TLW100 - Nomads Results

CALENDAR OF EVENTS
7
7 8
The bi-monthly magazine of the
APRIL
APRI
L
AP
A quick reference to forthcoming competitions
7
9
APRIL
RIL
(fuller list and details inside)
Date
Tournament (No of games)
Contact
Telephone
Feb 5th-6th
Feb 6th
Feb 13th
Feb 19th
Feb 19th-20th
Feb 26th
Mar 4th-7th
Mar 13th
Mar 25th-26th
Mar 26th-28th
Apr 2nd
Apr 10th
Apr 10th
Apr 16th-17th
Apr 23rd
Apr 29th-May 3rd
May 8th
May 8th
May 13th-16th
Jun 5th
Jun 10th-13th
Jun 12th
Jun 12th
Jun 24th-27th
Nottingham Nomads (16)
West Sussex (6)
Hampshire Open (6)
New Malden (6)
Scottish Masters
Leicester (6)
H-B Holidays - Bingley
Swindon (6)
Exeter: Isca (6)
Easter Matchplay: Exeter (19)
Southend (6)
Southampton (6)
Brentwood (6)
Durham (11)
Newcastle (5)
H-B Holidays - Worthing
Bourne, Lincolnshire (6)
Bournemouth (6)
H-B Holidays - Morecambe
Melton Mowbray (6)
H-B Holidays - Bridgend
Peterlee (5)
Brighton & Hove (6)
H-B Holidays - Ayr
Clive Spate
Peter Hall
Alan Bailey
Shirley Cave
Neil Scott
Marjorie Smith
Viv Beckmann
Steve Perry
Ronnie Reid
Ronnie Reid
Evelyn Wallace
Alan Bailey
Cindy Hollyer
Laura Finley
Michael Murray
Viv Beckmann
Betty Benton
Ruth Marsden
Viv Beckmann
Maureen Rayson
Viv Beckmann
Samantha Beckwith
Jim Lyes
Viv Beckmann
0115 920 0208
01903 775396
023 9238 4360
020 8540 8469
01224 639291
0116 255 1176
0191 273 1705
01367 244757
01256 354604
01256 354604
01702 302569
023 9238 4360
01277 822050
0191 565 4079
0191 241 2521
0191 273 1705
01778 425234
01202 707148
0191 273 1705
01664 563330
0191 273 1705
0191 5866436
01273 813006
0191 273 1705
ASSOCIATION OF BRITISH
SCRABBLE PLAYERS
No 100
February 2005
Deadline for next issue 4th March
Special 100th issue of the ABSP
Magazine with celebratory insert
Originally called the APSP Newsletter, then the ABSP Newsletter and finally with issue
no.66 (the foremost in the above montage) the name The Last Word was adopted, from a
suggestion by Amy Byrne. It started life as a single sheet of A4 and has progressed, through
a succession of hard working editors into the popular little magazine it is today. Although,
with this issue I shall be completing my term of editorship, I have absolute confidence in
my successors that they will continue the magazines progress.
Alec
The Last Word is printed by Keely Print, Beccles, Suffolk (01502) 713930
SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark of J.W.Spear & Sons Ltd., Maidenhead SL6 4UB
Under New Management
Please note that Editorial responsibility for The Last Word is changing hands.
The new Editors will be Ben Wilson and Wayne Kelly, dealing with alternate
issues, both will be assisted by Elisabeth Jardine. All material and letters
should be sent to:
Elisabeth Jardine
6 Wentworth Avenue
Bournemouth BH5 2ED
Email: [email protected]
ISSUE CONTENTS
Committee Corner ..........................
Dictionary Committee Update ....
NSC 2005 ..................................
Objectives Progress Report ..........
Tournament Reports ........................
Ratings Report..................................
Ratings ............................................
1
2
3
4
5
10
11
Edgeways ........................................ 17
ABSP Titles Update .......................... 25
Across The Board ............................ 26
Xtras ................................................ 35
Forthcoming Events.......................... 42
Edgeways Answers .......................... ibc
Calendar of Events ..........................obc
Throughout this publication, comments by the Editor do not represent the views of the
ABSP Committee. Any statements by the Committee are clearly marked as such. All
other contributions to The Last Word represent only the views of the contributor.
THE LAST WORD TEAM
The Last Words Team welcomes contributions from readers to their respective areas,
either as letters, articles or suggestions. Contact information:
Editors:
Wayne Kelly
Ben Wilson
Editorial Contact:
Elisabeth Jardine
6 Wentworth Avenue
Bournemouth
BH5 2ED
Tel 01202 419708
[email protected]
Games and Strategies:
Phil Appleby,
Thorns Cottage,
Mount Pleasant Lane,
Lymington,
Hants SO41 8LS
[email protected]
Words and Puzzles:
David Sutton
46 West Chiltern,
Woodcote,
Reading, Berks
RG8 0SG
[email protected]
Forthcoming events:
Paul Cartman,
9 Chapel Terrace,
Stafford ST16 3AH
01785 211851
[email protected]
Features:
Christina French
57 Cranham Road,
Hornchurh,
Essex RM11 2AB
07736 686092
[email protected]
COMMITTEE CORNER
The most recent meeting was just before Christmas in London - a smaller meeting than
usual given the proximity to Christmas and other priorities at that time but nonetheless very
focused.
It was good to kick off the meeting with some great news that membership is at an all-time
high at 715 (and has risen higher since). In her report as membership secretary Viv
Beckmann also advised us that sadly she wishes to step down from the Committee at the
2005 AGM. If anyone is interested in taking over the membership management areas of the
ABSP then please contact Viv or Allan in the first place.
The key points of discussion were around the 2004 National Scrabble Week successes and
associated learning points, and an announcement by Philip that Mattel are seriously
looking at hosting the 2005 World Championships now that Hasbro have declined, and
that event is therefore likely to be in London.
The Committee also welcomed the news that the Dictionary Committee are making good
progress with Collins in ensuring all new Collins words comply with existing OSW word
rules and will then be addressing format issues.
Some time was also spent discussing the possibilities of venues for the 2005 BMSC. Several
venues are being considered and it may well be that we have to go more upmarket to
satisfy all the requirements. Sarah Wilks is doing a great job in addressing this area for us
and we expect to have reached a conclusion by early February.
On page 4 you will see a report of the Committee’s progress against its objectives set two
years ago. At our next meeting in March we will be agreeing revised objectives for the next
two years.
Finally, the Committee would like to wish all members a successful 2005 and thank you
all for your support during 2004, especially tournament organisers.
Allan Simmons
Chairman
The Committee welcomes these new members for 2005:
Daniel Pratt
Anthony Reeves
Phil Robertshaw
Ben Tarlow
Jan Hynd
Mark Keane
R M Foord
Mem. No.
1366
1367
1368
1369
1370
1371
1372
Mem. No.
Stany Arnold
1373
Colin Blackburn
1374
Michael Chappell
1375
Robert Millar
1376
Maria Moseley
1377
Karin Houkes
1378
Marion Palles-Clark 1379
1
Mem. No.
Anthony Pinnell
1380
Chris Ballinger
1381
Gwyneth Berry
1382
Sarah-Jane Taylor
1383
Charlie Towlson
1384
Mark Bradley
1385
Betty Meazey
1386
Dictionary Committee Update
Allan Simmons and I have now completed the task of assessing all the words from
Collins English Dictionary that weren’t already in Chambers OSWI. Collins fed us all the
non-Chambers words,asking us to assess them for validity, inflected forms, correct
plurals, and so on. We started on the A’s back in November last year,and used this letter
to iron out any issues between Collins and ourselves. Having resolved the problems, we
then launched into the remainder of the alphabet, completing the Z’s during the first few
days of January.
We have initiated some exploratory discussions with the WESPA Dictionary Committee
about the possibility of allowing a limited number of words which only appear in
phrases. We’re not talking about words from foreign phrases (such as DEJA VU), but
items like FOLIC (from FOLIC ACID) and BASMATI (from BASMATI RICE). WE have yet
to conclude the discussion, or come to any clear cut decision.
We are about to restart the discussions with Collins regarding format of their word list layout, typography, definitions, separation of the2-9 letter words from the 10-15 letter
words, and so on.
Unfortunately the timing of NSW, both in 2003 and 2004, made it impossible to meet
deadlines for the then imminent issue of The Last Word. In 2005 we hope to adjust the
publication schedule slightly in order to get my report to you rather more promptly.
A warm welcome to the following 15 first-time members who took up the special
ABSP subscription offer during National Scrabble Week:
Adekoyejo Adegbasan
Gboye Balogun
Craig Beevers
Jim Byrne
Paul Chadwick
Graham Haigh
Peggy Hollingsworth
George McAulay
Fidelis Olotu
Christina Pace-Sigge
Daniel Pratt
Phil Robertshaw
Ellen Singer
Doris Street
Ben Tarlow
Jackie McLeod
ABSP Publicity Officer
We are also about to restart our discussions regarding the interchangeability of words
ending in -ISE and -IZE, and their inflections.
We are still waiting - with bated breath - for news of the new American words. As yet,
there is no definite news.
National Scrabble Championships 2005
At a meeting between myself and the ABSP National Championships sub-committee, the
following changes were agreed for 2005.
Darryl Francis
National Scrabble Week 2004
The second National Scrabble Week took place from 13-21 November, opening with the
premier showing of “Lost for Words” at the Sheffield International Documentary Festival,
and concluding with the Grand Final of the National Scrabble Championship in London.
Media coverage during the week included a section in an article on spelling in The
Guardian, a Beachcomber article in the Daily Express, and live interviews on BBC Radio 2
(the Dermot O’Leary Show) - and Radio 5 Live (Richard Bacon).
Throughout the week clubs all around the UK organised special events to gain publicity
and new members for their clubs. In conjunction with Asda stores, many of these also had
the admirable aim of fundraising for Children in Need. From around 35 clubs originally
expressing interest in this, unfortunately quite a few dropped out either due to difficulties
at their local Asda, or because they did not have enough club members available to run it.
However, around 20 events went ahead at Asda, and other clubs held theirs in book shops,
libraries, club premises etc with information displays, challenge games, word quizzes for
adults and children, a celebrity picture quiz, raffles etc. A total of around £2,000 was
raised for Children in Need - an excellent result for a very worthy cause.
More importantly, many clubs achieved publicity in local papers and there was at least one
local radio interview; potential new members came along to club open evenings, and there
seems to have been particular interest from young people too, which is always a good
thing. Thanks and congratulations to all the club members who worked so hard to help
make NSW 2004 a success.
2
At the Regional stage next year, there will only be 1 division, as opposed to 3 this year,
but those players also playing in the National Scrabble Club Tournament (NSCT) will be
prevented by the tournament programme from playing their teammates.
