows the six letter word SHADOW.
Not bad, but with the right rearrangement and reorientation
of tiles, a player might find the word POACHES.
With a little more investigation, the same tiles can also be
used to form the word DYNAMOS.
I’ll let someone else now calculate the new possibilities for the AEINRST rack... [grin].
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One Up! Cup for August
By Timothy Cataldo
Since we're well aware that the brainiacs in the crowd love a real challenge, and to ultimately
conquer the rest of the world with their big dictionaries and high IQs, we've come up with what we're
calling the One Up! Cup. Every month we'll post a “game situation” and ask the word heads to send
in their best answer for the next play.
We've decided that since there will be no “perfect” or “right” solution, necessarily, we will randomly
pick a winner from what we think are the most deserving. Being fastest and first is all well and good,
but we want you to be a bit creative, and to show some originality and cheek, too. Send your best
guess (one entry per person, please) to One Up! Cup. The winner will receive a One Up! and have
his or her name put in the drawing for the grand prize at the end of the year, which will be a $250 gift
certificate to Uppityshirts.com. (For rules on playing One Up! click here.)
July was a tough one, since we had several clever entries, but we finally decided to award the One
Up! Cup to Linda Stephens:
"Starting with JETSAM, I turn it into SCRAMJET, as in the sentence: 'The JETSAM floating on the
ocean was observed from above by the pilot of the SCRAMJET.'"
June’s winner was our old friend Jeff Scrabbleman, who sent in this:
"Inspired by my first car, a PONTIAC, I convert the word POINT into CAPTION (or its anagram
PACTION)."
Co-winner for May (with Shaina Lesniewicz) was Devorah Pashev:
“From the word TREAD I'll make BAREFOOTED. The uppity tile can be used as one of the O's.
“It reminds me of a line in a poem I had read in high school: ‘Barefooted, I lightly tread...’”
Great stuff - keep 'em coming!
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SCRABBLE® and Scrabblers in the News
Edited by Judy Cole
See something about SCRABBLE or a SCRABBLE player in the news? Let us know! Send your
stories to Judy Cole ([email protected]).
_______________________________________________________________________________
Oh, Canada!
Coverage of the Canadian National
SCRABBLE Championship, held in Toronto
(ON) in early June, included:
JULY MILESTONES
• Canada NewsWire (06/08/2011) - This
press release profiled many of the "colorful"
players scheduled to compete in the
championship. http://
www.digitaljournal.com/pr/331472
MATT CANIK reached 1700 for the first time at the
Austin (TX) Tournament.
• CHCH (06/10/2011) - CHCH TV interviewed
former Canadian champion Ron Hoekstra
and NASPA co-president John Chew as the
tournament got underway.
KATE FUKAWA-CONNELLY reached 1900 for the first
time at the Old Greenwich (CT) Tournament.
BRIAN GALEBACH reached 1700 for the first time at
the Albany (NY) Tournament.
KEVIN LEEDS reached 1700 for the first time at the
Austin (TX) Tournament.
MACK MELLER reached 1700 for the first time at the
Old Greenwich (CT) Tournament.
WALLACE SCHULTZ reached 1700 for the first time at
the June Hancock (MA) Tournament.
DANIEL MILTON reached 1600 for the first time at the
Albany (NY) Tournament.
JOE SOUTH reached 1600 for the first time at the
AKRON (OH) Tournament
ADAM GINZBERG reached 1500 for the first time at the
Old Greenwich (CT) Tournament.
http://chch.com/index.php/home/item/3901spellings-a-game-for-these-competitors
PRASHANTH SEETHARAM reached 1500 (Collins) for
the first time at the Akron (OH) Tournament.
MURRAY WEBER reached 1500 for the first time at the
Victoria (BC) Tournament.
• Canada NewsWire (06/13/2011) - This
press release includes a brief interview with
champion Joel Wapnick and lists some of the high-scoring plays in the finals - DEISTIC (81),
FEIJOAS (84), and ZARF (48).http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/335569
• Ottawa Citizen (06/16/2011) - Three-time Canadian champion Adam Logan,
who placed second in this year's championship, shares his love of the blank
and notes that luck is enhanced by skill. "As in a lot of things, the better you
are at something, the more likely you are to be lucky. And Joel is very good
at Scrabble. If I’d been playing someone else, maybe that person wouldn’t
have thought of the words that Joel thought of."
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/life/Three+time+Scrabble+champ+unfazed
+defeat+finals/4953451/story.html
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Holy MACKerel
The National SCRABBLE Association (NSA) issued a press release on
July 7, 2011, to announce that at 11 years old, Mack Meller is the
youngest person to achieve an expert rating above 1600.
The NSA reports that the press release (http://www2.scrabble-assoc.com/
main.asp?id=1) has been picked up by, among others:
• Yahoo! - http://finance.yahoo.com/news/11YearOld-WestchesterBoy-prnews-4040418477.html?x=0&.v=1
• Yahoo! Canada
• CNBC.com
• Reuters
• Providence Journal
• Las Vegas Review-Journal
• The Austin American Statesman
• The Sacramento Bee
• Worcester Telegram & Gazette
• Syracuse.com
• WTVF-TV CBS-5 Phoenix, AZ
• WFSB-TV CBS-3 Hartford, CT
• WISTV NBC-10 Columbia, SC
• WKRN ABC-2 Nashville, TN
Tilting at Windmills
The Ask.Com Question of the Day on June 13, 2011, highlighted the highest scoring SCRABBLE
words played in TWL and Collins games - QUIXOTRY and CAZIQUES (good in both dictionaries).
!
