January 2012 - The Last Word Newsletter

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The Last Word
The Independent Tournament SCRABBLE® Newsletter
A Monthly Newsletter
Issue 25 - January 2012
2011’s Top Players
Joel Sherman’s 803 Game
Northeast Championship Results
World Youth SCRABBLE® Championship
PLUS COMPLETE COVERAGE OF JASON KELLER’S AMAZING JEOPARDY! RUN
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: Jan Cardia, Timothy Cataldo, Judy Cole, Stu Goldman, Jeff
Kastner, Joan Mocine, Tony Rasch, Lester Schonbrun, Larry Sherman, Chris
Sinacola, Siri Tillekeratne, Linda Wancel
Editors-at-large: Robin Pollock Daniel, Joe Edley, Stefan Fatsis, Ted Gest
The Last Word is a volunteer
effort. We appreciate your
donations.
(PayPal or snail mail--contact
[email protected])
Photographer-at-large: Betsey Wood
Contributors: John Aitken, Conrad Bassett-Bouchard, Anand Bharadwaj, Roger
Cullman, Curran Eggertson, Lynda Finn, Lawren Freebody, Keith Hagel,
Patricia Hocker, Dan Horowitz, Jason Keller, Mina Le, Ed Liebfried, Pete
Manzolillo, Kevin McCarthy, Sr., Jessica Meller, Mack Meller, Steve Pellinen,
Larry Rand, Terry Kang Rau, Karen Richards, Bradley Robbins, John
Robertson, Kannan Sethuraman, Joel Sherman, Stephanie Steele, Michael
Thelen, Barbara Van Alen, Mike Wier, Mike Willis, Mike Windels, Rick Wong
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 4
Advertising Section: Equipment, Tournaments, Organizations, Books 5
Emails to the Editor 9
2011: The Year in Review 10
2011 Top Active North American Players by State & Province 18
2011 Top North American Youth Players 22
2011: A Good Year for WGPO by Keith Hagel 27
Friends Who Have Left Us 29
Tournament News 30
Waupun WGPO One-Day by Lynda Finn 30
The Princess Cup: You Played Rated SCRABBLE® Games on a Gigantic Robot?
Please...Tell Me More! by Conrad Bassett-Bouchard 31
Los Cabos: SCRABBLE® in Mexico by John Aitken 34
World Youth SCRABBLE® Championship by Karen Richards 37
2011 WYSC Champion Anand Bharadwaj 40
Stamford (CT) SCRABBLE® Classic by Terry Kang Rau 43
Stamford SCRABBLE® Classic: Newcomers Tournament by Cornelia Guest 48
Joel Sherman Sets New Tournament Record: 803! 49
Mack Meller, 11, Reaches 1828 Rating 50
Strongsville Christmas SCRABBLE® by Kevin McCarthy, Sr. 51
Festivus 2.0 by Dan Horowitz 53
Tournament Results 55
New Faces: Mike Windels 57
Joe Edley’s Puzzle Corner by Joe Edley 59
Orange-loving, Vuvuzela-blowing 9-time Jeopardy Champ by Terry Kang Rau 63
The Lighter Side of SCRABBLE® by Lester Schonbrun and Joan Mocine 68
Minneapolis Club 42 Record Points-per-turn Game by Steve Pellinen 69
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SCRABBLE® Strategy Video Guide: Tile Valuation by Curran Eggertson 71
One Up! Cup for January by Timothy Cataldo 72
The Wordsmith: by Chris Sinacola 73
Know the Rules by Jan Cardia 75
SCRABBLE® Strategy by Joe Edley 76
Zyzzyva App Released by Michael Thelen 78
Geoff Thevenot to Join Texas SCRABBLE® Hall of Fame by Mike Willis 80
Colorful Bingos by Tony Rasch 81
SCRABBLE® and Scrabblers in the News edited by Judy Cole 89
Word Star by Jeff Kastner 96
Historic Moments: SCRABBLE® Throughout the Years by Stu Goldman 99
Word Trivia Quiz by Siri Tillekeratne 100
Linda’s Library by Linda Wancell 102
Scrab-Doku by Jeff Kastner 57
Club News edited by Larry Sherman 107
SCRABBLE® Resources 110
Tournament Calendar 113
Archives 121
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From the Editor
As I put together this issue, which looks back at the year 2011, I was awestruck by the many
amazing achievements by SCRABBLE® players this past year--both at the board and elsewhere.
The year had many highlights: Joel Sherman’s 803 game at Stamford, Jerry Lerman’s 8-bingo game
at Reno, 11-year-old Mack Meller’s 1828 year-end rating. And undoubtedly Jason Keller’s
phenomenal performance on Jeopardy!
It was a year of change. As Collins became more established, a number of top North American
players began learning new words to become contenders on a global level. New faces joined the
traditional U.S. team members at the World SCRABBLE Championship in Warsaw--and were
competitive.
Younger players also became more prominent in tournament play. From a handful of Youth Players
in past years, now there are good young players at most tournaments--and in all divisions.
Online play grew, particularly with the popularity of the iPhone. A SCRABBLE clone, Word with
Friends, caught on and spread. Many of the new players at tournaments come in with
anagramming know-how, and rise quickly to higher divisions.
Thanks to Quackle and Zyzzyva, players are improving their skills more rapidly--and have better
word knowledge and a fuller understanding of game strategy. With the just-announced release of
the Zyzzyva iPhone app, 2012 should see even more growth. Over 100 North American players are
now rated 1800 and higher; over 300 are above 1600, the traditional “expert” level.
But the year also marked many smaller, yet important achievements. As a coach of young
Scrabblers, I shared in their excitement as they learned their twos, found their first bingos, entered
their first tournaments. I directed two three-day tournaments and about a dozen smaller ones. I
worked hard to make each of my events fun for the participants, and I enjoyed getting good
feedback. This past year I competed more, too, and had a good time seeing old friends and making
new friends--from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, to Folly Beach, South Carolina. I found I really
enjoy spending time at tournaments with my SCRABBLE “family.”
I’ve also enjoyed working on The Last Word, which has truly become the voice of tournament
SCRABBLE players. When I first launched the newsletter, I had to work hard to find enough to
publish. Today, Scrabblers from all around the world are sending me interesting articles,
photographs, and puzzles.
This issue introduces an exciting new column, “Joe Edley’s Puzzle Corner,” with puzzles Scrabblers
should really enjoy. Joe also shares his thoughts on strategy in “SCRABBLE® Strategy,” presenting
a position and discussing the choices. It is an honor to include his expert analysis.
I am thankful to all the excellent columnists and contributors that make The Last Word such a
pleasure to edit. I hope you’ll find it a pleasure to read, as well.
Best of luck in the coming year--both at the board and in life!
Cornelia Guest
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Emails to the Editor
Should you wish to comment on any of the Newsletter articles—or make suggestions or corrections
—please email Cornelia Guest at [email protected]. Snail mail is also welcome at 135
Codfish Hill Road, Bethel, CT 06801. Emails chosen for publication may be edited at the editor’s
discretion.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Cornelia:
Since Bernie McMahon's (unofficial) record-setting out play of JADEITES for 194 points against me,
the following has transpired:
Club member Helene Browe was visiting a friend and commented on a vase, which the friend
explained was made of jadeite!
I was playing Helene a week later at Bernie's house and I bingoed with JADEITES on my second
play.
A week later I was playing Debbie Sullivan and she had ADEIST? and bingoed with DAWTIES late
in the game, with two overlaps. As she always does, she asked it there were other bingos in the
rack, and as I spun the board around, we both noticed the open J in the upper left corner of the
board (the exact position as Bernie's play) and blurted out "JADEITES!" It's just as well that she
missed it, because folks might have thought we set it up if they saw a picture of the board!
-Pete Manzolillo
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2011: The Year in Review
SCRABBLE® players will remember 2011 as a year of recordbreaking accomplishments. The first new record was set by
Jerry Lerman at the Reno Tournament on January 15, when he
played an amazing 8-bingo game against Kenji Matsumoto. The
9-turn game finished with a 671-450 score, with Jerry scoring
74.5 points per turn. This record game carries an asterisk, in that
Reno was WGPO-sanctioned; however, Scrabblers everywhere applauded
Jerry for this amazing feat--a record in tournament play.
The next record set was by 11-year-old Mack Meller, whose rating after the
June 25th Norwalk CT tournament went to 1638, making him the youngest
player in U.S. history to achieve “expert” status. Mack set two more records
before the year end: In winning Division 1 at the December 9-11 Northeast
SCRABBLE® Championship in Stamford, CT, Mack became the youngest
U.S. player to win Division 1 at a multi-day tournament--and the youngest
player to pass the 1800 rating mark. Mack’s rating is now 1828--a
remarkable achievement.
Another 11-year-old, Anand Bharadwaj of Australia, set a record as well in
Johor Bahru, Malaysia on December 9th: He became the youngest player
ever to win the World Youth SCRABBLE® Championship. Tutored by 2011
World SCRABBLE Championship runner-up Andrew Fisher, Anand has an
international rating of 1727. [A profile of Anand appears in this issue.]
And the current King of SCRABBLE®, Nigel Richards, set a record in
October by becoming the first two-time winner of the World
SCRABBLE® Championship. In August Nigel also tied Joe Edley’s
long-held record in winning our National SCRABBLE® Championship a
third time.
But certainly the achievement that has the
SCRABBLE world most abuzz is Joel
Sherman’s new record tournament game:
803. This SCRABBLE legend played an
outstanding 7-bingo game with no phonies at
the Northeast SCRABBLE® Championship in
Stamford, CT, on December 9th, surpassing
Ed de Guzman’s previous record of 771, set
in Reno, NV, on July 1, 2010.
2011--definitely a year to remember!
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JANUARY
1/3: Kenji Matsumoto wins Albany for the
2nd year in a row.
1/15: Jerry Lerman plays record-setting 8bingo game against Kenji Matsumoto at
Reno.
1/15-16: Vincent Van Dover wins Twin
Cities Redeye
1/15-16: Jesse Day wins Reno, NV
1/29: Cecilia Le wins Atlantic City
1/29: David Gibson wins Knoxville, TN
FEBRUARY
2/5: Geoff Thevenot wins Salado TX TCC
2/7: Scrabblers Jan Cardia and Aldo Cardia
wed.
2/12-13: Toh Weibin wins Astar
SCRABBLE® Challenge International in
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
2/19: Joey Mallick wins Eastern
Championship, Charlotte NC
2/19-21: Conrad Bassett-Bouchard wins
Phoenix, AZ
2/26: Alex Fiszbein wins February Fury,
Canton, MI
2/26: Andy Hoang and Erik Salgado win the
2011 North Carolina School SCRABBLE®
Championship.
2/26: Josh Castellano and Jackson
Whitcup win D.C. School SCRABBLE®
Championship
2/26: Steve Pellinen wins Johnston IA
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MARCH
3/1: Publication of The Official Kids’ Guide
to Winning SCRABBLE® by Bradley
Robbins
3/5: Amanda Sass and Emily Ward win the
2011 Texas School SCRABBLE®
Championship
3/5-6: Dean Saldanha wins Vancouver, BC,
CAN
3/8: Jackson Smylie and Alex Li win the
Toronto School SCRABBLE®
Championship.
3/11: Ross Brown wins Saratoga Springs,
NY
3/11: Dave Wiegand wins Dallas Open
3/19: Jason Bednarz wins Bethesda, MD
3/19: Dave Wiegand wins Can-Am
Tournament
3/19: Jesse Day wins Arcata, CA
3/19: Lou Cornelis wins Elyria, OH
3/25: Dave Wiegand wins Ashland, OR
3/26: Gabriel Gauthier-Shalom wins
Cambridge ON
APRIL
4/2: Mack Meller and Kevin Rosenberg win
the New England School SCRABBLE®
Championship.
4/8: James Leong wins San Diego Open
4/8: John O’Laughlin wins BAT
4/9: George Macaulay wins Edmonton AB
CAN
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Photo ©Roger Cullman http:// www.rogercullman.com
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4/15-16: Jackson Smylie and Alex Li, from
Toronto, CA, win the 2011 National School
SCRABBLE® Championship.
4/16: Michael Baker wins Coeur D’Alene,
ID
4/22: David Gibson wins Gatlinburg TN
Photo courtesy of Patricia A. Hocker, National SCRABBLE® Association.
4/22: Scrabbler K.C. Frodyma appears on
Jeopardy.
4/30: Adam Logan wins Ottowa
MAY
5/5: National School SCRABBLE®
Champions Jackson Smylie and Alex Li
appear on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
5/13-15: Carl Johnson wins Portland OR
5/14-15: Joey Malick wins Portsmouth NH
5/14-15: George Macaulay wins Saskatoon
SK CAN
5/28-30: David Whitley wins Houston TX
5/28-30: Scott Jackson wins ArdenCup
(Skokie IL)
5/28-30: David Gibson wins Atlanta.
5/28-30: Kevin Fraley wins Silicon Valley
Showdown (Campbell CA)
JUNE
6/4: Evans Clinchy wins North American
SCRABBLE® Tour Final
6/4: Clay Daniel wins Pittsburgh
6/4: Eric Tran wins Calgary
6/4: Marlene Milkent wins Kenner LA (New
Orleans)
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6/10: Joel Wapnick wins Canadian National
SCRABBLE® Championship.
6/10: Trey Wright wins SWLLINS, Corrales,
NM
6/17: Kate Fukawa-Connelly wins
Hancock, MA
6/18: Ryan Fischer wins Knoxville, TN
6/23-26: Nigel Richards wins King’s Cup in
Thailand ($10,000 first prize)
6/25: Mack Meller, 11, becomes youngest
SCRABBLE® “expert” (1600+) in U.S.
history
6/25: Paul Epstein wins Michigan Madness
JULY
7/1: Joey Mallick wins Albany
7/2-6: Conrad Bassett-Bouchard wins
WGPO Word Cup, Reno, NV
7/9: Jason Bednarz wins Bethesda MD
7/9: Matthew Ridout wins Omaha NE
7/22: Kate Fukawa-Connelly wins Old
Greenwich
7/22: Jesse Day wins Nocal v. Socal (San
Luis Obispo, CA)
7/23: Winter wins Victoria BC CAN
7/30: Doug Brockmeier wins Elmhurst, IL
AUGUST
8/6: Nigel Richards wins National
SCRABBLE® Championship.
Photo courtesy of Patricia A. Hocker, National SCRABBLE® Association.
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8/20-21: Charles Reinke wins MinnesotaWisconsin Border Battle, Black River Falls,
WI
SEPTEMBER
9/3: Kenji Matsumoto wins Atlanta, GA
9/3: Dave Wiegand wins Oregon Tile
(Portland, OR)
9/17: Brian Galebach wins Charleston WV
9/17: Chris Cree wins Irving TX
9/20: The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman,
by Meg Wolitzer, published..
9/22: Adam Logan wins Toronto ON CAN;
faces Quackle in “Human vs. Computer
Showdown.
Photo ©Roger Cullman http://
www.rogercullman.com
9/22-23: Jan Cardia wins GRITS II
9/30: Joey Mallick wins Bloomington MN
OCTOBER
10/7-9: Rob Robinsky wins Wisconsin
Dells, WI
10/12-16: Nigel Richards wins the World
SCRABBLE® Championship in Warsaw,
Poland
10/14: Evans Clinchy wins Lake George,
NY
10/14: Evan McIntyre wins Calgary, AB,
CAN
10/22: John Luebkemann wins Asheville,
NC
10/26: At the Lauderhill, FL Club #276,
Robert Kahn and Ian Weinstein tie NASPA
record for highest number of combined
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bingos played by both players in a single
club game: 8.
10/28: James Leong wins California Open
(San Francisco)
10/28: Stefan Rau wins Cambridge, MD
NOVEMBER
11/1: Zyzzva Lite released for iPhone.
11/10-13: Jerry Lerman wins Grand
Canyon, AZ
11/11: Mack Meller and DeeAnn Guo win
Terror of the Tiles School SCRABBLE®
Tournament
1/11: James Leong wins Emerald City
(Seattle, WA)
11/18: Stefan Rau wins Essex, VT
11/19: Lou Cornelis wins Oshawa ON CAN
11/19: Thomas Draper and Nicholas
Vasquez win the D.C.School SCRABBLE®
Fall Classic
11/25: Stefan Rau wins Tarrytown NY
11/26: Melissa Routzahn wins Glen Ellyn
IL
11/26: Jason Li wins Kingston ON
DECEMBER
12/3: Ian Weinstein wins Fort Lauderdale
12/3: Wayne Clifford wins Calgary AB CAN
12/3: Chris Cree wins Austin
12/4: Pakorn Nemitrmansuk wins
Causeway Challenge Premier Divison.
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12/6-8: Anand Bharadwaj, an 11-year-old
from Australia, becomes the youngest
winner ever of the World Youth
SCRABBLE® Championship.
12/9: Joel Sherman sets new world record
for highest score in a tournament game:
803.
12/9: Mack Meller, 11, wins Stamford, CT,
becoming youngest Division 1 winner--and
the youngest player to reach a rating of
over 1800: 1828.
12/10: David Gibson wins Atlanta GA
12/13: Greg Edwards sets NASPA pointsper-turn record at Minneapolis Club 42:
68.4
12/16-29: Scrabbler Jason Keller wins
$213,900 on Jeopardy!.
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2011 Top Active North American Players by State & Province
#1 USA
#1 CANADA
DAVID GIBSON
!
ALABAMA!
ADAM LOGAN
!
ERIC HARSHBARGER
!
ARKANSAS!
!
ALASKA!
!
!
WES MORRISON!
BRITISH COLUMBIA! !
JOSEPHINE FLOWERS JAMES LEONG
ALBERTA!
!
ERIC TRAN!
ARIZONA!
LAURIE COHEN
CALIFORNIA!
DOUG BROCKMEIER
COLORADO
DOMINICK MANCINE
CONNECTICUT
DELAWARE
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
FLORIDA
ROBERT QUIGLEY
RICHARD POPPER
STEFAN FATSIS
RON TIEKERT
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GEORGIA!!
P
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JOHN LUEBKEMANN
INDIANA
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HAWAII! !
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!
KENJI MATSUMOTO
IOWA
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IDAHO! !
!
JERRY P. DODSON
KANSAS
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ILLINOIS
BRIAN CAPPELLETTO
KENTUCKY
MIKE PAXSON
MIKE WEEPIE
RICKY SIROIS
BRIAN BOWMAN
LOUISIANA
MAINE
MANITOBA
MARYLAND
ROD NOLAND
JOEY MALLICK
CURTIS KOWALSKI
MASSACHUSETTS
MICHIGAN
MINNESOTA
JOHN O’LAUGHLIN
JASON IDALSKI
JIM KRAMER
P
SAMMY OKOSAGAH
MISSISSIPPI
MARLENE MILKENT
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MISSOURI
DAVID GREMAUD
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MONTANA
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NEBRASKA
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NEVADA
DAVID WEISS
GEORGE ASAKA
NEW HAMPSHIRE
NEW JERSEY
NEW MEXICO
NEW YORK
AMIT CHAKRABARTI
SCOTT APPEL
MIKE BARON
JOEL SHERMAN
OKLAHOMA
ONTARIO
NORTH CAROLINA
RANDY HERSOM
OREGON
DAVE WIEGAND
20
OHIO
DANIEL STOCK
PENNSYLVANIA
STEVE OLIGER
MATTHEW HODGE
JOE DACKMAN
ADAM LOGAN
QUEBEC
RHODE ISLAND
JOEL WAPNICK
SHAE MCWILLIAMS
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SASKATCHEWAN
SOUTH CAROLINA
SOUTH DAKOTA
TENNESSEE
JASON HLADY
DAVID GIBSON
AARON DALEY
TIM MICHAELS
TEXAS
UTAH
VERMONT
VIRGINIA
ORRY SWIFT
MICHAEL THELEN
KEVIN COLOSA
CLAY DANIEL
WASHINGTON
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WEST VIRGINIA
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WISCONSIN
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NEWFOUNDLAND &
LABRADOR
RAFI STERN
JEFF COOK
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!
PETER ARMSTRONG
JEFF PARSONS
INACTIVE LEADERS: In certain states the top player did not play 28 games in the past two years,
so these inactive players are not listed as the state leaders. They are: Jere Guin (Arkansas), Joel
Lipman (Delaware), Jerry Miller (Indiana), Keith Savage (Louisiana), Brian Williams (Manitoba),
Peter Morris (Michigan), Sheri Justice (Mississippi), Michael Orford (Montana), Patrick Caulfield
(Nebraska), Chuck Abbate (New Brunswick), June Land (North Dakota), Jim Masluk (Nova Scotia),
Brian Sheppard (Ohio), Mike Yowonske (Pennsylvania), Richard Lupo (Rhode Island), Mark
Oppenheimer (South Dakota), Greg Lewis (Utah), John Van Pelt (Virginia), Martha Stearn
(Wyoming)
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2011 Top North American Youth Players
One of the fastest growing segments of the tournament SCRABBLE® population is Youth Players:
players under 18 as of the first of the year. In 2011, Youth Players not only were more visible at
tournaments, they often took home the top prizes. Adult players have come to realize that a young
opponent no longer means an easy win. Here are some of the top active Youth Players from 2011.
______________________________________________________________________________
NOAH WALTON
Noah, 18, from Berkeley, CA, finished the year rated 1948--with a peak
rating of 1972. Featured in our October issue as the Youth Player of the
Year, Noah ended the year ranked 25th in North America. He played in 8
tournaments, winning Berkeley, CA (9/11) and finishing 2nd at Arcata, CA
(3/19) and Berkeley, CA (11/6).
MACK MELLER
Mack,11, from Westchester, NY, finished the year rated 1828, his 2011 peak,
after winning Division 1 at Stamford, CT (12/9-11), Gibsonized after 14 of 16
games. Aged 11 at the time, Mack became the youngest Division 1 winner on
record--and the youngest player to reach an 1800+ rating. Mack played in 8
tournaments, also winning Division 3 at the New Year’s Albany, NY
tournament (Gibsonized in a division of 28 and finishing 19-2-1 +2217) and
Division 2 at Norwalk, CT (3/26). Coming in 2nd at in Division 1 at Norwalk,
CT on 6/25, Mack raised his rating to 1638 and became the youngest U.S.
player to reach “expert” status [see The Last Word, July issue]. Stamford was
Mack’s 10th sanctioned tournament; his first tournament was in November,
2010. Mack and his partner, Kevin Rosenberg, were also the New England
School SCRABBLE® Champions and winners of the New England School SCRABBLE® series.
With his new partner, DeeAnn Guo, in November Mack won the Pound Ridge, NY “Terror of the
Tiles” School SCRABBLE® Tournament. Mack’s overall win percentage is 72.7%, and he is
currently the 82nd highest rated player in North America.
RICHARD SPENCE
Richard, 17, from Tucson, AZ, finished the year rated 1675--with a peak for the
year of 1719 after his outstanding Division 2 win at the National SCRABBLE®
Championship (25-6 +2207) [see The Last Word, September issue]. He won 3 of
his 4 tournaments.
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STEPHEN SNEED
Stephen, from Fort Worth, TX,
finished the year rated 1662.
He played in two tournaments,
finishing 5th out of 90 players
in Division 2 at Nationals.
JOEY KRAFCHICK
Joey, 17, from Roswell,
GA, finished the year rated
1650--with a peak rating of
1717. He finished 2nd at
Philadelphia, PA (7/17) and
at Decatur, GA (3/19). He
also was 3rd out of 30
players in Division 2 at
Albany, NY (1/2) and 7th out of 90 players in
Division 2 at the 2011 National SCRABBLE®
Championship.
ADAM GINZBERG
Adam, a high school senior
from Swarthmore, PA,
finished the year rated
1564--a new peak. He
played in 5 tournaments in
2011, winning Division 2 at
3 of them: Philadelphia, PA
(7/17), the Old Greenwich
CT Early Bird (7/22), and
the Old Greenwich Main
Event (7/22) with a 13-3 +832 record.
KEVIN E. ROSENBERG
Kevin, 14, from Cupertino,
CA, finished the year rated
1542--his peak rating to date.