There will be 60 qualifiers for the semi-final next year + NSC Champion, with a
minimum of 6 per Regional, the extra 24 places allocated on a formula calculated by
taking into account the overall average rating of the players at each regional . Qualifiers
who drop out from the semi-final will not be replaced.
The country will be split up into 6 regions and players will only be allowed to play in
their local region. The only reason to allow players to play in another regional will be if
they live closer to the venue of that Regional than their own.
Any non-domiciles should play in the highest rated regional - the South East.
In the NSCT the winners of each Regional will qualify for the NSCT Final. The extra 2
places will be allocated to the 2 Regionals with the highest average rating as long as
there are least 10 teams at those Regionals.
I was happy with the way that both tournaments panned out last year. Personally, I think
the new format worked well. Most people seemed to find it an acceptable compromise
given budget constraints. The attendance at the NSC Final, around 80, was about what
I expected. I was a little disappointed with the publicity gained from the NSC.
Philip Nelkon
Mattel Representative
3
The Committee will be agreeing new Objectives for 2005-2006 at the next Committee meeting in March. My thanks to all members,
Committee
Tournament Organisers, and other members who have helped us acbieve a healthy growth of the ABSP. Allan Simmons (Chairman)
Implemented £20 Achieved
fee for Committee
mtg attendance plus
TLW editor fee.
INTRODUCE AN ELEMENT OF REWARD FOR
COMMITTEE SERVICE AND ASSOCIATED KEY-ROLES
ESTABLISH A LONG TERM (3 years or 5 years) MAJOR
SPONSORSHIP FOR THE BMSC
❒ COMMITTEE REWARD
Milage/Travel to
meetings plus
Rating Levy for
rating Officer
2004 was a start and it is hoped that
we can build on that with the likes of
Chambers, Collins, The Times all of
whom have Scrabble connections.
25% achievement
Significant
sponsorhip for the
2004 Masters and
BMSC for the first
time, but no long
term deal.
❒ SPONSORSHIP
910
INCREASE IN NUMBER OF RATED GAMES
825
No serious
sponsorship for
BMSC
10.3% increase
fully rated
122 provisionally A good benchmark improvement on
rated >15 games which to base objectives for 2005/06
15.8% increase
22,230
Rated Games
❒ INCREASED ACTIVITY
19,200
Rated games
576
(Feb 2003 figure) 30% INCREASE IN MEMBERSHIP
724
With nearly 200 rated players who
(Jan 2005 figure) are not members a target to improve
by 30% for 2005-06 is realistic.
25.69% increase
❒ INCREASE MEMBERSHIP :-
Result and Comment
End of 2004
Status
ABSP COMMITTEE
IMPROVEMENT OBJECTIVES
For the two year period 2003-2004
End of 2002
Status
fully rated
INCREASE IN NUMBER OF RATED PLAYERS
139 provisionally
rated >15 games
4
SCRABBLE EVENTS
RESULTS & REPORT S
Organisers are encouraged to send a list of prize winners and a tournament report to
the TLW editor as soon as possible after the event.
Winter Matchplay ~ Milton Keynes
27th-28th November
Report from Mike Willis
At about 1130 on the Saturday I got a worrying series of calls about stationary traffic on the
M1 Northbound as a result of a serious accident blocking all carriageways. Since several
Scrabblers were coming from the London direction I hoped it would not turn into an epic
(I had to endure a four hour wait on the A12 last year, not a whole lot of fun with fed-up
children on board!). As it turned out, all the callers managed to arrive on time - there were
only two latecomers whose clocks had to be started (out of loyalty to fellow Tournament
Organisers, I will not give their names, suffice to say that I’m sure that late entrants at events
in the Swindon or Ryde areas will be as sympathetically treated). As it happened both
players recorded wins.
It was a very easy event to TD, what problems there were were minor and resolved with
good humour. There were some latecomers at the start of some rounds, again this did not
cause any hold-up as their clocks were started in accordance with the rules and without
disrupting the players around.
One of the first words challenged was UNIDEAL, quite topical at the moment.Pamela
Brown recorded a 212 spread win in the lowest division (G) against the then leader,
Margaret Emmott. Margaret then went on to record the biggest spread of the tournament
of 294 against her next opponent including the word TOADISH.Most imaginative nonword: SNOGGLED* (whatever it means it sounds rather interesting)
Longest word challenged: NOVERINTS
Word best describing Mr Holden: STEWIEST
Highest word score in A: 194 for UnHOOKED (Stewart H)
Highest word score in G: 149 for BANDINGS (Ann Partridge)
Most words challenged at once: 4 FOPS/BADE/POH/SHEITAN
Most played non-word: UGLI*
Most surprising non-word: UNTIMED*
Best faux-ami: FREMD (Scots for ‘enemy’)
Most amusing incident: The younger brother of the Computer Operator missed out his
player reference on the scoresheet.
Thanks due to all the runners (Jenny and Kate Edwards, Damola Awowade and Mike
Smith), Graeme for his unsung behind-the-scenes efforts, Pete Edwards and Shin for
5
adjudicating and controlling the three outlying Round-Robin rooms and to the ABSP for
advertising and supporting the event. We had a good number of sponsors this year, the
main one being the Holiday Inn who generously provided vouchers for the following year’s
event. As an example,one couple saved in the region of £140 on this year’s entrance
fee).Spears Games donated six Deluxe Travel Scrabble sets. Stewart Holden provided
some Pocket Samtimers and Allan Simmons some 2005Challenge-a-Day Calendars at cost
price.
Allan’s Scrabble Calendars sold out extremely quickly. Stewart brought a huge box of
Pocket Samtimers and new-style Protiles which appeared to be selling like hot-cakes! I
expect many will have found their way into Christmas Stockings...
Food and accommodation were excellent this year and my concerns about having a buffet
instead of the usual table service for Saturday dinner proved unfounded. In the playing
area, nothing was too much trouble for the porter who was assigned to us. The Hotel
Manager told me that he had especially rostered extra staff to turn around rooms so that the
majority were booked in early.
The main difficulty for late-comers and non-residents was parking. This appears to get
trickier every year but it is nowhere near as bad as many other cities of 250,000 people.
The hotel was fully booked on the Saturday night and the carpark is not big enough for the
300 guests - it can never be because of council regulations and practicalities in a prime
central shopping area at Christmas-time.
As a local, I know the best places to go (and avoid) but I appreciate it’s hard for outsiders.
The only advice I can give in future is to arrive as early as possible.
The only thing that went wrong from my point of view was the mike dying on me during
the prize-giving!
Congratulations to Pete Finley for being only the second person to retain the Winter
Matchplay Plate since Mark Nyman in 1991 and 1992 and all the other prizewinners.
The traditional date of the last weekend in November has again been reserved at the
Holiday Inn MK for this year - I am waiting to hear from Spears on the proposed WSC in
London which may yet clash so it is not confirmed yet.
Winter Matchplay A
Pete Finley
9
590
Femi Awowade
9
526
Elie Dangoor
9
509
Winter Matchplay B
Alan Childs
10
665
Lynne Murphy
8
549
Doj Graham
8
298
Winter Matchplay C
Marjorie Smith
9
524
Gavin Holmes
7
503
Andrew Hart
7
186
Winter Matchplay D
Janet Adams
7
447
Marion Kirk
7
437
Maureen Reynolds 7
227
Winter Matchplay E
Ben Tarlow
8
329
Jake Berliner
8
100
Rosalind Wilson
7
270
Winter Matchplay F
Stany Arnold
10
181
Ted Lewis
8
505
Sue Ison
8
338
Winter Matchplay G
Ginny Dixon
8
239
Anne Partridge
7
353
Dorn Osborne
7
320
Stoke Rochford
11th-12th December (12 games)
Report by Christina French
They came, they saw, they conquered. Well some of them anyway.
Two of them came to get engaged (which was
nice) after meeting at Stoke Rochford the
previous year. Congratulations to Sarah Wilks
and Greg Kelly. Greg had quite a weekend,
celebrating his birthday, his engagement and
second place in his division. Other Scrabble
players were also contributing to an enjoyable
weekend... Mike O’Rourke set a crossword
puzzle, well sort of, it was a blank crossword
grid, and the winner David Meadows won a
nice bottle of wine. Carol Smith gave us one of
her special cakes, a Christmas log. Jackie
Mcleod contributed by bringing along her
copy of Josh Whitehead’s documentary Lost
For Words which many watched with interest
on the Sunday after lunch. Stewart Holden
popped in on the Saturday night with some
Scrabble items for sale.
Sarah Wilks and Greg Kelly celebrate their
engagement which they had announced at
the opening of the event.
We had The Lovely Ladies From Malta over (two of them going on to be prize winners) and
also Kerry Constant from Ireland, all of whom Dave and myself enjoyed a Christmas dinner
with on the Friday evening. Kerry proved to be the Champion Balloon Blower. The prizes
in the crackers were interesting, until Christine Strawbridge dropped her Fortune Fish in her
soup so we never got to see what kind of woman she really is! Ellen Singer from The States
played in her first UK tournament and I do hope to see her again at Stoke this year. Lovely
to see Anand over from the Netherlands again too.
Meanwhile, back at the tournament, all was going well. Graeme Thomas found a lonely £10
note on the floor and after much grilling by the director it was returned to its rightful owner.
Competitors who didn’t stay up late to watch Lost For Words or had forgotten to set their VCRs take
the opportunity to see what they missed
6
7
The only let-down for the organiser and winners was that the trophies were not ready in
time for the tournament. However, our very accommodating trophy suppliers are going to
engrave the names of the winners on the plaques to make up for it, which will make them
all that more special. I hope to have despatched these to the winners by the end of January.
It was just as well the Tournament Goody Bags were full of prezzies for the winners (the
INTI wine Elie pointed out was appropriate - a good Scrabble word).
To start off the prize giving, Graham Bonham was presented with the ABSP’s Most
Improved Player Award for 2004. It must be nice to receive this award even before the
year’s end! Many thanks to Harper Collins for the superb books they donated towards the
prizes and to Mattel for the Travel Scrabble.
Well done to Elie for his second first place win at Stoke and to everybody else who won
prizes.
West Berkshire ~ Purley on Thames
15th January 2005 (6games)
Report from Ian Burn
The Barn in Purley on Thames - a fine 18th century building - was again the venue for the
5th West Berks Scrabble Tournament. The day started with most of the 96 participants
being at the venue in good time, and those who were late had notified the organiser of their
delay, so thank you for that from an organisational perspective.
In the A division, Philip Nelkon took the lead after the second round, having lain in second
place after the first and never relinquished it, taking the title with an unblemished record
of 6 wins out of 6. Looking back through the records, it is interesting to note that the top
5 in the division were all placed in the top 8 of the 2004 competition. That’s consistency!