The QUIXOTRY game took place on October 12, 2006, at the Lexington (MA) NASPA
SCRABBLE®Club #108 between Michael Cresta and Wayne Yorra. The final score was 830 to
490. You can review the game details at http://wolfberg.net/scrabble/lexington/score830/.
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Ovarian Odyssey
Charlotte (NC) SCRABBLE player Katya Lezin shares what she has termed
her ovarian odyssey with readers of her column in the South Charlotte News.
Our best wishes go out to Katya as she continues her odyssey amid a full
slate of SCRABBLE tournaments, including the Albany (NY) July 4th
tournament and the Nationals in Dallas (TX).
South Charlotte News (07/20/2011) http://www.charlotteobserver.com/
2011/07/20/2457055/finding-the-positives-in-a-bad.html
Standing on the Corner
In the Jackson Heights neighborhood of Queens (NY), a
street sign - 35T1H4 A1V4E1N1U1E1 - was erected in 1995 to
commemorate the location where Alfred Butts developed
SCRABBLE in 1938.
The sign mysteriously disappeared in 1998; one
neighborhood wag blogged that it had been moved to a
corner with a triple word square.
Through the efforts of Councilman Daniel Dromm, Mayor
Michael R. Bloomberg signed legislation on July 11, 2011,
to have the sign reinstalled. The councilman is a
SCRABBLE® enthusiast and in his former career as a teacher, taught the game to his 4th grade
students
New York Times (07/16/2011) http://mobile.nytimes.com/article?a=817115&f=22&p=0
SCRABBLE Celebrities
Celebrities share our love of the game.
• On the June 27, 2011, episode of Good Morning America, lifestyle anchor Lara Spencer
revealed that Jennifer Anniston likes to play poker and SCRABBLE on weekends.
Words with Friends indeed!
http://abcnews.go.com/watch/good-morning-america/
SH5587637/VD55132748/gma-627-bristol-palin-tell-all
(approximately at the 48-minute mark)
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• In an interview with the Financial Times, novelist Alan Hollinghurst admits that his
sportsmanship was tested when his 92-year old mother thrashed him recently in five
games of SCRABBLE.
Financial Times (06/24/2011) http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/a9229750-9cbe-11e0bf57-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1TANzqfFe
• Back to the Future star Christopher Lloyd played a Chicago version of SCRABBLE on the patio
of the Lux Bar on July 2, 2011.
Chicago Tribune (07/06/2011) http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/
celebrity/aboutlastnight/chi-sighting-john-cusack-ataccanto-20110706,0,1014265.story
• Upon learning of the death of basketball player Armen Gilliam, Washington Post sports
columnist Mike Wise recalls that during the spring of 1995, the reporters covering the New
Jersey Nets were prone to trash talk over SCRABBLE in the locker room. Armen overheard the
reporters and threw down the gauntlet: "I want in. Your hyperbole and language skills mean
nothing to me."
Armen, known as the Hammer, brought his own board to Wise's apartment one
evening and hammered the reporters over the course of three hours. Among his
plays were AMBIDEXTROUS.
Washington Post (07/08/2011) http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/wizards/on-ateam-of-characters-armen-gilliam-actually-had-some/2011/07/08/
gIQAnIwQ4H_story.html
• Dawn Tripp's latest mystery novel, Game of Secrets,
unfolds over weekly SCRABBLE games played by two
women at the Westport (CT) Council on Aging. “A lot of
the way I work is like a game of SCRABBLE. I start with
little scattered pieces that I build into a larger whole. I
thought about a few different games, but at the end of the
day, it had to be a SCRABBLE game. In the book, how
two women play SCRABBLE is a metaphor for how they
live their lives,” said Tripp.
The Herald News (06/25/2011) http://www.heraldnews.com/lifestyle/x177089019/MYSTERYWOMAN-Dawn-Tripps-latest-novel-interwoven-with-local-lore
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• New York Yankee reliever David Robertson is so competitive that his
wife, Erin, cannot play SCRABBLE with him because she usually
wins!
The Wall Street Journal (07/08/2011) http://online.wsj.com/article/
SB10001424052702303365804576432380295436692.html?
mod=googlenews_wsj
• Singer-songwriter Marissa Nadler admits to an obsession with SCRABBLE, or rather Lexulous
for the extra letter that it provides. She finds it a healthy alternative to drinking in bars.
She hopes to challenge fellow musician Moby who admitted his addiction to Facebook
SCRABBLE in an NPR interview.
Pitchfork (07/13/2011) http://pitchfork.com/features/guest-lists/8002-marissa-nadler/
SCRABBLE Bling#
Seven teenagers from Sir John Nelthorpe School in
Scunthorpe (UK) won three trophies in the Yorkshire and
Humber Young Enterprise Awards for their custom
SCRABBLE jewelry business.
The team won awards for Best North Lincolnshire Company,
Best Financial Administration, and Best Quality Service and
made a total profit of £550 from sales at craft fairs and other
events.
Scunthorpe Telegraph (06/02/2011) http://www.thisisscunthorpe.co.uk/Enterprising-teens-scoopawards-Scrabble-inspired/story-12656609-detail/story.html
School Days
Even after the National School SCRABBLE Championship, students continue to compete over the
board around the country.
• Merrick (NY) - At the end of May, about sixty 5th and 6th graders
competed in the annual SCRABBLE tournament hosted by the
Merrick Kiwanis.
The tournament, held at the Merrick Library, awarded prizes to the
top three teams in each grade as well as prizes for High Game, High
Word, and Best Sportsmanship.