He played in 3 tournaments,
winning Division 2 at Norwalk,
CT on 5/7 and coming in 2nd
in Division 2 at Berkeley, CA
8/14. He and his partner,
Mack Meller, were the 2011
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New England School SCRABBLE® Champions
and winners of the 2010-2011 New England
School SCRABBLE® series.
SUHAS RAO
Suhas, an 8th grader from
Apex, NC, finished the year
rated 1516--with a peak for
the year of 1636 after
astonishing the SCRABBLE®
world by finishing 1st in
Division 3 at the National
SCRABBLE® Championship
with a 26-5 +3424 record. Suhas is in the lead
for NASPA’s Highest Spread in a Single
Tournament and cross-tables’ list of “Top
Ratings Gains in Last 12 Months” (+653).
BRADLEY ROBBINS
Bradley, 14, from Windham,
NH, finished the year rated
1480. Bradley and his
partner, Evan McCarthy,
were 2nd in the 2011
National School
SCRABBLE®
Championship.
JACKSON SMYLIE
Jackson, a 9th grader from
Ontario, finished the year
rated 1436, with a peak of
1520 after finishing 2nd in
Division 2 of the Michael Wise
Tournament (9/23). Jackson
competed in 11 NASPA
tournaments, winning Division
1 at Valens, ON, CAN ((5/14)
and Division 2 at Toronto, ON,
CAN (7/16). Jackson and his partner, Alex Li,
were the 2011 National School SCRABBLE®
Champions, winning $10,000. The pair also
were the 2011 Toronto School SCRABBLE®
Champions.
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TED BARRETT
Ted, a high school senior
from New Jersey, finished the
year rated 1409, with a peak
of 1418 after winning Division
2 at Philadelphia, PA (12/4).
Ted played in 13 tournaments
in 2010, winning 4.
NATHANIEL JONES
Nathaniel, 13, from
Northampton, MA, finished the
year rated 1378.
ANDREW BEATON
Andrew, a college freshman
from New York City, finished
the year rated 1370. He
played in only one
tournament, Norwalk, CT
(8/13), finishing 2nd in
Division 1.
MATTHEW O’CONNOR
Matthew, an 8th grader from
DeWitt, NY, finished the year
rated 1361, a new peak. Matt
played in 11 tournaments,
winning Division 3 at Old
Greenwich, CT (7/22) with a
12-4 +1049 record, and
coming in 2nd of 44 in Division
3 at Albany, NY (7/1). Matt and his partner,
Seth Tilliss, placed 3rd in the National School
SCRABBLE® Championship.
JOSHUA CASTELLANO
Josh, a 9th grader from Vienna, VA, finished
the year rated 1344--his peak to date. This was
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Josh’s first year playing in rated tournaments,
and he played in 16 tournaments, winning his
division at 3: York, PA (Division 3, 5/7); Newark,
DE (Division 4, 9/25), and York, PA (Division 2
10/22). With his partner, Jackson Whitcup,
Josh won the D.C. School SCRABBLE®
Championship in February.
THOMAS ENSEY
Thomas, a high school sophomore from
Hanover, MD, finished 6th in Division 2 at teh
Cambridge, MD tournament 10/28 to reach a
1291 rating, his peak to date.
MORRIS GREENBERG
Morris, from Brookline, MA, finished the year
rated 1288--a new peak. He played in 5
tournaments in 2011, winning Division 1 at the
BAT (Boston Area Tournament) Early Bird 4/9,
and coming in 2nd in Division 2 at Montreal
QC, CAN 5/28 and at Lexington, MA 10/29. He
also finished 10th of 71 in Division 3 at the
National SCRABBLE® Championship.
NICHOLAS VASQUEZ
Nicholas, an 8th grader from Livingston, NJ,
finished the year with a 1279 rating (peak
1280). He competed in 5 NASPA tournaments,
winning Division 3 at Philadelphia, PA (4/3) 7-0
+532. With his partner, Thomas Draper,
Nicholas won the D.C. School SCRABBLE®
Fall Classic 11/14.
MATTHEW NELSON
Matthew, 16, from Poulsbo, WA, finished the
year rated 1276--with a peak rating of 1323.
He won Division 2 at Portland, OR (5/13) with a
13-3 +1104 record.
SAM HEINRICH
Sam, an 8th grader from Carlisle, MA, finished
the year rated 1266, with a peak of 1277. He
played in 6 tournaments and won Divison 5 at
the Albany, NY Fourth of July tournament (5-1
+480).
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OTHER TOP YOUTH PLAYERS
Noah Lieberman, high school senior from
Charlotte, NC: 1193 (peak 1330). 15
tournaments, won Division 2 at Durham NC
8/27, was 2nd in Division 2 at Gatlinburg TN
4/22.
Hannah Lieberman, 15-year-old high school
sophomore from Charlotte, NC: 1065. 14
tournament., 2nd in Division 3 at NSC Lunch
Bird (8/6), 2nd Albany Early Bird Div. 5 (12/30)
and 8th of 58 in Division 4 at NSC. 1065 peak
1098
Tim Bryant, high school sophomore from
Brightwaters, NY: 1151.
Thomas Draper, 6th grader from Skillman, NJ.
1148 (new peak). Won both Youth Divisions at
the Norwalk, CT tournament on 10/22, winning
all of his games. With his partner, Nicholas
Vasquez, won the D.C. School SCRABBLE®
Fall Classic 11/14.
Andy Hoang, 8th grader from Cary, NC. 1138
(new Peak) Winner 2011 North Carolina School
SCRABBLE® Championship with partner, Erik
Salgado.
Paolo Federico-Omurchu, 9th grader from
Montclair, NJ: 1082. Played in one tournament
this year.
Johanna Balzer, 9th grader from Erie, PA: 965
(new peak).
Kenny Hoang, 7th grader from Cary, NC: 959
(new peak). 1 tournament win Charlotte, NC
6/4 Division 3 (7-2 +669)
Erik Salgado, 8th grader from Cary, NC: 943.
Winner 2011 North Carolina School
SCRABBLE® Championship with partner, Andy
Hoang.
Liam Hopfensperger, 8th grader from Chapel
Hill, NC: 912 (new peak). Winner Division 3
Durham, NC (1/15). Runner-up 2011 North
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Carolina School SCRABBLE® Championship
with partner, Amalan Iyengar .
John Schuman, 8th grader from Cold Spring
Harbor, NY. 882 (peak 985) 3 NASPA
tournaments. Won Division 3 Bayside 2/26
(8-0 +586) and Stamford Newcomers
Tournament 12/10.
DeeAnn Guo, 7th grader from Westchester,
NY: 880. 1st Pound Ridge NY “Terror of the
Tiles” School SCRABBLE® Tournament with
partner, Mack Meller.
.
Evan McCarthy, 9th grader from Windham,
NH: 850 (new peak). With his partner, Bradley
Robbins, finished 2nd in the National School
SCRABBLE® Championship, winning $5,000.
Jeffrey He, 8th grader from Chapel Hill, NC:
799 (new peak).
Edward Zhuang, 8th grader from Chapel Hill,
NC: 786 (new peak).
Jacob Radack, from Washington, D.C.: 767
(new peak). Winner of Youth Division at
Bethesda, MD 12/28.
Amalan Iyengar, 8th grader from Chapel Hill,
NC: 751 (peak 771). Runner-up 2011 North
Carolina School SCRABBLE® Championship
with partner, Liam Hopfensperger.
Seth Tilliss, 7th grader from Bedford, NY: 738
(new peak). With his partner, Matthew
O’Connor, finished 3rd in the National School
SCRABBLE® Championship. Won Youth
Division at Norwalk CT 8/13.
Amy Rowland, 9th grader from Ridgefield, CT:
679 (peak 684). Winner Youth Division Norwalk
CT 5/7.
Jared Tilliss, 4th grader from Bedford, NY: 666
(peak 676) Won Division B of both New
England School SCRABBLE® Championship
and the New England School SCRABBLE®
Series. Won Youth Division at Norwalk, CT 5/7
and Norwalk, CT 8/13.
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Will Stone, 11, from Richland, WA: 638 (new
peak). Won Northwest School SCRABBLE®
Championship with partner, Jacob Sivonen.
Lily Gasperetti, high school sophomore from
Washington, D.C.: 511 (new peak).
Sheng Guo, 5th grader from Westchester, NY:
416. Division B winner New England School
SCRABBLE® Series. With his partner, Noah
Kalus, won Division B at the Pound Ridge, NY
“Terror of the Tiles” School SCRABBLE®
Tournament 11/7.
Alex Li, 8th grader from Ontario: With his
partner, Jackson Smylie, winner of the National
School SCRABBLE® Championship ($10,000
first prize) and the Toronto School SCRABBLE®
Championship.
Amanda Sass, 9th grader from Magnolia, TX:
Winner Texas School SCRABBLE®
Championship with partner, Emily Ward.
Emily Ward, 9th grader from Magnolia, TX:
Winner Texas School SCRABBLE®
Championship with partner, Amanda Sass.
Noah Kalus, 5th grader from New Paltz, NY.
With his partner, Sheng Guo, won Division B at
the Pound Ridge, NY “Terror of the Tiles” School
SCRABBLE® Tournament 11/7.
Jacob Sivonen, 13, from Pasco, WA. Won
Northwest School SCRABBLE® Championship
with partner, Will Stone.
INACTIVE LEADERS:
Matthew Silver, high school senior from
Westport, CT: 1592.
Gabe Sadowsky, high school senior from
Nashua, NH: 1319.
Justin Morris, high school senior from Holliston,
MA: 1322.
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Aaron P. Green, high school senior from
Hopkinton, MA: 1307.
Tristan Vanech, high school sophomore from
California: 1056.
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2011: A Good Year for WGPO
By Keith Hagel
As 2012 begins, the nearly 800 members of the Word Game Players' Organization (WGPO) can
look back with satisfaction on a year not only of continued membership growth, but also of one
marked by a series of strong, fun tournaments in many parts of North America.
To name just a few, and probably omit some others deserving of mention, WGPO members have
been able to play in events in Reno, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Phoenix, Vancouver, Wisconsin Dells,
the Grand Canyon and Los Milagros, Mexico. For those who like to mix SCRABBLE® and a cruise,
Larry Rand and Barbara Van Alen also organized a number of fine adventures.
Clockwise from top left: Phoenix
winners; Los Cabos, Mexico
tournament area; Grand Canyon XXX;
players at the GRITS II cooking class;
seeing a glacier on the Alaska Cruise.
WGPO’s inaugural Word Cup in brought more than 100 players to Reno for
six days of tournament play. Over $12,000 in prize money was awarded.
2011 also saw WGPO's first
"national" tournament, the inaugural
Word Cup last July in Reno. Put
together by Jeff Widergren and Rick
Wong, the Word Cup attracted more
than 100 players to a seamlessly run
event that enhanced WGPO's
reputation in the tournament
SCRABBLE® world. The 2012 Word
Cup will be in the metro Minneapolis/
St. Paul area in August, and the
organizers have been hard at work
for many months putting together
another event that players won't want
to miss.
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All of the 2011 WGPO Word Cup Fun Prize Winners!
Another highlight of 2011 was WGPO's first election
of officers to its Executive Committee and Board of
Player Representatives. The election actually was
redone, after it was discovered that some members
inadvertently had not received proper notice of the
first vote. Quite possibly, the error might not have
been noticed by many, but the WGPO leadership
decided the only right thing to do was to invalidate
the first vote and do it again. Embarrassing, but
representative democracy isn't always pretty. But it's
the way WGPO, from its start, has been committed
to going.
We look forward to another great year in 2012, more
tournaments, more fun, more great percentages of
prize payouts for players. We thank all those who
have participated in our events and welcome all
other players to give us a try.
WGPO Executive Committee: (L-R) Rick Wong,
Stephanie Steele, and Keith Hagel.
Keith Hagel, on behalf of the WGPO Executive
Committee
Stephanie Steele
Rick Wong
http://wordgameplayers.org/
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Friends Who Have Left Us
JANE TACKER
Photo copyright 1978 by Ann Sanfedele.
SONIA LYDA
FRANK KUEHNRICH
ESLA EWIDA
STAN WILLIAMS
JEAN CAROL
STAN SCOTT
MELISSA PIKE
GLORIA CIMENT
Photo ©1979 by Ann Sanfedele
CHERYL CADIEUX
CHESTER COLLINS
DAVE CULLEN
LYA KORDA
TERRY OBLANDER
CARL DALKE
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Waupun WGPO One-Day
By Lynda Finn
Twenty-one players, including four new tournament players,
joined us for SCRABBLE® December 3rd in rainy Waupun, WI.
Waupun was chosen as a location as it is approximately
equidistant between the Madison, Oshkosh, and Milwaukee
Scrabble Clubs. In an attempt to attract new tournament
players, the entry fee for the B division was only $5. Where else
can you have fun all day for only $5? The room was cozy, but
everyone was very accommodating.
Twins Thomas and Charles Reinke finished
1-2 in Division A.
Special thanks to Shayla Dunn for helping with setup and data
entry; Barb Besadny for administering registration and prizes;
and Andy Bohnsack, Richard Lauder and Barb Drinkwine for helping with setup, supplies, and
posting of results.
$10 donations were made to both Michael Thelen for Zyzzyva word judging and Marc Levesque for
Director! Software. The only other expense was $17 in copying. All other monies were returned to
the players.
Congratulations to all the winners and players! And welcome to the new players: Mike Windels,
Chris Leeds, Peter Schmiedike, and Janet Martin!
Final Standings follow:
Division A ($25 entry)
Rank
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Name (seed)
Reinke, Thomas (A002)
Reinke, Charles (A001)
David, Michael (A004)
Drinkwine, Barbara (A008)
Finn, Lynda (A007)
Dunn, Shayla (A010)
Lauder, Richard (A006)
Bohnsack, Andy (A003)
Hartsman, Steve (A005)
McCarthy, Marty (A009)
Wins
6.5
5.0
4.0
4.0
3.0
3.0
3.0
3.0
2.5
1.0
Spread
538
430
85
-218
149
-42
-72
-219
-64
-587
Wins
6.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
4.0
4.0
4.0
3.0
3.0
2.0
1.0
Spread
623
619
110
-52
117
-138
-199
146
-210
-93
-573
$90
$70
$40
Division B ($5 entry)
Rank
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
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Name (seed)
Windels, Mike (B011)
Salm, Gail (B002)
Williams, Brad (B003)
Hankwitz, Helen (B001)
Leeds, Chris (B008)
Flores, Helen (B005)
Bellacera, Andy (B006)
Schmiedicke, Peter (B010)
Hockman, Floyd (B007)
Besadny, Barbara (B004)
Martin, Janet (B009)
$20
$15
$8
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The Princess Cup: 11/19-20
You Played Rated SCRABBLE® Games on a Gigantic Robot?
Please...Tell Me More!
By Conrad Bassett-Bouchard
Ever heard of the game “Crossword”? Sound familiar? You might know it better, stateside, as our
very own SCRABBLE. But in Thailand, presumably for copyright purposes, it has its whole own
name. And that’s just the name to which we’ve gotten. I’d heard stories about SCRABBLE in
Thailand from my friends who have journeyed there in years past, so I suppose you could say I had
many theories about what to expect. But little did I know, walking into the awakening Central Plaza
Mall Bangna, in exurban Bangkok, with renowned SCRABBLE sisters Dielle and Dion Saldanha,
that I was in for the [SCRABBLE] experience of a lifetime.
Once we found the right building, we checked into the adult division (wait, I’m not a kid anymore?)
The Princess Cup is the Thai international youth championship tournament, which is kind enough to
offer an adult division for us old fogies. But this adult division was powered by the likes of Nigel
Richards, Panupol Sujjayakorn, and Komol Panyasoponlert. I was a bit befuddled when I saw that
my nametag listed me as Dave Conrad Bassett. I mean, I think I’m a pretty good SCRABBLE player,
but I’m certainly no Dave Wiegand, or Dave Gibson! But we had little time to joke about this
incident, as we walked into an atrium filled with tables, a stage (complete with a warming-up girls
choir), and a SCRABBLE transformer robot with a gigantic board on its chest. What’s that you say?
You think I’m joking? Well, we’ll come back to it later.
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It was soon time to begin games. Fortunately, I don’t mind noisy situations (the eerie sterile
quietness of hotel ballrooms and constant shushing is a pet peeve of mine, but you can’t have it all)
because there was never anything vaguely reminiscent of quiet…the entire weekend. There’s loud
music playing in the background. Songs about SCRABBLE. Hm, you say you want to hear these
songs? Email me at [email protected] for a couple of them. And when they get bored of
SCRABBLE songs, they just blast “The Final Countdown” on repeat for an hour straight.
Incidentally, these were my first rated games in the Collins lexicon, and let me tell you, was I ever
unprepared wordwise. This tournament was in the midst of a five-week excursion to Southeast Asia
(my first time out of North America), and I wasn’t about to study words during this trip. Actually it was
nice to have no expectations going into a tournament. Maybe this attitude helped me, as I started
out with two wins.
But then play was halted for the opening ceremony. Dion and
I were led to reserved front-row seats (Dielle was still
playing), and we watched as some seemingly important Thai
people filtered in. And then came the Princess herself,
decked out in all pink. Then all the countries were introduced
on a large projector, with hundreds of stunned spectators, by
our host, the gigantic SCRABBLE transformer robot.
Honestly, the Princess seemed less than enthused by these
developments, but Dion and I were awestruck.
And then all of a sudden, I am in first place at 5-1, and
approached by able director Nawapadol Sayavesa, who
invites me to play my next opponent, Pichai Limprasert…on
the SCRABBLE transformer robot. How could I resist!
Especially when I found out we each had 26 minutes to play
this game. A stepladder was provided when we needed to
make plays on the top of the board. I wish I could say the
game itself was exciting, but I pretty much bagged Pichai,
aided by AAAMOU? through a T. The highlight for me was
watching the mall patrons look on in amazement, or
confusion, or something.
Somehow, by the end of the first day, I was 7-1, with
only a loss to Nigel. And like pretty much every other
SCRABBLE tournament, a few beers and not enough
sleep later, we were back at Central Plaza Mall
Bangna for more. Actually, on the second and final
day, I got to play on the big board again. And I won
again. In fact, things were looking pretty good with
three games to go, as somehow I just kept winning
(against everybody except Nigel). Naturally, Nigel was
Gibsonized for first, and I “just” needed to win two of
three to get second place. I win my next game, and
then get some surprising news from Nawapadol:
apparently, the top TWO finishers play a best-of-two
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finals to determine the winner. And then everything falls into place: I beat Komol in the next round,
and I, too, am Gibsonized to play Nigel in the finals!
In the first game, Nigel opened with a bingo, and I thought to myself, well, just enjoy getting Nigeled,
as that’s a rite of passage in itself. So I enjoyed getting Nigeled, as “The Final Countdown” played
ad nauseum. Finally, I bingoed with RELOADE(R) to pull even, in the process slotting that first R in
the third spot of a triple alley. Barely did I have time to look at my tiles before Nigel played off some
tiles elsewhere on the board. I do finally glance at them…A-G-I-N-O-T-Y. And just like that, I’m 167
points richer with the triple-triple GYRATION. Additionally aided by H(E)xAGONS for 90 the next
turn, I win the first game by 190!
I won’t draw this article out any longer, as I just needed to not lose by more than 189 to win the
tournament. Taking care not to open any triple-triple lanes for Nigel, I lost by only 10, and all of a
sudden, I’d won my very first Collins tournament, in a field with multiple world champions, in
Bangkok, Thailand. And the $950 US that I pocketed was sure welcomed on a five-week-long
journey.
Looking out into the mall as I got my trophy and cash, I couldn’t help but stop and smile, and
wonder…is this a dream? Did these last two days really just happen?
I can describe what SCRABBLE is like in Thailand, yet I can’t help but fear it pales in comparison to
the actual firsthand experience. If you should ever have the chance to play a tournament in
Thailand, I promise, it’ll be one of the most amazing experiences you have thanks to this darn game
we play so much. Who knows, maybe you’ll get to play on a giant robot, too!
Oh and did I mention, the Princess Cup is much smaller than the yearly King’s Cup event? I can
only imagine….
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Los Cabos: SCRABBLE® in Mexico
By John Aitken, Director; photos by Larry Rand and Barbara Van Alen
My name is John Aitken and I am a 60-year-old retiree from
Vancouver, in the other BC. I first discovered Los Cabos in March
2010, and this is now my fourth visit. I am working towards wintering
full-time down here within a year or two. In December 2010, I
discovered the Los Milagros Hotel in downtown Cabo on
Tripadvisor.com and fell hard for the place. Soon after my arrival, an
idea was born.
Upon first viewing of Los Milagros' beautiful little courtyard and
grounds, a SCRABBLE friend remarked, "This would be a perfect spot
for a SCRABBLE tournament.” Sandra Scandiber, Los Milagros'
owner, was amenable; discussions ensued; and an agreement was
reached. The First Annual Los Milagros Invitational SCRABBLE®
Tournament became a reality on December 1st when 20 WGPO
members arrived at the hotel from across the US for a week of
tournament SCRABBLE.
Los Milagros is a small (12 rooms, 16 beds) boutique
hotel in the community, not a chain hotel or resort on
the beach, and we had the whole place to ourselves.
Old friendships were reaffirmed and new ones were
begun in the beautiful courtyard in the afternoons and
evenings, once the tiles were put away for the day. In
addition, Sandra Scandiber (Los Milagros' owner and
former New York restaurateur) cooked two fabulous
meals for us: A welcoming BBQ on the first evening
and an Indian meal on the last evening.
Fourteen of us chartered a water taxi to take us out
around the iconic arch. On the way back around to
the equally iconic Lover's Beach, a whale surfaced not
far from our boat. We were all VERY excited. Before
it finally dove away, we were treated to a full tailbreach. Another group of players traveled to nearby
historic San Jose.
The highlight of my week was going zip-lining and
rappeling with Polly Moyer, Claudia Finn, and Barbara
Van Alen. Polly was the most intrepid of of all: She
also kayaked, swam with dolphins, and celebrated a
birthday.
This was a break-even tournament; however, for every
attendee, $10 US was donated to the Los Cabos
Children's Foundation. As a result, $220 has been
donated in the name of the tournament.
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Above: Los Milagros hotel.
Below: The courtyard tournament area.
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Clockwise from top left: Heavy Metal Cabo musicians; fountain and busts of San Jose dignitaries; a “tree house” at the Cabo
museum; El Squid Roe restaurant; Cabo yacht mooring; Cabo’s Medrano Beach, early morning; “Looking for love in all the
wrong places.” Center: church in San Jose’s main square.
I am hoping to grow SCRABBLE in Los Cabos over time, attracting the winter residents and the
retirees that have become Sudcalifornianos. In concert with this objective, I hope to give
SCRABBLE tourists one more persuasive reason (besides the climate, the culture, and the people)
to come to Cabo. Over time, as my Spanish improves, I'd like to teach local kids the game in their
own language. It can very good for their self-esteem, and I'm told there are very few programs for
kids down here. I've had a very fortunate life and I thought this is a way I could give back AND be
warm in winter.
For now, my four-week visit ended December 20th, but I'll be back down in January (southbound via
Reno, northbound a month later via Phoenix) for another stint.
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Prize Winners
#1 (L-R): Division A winners Maddy,
Roy & Larry with John Aitken.
#1 (L-R): Division B winners Amnon,
Gigi & Ossie with John.
#1 (L-R): Division C winners
Claudia, Zana & Betty with John.
Los Milagros-1 (3 Divisions)
DIVISION A:
1. Maddy Kamen
2. Roy Kamen
Best Over Seed: Larry Rand
DIVISION B:
1. Amnon Igra
2. Gigi Miller
Best Over Seed: Ossie Mair
#2 (L-R): John with one-day winners Jeff, Maddie,
Rich, Maggie & Amnon.
DIVISION C:
1. Claudia Finn
2. Zana Anderson
Best Over Seed: Betty Toole
Los Milagros-2 (OPEN)
1. Jeff Kastner
2. Maddy Kamen
3. Rich Moyer
Best Over Seed #1: Maggie Morley
Best Over Seed #2: Amnon Igra
#3 (L-R): John with Open winners Roy, Jeff & Larry.