In the B division, it was a similar story with Graham Bonham taking the lead after the third
round. Despite losing his final game, he kept the losing margin down to 8 points and won
the division by 16 points of spread, ironically with his sixth round conqueror in second place.
In the C division, it was another 100% record, this time for Mark Murray, although he did
not take the lead in the division until after round 5.
West Berks
Philip Nelkon
Graham Harding
George Gruner
Austin Shin
Elie Dangoor receives the A division prize from Christina. Divisional winners Josef Thompson (C),
and Christine Strawbridge (D)
Stoke Rochford A
Elie Dangoor
10
Steve Perry
8
George Gruner
8
Wayne Kelly
8
943
339
272
-27
Stoke Rochford C
Josef Thompson
10
886
Greg Kelly
8
438
Anand Buddhdev
8
353
Marlene Skinner
7.5 -194
Stoke Rochford B
Steve Balment
11
Mark Lane
8.5
Maurice Brown
8
Phil Kelly
7.5
898
555
382
12
Stoke Rochford
Christine Strawbridge
Barbara Barker
Jim Wilkie
Ginny Dixon
976
245
522
305
D
9
9
8
8
Many thanks to our indefatigable Tournament Team Runners, Mike Smith and Andrew
Wallace. I really do not know what we would do without them - most probably cry! We
also had the pleasure of Carol Wilkie helping out on the Saturday.
A request was made for us to supply more games to entrants, especially those that come
from overseas. We had a straw pole vote on this and it seems like a good idea so on the
Stoke Rochford entry form for May (enclosed with this issue) you will also a new pre-event
for the Friday night and Saturday morning. Thanks to everyone who came and enjoyed
themselves.
8
A
6
5
5
4
655
269
196
369
West Berks
Graham Bonham
Evelyn Wallace
Diana Beasley
Joy Lloyd
B
5
5
5
5
326
310
243
156
West Berks
Mark Murray
Martin Taylor
Margaret Seabrook
Ted Lewis
C
6
5
5
4
431
750
37
444
The trophies were presented by Ms June Law, representing the local Sue Ryder Home.
Atrophy was given to the player from one of the three Berkshire clubs who performed best
in the tournament, irrespective of division. The winner of this trophy was Graham Harding,
a member of the East Berks club. Both this trophy and the trophy for the overall winner of
the tournament are perpetual trophies kindly sponsored by Fujitsu Services.
Proceeds from all aspects of the tournament enabled the Club to make a donation of
£610.10 to the Sue Ryder Home.
Lang Toun vs Glasgow
Lang Toun
Caroline Atkins
Janice Bease
Marion Keatings
Carol Malkin
Anne Ramsay
Anne Steward
18 wins
Glasgow
4
2
5
3
4
4
Moya Dewar
Mary Jones
Ross Mackenzie
Raymond Tate
Tom Wilson
Ricky Zinger
18 wins
3
1
4
5
2
3
Lang Toun and Glasgow fought out an honourable draw in a rated interclub match on
Saturday January 15th. There were six rounds, each player played each member of the
other team once. Prizewinners: Raymond Tate (highest wins and spread, 5 wins +339),
Anne Ramsay (highest game score, 506), Caroline Atkins (highest move score, 99 for
UNSEWED) and Ross Mackenzie (most bonuses, 12).
9
Ratings Report 2004
Most prolific players
In 2004 there were 22,230 ABSP-rated games. 988 players played at least 1 ABSP-rated
game.
The average per player was 45 games. Players with 200 or more ABSP-rated games in
2004 were:
225
219
216
215
211
209
Amy Byrne
David Shenkin
Mike O’Rourke
Steve Perry
Wayne Kelly
Robert Richland
208
204
203
202
200
Nuala O’Rourke
Margaret Pritchett
Marlene Skinner
Moira Conway
Philippa Morris
Most improved players
Here are the players whose rating improved by 15 points or more in 2004. To appear in
this list, a player must:
1) be an ABSP Member and
2) have an end-2003 rating based on at least 30 games and
3) have played at least 30 rated games in 2004
Rtg
Imp
133
133
124
113
132
142
88
167
142
105
190
158
121
118
+42
+25
+21
+21
+18
+17
+17
+16
+16
+16
+15
+15
+15
+15
Club or *Location*
Graham Bonham
Joy Fox
Ron Bucknell
Sheila Smith
Andrew Hart
Rhoda Gray
Norah Thompson
Neil Green
Jim Lyes
Margaret Firmston
Ed Martin
Mark Lane
Russell Smith
Paula Docherty
Aylesbury
Brighton&Hove
Havering
Newcastle
Romford
Bon Accord
Mapperley
Newport(S Wales)
Brighton&Hove
Guildford
*West Kensington*
Sheffield Psalter
Aireborough
Fulwood
Graham Bonham with the ABSP
Shield for Most Improved Player
Congratulations to Most Improved Player Graham Bonham. His 42 point improvement is
the highest ever, surpassing the 40 by Ray Wells in 1991.
Sarah Wilks(Grantham) and Richard Pajak(Bury) deserve mentions. They aren’t in the list
because their end-2003 rating was based on fewer than 30 games.
Sarah played 144 games in 2004 and improved her rating by 27 to 132.
Richard played 42 games in 2004 and improved his rating by 18 to 114.
John Grayson
ABSP Ratings Officer
10
E n d - o f - Ye a r R a t i n g s
(GM) Grand Master (Exp) Expert
ABSP membership number for members at 31-12-2004
is shown before name
203 01249 Adam Logan
202 00057 Mark Nyman (GM)
199 00745 Harshan
Lamabadusuriya (Exp)
197 00751 Paul Allan (GM)
197
Brett Smitheram (GM)
196 00015 Phil Appleby (GM)
196 00497 Andrew Davis (GM)
195 00280 Andrew Perry (GM)
193
Shanker Menon
192 00621 Andrew Cook (GM)
192 00147 Helen Gipson (GM)
192 00001 Clive Spate (GM)
191 00652 Nick Ball
190 00158 Ed Martin
189 00002 Pete Finley (GM)
189 00072 John Grayson (GM)
188 00058 Russell Byers (GM)
186 00880 Femi Awowade (Exp)
186 00060 Terry Kirk (GM)
185 00777 Adam Philpotts
184 00764 Lewis Mackay
183 01000 Stewart Holden
183
Sam Kantimathi
183 00007 Allan Simmons (GM)
183 00021 Evan Simpson (GM)
182 00005 Brian Sugar (GM)
181 00478 Elie Dangoor (Exp)
181 00101 Robert Richland (Exp)
180 00014 Di Dennis (GM)
180 00220 Karl Khoshnaw (Exp)
180
Gary Oliver
180 00338 David Webb (GM)
180 00041 Gareth Williams
(GM)
179 00368 Chris Hawkins
179
Omar_Malleh Jah
178 00233 Martin Fowkes (Exp)
178 00482 Neil Scott (Exp)
177 01355 Craig Beevers
177 00045 Barry Grossman
177 00004 Philip Nelkon (GM)
176
Gerry Carter
176 00823 Wayne Kelly
176 00281 Steve Perry
176 00846 Austin Shin
176 00088 Sandie Simonis (Exp)
176
175
175
175
174
174
174
174
173
173
173
172
172
171
171
170
170
170
170
170
169
169
169
168
168
168
168
168
167
167
166
166
166
166
165
165
165
165
164
164
164
164
164
164
00162 Alec Webb (Exp)
Lee Jones
Brendan McDonnell
00038 Jackie McLeod (Exp)
00224 Gary Polhill (Exp)
00814 Jared Robinson
00049 Bob Violett (Exp)
00292 Wilma Warwick
00202 Penny Downer (Exp)
00530 George Gruner
00773 Chris Vicary
Catherine Costello
00888 Chris Keeley
00103 Danny Bekhor
00025 Richard Evans (Exp)
00343 Amy Byrne
00006 Darryl Francis (Exp)
00093 Ruth MacInerney
00984 Roy Miller
Sheila Spate
01358 Paul Chadwick
00012 Ruth Morgan-Thomas
(Exp)
Karen Richards
00079 Chris Finlay
00165 Cecil Muscat
00172 Daniel Simonis
00226 Alan Sinclair
Waiyapot
Suttawassuntorn
01220 Theresa Camilleri
01191 Neil Green
01016 John Ashmore
00241 Bob Berry
Alan Georgeson
00059 Simon Gillam (Exp)
Jane Gibson
Chris Quartermaine
01268 Abraham Sosseh
00017 Mike Willis (Exp)
00734 Nick Deller
Billy Dott
00463 Helen Harding
Dave Nunn
00479 Andrew Roughton
(Exp)
00213 Neil Rowley
11
Ratings at
31-12-2004
At least 30 games
and at least
1 since 31-12-2002
163
163
163
163
163
163
162
161
161
161
161
161
161
160
160
160
160
160
160
160
160
160
159
159
159
159
159
158
158
158
158
157
157
157
157
157
157
157
157
156
156
156
156
01221
01129
01006
01170
00008
00116
00055
00199
00793
00081
00069
00956
00836
00039
00123
00229
00573
01295
00966
01228
00268
00719
01032
00105
00672
00154
00873
00449
00084
00553
Jojo Delia
Lee Hartley
Ross Mackenzie
Paloma Raychbart
Graeme Thomas
Martin Thompson
Timothy Lawrence
Ed Garrett-Jones
Helen Grayson (Exp)
Graham Harding
Joanne Hiley
Mark Hollingsworth
John Howell
David Brook
Joyce Cansfield (Exp)
Moira Conway
David Delicata
Chris Fenwick
Ken Heaton
Margaret Rogers
Noel Turner (Exp)
Graham Wakefield
Chris Davison
Gary Fox
Shane O’Neill
David White
Ricky Zinger
Mark Lane
Donna Stanton
Kate Surtees
Kevin Synnott
Paul Bassett
Alan Buckley
Elisabeth Jardine
Donald MacLeod
Christine McKenzie
Mike O’Rourke
Matthew Pinner
Malcolm Quirie
Alan Childs
Pauline Johnson
Brian Jones
Georgina Lawson
156
156
156
155
155
155
155
155
155
155
155
155
155
155
155
154
153
153
153
153
153
153
153
153
153
152
152
152
152
152
152
152
152
152
152
152
152
151
151
151
151
151
151
151
150
150
150
150
150
150
150
150
00837
00299
00235
00252
00242
00121
01164
00986
00480
01123
00631
00657
00999
00534
00789
00024
00465
00331
00408
00476
00574
00124
00488
00609
00267
01019
00020
00555
00885