Long Island Herald (06/02/2011)
http://www.liherald.com/stories/Merrick-Kiwanis-Clubs-Scrabble-tourney-a-hit,33237?
content_source=&category_id=5&search_filter=&event_mode=&event_ts_from=&list_type=&or
der_by=&order_sort=&content_class=&sub_type=&town_id=
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• California (PA) - California University of Pennsylvania hosted the sixth
annual SCRABBLE® tournament for students in Grades 4 through 12
from Brownsville middle and high schools as well as the Avella, West
Greene, and Central Greene school districts.
Davis and Davis, a local law firm, sponsored the tournament and
supplied trophies for the 18 first- and second-place finishers.
Herald Standard (05/31/2011) http://www.heraldstandard.com/news/local_news/local-studentscompete-in-scrabble-tournament/article_8263262f-2f8c-58c5-ad80-53dfd5c69171.html
• Burlington (MA) The Burlington Public Library's SCRABBLE Club meets
every other Tuesday during the summer months. The club
gives kids an opportunity to improve vocabulary and math
skills as well to meet others their own age.
Bradley Robbins was slated to appear at the July 19th
meeting to talk about his book (The Official Kids' Guide to
Scrabble), share tips, and play a few games.
Burlington Patch (07/07/2011) http://burlington.patch.com/
articles/scrabble-club-at-the-bpl#photo-6892157
Pub SCRABBLE
An eleven-minute film, Rule Number Three, stars About A Boy and X-Men:First
Class actor Nicholas Hoult and 28 Weeks Later actress Imogen Poots as a
couple playing a pub game of SCRABBLE that takes a sinister turn.
The film, directed by Tom Ludlow, is a finalist in the Film London’s Best of
Boroughs Awards, in which 11 films battle for the public vote, each representing
a different London borough.
Enfield Independent (07/18/2011) http://www.enfieldindependent.co.uk/news/localnews/
9145312.Filmmaker_represents_borough_in_London_awards/
SCRABBLE Arts and Crafts
Home will truly be sweet when you enhance your decor with a set
of SCRABBLE pillows.
Find out how at http://www.diylife.com/2011/06/08/how-to-make-apillow-inspired-by-scrabble/.
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Keep your tables spotless with SCRABBLE coasters.
http://craftingagreenworld.com/2011/06/18/how-to-scrabble-drink-coaster/
SCRABBLE can also inspire your baking and other home activities.
http://www.re-nest.com/re-nest/style-inspiration/inspirationscrabble-148904
League of SCRABBLE
The East End United Community Center (EEUCC) in Uniontown (PA) plans to stimulate interest in
SCRABBLE in the Fayette County area this summer through a series of leagues.
People can play as individuals or as part of a team and will be
organized into leagues by age - juniors (elementary school
children), intermediates (high school students), and seniors (those
18 and over).
Dr. Barbara Wright, EEUCC executive director, hopes that some
participants are inspired to go to NASPA tournaments and that the
leagues can continue this fall and winter.
Herald Standard (06/10/2011) http://www.heraldstandard.com/entertainment/spinit_weekend/
scrabble-league-offers-unique-outlet-for-summer-fun/article_b5711074-5fab-51b2-b13aaf93cc858819.html
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Going Once...
On February 28th the Literacy Volunteers of Greater
Syracuse held their first “SCRABBLE Mania”--an evening of
food, fun, local celebrities, and competitive team SCRABBLE
to benefit the LVSG. Three hundred people attended, and
more than fifty volunteers helped. The group also offered a
guide on “How to Host a SCRABBLE Party” fundraiser.
Local celebrities were auctioned off before each round of
competitive play--and 12-year-old SCRABBLE champ Matt
O'Connor stole the show! Matt was auctioned for a whopping
$370, and took over the Emcee’s role in the process! See the
wonderfully funny video at http://www.vimeo.com/20803856.
And the Grand Champions? Matt's Team: SU CPCS! See http://www.lvgs.org/scrabble2010/.
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Word Trivia Quiz
By Siri Tillekeratne
The following unique meanings are of new words added to the OSPD 4 in 2006. What are those
words?
1. A Canadian one-dollar coin
2. One who separates merchandise into lots
3. A gathering promoting good feeling
4. Moving with a heavy gait
5. The central hall of n ancient Greek house
6. The art of skin painting with henna
7. A condition indicated by black, tarry stool
8. A tripe/chili stew
9. A mixture of tender green herbs
10. A powder for developing photos
ANSWERS ON THE NEXT PAGE
Siri Tillekeratne is a director of the Calgary NASPA SCRABBLE® Club #374 and a former Director
of the Year.
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ANSWERS
1. A Canadian one-dollar coin LOONIE/S
2. One who separates merchandise into lots LOTTER/S
3. A gathering promoting good feeling LOVEFEST/S
4. Moving with a heavy gait LUMBERLY
5. The central hall of n ancient Greek house MEGARON/RA
6. The art of skin painting with henna MEHNDI/S
7. A condition indicated by black, tarry stool MELENA/S
8. A tripe/chili stew MENUDO/S
9. A mixture of tender green herbs MESCLUN/S
10. A powder for developing photos METOL/S
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Historic Moments: SCRABBLE® Throughout the Years
Coffeehousing
By Stu Goldman
In case anyone is not familiar with this term, it means using words, gestures, or anything to
influence an opponent into making a wrong choice by misleading or distracting him or her. Strictly
forbidden in tournaments, it has often been used to good effect in club and informal play. For
example, a fine player told me once he once induced a challenge by moving his hand back from the
clock after starting to punch it and then finally hitting it. He once told me, "I don't know what to do,"
when he was to play with one tile left to draw, the Q not played and not in my rack. I assumed he
had just drawn the Q, but when I challenged his phony I drew it!