Los Milagros-3 (OPEN)
1. Roy Kamen
2. Jeff Kastner
3. Larry Rand
High Win: Roy Kamen
High Loss: Maggie Morley
Best Upset Win: Zana Anderson
Best Over Seed #1: Mark Peltier
Best Over Seed #2: Alan Meyer
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2011 World Youth SCRABBLE® Championship, 12/6-8
By Karen Richards
What can we learn from 11-year-olds? The main lesson is not
to underestimate them!
Over the six years that World Youth SCRABBLE Championship
has been running, we have seen a succession of 16- and 17year-olds engrave their names on the perpetual trophy. 2011
was different. The record books were rewritten. Just one
player had taken out the Under 12, Under 14, and Under 16
category awards, as well as winning the Championship.
Anand Bharadwaj, the delightful 11-year-old from Melbourne,
Australia played his first tournament (against adults) at the age
of 7. A while after his initial training, I suggested he add more structure in his word study, and
introduced him to Zyzzyva Cardbox. I had underestimated the ability of such a young person to
optimize this study method, but he proved me wrong. He has subsequently been working with
Andrew Fisher, Australia’s top player (runner-up 2011 World SCRABBLE Championship) to improve
his strategy. Anand is no “child” player, but simply an adult in disguise, a vertically challenged
professional SCRABBLE player and future world champion.
Some people have made the mistake of classifying WYSC as just a “kids” tournament. These
people have obviously never observed WYSC – the intensity and commitment of the young players
increases each year. In 2006, none of the players used Zyzzyva (it didn’t exist), and only a handful
used similar word-study programs. Zyzzyva has turned “SCRABBLE for fun” into “SCRABBLE as a
serious pursuit” for young people. A player at table 23 plonks down the cute ASTHORE, a word only
likely to be known by someone with a “Cardbox” – and I stress, he was playing midfield.
Approximately half those young SCRABBLE afficionados are now working their way to the top of
SCRABBLE charts with brilliant memories, and the most effective word study tool available.
SCRABBLE will soon be seen as “a young person’s game, in which a few old people are allowed to
play,” rather than “an old person’s game where the odd child competes.”
The full list of official winners is below. When it became obvious that one player would clean up all
awards except the Under 10 (which always belonged to Anand’s female counterpart, Shrinidhi from
UK) we decided to make some additional awards. Hence a prize was awarded to the second
Under-14 player, Cheong Yi Hua (Mal) and for the second and third Under-12 players, Alex LeckieZaharic (NZ) and Sanchit Kapoor (Dubai), followed immediately by Jack Durand (UK). These three
players epitomise the face of SCRABBLE in future. Unlike Anand, who has been playing for four
years, Alex and Jack only started a year ago, and Sanchit has been playing for about six weeks. I
was involved in training them, and all showed their true colours from the start. Be very afraid,
everyone, we are being taken over by 11-year-olds.
This year, a special award was made for “determination”, in the name of my father J D Farmer. This
award was originally intended to honour one of the many players who live with Aspergers, who have
proven just how good they can be in the field of SCRABBLE. However, during the event, it became
apparent that one player had to overcome more obstacles than most people with Aspergers, in
order to play SCRABBLE, and even just to be there, having travelled all the way from Trinidad and
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Tobago – and I mean Amir Andi-Abdoerrachman, such a gentle lad, always smiling, whether he had
won or lost, very determined to do well at his first and last WYSC. His wonderful mother Sue initially
spoke to each of his opponents before every game, explaining that he is deaf and mute, and
teaching them appropriate hand signals for challenge, holding, changing, etc.
Another player who should have won an award for his wonderful attitude was Pang Rickson (age 9).
He was our local “reserve” player, called in to even up the numbers, and ensure no-one had to sit
out each round. He did his job well, always smiling, and made 24 players very happy in the
process. Surely he will be part of Malaysia’s proper WYSC team in a year or two.
Last year, the theme for WYSC had been that we should not place limits on young people, that they
are perfectly capable of running tournaments for older players to enjoy, rather than vice versa. I
explained that we had been doing that for years in Australia, asking all WYSC team members to run
a tournament each year. This has greatly increased their usefulness in the general SCRABBLE
community. Other countries, like Pakistan, have followed suit, with their young players getting
actively involved in SCRABBLE administration. Singapore SCRABBLE is virtually run by the youth
contingent. This year, to back up my words that it is best to have youth doing things for youth, we
invited Martin Teo (Malaysia) to be the Tournament Director. He was very popular with the players,
kept them suitably under control, and handled with finesse and sensitivity the issues which arose
(whilst Cheah Siu Hean lurked in the background, to assist with Rules Adjudication). The only thing
at which Martin failed was in getting the lights to work on the final morning. He pleaded with the
lights, yelled at the lights, invoked magic spells, threw his (figurative) boots at them, and even called
in the hotel repairman, to no avail. By the time someone found a workable solution, we were 20
minutes late starting. This was not good enough for Martin, who negotiated a free lunch to be
delivered to the playing area, such that games could resume faster, and no-one would miss their
plane.
Many of WESPA’s Youth Subcommittee were present at WYSC, so an informal meeting was held,
including Robin Rubina (Phil), Martin Teo (Mal), Nikhil Soneja (UAE), Tariq Pervez (Pak), Liew Kian
Boon (Sing) and Senaka Jayasinghe (SriLk). One inevitable question was future locations for
WYSC. We have endorsed both Colombo (Sri Lanka) and Dubai (UAE) as suitably safe locations
for a future WYSC. The organisers in these two countries have a large number of young people
already competing in adult tournaments, plus thriving school groups. We look forward to using both
those locations in 2013/2014. Before then, we fulfill a promise to take WYSC 2012 to UK Birmingham (Midlands) – close to a major international airport. Timing will be 6th to 9th December.
We hope that being closer to America will make it easier and cheaper for players from there to join
WYSC 2012, and remind them this is a penalty-free event, to reduce the disadvantage to anyone
who is used to playing with a restrictive dictionary rather than the full CSW (ie they will not be
penalised for challenging words which are everyday to Collins players)
The other major issue discussed by the Youth Committee was how to reach more young players.
WYSC gives them something to aim for once they have started playing. However, we need to reach
those who have never heard of competitive SCRABBLE, and who only consider Chess when
looking for an intellectual challenge to supplement their education. Nikhil and Tariq will be working
on a small brochure aimed at adults, telling them why SCRABBLE is good for young students for
many different reasons, not just an aid to increasing vocabulary. They have both been enormously
successful at marketing SCRABBLE to teachers and parents in their respective countries. When
Alastair and I visited Dubai, expecting up to 40 students at our workshop, we were shocked to see
busload after busload arriving, sent by supportive schools - three times the number we had
expected. This workshop was sponsored by Amity University, who had also grasped the value of
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SCRABBLE to enhance problem-solving and logic skills, improve mathematical computation, plus
the myriad of other learning criteria it satisfies (eg developing memory techniques). This is the vision
I have for all countries – hoards of children clamoring to learn SCRABBLE, and their teachers
encouraging them, with the basic learning centers being universities or similar, giving SCRABBLE
the prestige it deserves.
Karen Richards
Chair, Youth Committee
WESPA (World English-language Scrabble Players Association)
AGE BAND AND SPECIALIST PRIZES
Under 10 – Shrinidhi Prakash (UK)
Under 12 – Anand Bharadwaj (Au) Alex Leckie-Zaharic (NZ) Sanchit
Kapoor (UAE) Jack Durand (UK)
Under 14 – Anand Bharadwaj (Au) Cheong Yi Hua (My)
Under 16 – Anand Bharadwaj (Au)
Encouragement Award (youngest player in top 25) - Cheong Yi Hua (My) aged 13
Best Novice Award (no previous WYSC experience) - Oliver Garner (UK)
Best Player, new country – Alex Leckie Zaharic (New Zealand)
NB. Omari Atiba Blake could almost have taken out this award, as Trinidad and Tobago have only ever
fielded one contestant prior to this event
JD Farmer Award for Determination – Amir Andi-Abdoerrachman
MAJOR PRIZE WINNERS
1 Anand Bharadwaj (AU) 19 1322
2 Victor Gwee (SG) 17 1146
3 Michael McKenna (AU) 17 1001
4 Yeshan Jayasuriya (SL) 16 1280
5 Premkumar Nimalan (SL) 16 714
6 Oliver Garner (UK) 16 505
7 Sinatarn Pattanasuwanna (TH) 15 1076
8 Mohammad Suma (PH) 15 759
9 Jessica Pratesi (UK) 15 654
10 Sompong Phosai (TH) 15 590
Full results are on www.youthscrabble.org
2011 WYSC CHAMPION
2011 World Youth SCRABBLE
Championship winner Anand
Bharadwaj from Australia, who
finished with a 19-5 +1322
record over Victor Gwee of
Singapore (17-7 +1146).
Anand, 11, is the youngest
winner of the WYSC. He was
also the winner for Best
Performance by a Player Under
12, Under 14, and Under 16.
A profile of Anand follows, with
links to his WYSC games.
TEAM PERFORMANCE (average placing)
Singapore
17
Australia
20
Trinidad & Tobago
28
Sri Lanka
32
Pakistan
33
Thailand
36
UK
38
Malaysia
39
New Zealand 42
Philippines 45
South Africa 57
India 65
UAE 65
Oman 67
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2011 WYSC Champion Anand Bharadwaj
Anand Bharadwaj, 11, lives in Melbourne, Australia with his parents,
Kannan Sethuraman and Lalitha Sundaresan. He attends the Trinity
Grammar School in Kew, where he is entering year 6 this month.
Other than SCRABBLE, Anand enjoys music and sports. He plays flute
and piano, and he composes his own music. He also likes cricket,
Australian Rules football [combination of soccer, rugby, and American
football], and tennis. He is a fast bowler at cricket.
Born in India, Anand’s first language is Tamil, not English.
Anand has been playing SCRABBLE since he was six years old. “Both
my parents played SCRABBLE for fun. Observing them play, I quickly
learned the game.”
Impressed with Anand’s skills, his parents asked the Victorian SCRABBLE Association whether he
could play in adult tournaments, and they consented. Anand’s first tournament was the Victoria
Decathon in December, 2007, when he seven years old. Since they he has played in a total of 46
adult tournaments, winning many tournaments at the intermediate and advanced divisions. For the
last year and a half he has been playing at the masters level, where he has come in second or third
many times; however, he has yet to place first. Currently rated 1773, Anand is ranked 8th in Victoria
and 19th in Australia.
Anand does not play at club, but he has been playing online on ISC for the past two years. He uses
Zyzzyva regularly, spending about 30 minutes each day reviewing and learning new words.
The first year Anand played in the World Youth SCRABBLE Championship was in 2009, when he
was nine—the youngest player in the field. He came in 28th. Last year he did not compete in the
WYSC, although he qualified for it. This year he became the youngest player ever to win the World
Youth SCRABBLE Championship.
“I enjoyed the experience very much,” said Anand. “I made a lot of new friends. To name a few:
Victor Gwee from Singapore; Oliver Garner, Shrinidhi Prakash, and Jessica Pratesi from England;
Javeria Mirza from Pakistan; Prema Maniam from Malaysia; and Mohammed Suma and Matthew
Malitao from the Philippines.”
Australian expert Andrew Fisher, runner-up in this year’s World
SCRABBLE Championship, helps Anand with his strategy. “Andrew
has been a great mentor for me. He generously shares a lot of
interesting tips. He came to our house a couple of times and we
played three games and analyzed the games in great depth. The
tips he provided were invaluable during the tourney.”
There were many exciting games on the way to the championship.
Three of Anand’s games are posted online: h"p://www.cross-­‐
Anand with Victor Gwee, who finished
tables.com/annotated.php?u=9931#0#, h"p://www.cross-­‐tables.com/
second at the WYSC.
annotated.php?u=9934, h"p://www.cross-­‐tables.com/annotated.php?
u=9941#0#. For Anand’s complete game-by-game commentary, click here.
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ANDREW FISHER ON ANAND BHARADWAJ
“Anand has a number of characteristics which mark him out as already a strong SCRABBLE player. You
can see from some of the annotated games on the Youth SCRABBLE website (see http://
www.youthscrabble.org/wysc2011/results/crosstable.html) that Anand has a mature approach to
balancing his rack and managing the board. For example, he held AGLMQOR on move three in the round
ten game against London’s Oliver Garner, already ranked in the top twenty percent of UK players. Instead
of being tempted to pounce on the open L that had been floated in the TWS lane as less savvy players
might, Anand calmly dumped QORMA* elsewhere to maximise his own opportunities. He later found
PATINAED, eschewing an easy PAINTED, and later still opted not to colonise another open TWS,
capitalising better in another sector. That’s the kind of adventurous and considered play that reaps
dividends.
“He picks up strategic techniques very quickly as well. He told me that he had observed a game I played
at the 2011 Australian Nationals, when I stuck an opponent with the Q then set up a one-way scoring
opportunity for myself onto a triple. In one of his endgames in Johor, he noted that his opponent held two
Ws among his final four tiles which could not be played out together, so he set up a spot to lure one of
them onto the board, blocked the only other W-spot, and then slow-played to win narrowly. Another tip he
picked up was to make plausible openings when in arrears – he was able in one game to create a doublesided opening, and when his opponent could not block them both, bingoed out to win. And in another, he
fought back to victory from an early nine-timer and a deficit of over 160.
“One of his best attributes is a very equable temperament. He doesn’t get flustered if he loses a game,
and cheerfully moves on to the next encounter. He also realises that no matter how weak or strong his
opponents, sometimes you have to rely on luck to win a tournament. A Zen master in the making. Given
time to study the wordlist, he will be a threat to anybody, and he is already sucking up the higher-prob
words like a sponge. It won’t be long before he is coming up with plays like GYRALLY, SITZMARK and
COUMAROU without blinking!”
“The best moment was obviously when I knew I had won the title. I was playing at the top board and
Michael McKenna was playing at board 2. There was a possibility that he would beat me on margin
if I lost big and he won his game. But my game was going well and I had a 200-point lead midgame,
and I knew I had won the tourney.
“My favorite play was when I played OUTSOLE to go
out against Joe Knapper to win the game by 9 points.
Once again, I was trailing that game 66 to 200 early. I
got some inspiration from Mark Nyman’s stellar
comeback against Joel Wapnick in 1993 World
Championship final. Interestingly, the final margin was
the same 9 points in that game as well.”
WYSC Game 23: Anand wins against Tawan Paepolsiri
from Thailand. Final score: 496-477. Anand’s bingos:
IsLETED, SEROTINY, AGINNER; Tawan’s bingos:
WAYSIdES, SEDGIEST.
Anand loves playing SCRABBLE. “It gives me
opportunity to make friends of all ages. Although the
skill element is critical for winning in SCRABBLE, the
chance element of the game makes it more interesting
and unpredictable. Winning a game in SCRABBLE
without the blanks and 4 Ss gives you a thrill that
rarely is matched in other sports.”
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Anand’s parents are wonderfully supportive. “Anand has always shown tremendous potential on a
variety of fields from a very young age. He always puts his best effort and we are very proud of his
overall approach to learning. We have been careful to ensure that he does not get burnt too soon.
We want him to enjoy whatever he does, and we are there to support his interests. He has enjoyed
playing SCRABBLE, and we are happy that he has been able to achieve so much so quickly. We
are thankful to many, particularly the players at the Victorian SCRABBLE Association, Andrew
Fisher, and Karen Richards. Karen was instrumental in spotting Anand’s talent early and providing
him valuable coaching in the early stages. Later, we benefitted from several well-wishers in the
Victorian SCRABBLE community.
“Going forward, we will support him in whatever way we can as he tries to expand his knowledge
and play in tougher competitions.”
Will Anand be coming to play in America? “Anand would love the opportunity to come to U.S. to
compete in the national championship.” However, because his parents need to accompany Anand,
travel is an expensive option.
But if scheduling and finances, permit it, Americans may get to see this young star in action!
Anand in front of the Zon Regency, site of the 2011 WYSC.
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Stamford SCRABBLE® Classic: The Northeast SCRABBLE®
Championship
By Terry Kang Rau
This was one of the most memorable tournaments I have ever
attended, as I got to witness two SCRABBLE®-history-making
milestones: Joel Sherman’s record-breaking 803 game, which
occurred in the opening round of the Main Event, no less; and 11year-old Mack Meller’s extraordinary Division 1 win, proving to the
few who may have doubted his skill that he is no flash in the pan.
As someone who had attended many of Howie and Sheila
Greenspan’s much-loved Stamford tourneys, I felt a twinge of
nostalgia as I entered the lobby and, later, the playing room of the
erstwhile Holiday Inn. Though it has been fully renovated and is
now a Sheraton, it still brought back memories of the good ol’
days, with “Mrs. G” personally greeting all of the attendees with
her homemade goodie bags. In this shiny new venue, Cornelia
Guest has answered the wishes of many northeasterners by
resurrecting the Stamford SCRABBLE Classic. From December 9
to 11, this event included a 5-game Early Bird, a 16-game Main
Event, dubbed "The Northeast Championship,” and – in keeping
with Corny’s ongoing mission to attract more players to our game
– a 4-game Newcomers Tournament.
Let the Games Begin!
The Early Bird began Friday with two divisions playing five rounds. Mr. 803, Division A’s top seed,
had an inauspicious start, as he lost the first two rounds, but he found his mojo – and perhaps a
blank or two – to win the rounds three and four. In the final round, Joel faced Jack Eichenbaum, who
had been leading the field with three wins, and – in Causewayspeak – pulverized him 556 to 295.
That extra spread (+294) allowed Joel to easily surpass Paul Avrin, who came in second with three
wins and a spread of +86. Jack Eichenbaum and Ben Harrison, also with three wins apiece, finished
3rd and 4th.
In Division B, with only four players remaining after two rudesby
no-shows, Brenda Casey was leading after four rounds, but she
lost the final game to Linda Wancel, who took first place with
four wins +84. Chris Economos, playing her first tourney in
nearly a year and a half, finished in second with three wins
+257, ahead of Brenda on spread.
With several hours until the Main Event, most of the Early Bird
players stayed put and ate in the hotel restaurant, which offered
tasty daily specials such as osso buco. I dined with director
Jason Keller, flush from his successful Jeopardy! tapings, but
didn’t make him pick up the tab, as it turns out the show takes
months to pay up.
Linda Wancel, winner of Division B of the
Early Bird with a 4-1 +84 record.
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One for the Record Books
The Main Event began Friday night with 41 players in
three divisions. Only Division A’s Mic Barron – with one
of the longest commutes from New Hampshire – was
missing when play began, though he did arrive shortly
after his clock had been started. In the high-ceilinged,
spacious playing room, we had the luxury of having just
one game setup per table. At the table directly behind
mine, Joel Sherman and Bradley Robbins were the first
to finish, and I heard several players hovering and
commenting. A few “oohs” and “aahs” sprinkled with
“WTFs” were audible. Little did I know what all the
commotion was about – and that it was worthy of the
fuss.
Wallop, pulverize...and now obliterate
The narrative for the Causeway tournament includes
such colorful verbs as wallop (for a 200-point win), and
pulverize (for a winning margin of 250). To that we can
now add obliterate, for a win of 500 points of more. (I
decided eviscerate was a tad too gruesome an image,
especially since a youngster was on the receiving end.)
With his 803-285 obliteration of Bradley, Joel crossed
that elusive 800 threshold, and set a new tournament
record for High Game. This surpasses Ed de
Guzman’s 771 game by 32 points, a score that had
broken – and by a mere point – the previous record
held by Mark “Mr. 770” Landsberg for 17 long
years. Joel’s 803 is also a numeragram, if you will, of
Michael Cresta’s 830 game. Some would say that only
Joel’s game is legit; that – as Sam Kantimathi pointedly
put it, “[c]lub, [c]asual and/or [c]ollusive games don’t
and shouldn’t count.” Stefan Fatsis phrased it more
diplomatically when he described the 830 Cresta-Yorra
game as a “confluence of mathematically improbable
events.”
The Sherman-Robbins game was also a confluence of
factors that, as a whole, were somewhat improbable: a
top expert and top seed matched against the division’s
lowest seed (representing a ratings difference of 513
points); a slightly unorthodox opening play by Joel
(exchanging all seven from a rack of AEEMOOO
instead of keeping ME or E) that resulted in his being
rewarded with both luck and synergy; and an
understandably demoralized opponent who had simply
stopped tracking. Some would argue that the last factor
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“allowed” Joel to not only bingo out, which insured a 779 game and a new record, but also stick
Bradley with QAE and give Joel the 24 extra points needed to pass the 800 mark. No triple-triples
were involved, just seven bingoes, including four in a row in turns three through six. That four of
Joel’s bingoes hit the triple word score helped, allowing scores of 101, 92, 95 and 111. Had Bradley
not blocked what would have been a 69-point FIZ play in turn eight, perhaps the final score would
have even surpassed 830. On the other hand, playing FIZ would have deprived Joel of the “I”
needed for SHAKING in turn nine. Two of Bradley’s plays, LOBE and NADA, provided homes for
what would have been unplayable bingoes, SHAKING and aVENGED. Playing off seven seven
times, Joel played 63 tiles to Bradley’s 34; including two exchanges, Bradley had seven turns where
he played two or fewer tiles.
At the time the 830 game was played, Michael Cresta and Wayne Yorra had ratings of 886 and 841
respectively, and ironically, Michael conceded that “[i]f you get two experts together, [the 830]
game’s not going to happen.” Well, with a peak rating of 1614, Brad is almost expert-level, but the
average ratings of the players in the 803 versus the 830 game are more noteworthy: the ShermanRobbins’ average was 1690 while the Cresta-Yorra average was only 864. To his credit, Brad
bounced back in the second round to post a 431-273 victory. Joel finished the night at 3-0 +725.
The Streak Continues...until Mack
Games resumed on Saturday, and the players were treated
to lunch in the downstairs dining room, included with the
entry fee. Lunch included Caesar salad, chicken parmigiana,
pasta with pesto, and several desserts.
After seven rounds Monsieur 803 was the lone undefeated
with an eye-popping +1311 spread. Then came round eight
– cue ominous music – and Mack Meller, who was then in
fourth place with 5 ½ wins, including a 412 tie in round five.
(Neither he nor Jan Cardia opted for a recount, but with the
accountant carefully recounting each play during the game,
it’s likely that the tie would have stuck.)
Postmortem of the final game between Joel and Mack.
Ladies at Lunch
In game eight, Mack gave Joel his first loss on the
way to an astounding ten-game winning streak.
His penultimate win in round 14 allowed him to be
Gibsonized and make him the youngest player
ever with a rating over 1800. Mack’s cross-tables
graph is as close to a vertical line as any player
can achieve. What’s more remarkable is that it
took him just one year and 19 days to accomplish
this; from unrated to 1823 in just 384 days! Had
he won the last game against Joel instead of
losing by two points, his rating would have
approached – or, with bonus points, even
surpassed – 1860. An extensive postmortem of
that game revealed that Mack likely made no
endgame blunders. It was a weird game, with
both blanks unseen until the very end.
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Worthy of the superlatives, Mack is the “real deal” as Nigel Peltier commented; a true phenom and
future Nationals champ in the making. (After all, Nigel is no slacker but it took him nearly 28 months
to break 1800.) Even though Mack pulverized me 554 to 304 – yes, I too fell victim to a sMackdown
– I have to admit, I enjoyed every minute of it; to see the wunderkind at work: serene, poised, with
almost no shuffling of his tiles; to have such skill and yet remain humble, polite and just so likeable.
In our game, he not only found stylish plays like EPIGEOUS, he also found the best, highest-scoring
bingo available in each turn. And all this without recording his racks or later Quackling his games.
Mack’s final record was 13 ½ -2 ½ +1384. Joel,
Gibsonized for second after Round 15, finished at 12-4
+1485. Frank Tangredi, by winning his last game over
Ross Brown, finished in third at 11-5 +634. Frank also
emceed the group trivia game on Saturday night.
Surprisingly, nine-time Jeopardy winner Jason Keller did
not finish in first. His team, with Jack Eichenbaum and
Marjorie Shoneboom, settled for third. Second went to the
team of Joel and Judy Horn, Sam Moch and Bob Becker,
and first place went to the team of Judy Cole, Linda
Wancel, Mike Ecsedy and Mic Barron.