00094
00838
00713
00135
00016
00810
00978
00089
00852
00406
01051
00655
00100
Peter Liggett
Les Nyman
Martin Reed
Steve Balment
Ralph Gibbs
Sheila Green
Debbie Heaton
Karl Kwiatkowski
Robert Pells
Anne Ramsay
Chrystal Rose
Alison Sadler
Angela Swain
Frances Ure
Karen Willis
Kay McColgan
Caroline Atkins
Alan Bailey
Angela Evans
Christina French
Davina Galloway
Thomas Mensah
Nuala O’Rourke
David Shenkin
Amy Willcox
Simon Carter
Alan Catherall
Ivy Dixon-Baird
Iain Harley
Marion Keatings
Bob Lynn
Graham Maker
Lynne Murphy
Janet Phillips
Raymond Tate
Malcolm Wearn
Rachelle Winer
Tony Bearn
Eddy Breed
Theresa Cole
Trish Johnson
David Meadows
Maureen Rayson
Linda Vickers
Andy Becher
Margaret Bright
Maureen
Chamberlain
Loz Crouch
Moya Dewar
Elizabeth Hull
Mary Jones
David Lawton
150
150
150
150
150
149
149
149
149
149
149
148
148
148
148
148
148
148
148
148
147
147
147
147
146
146
146
146
146
146
146
146
146
145
145
145
145
145
145
145
145
145
145
145
145
145
145
145
144
144
144
144
144
00035 Lois McLeod
Eileen Meghen
00760 Sanmi Odelana
Carole Rison
00272 Ivan Swallow
00914 Vincent Boyle
00835 Maurice Brown
00087 Peter Dean
00329 Heather Frankland
00086 Frankie Mairey
00422 Carol Stanley
01010 Tolani Ayo-Awojobi
John Balloch
00254 Ian Burn
01243 Doj Graham
00161 Margaret Pritchett
Alastair Richards
00790 Margaret Staunton
00589 Anne Steward
00489 Tom Wilson
Oluyemi Adesiyan
00003 Laura Finley
00537 Carol Malkin
Fran Thompson
00051 Cathy Anderson
00688 Lorraine Gordon
01044 Paul Howard
00507 Kathryn Le Grove
00150 David Longley
Alec Robertson
00470 Norman Smith
00870 Jean Swallow
Pam Titheradge
00635 Philip Aldous
00738 Margaret Armstrong
Martin Bloomberg
00369 Brian Bull
00395 Pat Colling
00755 Carmen Dolan
00092 Priscilla Encarnacion
00544 Marjory Flight
00967 Gerard Fox
Terry Jones
00997 Phil Kelly
Martin Leverton
Helen Mitchell
01102 Paul (Sale) Richards
00636 David Williams
01197 Christian Brown
Moby Cook
01211 Ian Coventry
00920 Eleanor Dobson
01242 John Garcia
12
144
144
144
144
144
144
144
144
143
143
143
143
143
143
143
143
142
142
142
142
142
142
142
142
142
142
142
142
141
141
141
141
141
141
141
141
141
141
140
140
140
140
140
140
140
140
140
140
140
139
139
139
00804
00215
00996
00632
00099
00037
01120
00469
00863
00624
00228
00066
00717
00840
00523
00875
00707
01097
00845
00399
00732
00933
00339
00335
01012
00829
00587
00080
00943
00096
01092
00231
00120
00028
00152
00919
01145
00923
Tim Hebbes
Debbie Holloway
Wendy Lindridge
Mary Oram
Jean Rappitt
Kenneth Ross
Carol (Norwich)
Smith
Josef Thompson
Liz Allen
Anand Buddhdev
Tony Davis
Marta Dunsire
David Ellis
Kay Powick
Lesley Watson
Mandy Weatherill
Adrienne Berger
Sue Bowman
Jean Bridge
Graham Buckingham
Rhoda Gray
Kate Leckie
Jim Lyes
Gwynfor Owen
Ronnie Reid
Paul (Australia)
Richards
Lesley Trotter
Judy Wearn
Louise Brundell
Wanda De Poitiers
Ann Golding
Peter Hunt
Robert Johnston
Keith King
Helen Latchem
Brenda Margereson
Kim Phipps
Maria Thomson
Mary Allen
Carol Arthurton
Diana Beasley
Heather Burnet
Edelle Crane
James Crooks
Alan Guy
Kate McNulty
Lorna Rapley
Marjorie Smith
Peter Thomas
Peter Darby
Teresa Hill
Sheila Hinett
139
139
139
139
138
138
138
138
138
138
138
138
138
137
137
137
137
136
136
136
136
136
136
136
136
136
136
135
135
135
135
135
135
134
134
134
134
134
134
134
134
134
133
133
133
133
133
133
133
133
00547 Tess McCarthy
01270 Len Moir
Annette Tinning
Brian Watson
Alasdair Dowling
00163 Yvonne Eade
Patricia Fenn
01203 Greg Kelly
00656 Huw Morgan
00932 Jill Parker
00029 Marlene Skinner
00546 Joyce Squire
01320 Rita Todd
00157 Eileen (LSL) Anderson
00904 George Newman
00729 Kathy Swan
01057 Mike Whiteoak
00511 Samantha Beckwith
Joe Caruana
00223 June Edwards
01035 Andy Gray
01067 Gavin Holmes
Helen Jones
00802 Patricia Pay
01287 Stuart Solomons
00876 Evelyn Wallace
00775 Pat Wheeler
00856 Minu Anderson
00603 Linda Bradford
00565 Ann Coleman
00668 Ceridwen Davies
01172 Alastair Ives
00077 Joy Lloyd
00330 Viv Beckmann
Chris Downer
01192 Pat Heffernan
Nola Marrow
00938 Helen Polhill
Barbara Shammas
00291 Sylvia Swaney
00136 Jan Turner
Richard Woodward
Aaron Bell
01210 Graham Bonham
00822 Jill Bright
00238 Margaret Burdon
Garry Clark
Barbara Dein
01265 Joy Fox
Maureen GreeningSteer
133 00608 Sandra Hoffland
133 00798 Peter Lindeck
133 00698 Malcolm Roberts
132
Sheila (Perth)
Anderson
132 00776 Peter Hall
132 01125 Andrew Hart
132 00715 Barbara Hill
132 00401 Sharon Landau
132 01292 Bryn Packer
132
Jo Ramjane
132
Evan Terrett
132 01206 Sarah Wilks
131
Eryl Barker
131 00257 Syd Berger
131 00107 Joan Caws
131 01217 Carolyn Emery
131
Pam Fairless
131 00641 Norma Galley
131 01282 Barbara Goodban
131 01115 Nick Jenkins
131 01110 Pamela Kikumu
131 01053 Stephen Wintle
130 01179 Janet Adams
130 00419 Michael Baxendale
130 00557 Janice Bease
130
Janet Braund
130 00138 Rita Brookes
130 01005 Verity Cross
130 01025 Marion Kirk
130 00690 Maureen Reynolds
130 00634 Edith Smith
130 00582 Angela Spilsbury
129 00512 Etta Alexander
129 01301 Richard Blakeway
129 00166 Beryl Brown
129
Ann Davidson
129 00896 Chris Dossett
129 00442 Agnes Gunn
129 00298 Mavis Harding
129 00341 Mike Holland
129 00263 Sheila Jolliffe
129 01066 Barbara Morris
129 00443 Ann Pitblado
129
Susan Skirving
129 00036 Dorothy Taylor
129 00637 Val Wright
129
Margaret Yeadon
128 00922 Barbara Allen
128 00427 Peter Ashurst
128 00518 Eileen Basham
128
Linda Bird
128 00767 Kathy Bullen
128
Val Couzens
128 00964 Phyllis Fernandez
13
128
128
128
128
128
128
128
128
128
128
128
127
127
127
127
127
127
127
127
127
127
127
126
126
126
126
126
126
126
126
126
126
126
126
126
126
125
125
125
125
125
125
125
125
125
125
124
124
124
124
124
124
00475 Jill Fisher
Paul Heasman
00032 Ron Hendra
00886 Ruth Marsden
00626 Martha Mitchell
Julie Nelkon
00960 Mary Siggers
Paul Steadman
00246 Wendy Tiley
Sheila Wall
00864 Margaret White
00110 Liz Barber
00924 Linda Barratt
Harry Beckett
Stella Brown
Jean Carter
Jean Crowder
Jean Dymock
00320 Fay Madeley
00616 Gertie Roberts
00248 Jean (Cardiff)
Williams
Margaret Williams
00977 Gail Allen
01158 Wasinee Beech
00735 Hilary Birdsall
01182 David Carrod
Eileen Douglas
00347 Kathleen Higgins
Medina Hull
01007 Margaret Irons
01050 Yvonne McKeon
Marc Meakin
Gerry Pearce
00085 Derrick Thorne
00606 Teena Walls
00356 Pamela Windsor
Melanie Beaumont
Pat Broderick
00543 Winnie Buik
00915 Shirley Chidwick
01088 Malcolm (Luton)
Graham
00663 Linda Hillard
00858 May Macdonald
00204 Michael Partner
Isla Wilkie
01175 Rosalind Wilson
00849 John Ball
Noel Barnes
00982 Ron Bucknell
00903 Heather Cruickshank
00402 Sally Fiszman
01281 Simon Francis
124
124
124
124
124
124
124
124
124
124
00570
00381
01257
00625
123
123
123
123
123
123
123
123
123
123
122
122
122
122
122
122
121
121
121
121
121
121
121
121
121
121
121
121
121
121
120
120
120
120
120
120
120
120
120
119
119
119
119
00898
00995
00899
00539
01312
00975
00236
01003
00572
00385
00826
01279
01049
00305
00156
00921
00142
01131
01294
00993
00682
01020
00992
00405
00868
00737
00911
00709
00854
00948
Jean Gallacher
Michael Harley
Mary Hopwood
John Mitchell
Miri Purse
David Reading
Brenda Rodwell
Carol Sienkiewicz
Janet Southworth
Gill (Taunton)
Thompson
Alistair Baker
Nicholas Baker
Jake Berliner
Jennifer Clifford
Lynn Giles
Marjorie Gillott
Jill Harrison
Jacquie Johnstone
Hazel Parker
Sheena Wilson
Sue Ball
Linda Beard
Val Hoskings
Ken Quarshie
Elizabeth Terry
Ben Wilson
Maureen Austin
Ken Bird
Doreen Blake
Georgina Cook
Dorothy Dean
Marie English
Shirley Heal
Jane Lowndes
Mary Shaw
Stan Skinner
Russell Smith
Rose Spencer
Christine Strawbridge
Cyndy Walker-Firth
Bobbie Bennett
Janet Bonham
Derek Bower
Geoff Cooper
Peter Ernest
Joyce Gershon
Christine Gillespie
Margaret Harkness
Marie Perry
Betty Benton
Joseph Doku
Ann Fiddler
Eileen Foster
119
119
119
119
119
119
119
119
119
119
118
118
118
118
118
118
118
118
118
118
118
117
117
117
117
117
117
117
117
117
117
117
117
117
117
116
116
116
116
116
116
116
116
116
115
115
115
115
115
115
115
114
114
Pat Friend
01225 Lena Glass
Doug Hill
Geoff Howe
00724 Stuart May
Angela Mort
00452 Peter Sime
Sonia Temple
00645 June Wilson
Rosemary Wood
Elizabeth Allen
01308 Mary Brown
00106 Ian Caws
00722 June Clark
01340 Paula Docherty
Brenda Northcott
00477 Malcolm Shaw
01343 Doris Street
00052 Martin Summers
Jo Tebbutt
01149 Jim Wilkie
Melanie Aked
Kate Boutinot
00327 Jessie Brown
Martin Byrne
Lorna Franks
00753 Janet Hamilton
Sheila Jeffery
00736 Molly Lane
Janet Milford