But the most hilarious example of coffeehousing I ever saw was in a game I kibitzed in the old
Game Room. The late Steve Pfeiffer was playing Linda Gruber, one of the first female experts, who
hasn't played competitively for over twenty years. This is how I described it in Confessions of a
Compulsive Tile Pusher:
"(Steve) drew the Z. . . . Rather than taking a decent play of 30-odd points, (he) placed an F six
spaces above a TWS square. . . . When he picked up his new tiles we both saw that he could play
FOZIER . . . and it would be worth 84 points.
"For her play Linda made just a few points, . . laying a tile in the way of FOZIER. . . . As she hit
the button of her clock she drew back her hand, saying, 'I'm not sure I want to do that.'
"She looked to see if she had started Steve's clock . . . . We all saw that the clock was
neutralized . . . 'Can I take it back?' she asked.
“Any other player would have assented, being careful only not to appear too eager. For
(Pfeiffer) not seeming too eager involved a full coffeehousing minute of head-scratching, weightshifting, arm-twitching, leaning-of-the-chin-on-the-hands and other gestures designed to simulate
deep thought over the strategic considerations and ethical principles involved in taking it back.
Finally, waving his arm in a gesture of resignation, he said, 'Do wot ya want.'
“Linda played elsewhere and Steve cashed his 84 points without a hint of triumph over his
success in disguising his motivation. But Linda knew she had been had all the same."
Stu Goldman lives in California and has been playing tournament SCRABBLE® for 37 years.
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Word Star
By Jeff Kastner
Play Word Star, a word game with similarities to Boggle, created and presented each month by Phoenix, AZ
expert Jeff Kastner.
The puzzle grid is in the shape of a hexagram…also known as the “Star of David.”
Your object is to find and list as many words as possible, using only the 7 letters contained in the Word Star
puzzle. All words must be OWL2 or Long List acceptable.
There are 3 basic rules to finding words within a Word Star puzzle:
1. Words must be at least 3 or more letters long (with no limit on how long the word can be).
2. Words are formed by using letters that adjoin each other. For example, the words DOZE and
DOT are acceptable, but not SET, because the “E” and the “T” are not neighboring letters.
3. Letters within a word may repeat as many times as possible, as long as such letters are
repeated twice (or thrice) in a row, or as long as Rule 2 is followed. So, for example, ZOO and DID
are acceptable. But, IODIZES would not be acceptable because the “I” and the “O” are not
adjoining.
•
Note that the Center Star, located in the white middle portion of the puzzle, is the most important
letter. It is the only letter that adjoins each of the 6 others in the puzzle. In addition, there are bonus
points awarded for using the Center Star as often as possible. The Center Star in this month’s puzzle
is the letter “Z.”
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Multiple forms of the same word are acceptable (for example, RATE, RATED, RATER, RATERS, and
RATES would all be fine, if they were in the puzzle). No points are awarded (and no penalty points are
assessed) for any entries on your word list that are not in OWL2 or the Long List, or that do not adhere to
the above rules.
Points are scored as follows:
•
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•
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2 Points for each WORD found.
5 Bonus Points for each BINGO (7 or more letters) found.
1 Point for each LETTER of every word found.
1 Bonus Point for each CENTER STAR of every word found.
Example of Points Scored:
Let’s say a Word Star puzzle has an “S” as the Center Star letter, and your list consists of the following
words:
ATTIRE
ATTIRES
SAT
SATE
SATIRE
SATIRES
TIRE
TIRES
Your score would be:
•
•
•
•
16 Points for the 8 WORDS found.
10 Bonus Points for the 2 BINGOS (ATTIRES and SATIRES) found.
42 Points for each of the 42 LETTERS used in the 8 words.
7 Bonus Points for each CENTER STAR used (the letter “S” is used 7 times).
TOTAL SCORE in this imaginary example = 75 Points.
Par Scores for this month’s Word Star:
175 points (Novice); 250 points (Intermediate); 315 points (Advanced)
Once you’ve compiled your list, check out my SOLUTION on the next page.
See you next month with another Word Star puzzle! …Jeff Kastner
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SOLUTION
DID
DIDIE
DIDIES
DIDO
DIE
DIES
DIESES
DIZZIES
DIZZIEST
DODO
DOODIES
DOODOO
DOOZIE
DOOZIES
DOT
DOTS
DOZE
DOZES
DOZIEST
ESES
ESS
ESSES
ODD
OOT
OOTS
OOZE
OOZES
OOZIEST
OTTO
SEE
SEES
SEI
SEIZE
SEIZES
STOOD
STOT
STOTS
STOTT
STOTTS
TOD
TODDIES
TODIES
TOO
TOOT
TOOTS
TOOTSES
TOT
TOTS
ZEE
ZEES
ZEST
ZESTS
ZOO
ZZZ
PAR SCORES: 175 points (Novice); 250 points (Intermediate);
315 points (Advanced)
BEST SCORE:
2 Points for each WORD found:
54 Words = 108 points.
5 Bonus Points for each BINGO found:
8 Bingos = 40 points.
1 Point for each LETTER of every word found:
251 Letters = 251 points.
1 Bonus Point for each CENTER STAR of every word found:
22 Z’s = 22 points.
TOTAL = 421 Points
Jeff Kastner, originally from New York City, has been living in Phoenix, AZ since 1985. Jeff is one of
a handful of players who has ever been ranked in the USA-top-50 in both SCRABBLE® and chess.
He is the 2009-2010 Phoenix SCRABBLE® Club champion as well as the 2008 and 2009
Scottsdale SCRABBLE® Club champ. His chess, Sudoku, and word puzzles appear weekly in The
Jewish Press newspaper and on its website. He has recently begun hosting the Internet program
Who’s on the Show?, where one of his first interviews was with directors Larry Rand and Barbara
Van Alen: http://whosontheshow.com/shows.html.