Division B was more tightly contested, as the top three each had 11-5
records. Steve Tier’s spread of 918 allowed him to take first, with Brandon
Randall (+652) and Bob Becker (+142) finishing
second and third. With his last-round win over Ben
Harrison, Jack Eichenbaum surpassed Ben on
spread to finish fourth with 10-6 +381.
In Division C, the top four finishers each had 10-6
records, including byes. Jo Anne Cohen took first with
a spread of +754 over Doreen Fiorelli (+460) and
Kathy Hooper (+286). Just two points behind in fourth
place was Gerianne Abriano, who would actually
have finished in third but for a score-recording
Div. B winner Steve Tier
error. Had she checked the round-by-round posted
standings, she might have noticed her oversight. This
should be a reminder to all of us that we should check the standings and take
care when filling out the results slips.
Div. C winner Jo Anne
Cohen
A Plethora of Prizes
As the awards ceremony began, Corny surprised everyone by
presenting special prizes – along with aesthetically pleasing trophies –
to the highest-placing player in each represented state. For New
Hampshire, Mic Barron edged out Bradley Robbins and, when
accepting his trophy, loudly proclaimed, “Hey Bradley – In your
FACE!” Bob Becker won for Massachusetts Champ; Connecticut
went to Brandon Randall; New Jersey to Charlene White; and New
York to Mack.
Massachusetts Champ Bob Becker
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Another special prize was given to Joel for his 803. It came in a rectangular cobalt blue box and
when Joel went to accept it, Corny said it was “fragile.” The box was a tad too small to be a bottle of
Johnnie Walker Blue, so I am guessing an engraved glass trophy of some sort.
In Division C, High Play went to Ida Shapiro, and Doreen Fiorelli’s 520 win in Round 2 stayed as
High Game. In Division B, Brandon Randall won High Play and Mike Ecsedy, with a 554, also in
Round 2, won High Game. And oh yeah, in Division A, some dude from the Bronx got High Game.
Northeast Championship Winners Steve Tier, Mack, Meller, and Jo Anne
Cohen with director Jason Keller.
The Record-breakers
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Stamford SCRABBLE® Classic: Newcomers Tournament
By Cornelia Guest, Director
Saturday morning of the Stamford SCRABBLE® Classic featured the unrated Newcomers
Tournament, restricted to new players and players rated under 1000. The tournament attracted 14
players, 5 of whom were playing in their first tournament ever. An additional 4 had played in unrated
tournaments before, and 5 players had NASPA ratings.
First in the Adult Division was Marino Fernandez, who
finished 3-1 +199 to take the division over Nancy Kulinki
(2-2 -201), Julie Satinover (1.5-2.5 +9), and Joann SylzanBonds (1.5-2.5 -7). Dubbed “King of the Phonies” by his
fellow players, Marino used his prize money to treat the
other players in his division to lunch. It was a terrific day for
all of the adults, whose close finish showed the strength of
these newer tournament players. All expressed interest in
trying a rated tournament soon.
Adult Division Winners
(L-R): Kyle Imperato, 2nd and winner for High Word
and High Game; John Schuman, Division A winner
The Youth Division had two divisions, with more
experienced players in Division A and newer players in
Division B. The finish in Division A was very close, with 8th
grader John Schuman beating 7th grader Kyle Imperato in
the final game to win on spread by 26 points (both were
3-1). The two will be teaming to compete in this year’s
National School SCRABBLE® Championship. Third and
fourth went to Nick Krasnow and Drew Gregory, two 7th
graders who have been playing for just over a year.
Division B had 6 players, with ages ranging from 9 to 12.
The undefeated winner with a 4-1 +287 record was 12-yearold JohnPaul Baughman, playing in his second tournament.
Second went to first-time player Xavier Malmi (3-1 +185).
Emma Baughman finished third, followed by Jesse
Federbush, Stephanie Adams, and Bea Pence.
High Play/High Game winners were Marino Fernandez (HG:
425), Julie Satinover (HP: BEARINGS, 84), Kyle Imperato
(HG: 474; HP: STAVING, 84), JohnPaul Baughman (HG:
309), and Jesse Federbush (HP: SHOULDER, 72). Xavier
Malmi’s MERRY won Best Holiday Word.
Youth Division B Winners
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In addition to prize money, the first-place finishers in each
division received trophies plus custom tile bags from
Incredible Tile Bags. Winners for High Play and High Word
won copies of Brow-Raisers II by Tony Rasch, The Official
Kids’ Guide to Scrabble® by Bradley Robbins, or long racks
donated by Gene Tyszka. All competitors received medals.
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Joel Sherman Sets New Tournament Record: 803!
On Friday, December 9th, SCRABBLE® legend Joel Sherman set a
new World Record for the highest-scoring SCRABBLE® game ever
played in a tournament: 803. Playing in his first game at the
Northeast SCRABBLE® Championship in Stamford, CT, Joel scored
seven bingos (50-point bonus plays using all his tiles) in his 803-285
win over Bradley Robbins of New Hampshire.
He also tied the record for most bingos played by a player in a
NASPA tournament game (7: CRUMPLED, OUTRATED,
COTHURNI, TRAVOISE, SHAKING, AVENGED, and AIRLINE--the
"L" in CRUMPLED and the "A" in AVENGED were blanks), and the
game tied the NASPA record for the game with the most bingos
played (Bradley Robbins bingoed with ISOLATES).
The previous record game was 771, set by Edward de Guzman on
July 1, 2010, in Reno, NV.
The 803 score is particularly impressive since
Joel didn't have any triple-triples, doubledoubles, or phonies. In addition, he got no free
turns from opponent's challenges.
Joel, 49, is a top American SCRABBLE® expert
and former World and National Champion (he
was World Champion in 1997 and National
Champion in 2002). Since beginning his career
in 1988, he has played at least 4,200
tournament games, earning over $115,000 in
prize money. He is director of North American
SCRABBLE® Players Association Club #56,
which meets on Thursday evenings in New York
City. Nicknamed "G.I. Joel," Sherman was
featured in Stefan Fatsis's bestselling Word
Freak and the movie "Word Wars."
Bradley Robbins, a high school freshman from
Windham, New Hampshire, was 2010 National
School SCRABBLE® Champion with his partner,
Evan McCarthy.
To follow the game and read Joel’s commentary
on the plays, go to the following link:
http://www.cross-tables.com/annotated.php?
u=9979#0#
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Mack Meller, 11, Reaches 1828 Rating
On Sunday, December 11, Mack Meller, 11 years old,
made SCRABBLE® history. In winning Division 1 of the
Northeast SCRABBLE® Championship in Stamford,
CT, with a 13.5-2.5 +1374 record, Mack became the
youngest player in North American tournament history
to surpass an 1800 rating. His rating is now 1828.
Mack had already made the record books in June,
when the National SCRABBLE® Association (NSA)
declared him the youngest SCRABBLE® expert
(rated over 1600) in their official history. Mack then
set a new record, breaking the 1700 mark at Old
Greenwich in July.
Mack Meller with 2011 Northeast SCRABBLE®
Championship director Cornelia Guest. (Photo by
Jessica Meller)
Coming into the Stamford tournament with a rating of
1705, Mack was seeded fourth in the 12-player division.
Gibsonized after Game 14 (of 16), Mack won the
championship over seasoned experts Joel Sherman
and Ross Brown. Mack also was awarded the
tournament trophy for New York Champion.
Mack has been playing tournament SCRABBLE for just over a year. At his first tournament, in
Ardsley, NY on November 21, 2010, he won Division 3 with a 701 +1504 record to earn an initial
NASPA rating of 1249.
Mack’s next victory was in Division 3 at the Albany New Year’s Tournament, where he was
Gibsonized in winning Division 3 with a 20-2 +2217 record, topping 27 other players.
The Northeast SCRABBLE® Championship was Mack’s tenth tournament--and his first Division 1
win.
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Strongsville Christmas SCRABBLE®
By Kevin McCarthy, Sr.
‘twas the night before tourney … and quite a few of our Christmas party guests were attending our
Saturday evening game night. The chips were flying, from tortilla chips to poker chips. And when
the chips are down – Ohio’s First Lady, Patty Hardwick, knows to crack open a bottle of wine. There
were a few SCRABBLE games to be had, both singles and team games – but the room revolved
around the poker table…
Christmas spirits, Sue Gable, Pattykins Hardwick
and Dorcas Alexander
Dan Stocky, Dean Scouloukas, Carolyn Easter
and Pete Zeigler at the poker table
After the last hand was dealt, Carolyn Easter had her eye on the prize . . . besting a final-four table
of Dean Scouloukas, Dan Stock and Pete Zeigler. On the SCRABBLE front, bingoing to draw the
last tile (an “unplayable C”), the team of Kit Morehead and Sue Gable watched as Joe South and
Jeff Fiszbein nickel and dimed their way to a win.
Sunday morning’s thirty arrivals were greeted
with the warm, welcoming smell of turkey in the
oven, and coffee at the ready. There was plenty
of food, snacks, beverages and Christmas ‘spirit’
to be had as the day progressed. If the turkey
with all the trimmings was not enough, several
players also brought some fine potluck items –
Joyce Stock’s chicken disappears quickly, and
Walter Konicki always manages to make a pizza
show up from his former establishment (and
Tuesday night club SCRABBLE spot) Angie’s
Pizza in Independence, OH.
With our thirty players split evenly down gender
lines, Dean had the well-received idea of
Lunch is served: Tina Cur, George Viebranz, Joyce Stock,
arranging SCRABBLE “marriages” for the day.
Lisa Brown, Carolyn Easter
Husband-and-wife teams competed for
completing the day with the best combined
record. Card shark Carolyn Easter and her tattooed hubby David Clayman walked away with
several Christmas-themed prizes.
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Other prizes would be used to celebrate two
noteworthy recent events. The “high game” prize was
set at $8.03 – marking Joel Sherman’s freshly minted
high game in Stamford, CT two nights before – and
was won by Jason Idalski, who scored a 577.
Tourney winner Lou Cornelis, flanked by hosts Kevin
McCarthy and Dean Scouloukas.
A special prize was also awarded to the player using
the most letters in the name “Oblander” (no one played
BANDEROL). We were celebrating the life of recently
deceased Pulitzer Prize winning journalist – Ohio’s
Terry Oblander. Dorcas Alexander’s RELOANED
scored her a “Leg Lamp” Christmas tree ornament from
the movie “A Christmas Story” (the exterior house is in
the nearby Tremont section of Cleveland).
Lou Cornelis took home $175 for his 7-1 first place finish. Bagging more dough ($140) for second
place was Carolyn Easter. From the 16th seed – third place and $105 went to Cheryl Melvin. Eileen
Popich had a tremendous tourney, and was awarded $75 for most ratings points gained (64). David
Clayman won $50 for topping the class (18th seed and below, <1300).
The big winner of the day was the United States Marine Corps’ “Toys for Tots” program. In the spirit
of the season, many players brought new, unwrapped toys for collection – to be distributed to needy
kids by the Marine Corps.
Our Toys For Tots collection
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By Dan Horowitz
The 2011 Delaware SCRABBLE® Festivus featured four separate tournaments, twelve separate
division winners (with only one repeat winner), and fifty people who participated in at least one event
(including one first-time tournament player).
Two Early Birds and an Ironman Claim First Place
The December 22nd evening tournament was added to the schedule at
the last minute to provide those players that wouldn’t be able to join us
for the main event with an additional opportunity to enjoy a tournament
before the holidays. Two of those players came in first: Richard Popper
came in first in Division 1 with a record of 4-1 +323, and Linda Wancel
claimed the top prize in Division 2 with a record of 3-2 +239. Both of
these divisions came down to spread, as runners-up were Paul Avrin
(4-1 +155) and Ted Gest (3-2 +44) respectively. The Division 3
champion was Jacob Cohen, who finished with a spread of 4-1 +64.
Jacob is one of five players that participated in all four Festivus tournaments. Division 3 runner-up
was David Klionsky, with a record of 3-2 +17. Special thanks to Richard Popper and David Klionsky
for serving as co-directors of this tournament.
A Joyous Festivus for Avrin, Roland, Cohen and Horowitz
Paul Avrin took Division 1 by storm in the December 23rd Early Bird with a 6-1 +432 record, with
Winter coming in second with a record of 4-3 +184. Divisions 2 and 3 were much closer, as all the
winners amassed records of 5-2, and so the placements were determined by spread. Tobey Roland
(+358) and Joanne Cohen (+261) claimed the Division 2 prize money (narrowly edging out Judy
Cole, who was also 5-2, with a +233 spread), and Jacob Cohen (+350) and James Clark (+286)
were the winners in Division 3. As the Division 3 winner in both Early Birds, Jacob Cohen was our
only repeat division winner, and these victories caused his rating to jump 68 points in less than 24
hours and moved him into Division 2 for the main event. Division 4 was decided by the final game,
as my 378-351 victory over Elizabeth Diament allowed me to finish in first place with a record of 6-1
+604, while Liz claimed 2nd with strong showing of 5-2 +358.
Two Milestones and a Repeat Performance
Main Event Division 1 winner Mitchell
Brook with tournament director Dan
Horowitz. Mitchell won $500 for first place,
his first Division 1 win in a multi-day
tournament!
The main event featured an exciting finish in Division 1: With two
rounds to play, four players remained in contention for the top
prize, and the top three finishers all amassed 12-8 records. A
+552 spread allowed Mitchell Brook to finish ahead of his finalround opponent, Paul Avrin (+421), for his first-ever Division 1
multi-day tournament win after fifteen years of tournament play.
This was also the first multi-day first-place finish for Division 2
winner Adam Fine, who finished with a record of 15-5 +636.
Second place in Division 2 went to Josh Castellano, who
finished with a record of 13-7 +189. For the second year in a
row, David Klionsky finished first in Division 3. David’s record
was 15-5 +896. Second place went to Elizabeth Diament, who
was 12-8 +190.
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Three Strong Performances in the Final Event
The weekend concluded with three impressive performances in the December 26th Late Bird.
James Clark completed the only sweep of Festivus 2011, compiling a 7-0 +504 record as he won
Division 2. The runner up was David Dlugosz, 5-2 +125. Winter won Division 1 with a record of 6-1
+615; Daniel Milton finished in second with a record of 5-2 +216; and Sharon Moser finished third
with a record of 4-3 +165. Martin Gold won Division 3 with a record of 6-1 +147, with Michael
Lavoie second at 5-2 +383.
Bonus Prizes & Noteworthy Achievements
The tournament hotel once again contributed two gift certificates for a free night to the prize pool.
One certificate was awarded to Flora Taylor for the highest scoring play using all the letters in
“HILTON” (HOTLINE – 73 points), and the other certificate was awarded to Elizabeth Diament for
the best Festivus word (POLE). Although they didn’t earn her any prizes, Liz also had two very high
scoring Q plays in the main event: REQUIEM for 112 points in her 556-357 round 9 victory against
Mike Lavoie, and EQUATION for 122 points in her 409-367 round 17 victory against David Klionsky.
This was the first multi-day tournament for Cheryl Kagan and her husband David Spitzer, and
although they had a great time, Cheryl was the victim of some tough luck, as she lost five games by
a combined total of 37 points. We were also pleased that longtime club player Millicent Shocket
decided to give tournament play a try. She finished 3-4 in the December 23rd Early Bird, and had
such a good time that she decided to return for the Late Bird the following Monday. She finished in
third place in that event with a record of 4-3.
Don’t forget to mark your calendars for the 2012 Delaware SCRABBLE® Festivus, as well as the
inaugural Midsummer Madness/Midsummer Mildness tournament July 6th through July 8th at the
same location. For those that won’t be able to join us over Christmas for the 2012 main event, I’ll be
running an eight-game Early Bird on Saturday, December 22nd and a five-game Early Bird the
morning of Sunday, December 23rd, so that will be a great opportunity to get in 13 games of
SCRABBLE®, and do some last-minute tax-free holiday shopping. The main event will begin at 3
PM on Sunday, December 23rd, and will conclude on Tuesday, December 25th. My July event will be
two separate tournaments run side by side: Midsummer Madness will be 39 games over three days
for those that enjoy a red-eye style tournament, and Midsummer Mildness will be 21 games over
three days for those who would like a more relaxed pace. More information can be found on
www.cross-tables.com.
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Results
DECEMBER 1-31
LOS MILAGROS #1, LOS
CABOS MEXICO (WGPO)
12/2-3
1. Maddy Kamen
2. Amnon Igra
3. Claudia Finn
ALBUQUERQUE NM
(WGPO) 12/3-4
1. Stan Miranda
AUSTIN TX 12/3-4
1.
2.
3.
4.
Chris Cree
Glenda Short
Wendy Major
Evelyn Callaway
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LAKE OSWEGO OR 12/4
BETHESDA MD 12/10
1. Michael Baker
2. Charley Caplan
3. Kathy Sutrov
1. Stefan Fatsis
2. Adam Fine
3. Dan Horowitz
LOS MILAGROS #2, LOS
CABOS MEXICO (WGPO)
12/4
STAMFORD CT
NEWCOMERS (UNRATED)
12/10
1. Jeff Kastner
1. Marino Fernandez
2. John Schuman
3. JohnPaul Baughman
PHILADELPHIA PA 12/4
1. Andrew Friedman
2. Ted Barrett
3. Bernadette Buckley
LOS MILAGROS #3, LOS
CABOS MEXICO (WGPO)
12/5-7
1. Roy Kamen
WORLD YOUTH
SCRABBLE®
CHAMPIONSHIP
(UNRATED) 12/6-8
COVINA CA 12/11
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Rachel Knapp
Roy Kamen
Roland Filio
Nick Filio
Nick Fraher
Arna Schutz
Rasul Macasimbar
GUELPH ON CAN 12/11
1. Wayne Clifford
2. Kathy Nakano
1. Anand Bharadwaj
1. Shan Abbasi
2. Sophia Ozorio
3. Dave Krook
AKRON OH 12/7
STRONGSVILLE OH 12/11
FORT LAUDERDALE FL
12/3-4
1. Pete Zeigler
1. Lou Cornelis
STAMFORD CT EARLY
BIRD 12/9
DALLAS TX 12/17
CALGARY AB CAN 12/3
1. Ian Weinstein
2. Larry Gradus
3. Cheryl Levin
WAUPUN WI (WGPO) 12/3
1. Thomas Reinke
2. Mike Windels
BERKELEY CA 12/4
1.
2.
3.
4.
Jerry Lerman
John Karris
Paula Catanese
Jeannie J. Wilson
LAGUNA WOODS CA 12/4
1. Rachel Knapp
1. Joel Sherman
2. Linda Wancel
STAMFORD CT 12/9-11
1. Mack Meller
2. Steve Tier
3. Jo Anne Cohen
ATLANTA (COLLEGE
PARK) GA 12/10-11
1.
2.
3.
4.
David Gibson
Jeremy Jeffers
Michael Bassett
Andrew Gardner
1. Sam Dick-Ohuoha
2. Bryan Pepper
3. Pat Sanchez
TAMPA BAY (PINELLAS
PARK) FL 12/17
1. Michael Garner
WILMINGTON DE 12/22
1. Richard Popper
2. Linda Wancel
3. Jacob Cohen
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WILMINGTON DE 12/23
1.
2.
3.
4.
Paul Avrin
Tobey Roland
Jacob Cohen
Dan Horowitz
WILMINGTON DE
12/23-25
1. Mitchell Brook
2. Adam Fine
3. David Klionsky
WILMINGTON DE 12/26
1. Winter
2. James Clark
3. Martin Gold
ALBANY NY 12/29
1. Bradley Whitmarsh
2. Wilma Swank-Pitzer
3. Susan Blanchard
ALBANY NY 12/30
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Karl Higby
Jason Ubeika
Mona Larsen
Daniel Blake
Sharon Downey
Bridget McGrew
Bram Moreinis
ALBANY NY (COLLINS)
12/30
1. Evans Clinchy
ROSEVILLE CA 12/31
1. Arthur Braden
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New Faces
Since our last issue, 18 new faces have competed at NASPA, NSA, and WGPO
tournaments. In addition, four new tournament players debuted at the unrated Stamford, CT
Newcomers Tournament 12/10. Two players won their division first time out: Bram Moreinis,
who won Division 7 at the Albany, NY Early Bird on 12/30 with a 5-0 +528 record to earn an
initial NASPA rating of 1028, and our featured “New Face,” Mike Windels, who won Division
2 at the Waupun, WI Tournament on 12/3 with a 6-1 +623 record to earn an initial WGPO
rating of 1388.
_________________________________________________________________________
Mike Windels
Mike Windels, 21, started playing SCRABBLE® in 2005. Since then, the
Cross Plains, WI native has played off and on at the Madison WI
SCRABBLE Club and online at the Internet SCRABBLE Club (ISC). A
video game expert, Mike makes Let’s Play videos for YouTube, which are
walkthroughs or guides for video games, with commentary overlaying the
gameplay videos. Mike also enjoys playing video games themselves,
watching television, and playing Boggle online.
His first live tournament, the Waupun, WI one-day event, was a resounding success. Mike bested
ten other players to take Division 2 with a 6-1 +623 record.
To prepare for the tournament, Mike played some games on ISC for a couple of days leading up to
the day before the tournament. “I don’t memorize lists of words. Instead, I learn by playing games.”
The day before the tournament Mike did not play any SCRABBLE. He recommends that strategy to
other new players. “I like to keep myself fresh and not worn out or exhausted of playing SCRABBLE;
that way, I can perform better during the tournament.” He also recommends that players never skip
breakfast on the day of a tournament. “Skipping breakfast is not a good idea because your thought
processes are slower and your play will be much worse.”
“Overall, the tournament was really fun to play in. However, because I was not used to playing that
many games in a row live, it left my eyes watering towards the end of the tournament. Not to
mention that the competition was actually fairly tough. Most of the players I faced had averages that
were higher than mine in terms of club play (I’d been averaging around 355 points a game at the
Madison SCRABBLE Club).” Nonetheless, Mike was able to remain calm throughout the day, which
he feels is important for optimal play.
“During the tournament, make ample use of the break times and time in between games to calm
your nerves and relieve stress. Get up from the table and walk around away from the boards so that
you can stop thinking about SCRABBLE. You’ll find you can perform better during the tournament.”
Mike also recommends that players keep drinking during the tournament. “You don't want to lose
any hydration because that is what keeps you performing at the height of your abilities.”
Mike lost only one game--to another first-time tournament player, Chris Leeds. He suggests other
new players not get thrown by a bad game. “Don't let a loss get to you. If you lose a game, all is not
lost. You can still come back and win some of the prize money.”
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The toughest game for Mike during the tournament was against fellow Madison SCRABBLE Club
player Barb Besadny. “She is a very good player who managed to come back from a big defecit to
come within 30 points of beating me. Overall, I figured she would be the hardest person that I would
have to beat because I've had trouble beating her in the past, but things just came together for me
and worked out in the end.”
The best moment for Mike was during the last game in the tournament. “I had opened up with a
bingo, SHORTED, for 80 points, and then followed it up with XU for 58 and two other 30-point plays.
I then played a second bingo, RAINING, and then immediately found and played a 9-letter bingo,
RETAINERS, over a triple-word score tile for 80 points. While I do admit that the tiles came in my
favor that game, my opponent, Brad Williams, who had come from Lacrosse, actually played
brilliantly to cut my overall spread down from +250 to +190.”
Mike plans on playing in more tournaments, provided they are not too far away. “I have my eyes set
on an upcoming tournament in Madison in February that Lynda Finn, a WGPO tournament director,
might be organizing.”
Mike’s final words of advice: “Tournament SCRABBLE is not for everyone. I would recommend you
have at least a working average of at least 330 points a game and very good knowledge of all the 2letter words, vowel dumps (OIDIA, EAU, LUAU, AGIO, and others), and the most common
bingos. You should be able to find and play at least one bingo a game, although that isn't that big of
a deal.”
Words of wisdom from a fine new tournament player!