Jean Owen
Joan Price
Helen Rees
01169 Yvonne Templeton
Maureen Underdown
00527 Dorothy Churcher
Rhian Lewis
Norman Partridge
00972 Denise Saxton
Willie Scott
Peter Slack
00190 Edith Tempest
00844 Jan Vokes-Taylor
00436 Irene Woolley
Anne Backley
David French
01238 Juliet Green
00759 John Harrison
01054 Barbara Lukey
Helen Morris
00169 Sue Thompson
01142 Doreen Acton
00743 Nora Bain
14
114
John Brown
114
Gwyneth Cox
114 01359 Philippa CroslandTaylor
114
June Faulkner
114
Marjorie Gardner
114
Kathy Gibbons
114 01331 Carol Grant
114
Roma Hollingworth
114 01146 Leonora Hutton
114 01113 Christabel Jackson
114
Barbara Kent
114 00806 Miriam Moss
114 00184 Celia Osborn
114 00782 Richard Pajak
114
Olivia Patton
114 01013 Joan Rees
114
Gwen Roberts
114
Joanna Skirving
113 00633 Jean Bakewell
113
Jean Buckley
113 00513 Florence Davies
113
Joan Ellis
113 00640 Daphne Fletcher
113 00128 Vera Flood
113
Margaret Herbert
113 00374 Joy Hodge
113
June Lowrie
113 00211 Philippa Morris
113 01089 Vivienne Newman
113
Joy Reason
113 00851 Sheila Smith
113
Monica Stockwell
112 01063 Irene Atkinson
112
Don Beavis
112 01207 Hannah Corbett
112
Helen Cowie
112 00030 Ruby Flood
112 00414 Jill Jones
112 00752 Peter Kelly
112
June Lindridge
112 01100 Stuart Ross
112
Kathleen Ward
111
Eileen (Reading)
Anderson
111
Lyn Brookes
111
Irene Catherall
111
Marjorie Hislop
111 00486 Marjorie Lefley
111 00833 Judy Monger
111
Dennis Nelson
111 01365 Christina Pace
111 01159 Vivienne Plewes
111 00451 Vera Sime
111
Isobel Smith
111
Val Stewart
110 01259 Sheila (Romford)
Anderson
110
Margaret Bigg
110
Sheila Booth-Millard
110 00894 Owen Clarke
110
Marlene Diskin
110
Eve Dwyer
110
Wilf Gibbons
110 00934 Joyce Jarvis
110 01136 Ted Lewis
110 00970 Sheila Miller
110 01215 Mary Morgan
110 01231 David Steel
110
Sheila Szzvanowski
110
Julie Tate
110 01271 Claudia Wiseman
110
Judy Young
109 00474 Eileen Bradshaw
109 00533 Barbara Grant
109 01077 Marian Hamer
109 01199 Richard Hitchcock
109 00638 Joan Lawrence
109
Rosalyn Lishak
109
Helen Sandler
109
Shirley Scoberg
109 01071 Barbara Solomon
109 01273 Peter Winnick
108 00771 Sylvia Baldock
108
Beryl Browner
108 00526 Keith Churcher
108 00415 Marjorie Garrett
108 00132 Lorna Llewellyn
108
Paul Moorefield
107
Joy Hewgill
107 01311 Isabelle McLean
107
Doreen Morris
107
Sheila Tutt
106 00761 Mary Adams
106 01002 Margaret Boyd
106
Sue Bullock
106 00758 Kathy Carson
106
Tricia Cooper
106
Barbara Etheridge
106 01181 Sue Ison
106 01112 Peter Johnson
106 00791 Rosemary Jordan
106
Ann McDonnell
106 00954 Dorothy Pearson
106
Jane Weston
105 00951 Bill Anderson
105 00953 Peter Bailey
105
105
105
105
105
105
105
104
104
104
104
104
103
103
103
103
103
103
103
103
103
103
102
102
102
102
102
102
102
102
102
102
102
102
101
101
101
101
101
101
101
101
101
101
101
101
101
100
100
100
100
100
100
00384 Mabel Choularton
01027 Margaret Firmston
Stephen Lally
01080 Margaret Mitchell
00976 Adrian Noller
Fuad Shammas
01339 Carole Wheatley
00877 Shirley Cave
Eve Conlon
Rona Falconer
Margaret Mills
01189 Martin Taylor
Madelaine Baker
Beverley Burgess
00725 Paul Cartman
00941 Audrey Harvey
Jenny Jaques
00357 Jean Shaw
00485 Ann Toft
Jack Waley-Cohen
Jacqui White
00671 Chris Wide
00827 Ann Clark
00928 Iris Cornish
Rona Dryden
01034 Elsie Edwards
Olive Holroyd
01299 Rosemarie Howis
01183 Priscilla Munday
Esme Norris
00569 Connie Riach
00083 Pat Rockley
Josie Rogers
Amy Vye
00726 Christine Cartman
Marie Davie
Peter Edwards
00980 Margaret Greenyer
00799 Cindy Hollyer
01103 Hilda Hudspeth
00684 Mary Keevy
Margaret Lowrie
Margaret Macdonald
Patrice McCarry
Beryl Shoesmith
01341 Pamela Sparkes
01171 Susan Thorne
01056 Helen Aley
Pat Burgess
01015 Reg Dendy
00683 Mavis Ernest
Joan Everitt
Angela Garrard
15
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
99
99
99
99
99
99
99
99
99
99
98
98
98
98
98
98
98
98
98
98
98
98
97
97
97
97
97
97
97
97
96
96
96
96
96
96
96
96
95
95
95
95
01119
00578
00917
01317
00947
01261
00778
01009
00692
01099
01038
00985
00410
01064
00193
01263
00935
01081
00927
00946
01118
00818
01226
01235
01306
Paul Harding
Magda Norris
Anne Partridge
Susan Richardson
Ian Smith
Winifred Smith
Nicola Staunton
Marjorie Struggles
Sarah Taylor
Jessie Tollick
Geoff Waters
Douglas Emmott
Jean Fothergill
Jo Holland
Gwen Linfoot
Mollie Moran
Mark Murray
Jenny Sakamoto
Margaret Seabrook
Heather Stevens
Alice Tozeland
Jacquie Aldous
Maureen Barlow
Alex Beckmann
Carmen Borg
Myra Copleston
Les Costin
June Johnstone
Sandy McLeod
Christine Nicholson
Anne Richards
Christine Spicer
Sonja Wyld
Barbara Barker
Alan Everitt
Gerry Gleeson
Fay Goble
Yoke Shin
Beryl Trace
Ian Whyte
Su Williams
Anna Blakey
Audrey Medhurst
Sheila Reeve
Remie Salazar
Betty Simmonds
Hazel Smith
Rose Wall
Elisabeth Williams
Rita Barton
Peter Beales
Margaret Emmott
Joan Johns
01185 Lyndon Johnson
01134 Dorothy Kemlicz
01218 Terry Masterson
Peggy Moore
Alice Nadin
01030 Derek Neath
01237 Dorn Osborne
01174 Peter Trembath
Jean-Iris Williams
01168 Brian Beaumont
Ruth Binding
00889 Richard Brookes
Prue Buckingham
00563 Fred Burford
01248 Margaret Coleman
Cecilia Cotton
01262 Ginny Dixon
Jan Gibson
Rose Lawson
01285 Susan Paton
00119 Mary Ralfs
00564 Jean Stevens
00376 Claire Violett
01144 Chris Chapman
Joyce Frost
01148 Renee Gilbert
01052 Barbara Haggett
01073 Jenny Harris
Patricia Holmes
Anne Lawton
01219 Jean Masterson
Winifred Stitt
Richard Tempest
01314 Evelyn Wansbrough
01076 Marianne Ward
Christine Watkins
01258 Anne Wilkins
Judy Beales
01039 Dorothy Edwards
01305 Jason Goddard
Agnes Gray
John Macdonald
01114 Barbara McLaren
01304 Linda Moir
Les Searle
01280 Moreen Shillitoe
01008 Yvonne Goodridge
Jean Jacobs
Sheila Johnston
00900 Amabel Winter
00359 Vera Allen
Bernard Bruno
01298 Helga Farrow
90
90
90
89
89
89
89
89
89
89
89
88
88
88
88
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88
88
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87
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86
86
86
85
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84
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84
84
84
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83
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83
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82
81
81
81
81
81
01001 Jean Greenland
Lionel Howard
Kitty Reid
Mike Adsetts
01289 Kerry Constant
01200 Caroline Elliott
Joan Hughes
01165 Mandy Isaac
Audrey Jackson
00153 Mary Lindsay
01267 Margot Montgomery
01104 Hazel Brannan
Doreen Coleman
Steve Davie
00783 Barrie Hall
Baldip Kaur
01176 Gordon Lamb
Barbara Pinto
00253 Peter Shuttlewood
00031 Norah Thompson
Dorothy Black
01137 Beroze Mody
01233 Joan Garlick
Iris Grover
01251 Jill Russell
00290 May Gray
01260 Zoe Marlowe
Olive Matthew
01141 Michael Murray
00871 Fergus Williams
00908 Ted Anderson
Chris Baker
00517 Peter Basham
Florence Connell
Mary Craddock
01188 Evelyn Mankelow
00828 Moira Metcalf
Maria Raffaelli
Doreen Searles
01275 Jo Calvert-Mindell
Frank Goodier
Winnie Haston
Eileen Johnson
Doris Mackay
00583 Joan Murphy
Nicholas Robertson
Helen Thompson
Monica Urquhart
Elsie Brown
Joyce Caruth
Moira Mackintosh
01068 Lionel Millmore
Carol Russell
16
81
80
80
80
80
80
79
79
79
78
78
78
78
77
77
77
76
76
76
76
75
75
74
74
73
72
72
71
71
71
71
71
70
70
69
67
66
65
64
62
59
59
53
00541
01309
01229
00830
01324
01028
01143
01234
01288
01247
01086
00314
00131
01205
01069
01334
00998
01284
01290
01253
01252
00949
Reg Wiseman
Pamela Brown
Brenda Burdett
Eileen Hunter
Sheila Stanton
Bobby Wright
Margaret Jaggs
Peggy Lavender
Peter Munt
Letty Burrell
Jean Ross
Jane Thomas
Millie Ward
Ena Harding
Helen Jankowski
Vanw Lloyd
Teresa Haycock
Edna Lindeck
Margaret Regan
Pat Sinclair
Elizabeth Mustard
Margaret Webb
Norma Clunas
Dorothy Henry
Jessie Chisholm
Sheila Marshall
Nancy Yorkston
Marcia Davies
Betty Meazey
Margaret Scott
Patrick Teague
Alec West
Olive Smith
Carl Szzvanowski
Catherine McMillan
Jean Hendrick
Margaret Hallin
Helen Tegg
Mary Kennedy
Philip Turner
Ruth Turner
Barbara Yeaman
Barbara Horlock
EDGEWAYS
95
95
95
95
95
95
95
95
95
94
94
94
94
94
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94
94
94
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94
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91
91
90
90
90
Part XXVI
Compiled by David Sutton
(Puzzle solutions on inside back cover)
In celebration of one hundred editions of The Last Word
here are some words related to the concept of 100.