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Passages
Edited by Larry Sherman
Each month we will be including information about SCRABBLE® players (births, deaths, marriages,
etc.) Please send your news to Cornelia Guest at [email protected].
______________________________________________________________________________
DEATHS
ESLA BYNOE-ANDRIOLO EWIDA
The SCRABBLE community mourns the tragic death of Esla Ewida, 81, in a
fire at her Jersey City home the morning of July 31.
Esla was a teacher of English as a Second Language for many years,
receiving high marks from her students at New Jersey City University,
where she taught until recently. She was a deeply involved and well-loved
member of the congregation at the Christ United Methodist Church; she led
the church choir and organized several women groups. At the time of her
death she lived by herself, using a scooter to get around.
Originally from Trinidad, Esla spoke several languages, including Spanish, French, and Swahili.
Starting tournament play in the 1980s, Esla competed in more than 80 tournaments, including 13
National SCRABBLE Championships, the most recent in 2008. She was 8th of 133 players in
Division 3 the 1998 NSC, and she reached a peak rating of 1514 in 1994. She was co-director of
the now-inactive Monclair NJ NSA SCRABBLE Club #169.
Esla is best known, however, as director of the Atlantic City Tournament, which she ran for many
years with the late Margaret Bauer Williams. Esla’s warm personality and sense of humor made the
tournament one of the most popular in the country. The 1995 January event attracted 286 players,
making it one of the largest non-Nationals tournaments ever. Esla was also instrumental in the
planning of the 2007 Players Championship, and she served as Division 2 assistant to Judy
Newhouse in Dayton.
This 2007 cgp post from Esla gives a good sense of her love of running a tournament--and her
amazing generosity of spirit:
“As I write this, I'm a little misty-eyed. I'm picturing myself standing on the Atlantic sea coast, with
my back to the ocean, and my arms outstretched sideways. My right hand grasps Kath
Mullholand's, and my left, John Luebkemann's. We look at each other with pride and satisfaction
and smile contentedly. ‘Good job,’ we say to each other. We look north, raise our voices and say
together, ‘And you too, Siri.’ He waves excitedly as our words reach him and shouts, ‘Keep up the
good work.’
“This weekend, the sound of rattling tiles will be heard along the East Coast. Starting south in
Charlotte, NC, moving northwards to Atlantic City, NJ, continuing through Dover, NH, and finishing in
Calgary, Alberta. This will be the culmination of months of preparation and hard work. There has
been a concerted effort to make tournaments as attractive as they can be, and the beneficiaries are
the players. The organizers seek the best prices, venues, food, computerized equipment, lighting,
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temperature, seating, entertainment, any and everything to keep the players content. We hope we
succeed.
“On behalf of Vernon and myself, I would like to wish our fellow organizers, Kath, John, and Siri lots
of luck, and to the players, the same.
“LET THE GAMES BEGIN!”
A funeral service for Esla is being held at 10:00 AM on Saturday, August 6th at Christ United
Methodist Church, 2811 Kennedy Boulevard, Jersey City, New Jersey: (201) 332-8996
_______________________________________________________________________________
STAN SCOTT
By Bob Umlas
According to cross-tables.com, SCRABBLE expert Stan Scott, who was a
top software designer for the large tax-services provider KPMG, played in 34
tourneys and achieved a peak rating of 1872. He was a popular attendee at
N.Y.C. Club #56 during the 1990s. His friend, Bob Umlas, is a new NASPA
player.
“Stan Scott was not just bright, he was brilliant.”
That’s how tax partner Paul Goldberg described his friend and colleague
Stan Scott at a memorial service at Riverside Memorial Chapel in New York
City.
Stan, whose KPMG career spanned 32 years, passed away on February 14, 2011, after a long and
hard-fought battle with leukemia. Stan is survived by his spouse, Bruce Shenitz; his mother,
Elizabeth; his sister, Susan Sievers; a large extended family; and many good friends.
Stan was respected throughout his career for his creativity and ability to blend his tax technical
knowledge (including his Harvard Law degree) with his exceptional software development skills to
deliver innovation for the tax practice. He also loved challenges and as such continually evolved his
technology skills from his early use of VisiCalc to 1-2-3 to Symphony to Excel to complex Web
applications such as Sharepoint.
Stan was known for his sharp wit, wry sense of humor, and his love for games such as SCRABBLE,
which he played regularly. He was a true friend to many and will be greatly missed.
Donations in Stan Scott’s memory can be made to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society or to
organizations that care for animals (such as Shelters, ASPCA, Humane Society, Greyhound rescue
organizations).
Donation acknowledgements and/or cards can be sent to:
Bruce Shenitz
165 W. 66th Street #16J
New York, NY 10023
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SCRABBLE®
Resources
There are many study tools to
help SCRABBLE® players
hone their skills, including a
number of programs that can
be downloaded for free. This
section will offer suggestions
and links for both players and
directors.
Play SCRABBLE®
On Line
POGO SCRABBLE®
The official SCRABBLE®
online game. Created under
agreement with Hasbro in
2008.
SCRABBLE® ON
FACEBOOK
Select the SCRABBLE®
application on the Facebook
home page to play the official
SCRABBLE® game. Various
groups hold tournaments at
this site, including a group
called “Mad Scrabblers”.
INTERNET
SCRABBLE® CLUB
A Romanian-based site and
application for interactive
games. A favorite site for
many of the top players.
Play Live
SCRABBLE®
CROSS-TABLES
Lists all upcoming
tournaments, as well as
results of past tournaments.