______________________________________________________________________________
Welcome to Mike Windels, Bram Moreinis and the following other new
faces:
ALBUQUERQUE NM 12/3: Benita Romero
WAUPUN WI 12/3: Chris Leeds, Janet Martin, Peter Schmiedike
BERKELEY CA 12/4: Piero Infante
LAKE OSWEGO OR 12/4: Jacob Culver
BETHESDA MD 12/10: Joseph Knight, John Brunell
STAMFORD CT NEWCOMERS TOURNAMENT 12/10: Joanne Sylzan-Bonds, Julie Satinover, Bea
Pence, Xavier Malmi
COVINA CA 12/11: Bruno Aghedoh, Laurie Holz
GUELPH ON CAN 12/11: Doris Firmin
STRONGSVILLE OH 12/11: Mark Philip
WILMINGTON DE 12/2?: Millicent Shocket
ALBANY NY 12/30: Tracy Dunn
ROSEVILLE CA 12/31: Jimmy Grimes, Tristan Grimes
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Joe Edley’s Puzzle Corner
By Joe Edley
I am in the process of writing three new books that will likely be published through Amazon. The
first book is a training tool to improving anagramming skills, and includes, among many other
puzzles, Blanagram Phrases (see #1 below). The second is all about wordscreens (see #2 below),
offering a variety of puzzles based on that concept. The third is comprised solely of puzzles based
upon a completely new type of logic puzzle (see Jidoku below). Sudoku and KenKen fans take
note. It uses letters instead of numbers and the logic is very different, yet I believe you’ll find them
quite satisfying to solve. The ten one-point letters are the only ones you’ll need to finish the puzzle.
One need not be an expert anagrammer to solve them. If you have any feedback you’d like to offer
(like, dislike, suggestions for improvements, etc.), I’m available at [email protected]. Caveat:
Still working on the name of that last puzzle type, so if you have any suggestions, I’m willing to
listen.
Blanagram Phrases
Insert the letter in parenthesis into the word immediately next to it and remove a different letter of
that word. After doing that with both words, rearrange the letters of each new combination, as
necessary, to form a familiar phrase. The “theme” represents the subject of the phrase.
PHRASES
THEME
1. (M) DRUG LORD (L)
music
2. (F) EAST ROOF (D)
mealtime
3. (L) THOSE TIMES (U)
business and leisure
4. (D) ORANGE BARLEY (S) myth
ANSWERS at end of puzzles.
Wordgrid WordSearch
Introduction:
A wordscreen is a rectangle of letters such that all of the letters of the rectangle can be rearranged
to spell a word.
For instance, in the grid below:
a b c d e
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5
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The words CANTOS, GIRDLE, BELONG, BOILER and LURING are all wordscreens, or “screens”
for short, in the above grid, found in 2x3 rectangles, designated by their diagonally opposite corners
as: a1-b3, c1-d3, c3-e4, b4-d5 and d1-e3. BLEED is at c1-5, down the third column. GLOB,
GONE, GILD, COLD and DIRE are all found in 2x2s, while BORE, LIKE and RATE are in 1x4s.
Given the 8x8 grid below, find all 6-letter wordscreens.
The numbers in parenthesis represent: (a)number of wordscreens (b) total number of words,
including all anagrams (c) number of common words.
Taking a systematic approach is quite helpful for finding all of the words. There are 48 1x6s and 84
2x3s in every 8x8 grid. Example: DENTAL can be found in the last three columns of the first two
rows.
V
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(28, 46, 22)
ANSWERS at end of puzzles.
Jidoku
The object of Jidoku is to fill in the blank spaces with the correct letters so that the words
accompanying the grid can all be found in screens on the grid. You may choose ONLY from the
pool of the following TEN letters to add to the grid:
AEIOULNRST
Add as many or as few of these letters (with repeats) as required. You may notice that these are all
of the one-point tiles in that very popular crossword game. The consonants are all of the letters
given in the last puzzle at the end of that popular major network tv word game show.
Example (with complete solution):
A B C
1 D _ _
2 _ H _
3 P _ _
HALO HEED
HEAL HELP
Solution: Since you cannot add any extra D, H or Ps, we can use those letters already in the grid to
help deduce what letters to add where. The H and P must be used to create HELP, and so must
outline the 2x2 HELP defined with opposite vertices at A2-B3, So we know where an E and L must
be placed (A2 and B3) though not yet which specific square. Since the D and H outline HEED, the
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A2 and B1 squares must both have Es, which means the L of HELP must be at B3. So, now we
have:
D E _
E H _
P L _
HALO
HEAL
Since HALO doesn’t have an E, the A and O of HALO must be placed at C2 and C3 to complete it
with the H and L of B2 and B3. And since HEAL doesn’t have an O, the O of HALO must be at C3,
the A at C2 and the remaining letter, the L of HEAL, must then be at C1. And so the completed grid
is:
D E L
E H A
P L O
PUZZLE #1
_ _ _
W _ _
_ D P
DEPART
WANDER
WEAR
RAT
TAP
PUZZLE #2
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M
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AGGIES
GLIMES
AGIO
GLUM
LOGO
MOLE
SOLE
EMU
PUZZLE #3
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HOTDOG
LEDGER
CLON
GOLD
HEAT
LACE
ROD
PUZZLE #4
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B
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BELIEF
GERBIL
GERUND
LUNGER
REVOLT
BEAN
ET
ANSWERS on next page
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ANSWERS
Answers to Blanagram Phrases: 1. DRUM ROLL 2. FAST FOOD 3. HOTEL SUITE 4. DRAGON
SLAYER
Answers to Wordgrid WordSearch: NOOSER, SOONER, ETAMIN, INMATE TAMEIN, OATERS,
ORATES, OSETRA, PUTSCH, AUTEUR, ATTRIT, CANVAS, WITNEY, SEAMAN, OTIOSE,
SAVOUR, DENTAL, STRATH, TANDEM, INDUCE, ALANDS, SANDAL, MOTTOS, ALCOVE,
COEVAL, ATMANS, MANATS, MANTAS, ALMOST, SMALTO, STOMAL, COALAS, SOUCAR,
ACTORS, CASTOR, COSTAR, SCROTA, TAROCS, NORITE, ORIENT, TONIER, MOTIVE,
DATUMS, COALED, COLEAD, STROMA
Jidoku Answers:
1.
A R T
W E A
N D P
2.
O
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Orange-loving, Vuvuzela-blowing 9-time Jeopardy Champ
By Terry Kang Rau
The correct response is, “Who is Jason Keller?” After 16 long
years, Jason Keller finally fulfilled his dream of appearing as a
contestant on Jeopardy!. Not only did he appear, he also
became the highest-earning contestant so far this season, with
nine wins totaling $213,900 and a guaranteed berth in the
Tournament of Champions.
Since he became eligible as a teen he dutifully mailed
postcards and self-addressed stamped envelopes, all without
response. With the advent of online testing, he twice made it
to the audition stage in the past five years, but never got a call
back. When asked why, Jason guesses that he was too
reserved. Anyone familiar with the flamboyant, orange-sportin’,
vuvuzela-honkin’ Jason, circa 2011, would probably not use “reserved” to describe him. Well, it
turned out that the third time was the charm.
The Road to L.A. – a Timeline
After taking the 50-question online quiz last February, Jason received word in May that he had
passed, and was invited by the contestant coordinator to audition in New York at the end of June.
This audition consisted of another 50-question test (designed to weed out any online test takers who
may have gotten help), an in-depth interview and a mock game lasting slightly less than the length of
one Jeopardy round. That audition went smoothly. A quiz bowl veteran like previous champs
Larissa Kelly, the highest earning female contestant, former SCRABBLE® player Dave Madden and,
of course, 74-time winner Ken Jennings, Jason felt he had a slight advantage managing the buzzer
and signaling in before his competitors.
After three more months of waiting, he finally got the call he’d been dreaming of. On September 28,
2011, he learned that he’d been chosen as a contestant. This would leave him almost one month to
prepare before the taping in Los Angeles. He did this by reviewing the online Jeopardy archives,
reading celebrity magazines and watching the clip of White Men Can’t Jump in which Rosie Perez’s
character stomps her competition. It turned out the Rosie clip actually did help him answer two clues.
When we talked about trying out, we both fantasized about beating Ken Jennings’ record, but with so
many variables – the categories, who your opponents happen to be, how well you can master
buzzing in first – Jason had modest expectations. He hoped for just one win – enough to be able
call himself a Jeopardy winner. I recalled a few years ago playing the online trivia game Sporcle,
with Rod MacNeil doing the typing as Jason and I shouted out answers. Jason was impressive, as
he was able to rattle off the correct answers remarkably fast, and I remember thinking, “he’d do well
on Jeopardy!” Before he left for his taping on October 23, I predicted that he would be a four-time
champ. On the eve of October 26, I received the following text from him, “My dear, you
underestimate me.” At that point he had already won six games – the final one of Tuesday’s taping,
and all five on Wednesday – for a winnings to date of $147,000. Taping concluded for the week, and
would not resume until the following Tuesday. It turns out that Jeopardy! tapes only twice a week,
five shows per taping. By the way, for anyone who doubted that Alex Trebek has a good gig going,
he is rumored to make 11 million annually.
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Being the reliable soul he is, Jason flew all the way back to New Jersey, and then drove to Maryland
on Friday, as he had promised to direct the Cambridge tourney. Then it was back on another crosscountry flight. By this time, the travel had been draining, and fatigue was becoming a factor. He felt
he was not as fresh or sharp as he’d been during the first taping. Still, he won three more games on
November 1, before losing his tenth game. The final result: With his $213,900 nine-day run, Jason
not only earned the first spot on the Tournament of Champions, but also became the second
winning-est SCRABBLE player ever, behind fellow New Jerseyan Dave Madden. Toronto’s Mark
Edelson made an admirable showing with two wins back in June 2006, and Maryland’s Carole
Denton won three shows in 1995. Other Scrabblers who have appeared include Frank Tangredi,
Jeffrey Schwartz, Kurt Davies, and, most recently, KC Frodyma, who had been leading, but got
“Weem-ed” in Final Jeopardy with the clue that left most viewers shaking their heads. In the
category Biographers, the clue was, “As many mourned, this minister wrote in a letter, ‘Washington is
gone! Millions are gasping to read about him.’” Bad luck for KC as she missed Parson Weems. Her
opponents missed it too, but returning champ Brian made a small enough wager to steal the lead.
A Game by Game Recap
On Friday, December 16, 2011, Jason’s first game was televised. It does not start off well. All three
contestants miss the first two, and presumably easiest clues, in the category Canada Rocks. Then
Jason shakes off the apparent nerves and settles in to give a string of correct responses. I
especially like when he answers, “What is aficionado?” with the Spanish pronunciation. After hunting
for the lone Daily Double, he hits it in the category John, Paul, George. It was a video clue showing
an African American botanist, and Jason correctly answers, “Who is George Washington Carver?”
The Jeopardy round ends with Jason in the lead, with $2,400 more than the second-place
contestant, Leslie. He adds to his lead in the Double Jeopardy round, splits the Daily Doubles with
Leslie, correctly answering the one in the Lake City
category. Still, it is not a runaway, as Leslie has
more than half of Jason’s $20,200 total. The Final
Jeopardy category is Word History, and the
clumsily worded (with five prepositions!) clue is
revealed as, “A Roman legal term for a debtor
sentenced to servitude is the origin for this term for
a slave to a vice.” Only Jason’s answer – “What is
addict?” – is correct, and as his eyes go wide, he
heaves a sigh of relief and buries his face it his
hands. Alex chimes in to ask, “Was the 16-year
wait worth it?” To which Jason replies, “Yes!!”
In game two Jason, sporting orange, gives a thumbs-up as Johnny Gilbert introduces him. After the
categories are revealed, I correctly guess that Jason will choose “Bowl Game Cities” first. He runs
the category and accumulates 3K before we have even heard the voices of his competitors. For
those who have heard Jason’s joke involving this city, I don’t know how he keeps his composure
when he correctly replies to the 1K clue, “What is San Diego?”
During the contestant interview, we learn that Jason has been mistaken for Zulu, queen of the dwarf
people, a tidbit that seems to befuddle Alex. The categories for the Double Jeopardy round hit on
Jason’s strengths, and he manages to correctly answer both Daily Doubles. He makes 5K wagers
for each: For Countries’ Local Names, he correctly answers “What is Greece?” for Hellas, and for
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Christmastime in New York, he has no problem identifying Columbus Circle. Still, it is not a runaway
as Kathleen gets almost all of the 2K clues, and she has $19,200 to Jason’s $27,600 going into
Final Jeopardy, the clue for which stumps all three players. This is perhaps Jason’s luckiest game,
as Kathleen makes a huge strategic blunder wagering $2,700. She should have assumed that
Jason would wager $10, 801, so her bet should have been $2,400. As a result, she finishes with
$16,500 and Jason, having wagered $11,000, ends up with $16,600. When this is revealed, loud
gasps can be heard from the audience and Alex breathlessly proclaims, “My gosh, what a close
finish!” Whew. This game is noteworthy because until the final clue, Jason had given 29 correct and
no incorrect answers.
In game three, the categories favor Jason, as he
answers most of the clues for Papal People, Classic
Novels, Broadway and Word Origins. During the
interview, he gets in a plug for NASPA as he talks
about SCRABBLE. When he hits the first Daily
Double, he correctly answers “What is holistic?” and
with his bad poker face, ends up featured in a
YouTube video called “Double Jeopardy Expression
Explosion,” with 911 views to date. This ends up
being Jason’s first lock, as he has $22,600, more
than double his competitors’ totals. A correct
answer in Final bumps his total to $25,000, and it’s
on to game four.
Click here to see “Double Jeopardy Expression Explosion”
A geography buff, he predictably chooses “Capital Funfest” first, and finds the Daily Double too
early, in clue four. During the interview, he expounds on his love of orange, and explains that his
high school team won an academic competition after he’d worn an orange shirt. When Alex asks
what Jason will do with his winnings, he says he will buy another orange vuvuzela to replace the
one he lost. Alex makes a face.
In Double Jeopardy, Janemarie ends up getting both Daily Doubles, wagers big and by correctly
answering the last clue, squeaks into the lead with $20,200 over Jason’s $19,800. Janemarie is
beaming, but seconds later, my favorite moment of all the broadcasts comes when the Final
Jeopardy category is revealed: The NFL. You instantly see Janemarie’s smile turn to a scowl as
Alex says, “Uh, oh! Jason is smiling on this one!” She does end up getting stumped on the clue,
“This team that joined the NFL in the mid 1970’s is the only one whose names starts with the same
3 letters as its city’s name.” After quickly running through the teams in his head, Jason correctly
answers Seattle Seahawks. Alex says, “Oh, I’m worried about you, Janemarie,” before revealing
that she missed it. Hurray – it’s on to game five!
Once again, Jason gets the Daily Double too early, in clue four of Gravity. He gets it right and has a
lead, but then seems to have trouble buzzing in, allowing Niall – pronounced Neal – to catch up.
The highlight of the round is when Jason jauntily answers, “What is ZA?!” in the 2-letter words
category. At the end of the second round, poor grocer Isaac, $1,000 in the red, is dismissed, leaving
Jason to compete with Niall alone. He is thrilled when the Final category is revealed as Islands, a
category he had studied. They both answer Fiji correctly, and just like that, Jason is a five-time
winner and crosses into six-digit winnings with $127,000.
In game six, sporting orange again, Jason whizzes through NBA Finals MVP, answering all five
clues, but fares less well when he hits the Daily Double in German Chancellors, perhaps doomed by
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Alex’s comment, “You have been very, very lucking finding these, and you’ve been very good at
coming up with correct responses when you find them.” When he misses the date of German
reunification by one year, Jason grimaces and sighs loudly, and for a second I think I am in a
SCRABBLE game. No matter, as his opponents are weak, together totaling less than 1/3 of Jason’s
total at the end of Double Jeopardy, and giving him his second runaway victory. Alex snarkily
laughs at Erin’s reply of “What is pork barrel?” to the clue, “16th century farmers notching their
livestock for identification led to this term for an item set aside for a specific purpose.” Jason
correctly answers “What is earmark?” and adds 3K to his total for an even 20K.
We learn in game seven’s interview that Jason tries to visit McDonald’s when he travels abroad, and
that the burgers in London seem to use an older recipe. Jason is coasting through the Double
Jeopardy round until Jack hits the first daily double, brazenly wagers his entire 8K and gets it right.
Up until now, he has been a conservative bettor, but with Jack so close behind ($18,400 to Jason’s
$22,400), Jason has to wager big on Final. The category is Jolly Old England, and the clue is a
doozy, “Queen Anne liked the Marquess of Normanby (sic), gave him permission to build a huge
home in London & made him duke of this.” Both Andrea and Jack get it wrong. On to Jason, he of
the bad poker face, apparently unsure of his guess. His response is revealed as “What is Windsor
Buckingham.” Yes! Buckingham is correct. Once again, as with the “What is holistic?” response,
Jason shows the gamut of emotions; worry, followed by anticipation, relief and then elation. It’s
going to be his biggest payday, as he wagered $14,500, making his winnings $36,900. He gives a
fist pump, followed by a loud, “Woo!”
In game eight, Alex says, “When you’re hot you’re
hot!” after Jason is introduced. During the interview,
Jason reveals that he warmed up the operating
table for NBA power forward Derrick Coleman
following his ACL surgery. His opponents incorrectly
answer their Daily Double clues while Jason gets
his right, so Jason has his third runaway game. He
bets nothing on Final Jeopardy’s Presidential
Inaugurations, and is the only one to get it right.
For the first time, in game nine Jason finds himself
trailing at the end of the Jeopardy round even
though he found and correctly answered the Daily
Double. Patrick, with almost twice as much cash as
Jason, continues to do well in the second round, and ends up with $21,600 to Jason’s $18,400.
Lesley, a distant third with $2,600 has no hope of being a spoiler unless Patrick and Jason made
colossal wagering mistakes. In Business History, the final clue is, “Crosby, Sinatra & Hope starred in
the October 13, 1957 CBS-TV special that launched this short-lived product.” Lesley answers
Edsel correctly. Jason tried to inject some humor by writing, “What is Toronto?” It was all up to
Patrick. He not only had no answer, he wagered a hundred more than he needed to, allowing Lesley
to take second. With his conservative wager, Jason manages to win his ninth.
The End of the Road – but What a Great Run
By now Jason was going on his third week of appearances. As the tenth show fell on December
29th we had the bonus of having it televised on the big screen at Kelsey’s restaurant during Annette
Tedesco’s New Year’s tourney. Jason was the guest of honor at the viewing.
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During the interview, Jason is able to get a shoutout to his mother: “For someone who has
supported me for a really long time, has given me
unconditional love and has fostered a love of
games and trivia in me, I wanna wish my mom a
happy birthday.” A chorus of “awwwws” and not a
dry eye in the house. We found ourselves loudly
booing at the smug Dave, as Jason seems to
struggle. He laments the dumbing down of the
Opera category and falls further behind. In the
second round, Jennifer gets the first Daily Double,
but bets only 3K when she could have caught
Dave with a more aggressive wager. Faced with
a difficult wagering decision at the very end of the round, Jason misses the Daily Double in The
Third Most Popular Presidential Choice. Damn you, Strom Thurmond!
In third place for the first time going into Final Jeopardy, Jason has to hope for a miracle. I thought
he would have an edge when I saw the category was Contemporary American Writers, but alas, I
already knew the outcome. The clue is, “Concluding a 4-book series, his 2004 novel “Folly and
Glory” features Kit Carson, William Clark & Jim Bowie.” Jason tries, “Who is Grisham?” and drops
to $1,800. Jennifer’s answer is revealed, causing Alex to stutter and stumble before saying, “Oh
darn! Bad news then!” It’s a tragedy for Jennifer, as she would have won had she not left out an “r”
in her response of “What is McMurty?” She looks shell-shocked. Instead, she falls to third place
with two bucks remaining. So, smug Dave who incorrectly answered James Michener (who died in
1997!) prevails and becomes the new champion. Boos echo throughout Kelsey’s, followed by
applause for Jason’s amazing run.
So, what are his thoughts now? “It’s surreal to win that much money,” Jason says. “It’s going to
allow me to go places and do things that I would have never been able to before. This is truly lifechanging.”
So, what helped him become a nine-day champ? In addition to quiz bowl,
competitive crossword puzzling and Scrabbling probably helped. A solid
education as well: Jason received a bachelor’s degree in computer science
from Cornell, and did graduate work in computer science at Rutgers. As for
SCRABBLE, he has maintained an 1800s rating, and placed a respectable
19th in last year’s Nationals.
When he finally gets the check, what will he do with his winnings other than
treat me to dinner? He plans to donate part of it to charity, travel and invest
the rest. He doesn’t know the dates of the Tournament of Champions yet,
but plans to strengthen his knowledge of what he sees as his weaker
categories like movies and music.
A present from Annette!
For those of you inspired to try out, the contestant search happens this month with online tests
scheduled for January 17-19th. Mark your calendars! And best wishes for Jason on the Tournament
of Champions!
To register for Jeopardy! online auditions, go to the following link: http://www.jeopardy.com/
beacontestant/contestantsearches/
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The Lighter Side of SCRABBLE®
By Lester Schonbrun and Joan Mocine
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Minneapolis Club 42 Record Points-per-turn Game
By Steve Pellinen
December 13, 2011, at the Twin City Bridge Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Riding an 8-game winning streak and earlier giving Scott Jackson notice that I was planning to win
my last 17 games of the year (in the remote hope of catching him for second place in the standings),
I face off against Greg Edwards in the last round of the evening.
This was not necessarily a good thing. He's spent the last couple of years doing a good job evening
out our lifetime series, after my big head start courtesy of a 15-or-so game winning streak.
Greg opens with TENACES for 74, then follows with FABULIST for 92. I'm thinking, "Hmm, this is a
better start than Joel Sherman had in last weekend's Stamford tournament, where he scored a
record 803 points." But it's only two turns, plenty of time to come back. Greg’s third turn is XU for
36. Little did I know that would be his low turn for the game.
Turn four is TABOOED for 81, followed by sHAGGIER for 74 and SOUVENIR for 75. So, after six
turns, I'm clipping along at an above-average 40 points per turn. I'm also 212 points behind. Greg
is averaging 75 points per turn, and my thoughts go back to Joel (at this point, Greg is still ahead of
him).
On turn seven Greg puts down DOWN for a paltry 37 points, I follow with my second bingo and now
I'm only behind by 173 points. Time to mount my comeback and preserve my winning streak.
But Greg, as is his wont (at least in this game),
hits me with his highest scoring play yet,
FRIGHTED for 110 points and a probably
insurmountable 283 point lead. Actually, given the
board position and the number of remaining tiles,
it's definitely insurmountable, but I've got the
second blank and a winning streak on the line and
maybe Greg will play phoneys for the rest of the
game and maybe he'll get so wrapped up looking
for that seventh bingo that he'll go 20 minutes
overtime. Hey, stranger things have happened,
right?
Greg's luck takes a turn for the worse as he can
only get 44 points for FAIRY on turn nine and
draws the Q to go with EINPST. He's so unlucky.
He allows himself to get stuck with the Q to score
41 with SPINET on his final turn. I should have
anticipated that and not played off five tiles on the
previous turn so that I could slow-play him with my
blank, Z, Y, etc. Maybe I still could have overcome
my now 315 point deficit (assuming Greg would go
the aforementioned 20 minutes overtime, now looking in vain for a way to dump his foolishly
retained Q).
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But I didn't, and he didn't, and the final score was Greg 684, Steve 396. He averaged 68.4 points
per turn. That beats Joe Gaspard's club record of 66.5 points per turn (also against me). Hmm, the
all-time high club play was 302 points by Carol, against me. If you want to set some kind of scoring
record, I'm your guy.
Joel Sherman's 803 took 13 turns, which is 61.8 points per turn. Even if one excludes Joel's
exchange on one turn, his average would be 66.9 points per turn, still behind Greg. I'm going to
have to contact the national record archivers to see if we have a new national record here. Of
course, it would only be a NASPA record since Jerry Lerman averaged 74.5 points per turn in his
eight-bingo, nine-turn, 671-point game against Kenji Matsumoto in January's WGPO Reno
tournament. But at least it would be something.
Steve: 396
Greg: 684
Steve Pellinen is the former NASPA director, current stats and pairings guy, and future patsy for
another member of Club 42 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Minneapolis (MN) NASPA SCRABBLE® Club #42 meets Tuesday nights at 6:00 p.m. at the Bridge
Center, 6020 Nicollet Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN. Contacts: Steve Pellinen, 952-925-2440,
[email protected]; Dawn Gewecke, 612-722-6940, [email protected]
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SCRABBLE® Strategy Video Guide: Tile Valuation
By Curran Eggertson
These three videos are Part 3 of Curran Eggertson’s series of SCRABBLE tutorials focusing on intermediate
and advanced strategy. Parts 1 and 2 were presented in the December issue of The Last Word.