Not surprisingly, many currencies find it convenient to work in hundreds. For example,
there are 100 CENTIMES to the French FRANC. There are 100 PFENNIGE (or PFENNIGS)
to the German MARK. There are 100 COPECKS (or KOPECKS) to the Russian ROUBLE.
There are 100 PAISAS to the Indian RUPEE (or in Nepal 100 PICE). There are 100 NGWEE
to the Nigerian KWACHA. There are 100 QINDARS (or QINDARKA) to the Albanian LEK.
(QINDAR can also be spelt QUINTAR or QINTAR). And there are 100 STOTINKI (singular
STOTINKA) to the Bulgarian LEV.
For other units, we have for example a CENTAL, a weight of one hundred pounds
avoirdupois. We have a CENTARE (or CENTIARE), which is the hundredth part of an ARE,
or one square metre; a HECTARE, by contrast, is 100 ARES, or 10000 square metres.
As far as straight counting goes, the Hindu have a special word LAKH for one hundred
thousand, and another special word CRORE for a one hundred LAKHS, or ten million. And
let us not forget our own GOOGOL, which is 1 followed by 100 zeroes.
Then there are the territorial divisions. In ancient Wales, a CANTRED (or CANTREF) was
a district comprising 100 villages, from the Welsh cant, hundred + tref, town. In England,
of course, we have the HUNDRED, an old division of a county supposed to contain a
hundred families; someone who lived in a HUNDRED was called a HUNDREDER or
HUNDREDOR. Incidentally, the equivalent of a HUNDRED in the northern counties was
a WAPENTAKE.
The Italians have given us five special words for centuries, used particularly in the context
of Italian art. These are DUECENTO, TRECENTO, QUATTROCENTO, CINQUECENTO
and SEICENTO, corresponding to our 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. The words
literally mean two hundred, three hundred etc. I don’t know why they start the numbering
from year 1000, but at least their twelfth century is the century where the years start with
twelve, which seems more logical than our way.
Finally a few classical words. The CENTUM languages is the group of Indo-European
languages in which an original palatal consonant appears as a guttural sound, as in
centum, the Latin word for 100, in contrast to the SATEM languages in which an original
palatal consonant developed as a sibilant. In ancient Rome, a CENTUMVIR (pl.
CENTUMVIRI) was one of a court of one hundred judges (a CENTUMVIRATE) chosen to
try civil suits. And finally, a HECATOMB is a great public sacrifice, originally of exactly one
hundred animals, from Greek hekaton, hundred, + bous, ox.
17
Author! Author!
Whatever you may think of
Kipling’s politics, he was a writer
of great craft and power, and
nowhere more so to my mind
than in ‘Kim’, his wonderful
novel of life in India at the
time of the Raj, seen from the
underside. This also happens
to be crammed with words
of Indian life of considerable
interest to the Scrabble player,
and a selection of these are presented below.
Rudyard Kipling
BHISTI an Indian water-carrier (like Gunga Din in Kipling’s poem). Also BHISTIE,
BHISTEE, BHEESTY, BHEESTIE.
CHELA Kim styles himself the Lama’s chela: a chela is a novice in Buddhism, the
disciple of a religious teacher. In this sense, the plural is CHELAS. There is an
unrelated word CHELA from the Latin, meaning the claw of an arthropod, which has
plural CHELAE.
KOSS ‘Three koss to the westward runs the great road to Calcutta’. A KOSS (or COSS)
was a measure of about 1 3/4 miles.
SIRKAR the state or government; the authorities. Also SIRCAR.
JAGHIR ‘I also have my jaghir from the hands of the state’, says a retired old soldier. A
JAGHIR (also spelt JAGHIRE or JAGIR) was the government revenues from a tract of
land, granted to such as retired military men. Its holder was called a JAGHIRDAR.
BUNNIA Coming and going on the Great Road were ‘bankers and tinkers, barbers and
bunnias, pilgrims and potters’. A BUNNIA (or BUNIA) is a Hindu merchant.
SERAI Kim and the Lama join a serai (in full caravanserai), a company travelling together
for security. This is also referred to by the Arabic term KAFILA (also CAFFILA or
CAFILA).
ZEMINDAR Kim teases the old lady of the serai by repeating a bazaar rumour that the
hill rajahs of her country sell the comeliest of their womenfolk to zemindars. A
zemindar was a tax-farmer, responsible for collecting the revenues from the actual
cultivators, and as such not a popular figure. Another form is ZAMINDAR, and the
system of land-tenure involving zemindars is ZEMINDARI or ZEMINDARY (or
ZAMINDARI/ZAMINDARY). I had long planned that if ever anyone chanced to put
down ZEMINDAR against me, I was going to hook an -I or -Y on to it with a great air
of ‘You needn’t think you can intimidate me with your fancy words’. Needless to say,
the one time it actually happened I had neither an I nor a Y on my rack, nor got one
for the rest of the game.
SHRADDHA The old lady says she is going to a holy place to make shraddha for the
father of my children. SHRADDHA (or SRADDHA) is an offering to the manes of an
ancestor.
ZENANA a passing Englishman chaffs the old lady suggesting that her behaviour would
not be approved off in the zenanas.
A ZENANA is the part of a house where a
high-caste Urdu woman is secluded.
PULTON an Indian infantry regiment. Also
PULTAN, PULTUN or PULTOON.
PUNKAH A kind of palm leaf fan. Also
PUNKA.
TONGA ‘The incessant twanging of the tongahorns’ - a TONGA is a light two-wheeled
vehicle.
JAMPAN A sedan chair. Its bearer is a JAMPANI
or JAMPANEE.
JATAKA The lama uses the injunction ‘Listen to
the jataka!’. A JATAKA is a nativity story, in
particular the birth-story of Buddha.
LATHI This is a stout stick used in India as a
weapon: Kipling describes it as ‘a five-foot
male bamboo ringed with bands of
polished iron’
Meet My Twin
Spot The Phoney!
Many common seven-letter words have exactly one somewhat less common anagram.
Being aware of such alternatives can help you in those all-too-frequent situations where
finding a bonus is one thing, but finding a bonus that fits is quite another. Practise by
finding the common anagrams of these less common sevens..
A surprising number of common adjectives in OSWI can take the suffix -ISH. But by no
means all of them can. Which of the following look to you definitely phoneyish? Or do
I mean phoneyish*?
SPANDEX
MORENDO
OCELOTS
TUBULIN
WEAKISH
CHEAPISH
BLUNTISH
CROSSISH
SOYMILK
DOGBANE
SPHENIC
REBOZOS
PERLITE
AMILDAR
BELGARD
MONOECY
18
FELTIER
DESMANS
PHASMID
MEGILPS
PLOATED
SARSDEN
SYNTAGM
STRUMAE
TALLISH
GOODISH
HARDISH
HAPPYISH
STRONGISH
BADDISH
MAUVEISH
BRIGHTISH
19
SHORTISH
BALDISH
PURPLISH
DIMMISH
DEARISH
FEEBLISH
ORANGEISH
KINDISH
Anagrid:
The Five-Minute Anagram Challenge
1a
Below are four sets of anagrams, presented in ascending order of difficulty based partly
on the likely familiarity of the words and partly on the nature of their ‘pattern’. Each
anagram has a unique solution. It is suggested that full marks in set A corresponds to an
ABSP rating of around 125; in set B to 150; in set C to 175; and in set D to 200, though
of course people differ in their vocabularies and anagramming skills so any such
categorisation can only be loose and intuitive. Give yourself five minutes for the chosen
set. Of course, by all means try the harder sets, but don’t be discouraged if the going gets
tough!
A.
B.
C.
MUDREAR
RELAMED
HOOTLED
CUTLEET
CHINEMA
YARRBIL
TCHARCS
BAUERUS
POTSKED
BOLTENS
INFARER
NIPTATE
CLARTYS
LOWDECK
WILYRED
GURREYS
GLOSPED
ONFARER
GALGONE
APRONES
PARFLES
BONGIES
DAYSEVE
LEMSTYR
DRICKER
GODDLES
YARDISM
BIRLIES
BOGBIES
PANTOES
IOSSSTT
HORAGES
NICKIES
WETDISH
KARROES
BUMDIET
REDSWIM
UPCHOISE
KEYSPEAK
ACCCEIIPV
Y
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
k
l
m
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
D.
11
12
Deer Oh Deer
How well do you know your Cervidae? Here are the names of twelve members of the
deer family, some common, some less so. How many can you complete?
13
14
P**U
M**T**C
W*P**I
CH***L
S**BH**
**KA
B*R*****HA
C***B*U
M***E
**K
WH***T**L
C*R***OU
Curio Corner
There are five rather curious words in OSWI which are Latin past tenses used in the
context of works of art or craft, and which need some care because they are indeclinable
i.e. take no -S hook. They are:
EXCUDIT (he or she) struck, hammered, forged or printed (this).
FECIT (he or she) made (this).
INVENIT (he or she) discovered (this).
PINXIT (he or she) painted (this).
SCULPSIT (he or she) sculpted (this).
Various other Latin pasts in -IT are also included in the Scrabble lexicon, e.g. ASSUMPSIT,
ELEGIT, DIXIT, OBIIT, FLORUIT, but with the exception of OBIIT (died) these have been
adopted as nouns and so can take an -S hook. FLORUIT (flourished) can even be fully
declined as a verb in its own right meaning ‘to be alive at a given time’, hence FLORUITS,
FLORUITED and FLORUITING. Cicero must be turning in his grave.