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Has SCRABBLE®
tournament aides.
NASPA CLUB LISTINGS
Lists clubs throughout North
America with their meeting
times and locations.
NSA CLUB LISTINGS
Lists casual clubs throughout
North America with their
meeting times and locations.
WGPO CLUB LISTINGS
Lists clubs throughout North
America with their meeting
times and locations.
Anagramming/
Practice Tools
JUMBLETIME
A free web site for practicing
anagramming skills.
MAC USERS: After you do a
Jumbletime quiz on a Mac,
the scroll bar to view the
results is missing. To make it
appear, go to the lower right
corner and grab the striped
triangle and shrink the
window all the way to the top
left corner. When you pull it
back, the scroll bar to the
right of the answers to the
quiz appears. (Make sure you
do this before you check your
score against other players.)
AEROLITH
A free application for
practicing anagramming skills
and learning words.
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QUACKLE
A free application for playing,
simulating, and analyzing
games.
ZYZZYVA
A free application for
practicing anagramming skills
and learning words. Also has
Word Judge capabilities.
SCRABBLE®
DICTIONARY
Type a word to check for
acceptability. OSPD4 words.
LEXIFIND SCRABBLE®
HELPER AND WORD
GAME WIZARD
WORDFINDER FOR
GOOGLE CHROME
A full-board SCRABBLE®
word-finder program that
shows you every word that
can possibly be made on an
entire SCRABBLE® board,
and continuously updates its
results as you type letters
onto the board or into the
rack. Full version available at
http://bit.ly/ecwHPt
FRANKLIN
SCRABBLE® PLAYERS
DICTIONARY
An electronic handheld
dictionary and anagrammer,
with many helpful options and
games. Includes the latest
word lists, and can be
adjusted from OSPD4 to
OWL2 lists with a code.
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Tournament SCRABBLE®
Newsletter #1.
SCRABBLE® Blogs
THE BADQOPH
DIRECTORY
CLICK HERE TO HELP
END WORD HUNGER AS
YOU LEARN WORDS
This is a database of blogs by
known SCRABBLE® bloggers,
primarily tournament players.
As of March 29th there were
196 blogs in the directory.
A free vocabulary testing site.
For every correct word, grains
of rice are donated through the
United Nations World Food
Cheat Sheets
Program. Feed hungry people
MIKE BARON’S CHEAT
as you expand your vocabulary!
SHEET
Online SCRABBLE®
Discussion Groups
CGP ([email protected])
This group, for tournament
players and directors only, has
the largest membership of any
online tournament
SCRABBLE® discussion group.
Most important events and
changes in the SCRABBLE®
world are discussed on cgp.
Admission is by approval only.
Details can be found in the
NASPA Tournament
SCRABBLE® Newsletter #1.
A great cheat sheet with 2s, 3s,
vowel dumps, short high-pointtile words, and good bingo
stems. Includes useful front
and back hook letters to make
3s from 2s. Adapted from Mike
Barron’s SCRABBLE®
Wordbook and the Official
Tournament and Club Word
List, 2nd Edition.
MIKE BARON’S CHEAT
SHEET (for School
SCRABBLE® and home
play)
A great cheat sheet with 2s, 3s,
vowel dumps, short high-pointtile words, and good bingo
stems. Includes useful front
and back hook letters to make
OSPD ([email protected] 3s from 2s. Adapted from Mike
Barron’s SCRABBLE®
om)
Wordbook and the Official
This group, dedicated to players
SCRABBLE® Players
using The Official SCRABBLE®
Dictionary, 4th Edition.
Players’ Dictionary, offers lighthearted humor, daily word lists, COOL WORDS TO KNOW
and more. Admission is to all
A terrific cheat sheet from the
SCRABBLE® lovers. Details
National SCRABBLE®
can be found in the NASPA
Association for School
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SCRABBLE® and home play.
Gives useful information on how
to find bingos, plus the 2s, 3s,
vowel dumps, and short highpoint-tile plays.
COLLINS-ONLY CHEAT
SHEET
A cheat sheet of short Collins
words NOT found in the OWL2.
2s, 3s, short high-point-tile
words, and Q-without-U words.
COLLINS WORD LISTS
Useful links to Collins word lists
can be found at the following
websites: http://
www.absp.org.uk/words/
words.html; http://
www.math.utoronto.ca/jjchew/
scrabble/lists/; http://
www.scrabble.org.au/words/
index.htm; http://
members.ozemail.com.au/
~rjackman/.
Tournament
Management Software
DIRECTOR!
Marc Levesque’s software for
managing tournaments. Also
has a Yahoo user group you
can join as a support option.
TOURNEYMAN
Jeff Widergren’s software for
managing tournaments.
TSH
John Chew’s software for
managaing tournaments,
recently updated with new
features.
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Books
BOB’S BIBLE
A terrific book to build word
power for tournaments.
BOB’S BIBLE, SCHOOL
EDITION
For School SCRABBLE® and
home play.
BROW-RAISERS II
A brilliantly organized study
guide geared towards the
success of beginning and
intermediate players.
HOW TO PLAY
SCRABBLE® LIKE A
CHAMPION
A new guide to winning
SCRABBLE® from World
SCRABBLE® Champion Joel
Wapnick. Fantastic insights into
expert playing techniques. (See
review in the October issue of
The Last Word.)
ENGLISH LANGUAGE
WORD BUILDER
Bob Jackman’s guide to
building a strong Collins
vocabulary, organized by word
length, familiarity, and part of
speech.
EVERYTHING
SCRABBLE®, THIRD
EDITION
The ultimate guide to winning at
SCRABBLE@ by 3-time
National Champion Joe Edley
and John D. Williams, Jr.