Part A:
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Part B:
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Part C:
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One Up! Cup for January 2012
By Timothy Cataldo
Calling all vocabularians! Just like last year, we'll post a One Up! “game situation” every month so all
you doubledomes out there can show everyone how brilliant and quick you are.
Here's all you need to know now to play: Take one or more letters from the center and add them to
an existing word to make a new word.
Since there won't be a 'right' answer, we'll be looking for originality, wit and wow! 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.
Speaking of winners, here's December's:
Hi Timothy,
Starting with HAR(U) where the Uppity Tile is a K (as
in the Christmas song: "Hark" the herald angels sing),
I'll add B, U, E, and S from the common pool to
produce the rather obscure word HAUBERKS, which
are suits of armor.
Hope it's good enough to make me the first 3-time
winner!
Linda Stephens
Congrats Linda, and all the winners in 2011. Thanks for a great year.
We are excited to announce the name that stands alone atop the One Up!® Cup 2011 heap and our
first overall champion, Jeff Kastner, who will from now on be known as "Mr. OneUp!man." His
enthusiasm, top-notch mentoring, and dazzling gamesmanship helped make One Up!® and the
One Up!® Cup a huge success.
Thanks so much Jeff — we're happy to have you heading up our word team. And thanks to
everyone who played our game!
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The Wordsmith
You want purity? You get puree!
By Chris Sinacola
The calendar says January, which means that the 2012 edition of the Collins dictionary and lexicon
are now in effect for those of you who enjoy the Collins game.
I have offered remarks on the relative merits of OWL2 and CSW12 lexicons before, and will reiterate
my conclusion from a few columns back that, no matter which lexicon you choose to use,
SCRABBLE® is “…a game about language and life and learning, a journey meant to be enjoyed for
the riches it offers.”
That said, the beefs about the dictionaries are likely to continue, no matter what lexicons are
adopted, and no matter which words they include or exclude. I will surely be among those
complaining, to myself or to others, whenever particularly egregious examples arise of words
included or excluded for what are, in my view, less than good reasons.
The same is likely to be true of most SCRABBLE devotees. If there’s one thing we all share, it’s a
fierce devotion to language, its use and abuse.
It is possible to open almost any book or encyclopedia at random, or visit any web page, and quickly
locate words that are ripe for controversy when it comes to SCRABBLE lexicons.
In seeking a theme for this month’s column, for example, I began by reflecting on words that might
share etymology with January. Looking up the pattern JAN*, I saw the word JANSKY#.
My first thought was that this word makes a killer six in the Collins lexicon. I was not familiar with it,
but it turns out to be the name for the unit of spectral flux density in radio telescopy, and is named
for Karl Jansky (1905-1950), a pioneering American radio astronomer.
Whenever I see an odd or unusual word and consider whether it should be permitted in North
American play, I apply a few basic tests.
First, is the word in “common parlance” – if only among a specialized group of people? And, if so, is
it essential in the sense that there is no other term for precisely what it describes?
Second, even if in use, has that use been of long duration, and is it likely to endure? Thousands of
slang phrases are heard, many of which pass out of fashion within a few years, or even a few
months. Such words should not be included until and unless they prove their staying power.
Third, is there something uniquely or quintessentially American about the word? If so, that argues in
favor of inclusion in the OWL2 – or, to be more precise, in some future edition of the Official Word
List.
JANSKY# passes all three tests and should be included in the next revision. I don’t know what else
one would call spectral flux density; the word has been around for decades and the phenomenon it
describes is part of the fabric of the cosmos; and Jansky himself was born in the territory of
Oklahoma. How much more North American can one get?
But take HIOI# and UMU#. These may be perfectly useful words if you are a Maori tribesman in
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New Zealand – they mean a mint plant and a type of oven, respectively – but I can see no reason to
allow either in the OWL, as they have approximately zero resonance in North America.
Zero resonance, I hasten to add, at this point in time. For none of us can know with certainty what
the future of language will bring.
To this point, I offer a few thoughts drawn from John McWhorter’s 2001 book The Power of Babel: A
Natural History of Language.
I had found McWhorter’s 2008 book, Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue: The Untold Story of English,
hugely enjoyable, and this earlier work is no less delightful.
He writes “…the truth is that everything about a language is eternally and inherently changeable, not
just the slang and the occasional cultural designation, but the very sound and meaning of basic
words, and the word order and grammar…”
The implications of this are profound, indeed. The arguments that many of us indulge in over basic
points of English grammar – double negatives, the use of “irregardless” when “regardless” is
wanted, he versus they, whether none takes a singular or plural verb, who/whom, etc. – are really
rather silly. What sounds right to our ears in the literate and more-or-less overeducated circles we
SCRABBLE players more in in early 21st century America would be considered wrong, silly,
laughable or offensive in another time and place, whether in the past or future – and even in some
communities in our own time.
There are no “purebred” languages, McWhorter asserts, and points out that “…a mere one percent
of the words in English today are not borrowed from other languages.”
Given that there are more than 178,000 words in the OWL2 lexicon, this means that there are fewer
than 2,000 “pure” English words. But even that is misleading. Many of the 178,000 are variations on
what is a much smaller number of stems.
If we were to narrow our list to just those stem or root words that are undeniably “English,” we must
still contend with a vast network of linguistic tributaries that have been pouring words into the
language we call English over the last 1,500 or more years. By “English” do we mean to exclude the
influence of the Norman invasion, or the earlier Viking invasions? If we mean just Anglo-Saxon root
words we must still consider the influence of Scandinavian and other Germanic languages on the
development of English.
There is, in short, no way to isolate a “pure” English language, and it should be obvious by now that
any attempt to do so would impoverish our language, not enrich it. Word purists, in this light, are
really more word Puritans, determined to have less fun than others, and to ensure that others join
them.
In that last sentence lies further proof that we are all products of our linguistic time, place and
upbringing. I am well aware that puritan is in the OWL2, but given my New England roots and
appreciation for the works of Nathaniel Hawthorne, it doesn’t feel right to me unless it is capitalized.
As for the Collins anagram, UPTRAIN#, have at it. But believe me, no one around these parts
speaks that way.
Chris Sinacola is director of the Worcester (MA) NASPA SCRABBLE® Club #600.
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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:
If I play a word that is not oriented correctly, because three of the five letters are upside
down, but is accepted by my opponent, can I then challenge when my opponent hooks on
it if the majority of the letters are still not oriented correctly?
Answer:
I would say no. The rules say that you cannot benefit from a situation of your own making.
Question:
Why can’t you prerecord your score?
Answer:
I guess you can as long as there are no tiles to be drawn. When there are tiles to be drawn,
there is a clear procedure for end of turn. When there are no tiles to be drawn, starting your
opponent's clock is the only requirement to end your turn.
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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SCRABBLE® Strategy
By Joe Edley
Your rack is EEEFIOR. What’s the best play?
ANSWER on next page
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At first glance we can probably all agree that it’s a pretty dismal rack, given this position. However,
not all is lost here. We need not exchange, and in fact that would be a very weak play. There is
synergy with some of the tiles. For instance, the F goes with the IER, so if we can find a way to
save EFIR, that would give us chances for a bingo, and at the least, more flexibility than other
leaves. It’s almost always better to play parallel on the 2nd play, to cut down your opponent’s
options. Can we accomplish both goals? Yes! OE 7G13 scores decently, plays parallel and saves
the EFIR. True, that 2nd E isn’t pretty, but it’s not that bad either. If you draw two consonants you
may very well draw a bingo. There are also some bingo chances if you draw a consonant and a
vowel. Plus, the OE takes both the F and R front hook.
Some consideration can be given to FOE 7F 17 or FEE 9F 17. It’s 4 extra points. However,
keeping either EEIR or EIOR is much weaker than EEFIR. You’re more likely to have a poor next
rack. Plus, you’re not setting up your F as with OE.
Simulation shows OE worth several points higher than FOE, winning 2% more often.
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Zyzzyva App Released
By Michael Thelen
I'm excited to announce that the Zyzzyva iPhone app is now
available in the App Store! You can purchase it through iTunes by
following the link below. If you have a moment, I would appreciate a
rating and/or review in iTunes, as well as feedback about how the
app can be improved. There is definitely a lot of room for
improvement!
http://zyzzyva.net/iphone/
This initial release of the app includes quiz functionality, with the
ability to sync your cardbox data between the mobile and desktop
versions of Zyzzyva. Your quiz data is synced using the free Dropbox
service. To learn how to sync the iPhone app with the Zyzzyva
desktop program, follow this tutorial:
http://zyzzyva.net/tutorials/dropbox-sync.shtml
Just to be clear, this version of the app is not the final release. I've been calling it the initial release,
because there is a lot of work still to be done. In particular, there are a few big features that are not
in the initial release, but will be implemented in a subsequent release. I plan for all of the following to
be implemented in 2012. The only reason they aren't included in the initial release is due to time
constraints, since I promised to complete the initial release by the end of 2011.
- Database-centric searches like Probability Order and Playability Order
- Word definitions
- Movable tiles on the quiz screen (non-Flashcard Mode)
- Landscape orientation
- Support for lexicons with non-ASCII characters
- Native iPad interface
- Automatic sync, as opposed to the current manual sync
- Nice UI improvements like pinch/stretch to zoom, etc.
I'm sure you have plenty of questions. You can send them to me directly; however, since I am
already pretty swamped with email and expect to be completely deluged now, you may get a
quicker response by joining the Zyzzyva Users list at the link below. Many kind and intelligent
people are on that list, and most questions are answered fairly quickly. Also, since I suspect many of
you will have similar questions, the mailing list provides a good way to
distribute the answers to everyone.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/zyzzyva-users/
I would like to thank the many contributors to the fundraiser, whomade this project possible. I am
very grateful to you for your trust in me. It has kept me going when things got rough. I hope you are
happy with what I've done so far, and I hope you're looking forward to all the great enhancements
that are coming up. If you haven't yet received an email informing you how to get your copy of the
app, please let me know right away.
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Last but not least, I would like to thank the beta testers who have diligently put the Zyzzyva app to
the test during development. Without you, the app would be much buggier, much crashier, and not
nearly as friendly. To all of you I am profoundly grateful. I couldn't have done it without you.
Enjoy the Zyzzyva app!
Mike
ZYZZYVA app for the iPhone
Zyzzyva is a useful tool for players of all word games. It allows you to
practice anagramming with quizzes, check the validity of words
instantly, and find words with pattern and anagram matching. The
Zyzzyva desktop program has been used by top SCRABBLE® players
for many years, and the Zyzzyva app brings a portion of its power to
your iPhone!
Zyzzyva uses a spaced-repetition Cardbox system to help you improve
your anagramming skills. With the Cardbox system, Zyzzyva quizzes
you frequently on words that you have difficulty with, and quizzes you
less frequently on words you can anagram easily. You can also sync
your Cardbox quiz data between the iPhone app and the Zyzzyva
desktop program. This is done by using Dropbox, a free service for
keeping your files synchronized across devices (iOS 4+ only).
The app comes with several word lists, including OWL2 for North
American club and tournament SCRABBLE®, OSPD4 for School
SCRABBLE®, and WWF for playing Words With Friends. It also allows
you to download your own custom word lists, and create special
symbols to denote words that are specific to a particular word list.
The Zyzzyva app is already a powerful tool to improve your
anagramming, and more great features are currently in the works. Look
for many improvements coming in the near future!
Zyzzyva at the iTunes Store costs $4.99.
http://zyzzyva.net/iphone/
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Geoff Thevenot to Join Texas SCRABBLE® Hall of Fame
By Mike Willis
Austin expert Geoff Thevenot has been inducted into the State of Texas
SCRABBLE® Hall of Fame. Geoff has been a very popular national figure
in the past few years, coming in second in the National SCRABBLE®
Championship, and representing our nation very well in the World
Championships. Geoff has worked hard to advance Collins play in the US,
and has served well as director of the Austin (TX) NASPA SCRABBLE®
Club #234. Funny, intelligent, incredibly polite, and extraordinarily gifted in
musical accomplishment, Geoff is a continual delight in both the Texas and
national forefronts.
Just hit reply, and I will read your note to Geoff at the 2012 Induction Ceremony at the State of
Texas Championship (February 10-12).
The Hall of Fame has an interesting history. Back in 1990 I decided it would be great if we started a
State of Texas SCRABBLE® Hall of Fame. For many years we simply voted at the annual State of
Texas SCRABBLE® Championship. Because we knew we had a backlog of worthy inductees, for a
number of years we caught up by placing two inductees per year.
The first two inductees were Mary Rhoades, longtime player, director, mentor, National
Championship director, and NASPA executive, whom we penned as the “Den Mother of Texas
SCRABBLE®”; and Mary Lou Thurman, who brought great joy to tourney players with her
handmade tilebags, equipment bags, bookcovers, etc. We dubbed her the “Betsy Ross of Texas
SCRABBLE®.”
Each inductee gets a plaque to celebrate their induction, a 5"x7" photo, and a framable letter from
John Williams while he was in charge of the NSA, and now Chris Cree as the head of NASPA. A
biography of the inductee is exhibited, and we read aloud the congratulatory letters from wellwishers across the country.
We focus on those players who have done so much to advance the cause of Texas SCRABBLE®,
and there have been some posthumous awards. Along with the two Marys, inductees include Pat
Barrett, Jim Bodenstedt, Mary Lee Couey, Hildagard Powell, Morine Green, Jim Barrett, Chris Cree,
Caesar Jaramillo, Darrell Day, Dee Segrest, Mike Willis, Judy Newhouse, Bryan Pepper, Judy
Newhouse, Karen Slaton, Keith Smith, Matt De Waelsche, Beulah Cooper, Ruth Sawyer, Mike
Connally, and now Geoff Thevenot.
For over 20 years each February we have conducted the State of Texas SCRABBLE®
Championship, and every year but the first the event has been at the Stagecoach Inn in Salado,
Texas. However, starting this October, we will be moving our play date and city. We are taking the
show on the road. Most years, we also have the Texas Talent Show displaying the talents and
humor of theTexas players. There is no rehearsal, and it is amazing how well it comes off each
year, considering we are winging it the entire way.
To participate, you need to either have lived in Texas during the previous year, or be a Texas-born
native. [Alternatively, players may participate if they have attended at least ten State of Texas
SCRABBLE® Championships or are members of the Texas SCRABBLE® Hall of Fame.] It has
been a very fun ride, and hopefully we have many more years of celebration heading our way.
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Colorful Bingos
By Tony Rasch
If you happen to have a common COLOR on your rack, can you use the remaining letters to form a colorful bingo?
Maybe. There are certainly a lot of possibilities to consider. Most colors can be verbs that can form “ED” or “ING”
bingos (e.g., PURPLED or PURPLING). Most can be adjectives that can form “ER”, “EST”, “IER” or “IEST”
bingos (e.g., PURPLER, PURPLEST, GREENIER, or GREENIEST). Most can take an “ISH” or “LY” (GREENISH or
GREENLY). Some can take other suffixes. All are good candidates for a compound word. And many can be hidden
inside of non-related words.
This column will explore the possiblities. Table 1 shows which colors can form words ending in “ING”, “EST”,
“IEST”, “ISH”, or “LY”. Note that if a color can end in “ING” it is a verb and can also end in “ED”. If it can end in
“EST” or “IEST”, it is a declined adjective and can also end in “ER” or “IER”.
Table 1. Colors with common suffixes.
COLOR
BLOND
BLUE
BLACK
BRASS
BROWN
...ING
BLUEING
BLACKING
BRASSING
BROWNING
...EST
BLONDEST
BLUEST
BLACKEST
BROWNEST
GOLDEST
GRAYEST
GREYEST
GREENEST
...IEST
...ISH
BRASSIEST
BROWNIEST
BLONDISH
BLUEISH
BLACKISH
BRASSISH
BROWNISH
GREENIEST
ORANGIEST
GRAYISH
GREYISH
GREENISH
ORANGISH
BLUESIEST
GOLD
GRAY
GREY
GREEN
ORANGE
GRAYING
GREYING
GREENING
PINK
PURPLE
RED
SILVER
TAN
PINKING
PURPLING
REDDING
SILVERING
TANNING
PINKEST
PURPLEST
REDDEST
PINKISH
PURPLISH
REDDISH
TANNEST
TANNISH
WHITE
YELLOW
WHITING
YELLOWING
WHITEST
WHITIEST
YELLOWEST
WHITISH
YELLOWISH
...LY
BLUELY
BLACKLY
BRASSILY
GOLDENLY
GRAYLY
GREYLY
GREENLY
PINKLY
PURPLY
REDLY
SILVERLY
WHITELY
YELLOWLY
The section below groups compounds formed by attaching a short word to more than one color.
5-7 Compounds
BLACKFISH
BLUEFISH
GOLDFISH
GRAYFISH
REDFISH
SILVERFISH
WHITEFISH
BLACKWOOD
BLUEWOOD
GREENWOOD
ORANGEWOOD
REDWOOD
WHITEWOOD
YELLOWWOOD
BLACKHEAD
BLUEHEAD
GREENHEAD
REDHEAD
WHITEHEAD
BLACKOUT
BROWNOUT
GRAYOUT
REDOUT
WHITEOUT
BLACKCAP
BLUECAP
REDCAP
WHITECAP
BLACKFIN
BLUEFIN
REDFIN
YELLOWFIN
BLUESTONE
BROWNSTONE
GOLDSTONE
GREENSTONE
BRASSWARE
REDWARE
SILVERWARE
YELLOWWARE
EYEBLACK
GOLDEYE
PINKEYE
REDEYE
BLACKSMITH
GOLDSMITH
SILVERSMITH
WHITESMITH
BLACKTAIL
REDTAIL
WHITETAIL
YELLOWTAIL
4 Compounds
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GRAYBACK
GREENBACK
SILVERBACK
BLACKBIRD
BLUEBIRD
REDBIRD
BLACKFLY
GREENFLY
WHITEFLY
BLACKMAIL
GRAYMAIL
GREENMAIL
BLUEBEARD
GRAYBEARD
WHITEBEARD
GOLDBUG
GREENBUG
REDBUG
BLACKHEART
GREENHEART
PURPLEHEART
GREENWING
REDWING
WHITEWING
BLACKBERRY
BLUEBERRY
SILVERBERRY
BROWNFIELD
GOLDFIELD
GREENFIELD
BLACKLEGS
REDLEGS
YELLOWLEGS
BLACKBALL
BLUEBALL
BLACKGUM
BLUEGUM
BLUENOSE
BROWNNOSE
BLACKTOP
REDTOP
BLOODRED
BLUEBLOOD
GRAYHOUND
GREYHOUND
BLUEPOINT
SILVERPOINT
GREENWASH
WHITEWASH
BONEBLACK
REDBONE
BLACKJACK
BLUEJACK
BLACKPOLL
REDPOLL
BLACKWATER
GRAYWATER
GOLDBRICK
REDBRICK
GRAYLAG
GREYLAG
PINKROOT
REDROOD
BLUEWEED
SILVERWEED
BLUECOAT
REDCOAT
BLUELINE
REDLINE
GREENSHANK
REDSHANK
BLACKFACE
WHITEFACE
GRAYLING
GREENLING
BLUESHIFT
REDSHIFT
GOLDFINCH
GREENFINCH
BLUESMAN
MANGOLD
BROWNSHIRT
REDSHIRT
2 Compounds
Now, with a lot of redundancy, I have a section for each color. For all colors except “RED” and “TAN”, I list all of the
words that contain that color. I define a compound word as a color + an acceptable SCRABBLE® word. This
definition picks up a few words that aren’t actually related to the color (eg. GOLDURN or STINGRAY).
Unless marked with an “*”, all of the compound nouns can be pluralized in a normal manner by adding “s” or “es”, or
by dropping a “y” and adding “ies”.
For the categories: “Color + Suffix” and “Other Color” words, I append a lower-case “s” , (es), or (ies) to the word if it
can be pluralized. The lack of an appendage indicates that the word does not take a back-S.