20
15
Horizontal Clues:
1. DECEPLY - GROOBS
2. 3. GAYLENS - KOIMOON
4. 5. SCITIND - LENKOLD
6. 7. NEIGHSYND - OCRAT
8. 9. VULVY - ASSAILENS
10. 11. RUTTLER - VISQUIT
12. 13. MISROID - ISCECIL
14. 15. RUSTST - GAALEST
Vertical Clues:
a. DILUTEYE
b. GRYNICS
c. VOTEPORRH
d. GELIATE
e. OKERILY
f. DEJECTE
g. UNIORGASM
h. i. BAKERCOGS
j. VIGNAZI
k. ZHOMIAR
l. LAITINI
m. STEAMPOOL
n. TEEMESS
o. ISODROME
21
n
o
Multipack Monsters
Fancy Fours
We continue our quest to identify tricky sets of variations with the Scots word SKREIGH,
meaning to shriek or screech: ‘SKREIGH of day’ is cock-crow or daybreak. This has variants
as follows:
SKREIGH, SKRIEGH
SKRIECH
SKREEGH
SCREICH, SCRIECH
There are 5155 4-letter words in OSWI: most of us probably learn a good majority of them
early on in our Scrabble careers but then never quite get round to finishing the job, with
the result that we occasionally miss that nice little play down from the double-letter spot
on a triple row, or fail to find a vital outplay. Check your own four-letter power with the
following test, which features some of the less common fours. For each one, first solve the
anagram, then match it to the correct definition.
1.
2.
helb
bodo
____
____
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
doed
pygm
hoph
hork
thow
hupo
pilk
perl
uban
limu
imom
umpi
otum
trol
murt
poyo
nuxy
kuzo
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
SCREIGH
SCRAICH, SCRAIGH
Additionally there is SCRAUCH or SCRAUGH, which I understand to be similar but more
of a squawk than a screech: I’m sure your friendly neighbourhood Scot will be happy to
demonstrate the difference. For good measure let us throw in English dialect SCREAK,
which means to creak, and various obsolete English forms of SHRIEK, to wit: SHREEK,
SHREIK, SHRIECH, SHRITCH, SCRIKE and SCRITCH.
Remember that all the above are verbs, so master that lot and you’ve added 72 words to
your repertoire. In addition, SCREAK takes a Y, giving SCREAKY, SCREAKIER,
SCREAKIEST.
Note that SKREICH* and SCRIEGH* are NOT valid variants. Inevitably, these are the only
two that I personally am guaranteed to remember.
You Can Put An ‘S’ On That ?!
Continuing our series on words that we don’t
normally think of as being pluralisable, but which can
nonetheless take an -S. Here are some beginning with
D - H:
a. a small reef island in the Pacific.
b. a waxy, edible secretion produced on the leaves of certain
plant louse larvae.
c. a bird, the wryneck
d. an interjection representing a sobbing sound.
e. an oaf
f. a kind of seaweed
g. a troop
h. a small troublesome Brazilian biting fly.
i. to scallop, notch
j. (Spenser) hot
k. a dry watercourse
l. satirists, critics
m. a backless slipper
n. a unit of weight in some Middle Eastern countries
o. an expression of disgust
p. a style of Caribbean dance music.
q. an artificial rubber
r. a perennial, creeping grass of India
s. a kind of yam
t. a thorny Indian tree
Words In The Wild
DEAD
DISMAL
EDIBLE
ERRATA
FRAIL
GREW
DEER
DIVERSE
EAGER
FED
GAUNT
HARD
DEFUNCT
DRASTIC
ELEVATED
FICKLE
GIVEN
HIGHER
DEMURE
DRY
ENOUGH
FLEW
GLAD
HOMINES
DESPITE
DUG
ENTIRE
FOND
GRADUAL
HOTTER
Being a new feature in which we track down some of the rarer animals
in the OSWI menagerie to observe them in their native habitats.
In ‘King Lear’, Act 4, Scene 6, Edgar in disguise invites Goneril’s
steward to ‘try whether your costard or my ballow be the harder’.
BALLOW is an old word for a cudgel, and a useful front hook for
ALLOW. (There are eight other somewhat commoner front hooks for
ALLOW: can you list them?)
For ERRATAS we are indebted to our American friends, who are never ones to shrink
from pluralising a Latin word just because it’s already plural, and in this case I think
they have a point: ERRATAS meaning ‘sets of ERRATA’ seems fair enough.
COSTARD is a large ribbed apple, though here it is used as jocular slang for
the head. The word derives from Latin costa, rib (cf. COSTAL and COSTATE) and has no
connection with the CUSTARD apple, so called for its sweet yellow pulp. COSTARD is a
not totally obvious back hook for COSTAR.
22
23
THE FIRST TO LAST WORDS
Cryptogram
1
2
11
A Centenary Celebration Feature
3
4
12
7
17
12
3
21
1
5
9
8
10
5
5
13
14
17
10
3
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1
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23
7
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1
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3
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1
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3
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1
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3
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1
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3
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5
8
14
10
3
11
9
17
4
1
1
18
10
3
5
15
10
20
3
10
20
9
17
3
10
10
19
5
21
10
5
5
21
10
3
8
This is a special eight
-page feature to commemorate 100 issues of the ABSP
Magazine. The Committee would especially like to
ank
th Pete Finley and Andy
Davis for their contributions to this piece. Pete has taken time out to review
of the early magazines and Andy has collated suggestions for the top 25 S
moments of all time. I’ve included a brief tour of issues 24 to
, capturing
99
various highlights and landmarks, plus a chart depicting Committee teams ov
the years.
If you’re a long-established member then you might enjoy the trip down me
lane. If you’re a newer member then it will give you an insight into how the
ABSP has developed over the last 18 years. Enjoy!
Allan Simmons , ABSP Chairman
17
5
5
23
7
16
22
5
1
8
10
5
8
16
21
15
5
3
7
14
18
5
9
6
5
THE ABSP NEWSLETTER – THE EARLY YEARS
By Pete Finley
The early APSP newsletters (note the P) were a far cry from the professionally produced 48
booklets to which we have become accustomed in recent years. The first 23 issues were me
typewritten and duplicated sheets and issue 23 was actually the first to bear a number. Clive
wrote at the time, “The number is a rough estimate.” It was an accurate estimate.
The first four issues comprised only two sides of A4, though there were often separate
nclosures
e
such as entry forms, rating lists or AGM minutes. By late 1989 the newsletter had expanded
around ten sides of A4 though there were occasional shorter or longer issues. The size pea
fourteen sides before the first booklet format newslett
er, number 24, was produced in July 1992.
The first three issues were produced by Viraf Mehta, who was Chairman at the time. Openin
very first issue, in March/April 1988, Viraf wrote “ The main purpose of this Newsletter is to g
you an account of
what the present APSP committee have been doing on behalf of the Assoc
since its inception. It is also intended to provide you with an outline of our intended activities
months to come.” Viraf went on to detail achievements such as the develop
ment of the APSP
playing rules, tournament criteria, the rating system and the organisation of the first APSP
tournament at Durham. (The previous year’s BMSC having been organised by Philip Nelkon
the APSP was officially formed.) Viraf went on toport
re on publicity activity and announce the
dates of the BMSC and AGM. The first rating list, based on the 1987 BMSC, was also includ
with this issue, though only members’ ratings were published in those days.
The second issue saw the first attempt tovemo
the newsletter beyond an informative role, with
Viraf including a feature giving leading players’ opinions on the right plays for a selection of
opening racks.
The third issue included news of US player Robert Felt’s fourth place at the BMSC and
forts
the e
of Phil Appleby, Allan Simmons, Brian Sugar and Mark Nyman in the US Championship. A
significant enclosure was an order form for the first OSW, a major step forward.
24
Clive Spate took over production of the newsletter from issue 4, Viraf having
ned
retur
to India. This
issue included the following prophetic quote from Clive
– “The full rating list for both members a
non-members now comprises almost 250 names and the time must be approaching whereb
ratings can be used to operate divisions within
a tournament from the start of the tournament rat
than base divisions on the results of the first few games.” Clive also noted that Graeme Tho
also developing a Swiss
-pairing computer program which would be ready for Durham 1989. Th
first competition in an APSP newsletter was also included in this issue.
Clive continued to expand the scope of the newsletter, introducing more detailed tournamen
reports, endgame puzzles, readers’ letters and more. Issue 6 saw the start of a lengthy deba
whether ties should be split or not when players finished on the same number of wins, and if
what method should be used. At the time it was a hotly disputed subject, but, as we all know
are now routinely split and spread has become accepted as
andard
the st method. The same issue s
the first annotated game included in the newsletter.
Looking through these early issues, key moments stand out. Issues 10 and 11 announced th
publication of Graeme Thomas’s seven and eight letter anagram booklets,helped
which advance
word knowledge considerably. Issue 12 announced the first sponsored tournament
- at the soon
-tobe notorious Burstin Hotel in Folkestone. Issues 14 and 15 announced the launch of OSW2
staging of the first WSC. Issue 16 saw Mike Goldm
an start the complaints that would eventually
result in legal action and cost the APSP in the region of £15,000.
In 1992 the first APSP Handbook was published, the newsletter moved to a magazine forma
new era began. …..
A LIGHTNING TOUR OF SUBSEQUENT ISSUES
by Allan Simmons
Following from Pete’s piece on the early issues above, here are some of the highlights and
milestones from all the booklet
-style publications from issue 24 to the present day. The
-rated
top
player (TRP) and membership figures
t the
a time are mentioned throughout………..
1992> Issue 24: APSP ratings accuracy debated; Mark Nyman plays Scrabble in Thailand; P
Nelkon wins the NSC for the 4th time
.....Issue 25: over 300 members; TRP is 195 Gareth Willia
.....Issue 26: AGM - membership fee remains at £5
.....Issue 27: David Webb enters the scene at
Aylesbury, TRP still Gareth now 197.
1993> Issue 28: The 2nd WSC to be in New York; Russell Byers is TRP on 202; first Exeter
weekend with 19 games
.....Issue 29: Philip Nelkon joinsJW Spear; Phil Appleby wins the 2nd
matchplay Masters
.....Issue 30: membership now at 370; Folkestone Defence Fund (FDF) laun
to fund court case re Mike Goldman; Clive Spate is TRP on.....Issue
194 31: Allan Saldanha wins
NSC and becomes TRP on 194;
early discussion re replacing Premier in APSP
.....Issue 32: Nyman
wins WSC in New York.....Issue 33: Membership now £7.50; TRP still Saldanha on 195.