Completely updated to include
all new words. (See review in
the January issue of The Last
word.)
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THE OFFICIAL
SCRABBLE® PLAYERS
DICTIONARY, FOURTH
EDITION
The official word source for
School SCRABBLE® and
casual play.
THE OFFICIAL
TOURNAMENT AND
CLUB WORD LIST, 2ND
EDITION
The official word source for
NASPA tournament and club
play.
SCRABBLE®
TOURNAMENT & CLUB
WORD LIST (COLLINS)
The official word list for
international tournament play.
(Available at SamTimer.com.)
SCRABBLE®
WORDBOOK
A great word book for
SCRABBLE® players by Mike
Baron. OSPD4 words. (POO
Lists available with words
excluded from the OWL2.)
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Tournament Calendar
Our new calendar format addresses two concerns: 1) Readers wanted as complete a list as
possible of tournament dates, not just two months worth of dates; 2) Readers wanted to know easily
whether a tournament was sanctioned by NASPA, WGPO, or the NSA (or was unrated).
However, because new tournaments are constantly being added to the schedule, it is difficult to be
all-inclusive. Please be sure to refer to the Websites of the organization sanctioning the tournament
for a complete list. Click NASPA, WGPO, or NSA for the most up-to-date calendars. Links to
NASPA and some NSA tournaments are also posted at cross-tables.com.
Thanks to Henry Leong, who permitted The Last Word to adapt his calendar from the WGPO
Website.
Dates
Organization
Tournament/Location
SEPTEMBER
9/2-5
NASPA
PORTLAND OR
9/3-5
NASPA
ATLANTA GA
9/3-5
NASPA
BURLINGTON MA - TWL & COLLINS
9/3-5
NASPA
TAMPA BAY (PINELLAS PARK) FL
9/4
NASPA
LAGUNA WOODS CA
9/10
NASPA
BALTIMORE (CANTONSVILLE) MD
9/10
NASPA
DALLAS TX
9/11
NASPA
BERKELEY CA
9/11
NASPA
GUELPH ON CAN
9/11
NASPA
NORWALK CT (REGULAR & YOUTH
DIVISIONS)
9/10
WGPO
TWIN CITIES MI
9/11
WGPO
LINDEN MI
9/13
NASPA
INDEPENDENCE OH - LCT
9/16-18
NASPA
CHARLESTON WV
9/16-18
NASPA
IRVING TX
9/17
NASPA
BAYSIDE NY
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9/17-18
NASPA
HUDSON OH
9/18
NASPA
PHILADELPHIA PA - TWL & COLLINS
9/22-25
NASPA
TORONTO, ON, CAN - COLLINS
9/22-25
WGPO
GRITS II, CHARLESON SC (RESTRICTED)
9/23-25
NASPA
TORONTO ON CAN
9/24
NASPA
AUSTIN TX
9/24
NASPA
CHEHALIS, WA (TCC)
9/24
NASPA
FORT LAUDERDALE FL
9/24-25
NASPA
REGINA SK CAN
9/25
NASPA
NEWARK DE
9/30-10/2
NASPA
BLOOMINGTON MN
OCTOBER
10/1
NASPA
BERLIN NJ
10/1
NASPA
CAMBRIDGE ON CAN
10/1
WGPO
PHOENIX AZ
10/2
NASPA
BERKELEY CA
10/2
NASPA
LAGUNA WOODS CA
10/2
NASPA
PHILADELPHIA PA (TWL & COLLINS)
10/6
NASPA
AKRON OH - LCT
10/7
WGPO
WISCONSIN DELLS WI
10/8-9
NASPA
ORLANDO FL
10/8-9
WGPO
WISCONSIN DELLS WI
10/12-16
NASPA
CALGARY AB CAN
10/13-16
NASPA
LAKE GEORGE NY
10/15
NASPA
DALLAS TX
10/16
WGPO
MILL VALLEY CA
10/17-11/1
WGPO
HAWAII CRUISE
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10/22
NASPA
FORT LAUDERDALE FL
10/22
NASPA
NORWALK CT (REGULAR & YOUTH
DIVISIONS)
10/22
NASPA
YORK PA
10/22-23
NASPA
ASHEVILLE NC
10/23
NASPA
ELK HORN IA
10/28-30
NASPA
CALIFORNIA OPEN, SAN FRANCISCO CA
10/29
NASPA
AUSTIN TX
10/29-30
NASPA
BATON ROUGE, LA
10/29
NASPA
SOUTH LYON MI
10/29
NASPA
TAMPA BAY (PINELLAS PARK) FL
NOVEMBER
11/4-6
NASPA
NACOGDOCHES TX
11/5
NASPA
BRANTFORD ON CAN
11/5
NASPA
PITTSBURGH PA
11/5-6
WGPO
TWIN CITIES MI
11/6
NASPA
BERKELEY CA
11/6
NASPA
LAGUNA WOODS CA