BLACK
Verbs containing “BLACK”
BLACK
BLACKBALL
BLACKBIRD
BLACKEN
BLACKGUARD
BLACKJACK
BLACKLIST
BLACKMAIL
BLACKTOP
BLACKS
BLACKBALLS
BLACKBIRDS
BLACKENS
BLACKGUARDS
BLACKJACKS
BLACKLISTS
BLACKMAILS
BLACKTOPS
BLACKED
BLACKBALLED
BLACKBIRDED
BLACKENED
BLACKGUARDED
BLACKJACKED
BLACKLISTED
BLACKMAILED
BLACKTOPPED
BLACKING
BLACKBALLING
BLACKBIRDING
BLACKENING
BLACKGUARDING
BLACKJACKING
BLACKLISTING
BLACKMAILING
BLACKTOPPING
Adjectives containing “BLACK”
BLACK
BLACKER
BLACKEST
“BLACK” + Suffix or Prefix
BLACKISH
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BLACKLY
BLACKNESS(es)
NONBLACKs
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Compound Nouns Ending With “BLACK”
BONEBLACK
BOOTBLACK
EYEBLACK
LAMPBLACK
SHOEBLACK
Compound Nouns Beginning With “BLACK”
BLACKBERRY
BLACKBIRDER
BLACKBOARD
BLACKBODY
BLACKBOY
BLACKBUCK
BLACKCAP
BLACKCOCK
BLACKDAMP
BLACKFACE
BLACKFIN
BLACKFISH
BLACKFLY
BLACKGUM
BLACKHANDER
BLACKHEAD
BLACKHEART
BLACKLAND
BLACKLEAD
BLACKLEG
BLACKLISTER
BLACKMAILER
BLACKOUT
BLACKPOLL
BLACKSMITH
BLACKSNAKE
BLACKTAIL
BLACKTHORN
BLACKWATER
BLACKWOOD
Other “BLACK” words
ANTIBLACK
ANTIBLACKISMs
BLACKAMOORs
BLACKENERs
BLACKENINGS
BLACKGUARDISMs
BLACKGUARDLY
BLACKINGs
BLACKSMITHINGs
BLOND
Verbs containing “BLOND”
BLONDINE
BLONDINES
BLONDINED
BLONDINING
Adjectives containing “BLOND”
BLOND
BLONDER
BLONDEST
“BLOND” + Suffix
BLONDISH
BLONDNESS(es)
Other “BLOND” words
BLONDEs
BLUE
Verbs containing “BLUE”
BLUE
BLUEPRINT
BLUES
BLUEPRINTS
BLUED
BLUEPRINTED
BLUEING
BLUEPRINTING
Adjectives containing “BLUE”
BLUE
BLUESY
BLUER
BLUESIER
BLUEST
BLUESIEST
BLUELY
BLUENESS(es)
“BLUE” + Suffix
BLUEISH
BLUISH
BLUISHNESS(es)
Compound Nouns ending with “BLUE”
TRUEBLUE
Compound Nouns Beginning with “BLUE”
BLUEBALL
BLUEBEARD
BLUEBEAT
BLUEBELL
BLUEBERRY
BLUEBILL
BLUEBIRD
BLUEBLOOD
BLUEBONNET
BLUEBOOK
BLUEBOTTLE
BLUECAP
BLUECOAT
BLUECURLS*
BLUEFIN
BLUEFISH
BLUEGILL
BLUEGRASS
BLUEGUM
BLUEHEAD
BLUEJACKET
BLUEJACK
BLUEJAY
BLUEJEANS*
BLUELINE
BLUELINER
BLUENOSE
BLUEPOINT
BLUESHIFT
BLUESMAN*
BLUESMEN*
BLUESTEM
BLUESTOCKING
BLUESTONE
BLUETICK
BLUETONGUE
BLUEWEED
BLUEWOOD
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Other “BLUE” words
ABLUENTs
BLUEINGS
BLUENOSED
BLUESHIFTED
BLUETs
BLUEYs
BLUINGs
BRASS
Verbs containing “BRASS”
BRASS
BRASSES
BRASSED
BRASSING
Adjectives containing “BRASS”
BRASSY
BRASSIER
BRASSIEST
BRASSINESS(es)
BRASSISH
“BRASS” + Suffix
BRASSILY
Compound Nouns Beginning With “BRASS”
BRASSAGE
BRASSART
BRASSWARE
Other “BRASS” words
BRASSARDs
BRASSBOUND
BRASSERIEs
BRASSICAs
BRASSIEREs
BRASSIEs
ZEBRASS(es)
BROWN
Verbs containing “BROWN”
BROWN
BROWNNOSE
EMBROWN
IMBROWN
BROWNS
BROWNNOSES
EMBROWNS
IMBROWNS
BROWNED
BROWNNOSED
EMBROWNED
IMBROWNED
BROWNING
BROWNNOSING
EMBROWNING
IMBROWNING
Adjectives containing “BROWN”
BROWN
BROWNY
BROWNER
BROWNIER
BROWNEST
BROWNIEST
“BROWN” + Suffix
BROWNISH
BROWNNESS(es)
Compound Nouns Beginning With “BROWN”
BROWNFIELD
BROWNOUT
BROWNSHIRT
BROWNSTONE
BROWNNOSERs
UNBROWNED
Other “BROWN” words
NUTBROWN
BROWNIEs
BROWNY(ies)
GOLD
Verbs containing “GOLD”
GOLDBRICK
GOLDBRICKS
GOLDBRICKED
GOLDBRICKING
Adjectives containing “GOLD”
GOLD
GOLDEN
GOLDER
GOLDENER
GOLDEST
GOLDENEST
“GOLD” + Suffix
GOLDENLY
GOLDENNESS(es)
Compound Nouns Beginning With “GOLD”
GOLDBUG
GOLDENEYE
GOLDENROD
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GOLDENSEAL
GOLDEYE
GOLDFIELD
GOLDFINCH
GOLDFISH
GOLDSMITH
GOLDSTONE
GOLDURN
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O
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F
U
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B
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O
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Compound Nouns Ending With “GOLD”
MANGOLD
Other “GOLD” words
GOLDARNs
GOLDTONE
MARIGOLDs
GRAY
Verbs containing “GRAY”
GRAY
GRAYS
GRAYED
GRAYING
Adjectives containing “GRAY”
GRAY
GRAYER
GRAYEST
GRAYLY
GRAYNESS(es)
“GRAY” + Suffix
GRAYISH
Compound Nouns Beginning With “GRAY”
GRAYBACK
GRAYBEARD
GRAYFISH
GRAYHOUND
GRAYLAG
GRAYLING
GRAYMAIL
GRAYOUT
GRAYWATER
Other “GRAY” words
GRAYSCALE
GRAYWACKEs
STINGRAYs
GREY
Verbs containing “GREY”
GREY
GREYS
GREYED
GREYING
Adjectives containing “GREY”
GREY
GREYER
GREYEST
GREYLY
GREYNESS(es)
“GREY” + Suffix
GREYISH
Compound Nouns Beginning With “GREY”
GREYHEN
GREYHOUND
GREYLAG
GREEN
Verbs containing “GREEN”
GREEN
GREENLIGHT
GREENS
GREENLIGHTS
GREENMAIL
REGREEN
GREENMAILS
REGREENS
GREENED
GREENLIGHTED
GREENLIT
GREENMAILED
REGREENED
GREENING
GREENLIGHTING
GREENMAILING
REGREENING
Adjectives containing “GREEN”
GREEN
GREENY
GREENER
GREENIER
GREENEST
GREENIEST
“GREEN” + Suffix or Prefix
GREENISH
GREENISHNESS(es)
GREENLY
GREENNESS(es)
NONGREEN
Compound Nouns Ending With “GREEN”
EVERGREEN
SHAGREEN
WINTERGREEN
Compound Nouns Beginning With “GREEN”
GREENBACK
GREENGAGE
GREENLET
GREENSTONE
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GREENBELT
GREENBRIER
GREENBUG
GREENFIELD
GREENFINCH
GREENFLY
O
L
O
GREENGROCER
GREENGROCERY
GREENHEAD
GREENHEART
GREENHORN
GREENHOUSE
GREENKEEPER
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B
GREENLING
GREENMAILER
GREENROOM
GREENSAND
GREENSHANK
GREENSICKNESS
GREENSKEEPER
I
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O
GREENSTUFF
GREENSWARD
GREENWASH
GREENWAY
GREENWING
GREENWOOD
Other “GREEN” words
GREENBACKISMs
GREENERY(ies)
GREENIEs
GREENINGS
GREENOCKITEs
GREENSICK
GREENTHs
SEMIEVERGREEN
ORANGE
Adjectives containing “ORANGE”
ORANGEY
ORANGY
ORANGIER
ORANGIEST
“ORANGE” + Suffix
ORANGEADEs
ORANGERY(ies)
ORANGISH
Compound Nouns Beginning With “ORANGE”
ORANGEWOOD
Other “ORANGE” words
ORANGERIEs
PINK
Verbs containing “PINK”
PINK
PINKEN
PINKS
PINKENS
PINKED
PINKENED
PINKING
PINKENING
Adjectives containing “PINK”
PINK
PINKER
PINKEST
PINKISHNESS(es)
PINKLY
“PINK” + Suffix
PINKERs
PINKISH
PINKNESS(es)
Compound Nouns Ending With “PINK”
FIREPINK
Compound Nouns Beginning With “PINK”
PINKEYE
PINKROOT
Other “PINK” words
PINKEYs
PINKIEs
PINKINGS
PINKOs
PINKOES
PINKY(ies)
PURPLE
Verbs containing “PURPLE”
PURPLE
EMPURPLE
PURPLES
EMPURPLES
PURPLED
EMPURPLED
Adjectives containing “PURPLE”
PURPLE
PURPLER
“PURPLE” + Suffix
PURPLISH
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PURPLY
PURPLEST
PURPLING
EMPURPLING
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O
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Compound Nouns Beginning With “PURPLE”
PURPLEHEART
RED
Verbs containing “RED”
RED
REDBAIT
REDDEN
REDLINE
REDSHIRT
REDS
REDBAITS
REDDENS
REDLINES
REDSHIRTS
REDDED
REDBAITED
REDDENED
REDLINED
REDSHIRTED
REDDING
REDBAITING
REDDENING
REDLINING
REDSHIRTING
Adjectives containing “RED”
RED
REDDER
REDDEST
“RED” + Suffix or Prefix
ANTIRED
REDDERs
REDDISH
REDDISHNESS(es)
REDLY
REDNESS(es)
Compound Nouns Beginning With “RED”
REDBAITER
REDBAY
REDBIRD
REDBONE
REDBREAST
REDBRICK
REDBUD
REDBUG
REDCAP
REDCOAT
REDEAR
REDEYE
REDFIN
REDFISH
REDHEAD
REDHORSE
REDLEG
REDLINER
REDLININGs
REDNECK
REDOUT
REDPOLL
REDROOT
REDSHANK
REDSHIFT
REDSKIN
REDSTART
REDTAIL
REDTOP
REDWARE
REDWING
REDWOOD
REDHEADED
REDNECKED
REDSHIFTED
Other “RED” words
ANTIRED
BLOODRED
SILVER
Verbs containing “SILVER”
SILVER
DESILVER
RESILVER
SILVERS
DESILVERS
RESILVERS
SILVERED
DESILVERED
RESILVERED
SILVERING
DESILVERING
RESILVERING
SILVERINESS(es)
SILVERLY
SILVERY
“SILVER” + Suffix
SILVERER(s)
Compound Nouns Ending With “SILVER”
QUICKSILVER
Compound Nouns Beginning With “SILVER”
SILVERBACK
SILVERBERRY
SILVERFISH
SILVERPOINT
SILVERSIDE
SILVERSMITH
SILVERWARE
SILVERWEED
Other “SILVER” words
SILVERINGS
SILVERN
SILVERSMITHINGs
TAN
Verbs containing “TAN”
TAN
TANS
TANNED
TANNING
Adjectives containing “TAN”
TAN
TANNER
TANNEST
TANNERs
TANNERY(ies)
“TAN” + Suffix
TANNABLE
TANNISH
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Compound Nouns Beginning With “TAN”
TANBARKs
TANYARDs
Other “TAN” words
TANNAGEs
TANNIC
TANNINGS
TANNINs
WHITE
Verbs containing “WHITE”
WHITE
WHITEN
WHITEWASH
WHITES
WHITENS
WHITEWASHES
WHITED
WHITENED
WHITEWASHED
WHITING
WHITENING
WHITEWASHING
Adjectives containing “WHITE”
WHITE
WHITEY
WHITY
WHITER
WHITIER
WHITEST
WHITIEST
“WHITE” + Suffix or Prefix
ANTIWHITE
NONWHITEs
UNWHITE
WHITELY
WHITENESS(es)
WHITISH
Compound Nouns Ending With “WHITE”
BOBWHITEs
LINTWHITEs
Compound Nouns Beginning With “WHITE”
WHITEBAIT
WHITEBEARD
WHITECAP
WHITECOMB
WHITEFACE
WHITEFISH
WHITEFLY
WHITEHEAD
WHITEOUT
WHITESMITH
WHITETAIL
WHITETHROAT
WHITEWALL
WHITEWASHER
WHITEWING
WHITEWOOD
Other “WHITE” words
WHITENERs
WHITENINGS
WHITEWASHINGS
WHITIES
WHITINGS
YELLOW
Verbs containing “YELLOW”
YELLOW
YELLOWS
YELLOWED
YELLOWING
Adjectives containing “YELLOW”
YELLOW
YELLOWER
YELLOWEST
“YELLOW” + Suffix
YELLOWISH
YELLOWLY
YELLOWY
Compound Nouns Beginning With “YELLOW”
YELLOWFIN
YELLOWHAMMER
YELLOWLEGS*
YELLOWTAIL
YELLOWTHROAT
YELLOWWARE
YELLOWWOOD
Other “YELLOW” words
NONYELLOWING
Tony Rasch is the author of Brow-Raisers, an excellent study guide for beginning and intermediate players who want to
move up in the standings. Tony lives in Montana and spends most of his summer in the mountains, far away from any
hard-drive. During the winter he loves to put a log on the fire and then dig into the intricacies of SCRABBLE® words.
His website, www.BrowRaisers.com, is worth checking out.
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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]).
_______________________________________________________________________________
In Jeopardy!
It was no surprise to anyone who has faced
Jason Keller at a SCRABBLE® trivia contest
that Jason triumphed during his appearance on
Jeopardy!
DECEMBER MILESTONES
MACK MELLER reached 1800 for the first time
at the Stamford (CT) tournament.
RUCHI GUPTA reached 1500 for the first time
After 16 years of auditions, Jason first appeared
at the Atlanta (GA) tournament.
on the December 16, 2011, episode of Jeopardy!
when he won $28,200. Jason returned as
BRANDON RANDALL reached 1500 for the first
champion for an additional 8 episodes and won a time at the Stamford (CT) tournament.
total of $213,900. Jason ended his Jeopardy run
as the 10th highest money winner ever in the show’s history, and 3rd in the number of games won.
He will return at a later date to compete in the Tournament of Champions.
In his December 20th chat with Alex Trebek, Jason mentioned that
he was ranked “in the top 100 by the North American SCRABBLE®
Players Association.” His gleeful answer - “What is ZA?” - in the 2Letter Word category might also have tipped off viewers that he
played SCRABBLE®.
To view Jason’s shows, search for “Jason Keller” Jeopardy at
www.dailymotion.com and stay tuned for the Tournament of
Champions later this year.
Mr. 803
On December 9, 2011, Joel Sherman set a new record for high score in tournament play – 803
points – during the first round of the main event in Stamford (CT).
Joel took his new achievement in stride: “I already have plenty of notoriety. I'd
rather do something that pays off.”
Stamford Advocate (12/10/2011) http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/
Wordsmiths-unite-for-Stamford-Scrabbletournament-2394481.php#photo-1924922
While the Stamford Advocate article covers the tournament as a whole, other press
centered on the record.
• Wired (12/12/2011) – Joel’s achievement is compared to the 4-minute mile in track and field. The
seven bingos played by Joel were CRUMPLED, OUTRATED, AVENGED, AIRLINE, SHAKING,
TRAVOISE, and COTHURNI.
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This article notes that in the end, 11-year old Mack Meller won the tournament with a 13-2-1
record while Joel finished in 2nd place with a 12-4 record.
http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/12/red-letter-day-a-record-breaking-score-at-stamford-scrabbletourney/
• MarketWatch (12/13/2011) http://www.marketwatch.com/story/803-point-scrabble-game-sets-newworld-tournament-record-as-veteran-champion-beats-younger-one-2011-12-13
• BSC Kids (12/15/2011) http://www.bsckids.com/2011/12/803-point-scrabble-game-has-new-worldtournament-record/
From A Through Zed
Mark Nyman, who won the World SCRABBLE® Championship in 2003, offered Sun readers an A to
Z guide of unusual words to help them win family SCRABBLE® games over the holidays.
Beware that some of the words, like ZO#, are only acceptable in Collins while others, like
FIREFANG, can be played around the world.
The Sun (12/12/2011) http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/features/3992754/How-to-be-XmasScrabble-champ.html
Moonbeam Book Award
Bradley Robbins was feted by the Moonbeam
Children’s Book Awards for his book, The Official
Kids’ Guide to Scrabble®, which won the bronze
medal for “Best Book by Youth Author (Under 18).
The awards attracted over 800 entries from
throughout North America and the Englishspeaking world, with medals going to books
representing 33 U.S. states, 5 Canadian provinces,
and 3 countries overseas.
http://www.MoonbeamAwards.com/
2011_Moonbeam_Results_Rel1.pdf; http://
www.independentpublisher.com/article.php?page=1483
Coffeehousing
During the last week of December, Starbucks dubbed SCRABBLE® the Pick of the
Week. Customers could get a free download of the SCRABBLE® application from
iTunes.
We’ll drink to that!
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SCRABBLE® Fundraisers
SCRABBLE® tournaments and events as fundraisers are in the news:
• Literacy Volunteers of Wayne County (IN) – The Literacy Volunteers raised more than $1,800 at a
SCRABBLE® Mania tournament and silent auction held on
November 18, 2011, in Lyons (IN).
With a total of 1,917 points after 3 games, the Bingos team
won the event for the second year in a row. The Piercing
Piranhas took second place with 1,831 points while third
place went to the ARC Babblin' Scrabblers with 1,710 points.
More than 70 businesses and individuals contributed to the
event and silent auction.
Wayne Post (12/05/2011) http://www.waynepost.com/events/
x46242092/Scrabble-Mania-raises-funds-for-Literacy-Volunteers-of-Wayne-County
Fountain of Youth
Australian Anand Bharadwaj, who, at age 11, won the World Youth SCRABBLE® Championship in
Malaysia, displayed an unusual interest in words at an early age.
According to his aunt, Anand would scan the books in the study
before he began school and was drawn to contests that involved
letters and words. Early success in spelling competitions
foretold his success in SCRABBLE®.
The Hindu (12/18/2011) http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/
metroplus/article2726248.ece
In one of the final games, Anand overcame a 160-point deficit
after his opponent played the triple-triple WAYSIDES for 176
points to win the game.
Anand practices anagrams for a half hour on the computer
every day. His favorite word is DOULEIA#, which uses all of the
vowels.
The Age (12/16/2011) http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/
tripletriple-could-not-topple-this-genius-20111215-1oww6.html
Sign Up Here
In North Delta (BC), Stefano Panusa and Waldon Hoggatt purchased a laser engraver and have
turned a hobby into a business, Memory Engravers. Their most popular product is a set of
SCRABBLE® tiles engraved with American Sign Language hand signs. They've sold close to 120
sets, including some for use at schools as far away as Switzerland.
Surrey Now (12/06/2011) http://www.thenownewspaper.com/Buddies+bond+over+ornaments+sign
+language+tiles/5816693/story.html
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SCRABBLE® Celebrities
Celebrities share our love of the game.
•As reported in People (12/19/2011), Michael Jackson’s children –
Prince, Paris, and Blanket – face off against their cousins across a
SCRABBLE® board. “The whole family gets together often to play
games like Pictionary, Uno, SCRABBLE®.”
•According to Good Morning America (12/20/2011), the British Royal
Family will play Charades and SCRABBLE® after lunch on Christmas
Day.
•On December 6, 2011, actor Alec
Baldwin was kicked off of an
American Airlines flight when he
refused to stop playing Words With
Friends on his phone at the flight
attendant’s request.
Alec made a cameo on the December 12th episode of Saturday
Night Live as an American Airlines pilot who apologizes to Mr.
Alec Baldwin.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31749_162-57341221-10391698/alec-baldwin-mocks-american-airlinesincident-on-saturday-night-live/
• British comedian, poet, and actor Tim Key admits that SCRABBLE® is one of his hidden talents
and that he has bingoed many a time, playing CAMERAS once at a tourney.
Spoonfed (12/06/2011) http://www.spoonfed.co.uk/spooners/emma-422/partridge-poetry-andscrabble-an-interview-with-tim-key-and-a-bit-about-jacob-s-crackers-6246/
• Rappers Big Boi and Fabolous frequently tweet about their conquests in Words With Friends.
Big Boi began to play after seeing his wife play the game on her phone while Fabolous was
introduced to the game by one of his sound engineers.
Big Boi once played ZOOMS for 107 points. You can follow Fabolous on Twitter to see his 100+
point plays.
GQ (12/21/2011) http://www.gq.com/entertainment/music/201112/big-boi-fabolous-words-withfriends-app-gq-interview
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• Mad Men star Jon Hamm and his girlfriend, actress Jennifer
Westfeldt, play Words WithFriends every day. Jennifer tends to
dominate the word board while Jon is master of the tennis and
racquetball courts and the Trivial Pursuit pie.
New York Magazine (12/05/2011) http://nymag.com/daily/
entertainment/2011/12/jon-hamm-and-jennifer-westfeldt-play-words-withfriends-together-every-day.html
• Bachelorette Ashley Hebert beat her fiance JP Rosenbaum at
SCRABBLE® on Christmas Day and tweeted a picture of the board
with the comment, “Why Why is @jp_rosenbaum surprised he's
losing at scrabble?? ;p.”
Wet Paint (12/27/2011) http://www.wetpaint.com/the-bachelorette/articles/ashley-hebert-creamscupcake-in-christmas-scrabble-game--cute-pic-of-the-day
Puzzle Master
The Financial Times (12/15/2011)
interviewed Alabama SCRABBLE® player
Eric Harshbarger about his career as a
puzzle designer and builder.
The qualities needed to be good at puzzles –
logical thinking and patience – apply to
SCRABBLE® as well.
Financial Times (12/15/2011)
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/
0/9ccd0896-2643-11e1-85fb-00144fe
abdc0.html#axzz1hbWNVHvO
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At Your Fingertips
The Catholic Sentinel (12/05/2011) recommends Meg Wolitzer’s The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman
for Christmas gift giving. “Like in SCRABBLE®, she builds the pieces of the plot off each other, until
they all come together at a national SCRABBLE® tournament in Florida. This is an excellent read:
part about growing up, part just adventure. Bonus: occasional SCRABBLE® tips.”
Catholic Sentinel (12/05/2011) http://www.catholicsentinel.org/Main.asp?
SectionID=6&SubSectionID=31&ArticleID=16855
This Year in Jerusalem
New York (NY) native Roz Grossman used to visit Israel just to play SCRABBLE® and visit her two
sons and their families. On one memorable visit to the Jerusalem SCRABBLE® Club, Roz brought a
suitcase full of SCRABBLE® sets that she had collected at tournaments in the United States.
Known as the “fairy godmother” at the Jerusalem
club, Roz and her husband, the late Rabbi
Herbert Grossman, relocated to Israel in 1993.
Her life is now characterized by the 3 S’s –
swimming, singing, and SCRABBLE®, including
Hebrew SCRABBLE® with her greatgrandchildren.
The Jerusalem Post (12/09/2011) http://
www.jpost.com/Magazine/Lifestyle/Article.aspx?
id=248675
SCRABBLE® Clubs
SCRABBLE® clubs are in the news:
• Redwood Coast SCRABBLE® Club – The
Times-Standard (12/05/2011) interviewed
club directors Terry Marlow and Leah
Kruley during one of the club sessions at
the Arcata (CA) Community Center.
Terry, who began to play SCRABBLE when
his children grew up and moved away,
founded the club 12 years ago when he
moved to Humboldt County.
The Times-Standard (12/05/2011) http://
www.times-standard.com/localnews/
ci_19472461
• Iowa City (IA) SCRABBLE® Club – The Iowa City club, which meets monthly on Sundays, met
on Christmas Day at the Hillel Student Center since its usual meeting spot, the Iowa City Public
Library, was closed.
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Eastern Iowa Life (12/23/2011) http://easterniowalife.com/2011/12/23/ic-scrabble-club-to-meetchristmas-day/
• Syracuse (NY) SCRABBLE® Club – The club, which drew 12 players to its first meeting in midOctober, meets twice a month. Mary Carney started the club to find other players and got
expressions of interest from about 50 people when she posted notices on Craigslist and
Facebook.
Club regulars include School and tournament SCRABBLE veteran Matt O’Connor, who has
been playing since he was 5.
syracuse.com (12/16/2011) http://blog.syracuse.com/cny/2011/12/
new_cny_scrabble_club_welcomes_all_levels_of_players.html
Judy Cole is co-director of the Lexington (MA) NASPA SCRABBLE® Club #108 and solves
crossword puzzles when not playing SCRABBLE®.
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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 DEN and
BUS are acceptable, but not BIN, because the “B” and the “I” 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, DEED and
SINS are acceptable. But, ISSUES would not be acceptable because the “U” and the “E” are not
adjoining.
•
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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 “S.”
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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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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:
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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:
275 points (Novice); 425 points (Intermediate); 550 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
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 2010-2011 Phoenix SCRABBLE® Club champion as well as the 2011 Scottsdale
SCRABBLE® Club champ.
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Word Star Solution for: The Last Word Jan 2012
BUB
BUBS
BUBU
BUBUS
BUS
BUSED
BUSES
BUSINESS
BUSINESSES
BUSS
BUSSED
BUSSES
DEE
DEED
DEEDED
DEEDS
DEES
DEN
DENE
DENES
DENI
DENNED
DENS
DENSE
DENSENESS
DENSENESSES
EDS
ENS
ESES
ESNE
ESNES
ESS
ESSES
INN
INNED
INNS
INS
NEE
NEED
NEEDED
NEEDS
NENE
NENES
NESS
NESSES
NINE
NINES
NISI
NISUS
SEE
SEED
SEEDED
SEEDS
SEEN
SEES
SEN
SENE
SENSE
SENSED
SENSES
SIN
SINE
SINES
SINNED
SINS
SIS
SISES
SISSES
SISSINESS
SISSINESSES
SNED
SNEDDED
SNEDS
SUB
SUBS
SUBSENSE
SUBSENSES
SUSS
SUSSED
SUSSES
USE
USED
USES
PAR SCORES: 275 points (Novice); 425 points (Intermediate);
550 points (Advanced)
BEST SCORE:
2 Points for each WORD found:
83 Words = 166 points.
5 Bonus Points for each BINGO found:
9 Bingos = 45 points.
1 Point for each LETTER of every word found:
406 Letters = 406 points.
1 Bonus Point for each CENTER STAR of every word found:
129 S’s = 129 points.
TOTAL = 746 Points
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Historic Moments: SCRABBLE® Throughout the Years
The Value of Bingo Anagrams
By Stu Goldman
Some 25 years ago I collaborated on a list of bingo anagrams, that is, letter sequences of 7 from
which more than one word may be made. The head of Scrabble Players, the predecessor of the
NSA, repeatedly asked me what good was it??? I don't know how many times I explained to him
that one anagram might be worth more points than another, might be more defensive, or most of all,
might be playable when no other was. The list was published in installments in the NSA Newsletter.
In its final form it was a complete listing of all anagrams of 7-letter words in the original OSPD.
A recent example of the value of bingo anagrams occurred in an online game of mine on ISC. All
tiles had been distributed (I hate using "drawn" for an electronic game), I owned a few tiles, and my
opponent, an experienced expert, had EINORST. I noticed that there was only one way for her to
bingo out and win. It was to play ORIENTS, overlapping the last 2 letters. After using many
minutes, she played a non-bingo elsewhere Following my winning outplay I informed my opponent,
an old friend of mine, of her mistake. She replied that she had thought of NORITES and STONIER,
but had missed the winning play. OESTRIN was not mentioned. In fact, in Collins there are two
more anagrams which I will not mention lest some OWL reader plays it by mistake.
So, study your anagrams, but even more important, keep your anagramming skills sharp. You
never know when it will win a game for you. After all, ORIENTS is not a word that is unknown to
virtually any player.
Stu Goldman lives in California and has been playing tournament SCRABBLE® for 37 years.
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Word Trivia Quiz
By Siri Tillekeratne
The unique meanings given below are of words added to the OSPD 4 in 2006. What are those
words?
1. A cactus of Mexico and Central America
2. A card used for sending short messages
3. A soft sueded leather
4. A domestic cat having a short spotted coat
5. A noncaloric fat substitute
6. Once
7. To load a vehicle or container
8. A Yoruba deity
9. A golden or brown caviar
10. A framework
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 cactus of Mexico and Central America NOPAL/S or /ES
2. A card used for sending short messages NOTECARD/S
3. A soft sueded leather NUBUCK/S
4. A domestic cat having a short spotted coat OCICAT/S
5. A noncaloric fat substitute OLESTRA/S
6. Once ONCET only
7. To load a vehicle or container ONLOAD/S/ED/ING
8. A Yoruba deity ORISHA/S
9. A golden or brown caviar OSETRA/S or OSSETRA/S
10. A framework OSSATURE/S
Siri Tillekeratne is a director of the Calgary NASPA SCRABBLE® Club #374 and a former Director
of the Year.
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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.
______________________________________________________________________________
Nonfiction:
Hidden Treasures: Searching for Masterpieces of American Furniture
By Leigh and Leslie Keno
If you are familiar with Leigh Keno and Leslie Keno, the charming, identical
twin brothers who often appear as appraisers on the popular "Antiques
Roadshow" television program, then you will undoubtedly enjoy this book.
Just as they do on the "Antiques Roadshow,” the twins convey their
unbridled enthusiasm for antique American furniture. Their passion is
contagious and makes one a truly captive audience. The book is as
interesting as it is entertaining.
Born in rural Mohawk Valley in upstate New York, the twins developed their
passion at the feet of their parents, who had dabbled in this field. At a very
young age, the twins enjoyed searching for old objects with a history--a
hobby that later developed into a passion. As teenagers, they made flea
markets their stomping grounds. As they grew up, they developed by
inclination and education into worldly and sophisticated connoisseurs of
beautiful rare objects, specializing in antique American furniture, a niche in which they are now
foremost experts.
The book takes you on the hunt of some of their most prized acquisitions. With an insider's look at
the wonderful world of collecting antique American furniture, the twins transport the reader on a
journey that few would otherwise be able to make, as many of their most prized acquisitions bring in
six- and seven-figure sums. The excitement of the hunt, the thrill of the discovery of a valuable piece
of antique American furniture, the history of its provenance, and the loving description of the beauty
of that piece all provide a fascinating peek into the rarified world of antiques in which the twins work.
The tone of the book is conversationally chatty and educational. The twins have a wonderful, innate
ability to draw the listener into their exclusive world. Their down-to-earth charm is a delicious
counterpoint to the exquisite and rare pieces that they have come across, all of which they share
with the reader in detail, lovingly describing the craftsmanship that went into making these beautiful
pieces that are so collectible today. This book is well illustrated with both black-and-white and color
photographs that pictorially detail some of the pieces that are mentioned in the book, serving to
enhance this most enjoyable reading experience.
Hidden Treasures is available at Amazon.com.
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Fiction:
Harvest Home
By Tom Tryon
This is an exceptionally well-written chiller. It takes place in Cornwall
Coombe, a seemingly bucolic little hamlet in New England. It is to this
idyllic locale that Ned Constantine, his wife, Beth, and their teenage
daughter, Kate, move.
Ned had quit his job as an advertising executive in New York City to
become a professional artist, painting in a studio on his newly purchased
property. In love with the three-hundred-year-old house that they had
unexpectedly been able to purchase, he and his family settled down to
what they hoped would be a tranquil existence.
Alas, this was not to be. The town's very being revolved around ancient
rituals dictated by the corn crop, and the town's ways were old ways. Its
bucolic setting was deceptive, as there existed a malignancy that was
becoming all too apparent to Ned. It was a feeling, however, that neither
his wife nor daughter shared.
Cornwall Coombe was a town apparently controlled by the Widow Fortune, an old woman with a
knack for healing. The town had a secret, and its insular townspeople were all in on it. Ned was
determined to discover what that secret was, even if it were to his detriment. He ultimately finds that
some secrets are best left undiscovered.
This is a beautifully written story, almost lyrical in the telling. The author has a distinct gift for
storytelling, and the tale that he weaves is spellbinding, as well as chilling. It is a story that is sure to
keep the reader riveted.
Harvest Home 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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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: VERBAL DUO
Clue:
The Vegas Strip (or even the Champs-Elysees) is a perfect example of this.
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 of 6 or more letters, using only the 9 letters of this month’s (Scrambled) Keyword:
VERBAL DUO.
Words must be at least 6 letters long (or longer), and must be OWL2 acceptable. Each letter of the
Keyword may be used only once within any word you find. So, for instance, LOADER is acceptable,
but not LOADED.
Par Scores for this month’s Word-Finder Challenge:
16 Words (Novice); 25 Words (Intermediate); 33 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 2010-2011 Phoenix SCRABBLE® Club champion as well as the 2011 Scottsdale
SCRABBLE® Club champ.
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SOLUTION
Keyword (Unscrambled): BOULEVARD (44 Words Total)
ADVERB
ALBEDO
AULDER
BALDER
BELAUD
BLADER
BLARED
BOLDER
BORDEL
BOREAL
BOULDER
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BOULEVARD
BRAVED
BRAVOED
BURLED
DAUBER
DEVOUR
DOABLE
DOUBLE
DOUBLER
DURABLE
EARBUD
LABORED
LABOUR
LABOURED
LAUDER
LOADER
LOUDER
LOURED
LOUVER
LOUVRE
LOUVRED
ORDEAL
OVERDUB
OVULAR
RELOAD
ROUBLE
ROULADE
RUBEOLA
VALOUR
VALUED
VALUER
VELOUR
VERBAL
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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].
_______________________________________________________________________________
New Brattleboro VT Club plans Local Club Tourney 1/22
From Ed Liebfried: “We've just launched a club in Brattleboro, Vermont, #807. There will be a 1/3rated tourney (posted in Cross-tables) on January 22 to raise funds for club equipment. We hope
lots of New England players will support us in this effort. Kath Mullholand has agreed to direct.”
Details of the local club tournament are at cross-tables.com: http://www.scrabbleplayers.org/
tourneys/listings.html#2012012220120122lctbr.
Brattleboro (VT) NASPA SCRABBLE® Club #806 meets on Thursday nights at 6:00 p.m. p.m. at
Marlboro College Graduate Center, 28 Vernon St., Brattleboro, VT. Contact: Ed Liebfried,
971-344-8730, [email protected].
_______________________________________________________________________________
Worcester Wishes
On December 6, 2011, members of Worcester (MA) NASPA SCRABBLE® Club #806 paused their
timers to surprise club director Chris Sinacola with a birthday cake.
Despite or because of the sugar high, members played 25 games at the NU Café and Applebee’s
that evening.
Worcester (MA) NASPA SCRABBLE® Club #800 meets on Tuesdays from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the
NU Cafe, 335 Chandler St., Worcester, MA. Diehards adjourn to a nearby Applebee’s for a few more
games and ½ price appetizers after the NU closes. Contact: Chris Sinacola ([email protected])
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/groups/201245483259632/
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Lexington Club welcomes back old face/Joel Horn plays 6 bingos
On December 22, Lexington Club #108 welcomed back Nick Amphlett for his first club visit since the
summer of 2007. Nick, who with his partner, John Ezekowitz, won the inaugural National School
SCRABBLE® Championship in 2003 [see The Last Word, April 2010 issue] is now a student at
Vassar and was visiting the area for the holidays.
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The same evening Joel Horn played six acceptable bingos in the high 603 game.
His bingos were: APNOEIC, ACOLYTES, COINABLE, RAnGIeR, GERANIUM,
and SENATOR. This was the eighth time in club history when one player played
6 bingos; in some of these games, not all of the
bingos were acceptable.
Lexington (MA) NASPA SCRABBLE® Club #108 meets on Thursday nights at
7:00 p.m. p.m. in the basement of the First Parish Unitarian Church, 7 Harrington
Rd., Lexington, MA. Enter by the back door and walk down a short flight of stairs (elevator available
to the disabled). Contacts: Judy Horn, 781-942-7471, [email protected]; Judy Cole,
[email protected]. Club web site: http://www.wolfberg.net/scrabble/lexington/. Club Facebook
page: http://www.facebook.com/groups/119298679388/
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Jeff Kastner & Laurie Cohen 2011 Scottsdale SCRABBLE® Champions
Congrats to Jeff Kastner, 2011 Scottsdale SCRABBLE Champion with a winning
record of 81%. Jeff was also our Bingo King averaging exactly 2 bingos a game.
Congrats to Laurie Cohen, 2011 International Club Champion (Collins words) for
the second year in a row.
We gave out an all-time record of $2016 in cash prizes to 49 contestants!
Scottsdale SCRABBLE® Club was founded about 35 years ago by Lillian
Goldfine, who is still an active member of the club and generously provides us a
free meeting room at her hotel.
Scottsdale (AZ) SCRABBLE® Club meets on Tuesday nights at 6:00 p.m. at the
Hampton Inn, 10101 N. Scottsdale Rd., Scottsdale, AZ. Contact: Mike Wier,
602-789-0337, [email protected]. $3 entry fee for 4 games of SCRABBLE®.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Toys for Tots
Gary Moss, director of the Costa Mesa/El Toro/Aliso Viejo (CA)
NASPA SCRABBLE® Club #350, organized the Laguna Woods
“Toys for Tots” SCRABBLE Tournament on December 18th. Each
player brought a toy to be given to less-fortunate chilcren.
Congratulations to Roy Kamen, who took top awards. His
trophies are for highest scoring word, highest scoring game, and
most wins, beating Lawren Freebody in the final KOTH match.
Lawren was the winner of the Laguna Woods “Tallulah
Blankheads” tournament the previous day.
Costa Mesa/El Toro/Aliso Viejo (CA) SCRABBLE® Club #350 meets on Wednesday nights at
6:15 p.m. at Arby’s, 23862 Bridger Rd., El Toro, CA; Thursday nights at 6:00 p.m. at Denny’s, 105
East 17th St.,Costa Mesa, CA; and Sunday afternoons (except the first Sunday of each month) in
April-October from 12:30-4:00 p.m. at Neighborhood Cup, 1 Journey, Aliso Viejo, CA. Contact: Gary
Moss, 949-510-1673, [email protected]
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Unfinishable Game
At the Golden Triangle SCRABBLE® Club (Cambridge ON NASPA SCRABBLE® Club #471) on
December 9, a game between John Robertson and John Dafoe ended with neither player able to go
out. There were five unplayable tiles left on the players' racks: John Robertson had three I's while
John Dafoe had two I's!
Cambridge (ON) NASPA SCRABBLE® Club #471 meets on Friday nights at 7:15 p.m. at
Riverbend Place, Lower Level Rec Hall, 650 Coronation Blvd., Cambridge, Ontario. Contact: John
Robertson, 519-621-6432, [email protected]
_______________________________________________________________________________
Third time lucky!
At Houston Club #359 Orry Swift was playing Maureen Delgado on December 18th. He drew the Q
early in the game and exchanged it. He drew it again, and exchanged again. The third time he
drew it, he bingoed with CHARQUIS for 134 points. Not only did he win the game 573-320, he
also won a chocolate covered gourmet apple for the "Highest Scoring Food." CHARQUIS is a type
of jerky.
Houston (TX) NASPA SCRABBLE® Club #359 meets Sunday afternoons at !HOP, 2940 W. Sam
Houston Pkwy. S., Houston, TX. Contact: Judy Newhouse, 281-379-1601, [email protected]. Club
website: http://debbiewebbie.com/
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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.
CLICK HERE TO HELP
END WORD HUNGER AS
YOU LEARN WORDS
A free vocabulary testing site.
For every correct word, grains
of rice are donated through the
United Nations World Food
Program. Feed hungry people
as you expand your vocabulary!
Online SCRABBLE®
Discussion Groups
CGP ([email protected])
This group, for NASPA
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 at http://sasj.com/cgp/
join.html.
A great cheat sheet with 2s, 3s,
vowel dumps, short high-pointtile words, and good bingo
stems. Includes useful front
WGPO Listserv
([email protected] and back hook letters to make
3s from 2s. Adapted from Mike
m)
Barron’s SCRABBLE®
This group, open to all
Wordbook and the Official
members of the tournament
community, is a forum for issues SCRABBLE® Players
Dictionary, 4th Edition.
of interest to SCRABBLE®
players. No approval of any
COOL WORDS TO KNOW
kind is needed to join, and
A terrific cheat sheet from the
readers need not be members
National SCRABBLE®
of the Word Game Player’s
Association for School
Organization (WGPO).
SCRABBLE® and home play.
SCRABBLE® Blogs
THE BADQOPH
DIRECTORY
This is a database of blogs by
known SCRABBLE® bloggers,
primarily tournament players.
As of March 29th there were
196 blogs in the directory.
Cheat Sheets
MIKE BARON’S CHEAT
SHEET
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
OSPD (ospdBarron’s SCRABBLE®
[email protected] Wordbook and the Official
om)
Tournament and Club Word
This group, dedicated to players List, 2nd Edition.
using The Official SCRABBLE®
Players’ Dictionary, offers light- MIKE BARON’S CHEAT
hearted humor, daily word lists, SHEET (for School
and more. Admission is to all
SCRABBLE® and home
SCRABBLE® lovers. Details
play)
can be found in the NASPA
Gives useful information on how
to find bingos, plus the 2s, 3s,
vowel dumps, and short highpoint-tile plays.
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.
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John Chew’s software for
managing tournaments.
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
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and John D. Williams, Jr.
Completely updated to include
all new words. (See review in
the January issue of The Last
word.)
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
JANUARY
1/1
NASPA
LAGUNA WOODS CA
1/7
NASPA
BAYSIDE NY
1/7-8
NASPA
DES MOINES IA
1/6-7
NASPA
LINDEN, MI
1/8
NASPA
BERKELEY CA
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
FORT LAUDERDALE FL
1/14
NASPA
NORWALK CT (REGULAR & YOUTH
DIVISIONS)
1/14-16
NASPA
DURHAM NC
1/14-16
NASPA
NEW ORLEANS LA (TWL & COLLINS)
1/14
NASPA
WINNIPEG MB CAN
1/21-23
NASPA
ATLANTIC CITY NJ (TWL & COLLINS)
1/21
NASPA
DALLAS TX
1/21
NASPA
HUDSON OH
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1/21
NASPA
TUCSON AZ (TWL & COLLINS)
1/22
NASPA
BRATTLEBORO VT (LCT)
1/22
WGPO
STANTON CA
1/22
NASPA
GUELPH ON CAN
1/28
NASPA
AUSTIN TX (TWL & COLLINS)
1/28-29
NASPA
CALGARY AB CAN
1/28
NASPA
CORNWALL ON CAN
1/28-29
NASPA
KNOXVILLE TN
1/28-29
NASPA
ORLANDO FL
1/28
NASPA
WHITESBORO (UTICA) NY (TWL &
COLLINS)
FEBRUARY
2/4
NASPA
BALTIMORE (CATONVILLE) MD
2/4
NASPA
NORWALK CT (REGULAR & YOUTH
DIVISIONS)
2/4
NASPA
SEVEN HILLS OH
2/5
NASPA
BERKELEY CA
2/5
NASPA
LAGUNA WOODS CA
2/10
NASPA
SALADO TX
2/10
NASPA
SALADO TX (TCC-RESTRICTED)
2/12
NASPA
PHILADELPHIA PA - TWL & COLLINS
2/12
NASPA
ARCATA CA
2/17
WGPO
PHOENIX AZ
2/16-20
NASPA
LAS VEGAS NV (TWL & COLLINS)
2/17-20
NASPA
EASTERN CHAMPIONSHIP, CHARLOTTE NC
(TWL & COLLINS)
2/18
NASPA
DALLAS TX
2/19
NASPA
GUELPH ON CAN
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2/18-20
WGPO
PHOENIX AZ (TWL & COLLINS)
2/24-26
NASPA
SARATOGA SPRINGS NY
2/25
NASPA
AUSTIN TX (TWL & COLLINS)
2/25
NASPA
FORT LAUDERDALE FL
MARCH
3/2-4
NASPA
VANCOUVER BC CAN
3/4
NASPA
LAGUNA WOODS CA
3/10
NASPA
NORWALK CT (REGULAR & YOUTH
DIVISIONS)
3/11
NASPA
BERKELEY CA
3/13
NASPA
INDEPENDENCE, OH - LCT
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
GUELPH ON CAN
3/18
NASPA
PHILADELPHIA PA (TWL & COLLINS)
3/24-25
NASPA
CALGARY AB CAN
3/24
NASPA
CAMBRIDGE ON CAN
3/24
NASPA
FORT LAUDERDALE FL
3/25
NASPA
LONG BEACH CA
3/31-4/1
NASPA
DANVILLE IL
3/30-4/1
NASPA
MYRTLE BEACH SC
3/30-4/1
NASPA
PRINCETON NJ
3/31
NASPA
AUSTIN TX (TWL & COLLINS)
3/31
NSA (School) NEW ENGLAND SCHOOL SCRABBLE®
CHAMPIONSHIP, STAMFORD CT
3/31-4/1
NASPA
ROCHESTER (WEBSTER) NY
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APRIL
4/1
NASPA
BERKELEY CA
4/1
NASPA
LAGUNA WOODS CA
4/7
NASPA
BAYSIDE NY
4/8
NASPA
GUELPH ON CAN
4/13-15
NASPA
BAT (BOSTON AREA) MA
4/13-14
NSA (School) NATIONAL SCHOOL SCRABBLE®
CHAMPIONSHIP, ORLANDO FL
4/14-15
NASPA
EDMONTON AB CAN
4/14-15
NASPA
TENTATIVE - LUBBOCK TX
4/21-22
NASPA
CUYAHOGA FALLS OH
4/21
NASPA
DALLAS TX
4/21
NASPA
NORWALK CT (REGULAR & YOUTH
DIVISIONS)
4/21
WGPO
PHOENIX AZ
4/22
NASPA
PHILADELPHIA PA - TWL & COLLINS
4/27-29
NASPA
SAN DIEGO CA
4/28
NASPA
AUSTIN TX (TWL & COLLINS)
4/28
NASPA
BERLIN NJ
4/28
NASPA
FORT LAUDERDALE FL
4/28
NASPA
SOUTH LYON MI
5/4-6
NASPA
GATLINBURG TN (TWL & COLLINS
5/5
NASPA
STRONGSVILLE OH
5/6
NASPA
LAGUNA WOODS CA
5/6-13
NASPA
BERMUDA TREASURES SCRABBLE CRUISE
5/8
NASPA
INDEPENDENCE OH - LCT
MAY
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5/12
NASPA
NORWALK CT (REGULAR & YOUTH
DIVISIONS)
5/12-13
NASPA
SASKATOON SK CAN
5/13
NASPA
BERKELEY CA
5/18-19
NASPA
LAGUNA WOODS CA
5/19
NASPA
BAYSIDE NY
5/19
NASPA
DALLAS TX
5/19
NASPA
FORT LAUDERDALE FL
5/24-28
NASPA
TARRYTOWN NY
5/25-28
NASPA
LAKE ARROWHEAD CA (COLLINS)
5/26-28
WGPO
DURANGO CO
JUNE
6/2-3
NASPA
CALGARY AB CA
6/2
NASPA
TENTATIVE - CHARLOTTE NC
6/3
NASPA
BERKELEY CA
6/3
NASPA
LAGUNA WOODS CA
6/6-20
NASPA
TORONTO ON CAN (TCC, LCT)
6/7-10
NASPA
HANCOCK MA
6/16
NASPA
DALLAS TX
6/16
NASPA
EDMONTON AB CAN
6/16-17
NASPA
KNOXVILLE TN
6/16
NASPA
NORWALK CT (REGULAR & YOUTH
DIVISIONS)
6/20-7/2
WGPO
NORWAY / ICELAND CRUISE (TWL &
COLLINS)
6/23
NASPA
BAYSIDE NY
6/23
NASPA
FORT LAUDERDALE FL
6/28-7/4
NASPA
ALBANY NY (TWL & COLLINS)
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JULY
7/1
NASPA
LAGUNA WOODS CA
7/6-8
NASPA
WILMINGTON DE (TWL & COLLINS)
7/7-8
NASPA
OMAHA NE
7/21
NASPA
DALLAS TX
7/27-29
NASPA
TENTATIVE - OLD GREENWICH CT
7/28
NASPA
FORT LAUDERDALE FL
AUGUST
8/5
NASPA
LAGUNA WOODS CA
8/3-8
WGPO
WGPO WORD CUP - BLOOMINGTON MN
8/11-15
NASPA
NATIONAL SCRABBLE CHAMPIONSHIP ORLANDO FL (TWL & COLLINS)
8/18
NASPA
DALLAS TX
8/18
NASPA
EDMONTON AB CAN
8/18-26
NASPA
IRELAND TOUR AND TOURNAMENT
8/18-19
NASPA
LAGUNA WOODS CA
8/25
NASPA
BAYSIDE NY
8/25
NASPA
FORT LAUDERDALE FL
SEPTEMBER
9/1-3
NASPA
ALPHARETTA GA
9/1-3
NASPA
TENTATIVE - NEW YORK NY
9/2
NASPA
LAGUNA WOODS CA
9/9
NASPA
NEWARK DE
9/15
NASPA
DALLAS TX
9/19-26
NASPA
BAHAMAS CRUISE
9/22
NASPA
NORWALK CT (REGULAR & YOUTH
DIVISIONS)
9/29
WGPO
PHOENIX AZ
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9/29
NASPA
ASBURY PARK NJ
9/29
NASPA
FORT LAUDERDALE FL
OCTOBER
10/6-20
WGPO
NEW ENGLAND & CANADA CRUISE (TWL &
COLLINS)
10/6
NASPA
NORWALK CT (REGULAR & YOUTH
DIVISIONS)
10/7
NASPA
LAGUNA WOODS CA
10/13
NASPA
BERLIN NJ
10/18-21
NASPA
LAKE GEORGE NY (TWL & COLLINS)
10/20
NASPA
DALLAS TX
10/27
NASPA
FORT LAUDERDALE FL
NOVEMBER
11/2-4
NASPA
CAMBRIDGE MD
11/3
NASPA
EDMONTON AB CAN
11/4
NASPA
LAGUNA WOODS CA
11/10
NASPA
NORWALK CT (REGULAR & YOUTH
DIVISIONS)
11/17
NASPA
DALLAS TX
11/17
NASPA
FORT LAUDERDALE FL
11/23-25
NASPA
TARRYTOWN NY
DECEMBER
12/1
NASPA
CALGARY AB CA
12/1-3
NASPA
FORT LAUDERDALE FL
12/2
NASPA
LAGUNA WOODS CA
12/9
NASPA
STRONGSVILLE OH
12/23-26
NASPA
LAGUNA WOODS CA
12/5-18
WGPO
EASTERN CARIBBEAN TO BRAZIL CRUISE
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12/15
NASPA
DALLAS TX
12/15-16
NASPA
LAGUNA WOODS CA
12/22-25
NASPA
WILMINGTON DE (TWL & COLLINS)
12/27-1/1
NASPA
ALBANY NY (TWL & COLLINS)
JANUARY ’13
1/16-28
WGPO
AUSTRALIA-NEW ZEALAND CRUISE
NASPA
LAS VEGAS NV (TWL & COLLINS)
NASPA
TARRYTOWN NY
FEBRUARY ’13
2/13-18
MAY ’13
5/23-27
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Archives
To download previous issues of The Last Word click here.
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