11/6
NASPA
PHILADELPHIA PA (TWL & COLLINS)
11/6
NASPA
TORONTO ON CAN
11/8
NASPA
INDEPENDENCE OH - LCT
11/10-13
WGPO
GRAND CANYON AZ (TWL & COLLINS)
11/11-13
NASPA
EMERALD CITY (SEATTLE) WA
11/12
NASPA
BAYSIDE NY
11/12
NASPA
CHICAGO IL
11/12
NASPA
EDMONTON AB CAN
11/12-13
NASPA
BRANDON MB CAN
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NASPA
GUELPH ON CAN
11/13
NASPA
NORWALK CT (REGULAR & YOUTH
DIVISIONS)
11/13
NASPA
ROCKY RIVER OH
11/18-20
NASPA
ESSEX VT
11/19
NASPA
DALLAS TX
11/19
NASPA
FORT LAUDERDALE FL
11/19
NASPA
TAMPA BAY (PINELLAS PARK) FL
11/19
NASPA
TENTATIVE - GREATER DETROIT MI
11/20
NASPA
TENTATIVE - GREATER DETROIT MI
11/25-27
NASPA
PARSIPPANY NJ
DECEMBER
12/1
NASPA
AKRON OH - LCT
12/1-8
WGPO
LOS CABOS MEXICO
12/3-4
NASPA
FORT LAUDERDALE FL
12/4
NASPA
BERKELEY CA
12/4
NASPA
LAGUNA WOODS CA
12/4
NASPA
PHILADELPHIA PA (TWL & COLLINS)
12/9-11
NASPA
STAMFORD CT (TWL & COLLINS)
12/10-11
NASPA
ATLANTA (COLLEGE PARK) GA
12/10
NASPA
BETHESDA MD
12/11
NASPA
GUELPH ON CAN
12/17
NASPA
DALLAS TX
12/17
NASPA
TAMPA BAY (PINELLAS PARK) FL
12/17-18
NASPA
LAGUNA WOODS CA
12/23-26
NASPA
WILMINGTON DE
12/29-1/2
NASPA
ALBANY NY (TWL & COLLINS)
76
T
O
U
R
N
A
M
E
N
T
C
A
L
E
N
D
A
R
JANUARY 2012
1/1
NASPA
LAGUNA WOODS CA
1/7
NASPA
BAYSIDE NY
1/10
NASPA
INDEPENDENCE OH - LCT
1/13-16
WGPO
RENO NV
1/14-15
WGPO
TWIN CITIES REDEYE, BLOOMINGTON MN
1/14-16
NASPA
DURHAM NC
1/14-16
NASPA
NEW ORLEANS LA (TWL & COLLINS)
1/21-23
NASPA
ATLANTIC CITY NJ (TWL & COLLINS)
1/28-29
NASPA
KNOXVILLE TN
1/29
NASPA
PHILADELPHIA PA - TWL & COLLINS
FEBRUARY ’12
2/5
NASPA
LAGUNA WOODS CA
2/12
NASPA
PHILADELPHIA PA - TWL & COLLINS
2/17
WGPO
PHOENIX AZ
2/17-20
NASPA
LAS VEGAS NV (TWL & COLLINS)
2/18-20
NASPA
EASTERN CHAMPIONSHIP, CHARLOTTE NC
2/18-20
WGPO
PHOENIX AZ (TWL & COLLINS)
MARCH ’12
3/4
NASPA
LAGUNA WOODS CA
3/13
NASPA
INDEPENDENCE, OH - LCT
3/14-26
WGPO
JAPAN/KOREA/TAIWAN CRUISE
3/16-18
NASPA
DALLAS TX
3/16-18
WGPO
INDIATLANTIC FL
3/17
NASPA
BAYSIDE NY
3/17-18
NASPA
ELYRIA OH
3/18
NASPA
PHILADELPHIA PA - TWL & COLLINS
3/30-4/1
NASPA
PRINCETON NJ
77
T
O
U
R
N
A
M
E
N
T
C
A
L
E
N
D
A
R
3/31-4/1
NASPA
ROCHESTER (WEBSTER) NY
APRIL ’12
4/1
NASPA
LAGUNA WOODS CA
4/7
NASPA
BAYSIDE NY
4/13-15
NASPA
BAT (BOSTON AREA) MA
4/14-15
NASPA
EDMONTON AB CAN
4/15
NASPA
PHILADELPHIA PA - TWL & COLLINS
4/21-22
NASPA
TENTATIVE - CUYAHOGA FALLS OH
5/4-6
NASPA
GATLINBURG TN
5/6
NASPA
LAGUNA WOODS CA
5/6-13
NASPA
BERMUDA TREASURES SCRABBLE CRUISE
5/8
NASPA
INDEPENDENCE OH - LCT
5/18-19
NASPA
LAGUNA WOODS CA
5/19
NASPA
BAYSIDE NY
5/25-28
NASPA
TENTATIVE - PARSIPPANY NJ
JUNE ’12
6/3
NASPA
LAGUNA WOODS CA
6/16-17
NASPA
KNOXVILLE TN
6/20-7/2
WGPO
NORWAY / ICELAND CRUISE - TWL &
COLLINS
6/28-7/4
NASPA
ALBANY NY (TWL & COLLINS)
JULY ’12
7/1
NASPA
LAGUNA WOODS CA
7/5-8
NASPA
WILMINGTON DE
7/13-15
NASPA
WILMINGTON DE
AUGUST ’12
8/5
NASPA
LAGUNA WOODS CA
MAY ’12
78
T
O
U
R
N
A
M
E
N
T
C
A
L
E
N
D
A
R
8/3-8
WGPO
WGPO WORD CUP
8/11-15
NASPA
NATIONAL SCRABBLE CHAMPIONSHIP ORLANDO FL
8/18-19
NASPA
LAGUNA WOODS CA
SEPTEMBER ’12
9/2
NASPA
LAGUNA WOODS CA
9/29
WGPO
PHOENIX AZ
OCTOBER ’12
10/6-20
WGPO
NEW ENGLAND & CANADA CRUISE (TWL &
COLLINS)
10/7
NASPA
LAGUNA WOODS CA
NOVEMBER ’12
11/4
NASPA
LAGUNA WOODS CA
DECEMBER ’12
12/2
NASPA
LAGUNA WOODS CA
12/15-16
LAGUNA WOODS CA
NASPA
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