1994> Issue 34: Expert and GrandMaster titles under consideration; some players raising
possibility of dual dictionary (SOWPODS); Andrew Fisher is TRP on .....Issue
201
35: the great
April Fools’ Issue– members were encouraged to swop rating points for money
-off vouchers. The
address to write to was Dept APR/LF
-001, 2 Strange St, Tale, Portsmouth
– amazingly two letters
got through to Terry Hollington in response! 75% of members now own a .....Issue
clock 36:
offensive words are banned in North America in latest OSPD; membership now at 426; Fish
TRP on 197.....Issue 37: about 900 words axed when OSW
3 is published; membership at 450;
Clive Spate TRP on 196
.....Issue 38: Hartley Moorhouse becomes editor; Nyman comes 5th at
North American Open in Los Angeles; TRP Fisher/Spate on.....Issue
196 39: TRP is Spate on 197
1995> Issue 40: court date set for
Goldman case; Andrew Fisher takes over as Ratings Officer
now allowed in OSW3.....Issue 41: standard yellow cover which has stayed with the magazine
since; Mark Nyman is TRP on 198; John Grayson writes on possible penalties for incorrect
challenges.....Issue 42: Goldman– the verdict and relaunch of the FDF to pay APSP costs;
Grandmaster and Expert titles initiated; TRP is Nyman on.....Issue
200
43: TRP is Spate 199;
membership reaches 500 landmark
.....Issue 44: membership fee revised to £10
; Alan Saldanha
wins BMSC convincingly.....Issue 45: David Boys is new World Champion in London 1995.
1996> Issue 46: the magazine is still called ‘Newsletter’ and is going through a slim phase
.....Issue
47: BMSC 10th anniversary event; Spate still TRP
n 199
o .....Issue 48: TRP now Saldanha on 196
more and more event reports filling the pages; Andrew Fisher encourages a switch to SOW
tournaments.....Issue 49: Phil Appleby takes over as editor; David Acton arrives on the scene
196 but TRP still Sa
ldanha on 198.....Issue 50: a number of members start to communicate onli
via email.....Issue 51: Washington announced for 1997 WSC; more Endgames and Strategy
starting to appear.
1997> Issue 52: electronic timers appear on the scene; TRPaldanha
is S
205; computer simulation
starts to be discussed; Nick Deller’s first of a series of entertaining word list articles
.....Issue 53:
Lexpert comes on the scene
.....Issue 54: TRP still Saldanha 205
.....Issue 55: review of ratings
system initiated; N
igel Richards comes on the scene in New Zealand winning all 14 games at
event.....Issue 56: Speed Scrabble session at BMSC; Mark Nyman TRP on.....Issue
198 57: Joel
Sherman wins WSC in Washington; Andy Cook wins NSC; Premier ‘count
-up’ timers launchedto
bring affordable electronic clocks to players; SOWPODS debate raises its head again.
1998> Issue 58: shock news– NSC is cancelled in 1998; Phil Appleby becomes TRP on 201; n
of Mike Goldman’s death
.....Issue 59: Paul Golder steps in to rescue NSC;
the Saldanha TRP on
199; Committee Corner introduced
.....Issue 60: APSP questionnaire addresses key issues such
‘weighted rating system’, changing the name of the association to lose ‘Premier’; suggestion
included UK Scrabble Federation, as well he
as swop
t
of Premier to British; round turntable
Scrabble boards from USA and Far East start to appear
.....Issue 61: membership around 550;
Chambers announce they are looking at the prospect of a combined wordbook (OSW & OS
.....Issue 62: Helen Gipson wi
ns BMSC; new rolling weighted rating system to be implemented
Appleby TRP on 198.....Issue 63: 50th anniversary of Scrabble celebrated with gigantic game
played at Wembley Stadium; SOWPODS Conversion Kit published; a very young prodigy, A
Shin, appe
ars on the scene.
1999> Issue 64: APSP becomes the ABSP; Paul Golder takes over the reins as editor; new t
contributors established to give the magazine a more stable structure and content; Andrew
now TRP on 202.....Issue 65: 1999 WSC to beni Melbourne; a title for the Newsletter is sought
.....Issue 66: THE LAST WORD gets its title; Andy Davis becomes TRP on 205 after his Maste
victory .....Issue 67: Evan Simpson wins NSC; Japanese Scrabble gets a mention
.....Issue 68:
Andrew Perry is BMS
C champion (separate SOWPODS division as the move to double dicti
picks up); TRP Acton/Appleby on 197; OSW4 new words reviewed
.....Issue 69: Joel Wapnick
wins WSC in Melbourne; Steve Davis interviewed; TRP Brett Smitheram ties with Nyman on
2000> Issue 70: Paul Allan takes over as editor; first SOWPODS
-only event starts the year of
change; TRP now David Webb on 200
.....Issue 71: TRP Smitheram 199
.....Issue 72: The Way
Forward strategy launched re move to SOWPODS
.....Issue 73: publication of OSW International
announced by Chambers; TLW going through a lean period
.....Issue 74: Pete Finley takes over
from Graeme Thomas as chairman; Stewart Holden’s EDGEWAYS feature kicks
.....Issue
off 75:
David Acton becomes the first BMSC champion using OSWi;
TRP Webb/Smitheram on 200.
2001> Issue 76: Christina French takes over as TLW editor; noticeable improvements re grap
and pictures.....Issue 77: World Dictionary new words start to appear in word lists
.....Issue 78:
Membership 540; ABSP website nched;
lau
TRP Webb on 200; the first BEST knockout event
launched.....Issue 79: John Grayson takes over as new Ratings Officer
.....Issue 80: TRP Webb
jumps to 207.....Issue 81: Terry Hollington dies (APSP’s rating system founder); Word Freak
published andattracts media interest to tournament Scrabble.
2002> Issue 82: Across The Board strategy feature reintroduced by Phil Appleby
.....Issue 83:
BMSC moves from Nottingham Uni to Moat House; Brian Cappelletto wins Las Vegas WSC
.....Issue 84: American RobertFelt tops UK ratings at 204 ahead of Andy Davis on 202; all UK
events now playing to OSWi; Terry Hollington memorial trophy introduced for young/newer
players’ achievements; Austin Shin becomes the youngest ever division winner at 12 years
months.....Issue 85: Allan Simmons takes over as new Chairman; Alec Webb takes over as e
further improvements to quality, especially graphics and photos; Christina French’s Xtras fe
initiated .....Issue 86: membership now at 600; TRP is Fisher on 204;
mbership
me
fee increased
from £10 to £15 to remedy losses and invest in growth
.....Issue 87: Gyles Brandreth agrees to be
ABSP honorary President; TRP is Nyman on 205.
2003> Issue 88: NSC becomes a joint ABSP/Mattel organised event; Protiles, SamTimers, a
round boards become more common at tournaments; Committee news now available on w
.....Issue 89: Kuala Lumpur announced for 2003 World Championships; Ray Tate takes over
editor of Edgeways; Masters qualification cutoff now end of March each
r .....Issue
yea
90: ABSP
Committee objectives established for 2003
-2004; TRP now David Acton on 204
.....Issue 91: a
bumper 60 pages; Committee proposal to revise membership fee structures to encourage g
Membership at 620; Paul Allan now TRP on 205
.....Issue 92; Brett wins BMSC title; National
Scrabble Week launched; ABSP logowear launched; review panel set up to assist Ubisoft i
Scrabble 2004 product
.....Issue 93: a Thai wins the KL WSC; inaugural WESPA meeting in KL
TRP is Acton on 204.
2004> Issue 94: Harshan Lamabadusuriya wins NSC; shock news that Mattel are switching
Chambers to Collins; ABSP Dictionary Committee established to address
.....Issue
this 95: the
dictionary switch generates much correspondence; significant Chambers sponsorsh
ip for Masters
and BMSC announced
.....Issue 96: Fisher & Webb’s How to Win at Scrabble is published and
reviewed; TRP Appleby on 203
.....Issue 97: membership at 650 and rising; Collins to make
presentation at AGM; 2nd National Scrabble Week launched
.....Issue 98: Committee service
reward (meeting attendance fee) introduced along with TLW editorial fee; Nyman TRP on 2
Smitheram wins second BMSC in a row
.....Issue 99: membership reaches all time high of 720;
Adam Logan wins the 2004 BEST event innal
a fivs Mark Nyman and becomes TRP on 203.
2005> Issue 100: Alec Webb steps down as editor and a new team take- over
you can read all the
other news in this issue!
TOP 25 SCRABBLE MOMENTS
Compiled by Andy Davis
with contributions from
Pete Finley, Allan Simmons, Stewart Holden, Terry Kirk and Phil Appleby
You may be familiar with those TV programs, usually on channel 4, featuring top 10/50/100
movies, Christmas songs, etc. You name it, there's been a corresponding 'top 10' program
Except for Scrab
ble, that is. In order to redress the balance a little, I've compiled a list of
events/occurrences/moments that have become part of Scrabble legend, that Scrabble pla
talk about years after they have happened, or that have contributed hugely
ompetitive
to c Scrabble
as we know it today. Rather than trying to list the 'moments' in order of merit as is usual wit
polls, I've listed them in approximate date order. I'll leave it to you to decide which should b
number one Scrabble 'moment'all
of time.
❒ The birth of ONWORDS magazine - 1979
Onwords started off as a Postal Scrabble Clubazine
mag but in 1985 or thereabouts separated it
from the PSC to become the independent Scrabble enthusiasts' magazine, developing into
see today.
[Oddly enough, it was Allan who sentimentally included this one, though I don't disagree tha
deserves a mention in the top –
25Andy]
❒ Computer Scrabble - 1983
Remember the ZX Sinclair Spectrum? Then you may remember one of the first computeriz
Scrabble opponents (by PSION software) that preceded Maven,
-Gold's
US Scrabble and the like.
Sure, it hada limited vocabulary, took about 2 minutes to play its moves, and had no concep
rack balancing (except to save an S or blank if playing one only scored a point or two extra
could sure teach a novice a thing or two about maximizing scores
arallel
by p plays. I remember
being soundly beaten by it with great regularity in my youth
- AD
❒ The UK Guild of Wordmasters Event - 1986
Organised by Tom Finlay, the event offered £250 worth of cash prizes in defiance of the wis
JW Spear at the time.
Tom was subsequently taken to court by JWS and an injunction was obtained against his
involvement in the UK Scrabble scene. Although Tom lost that battle, the players won a diff
one. A plethora of bad publicity for JWS, and representations to the compan
y from players’
representatives led to the next special moment in this article, and the eventual demise
-score
of hi
Scrabble.
❒ The formation of the ABSP - 1987
The meeting that led to the formation of the ABSP, or APSP as it was then, took placeatinof
th
Spears Secretary Nick Stone. Nick, Leonard Hodge, Philip Nelkon, Viraf Mehta and Pete F
discussed a draft constitution prepared by Nick. Though it was some months before change
agreed and agreements finally signed in September that his
year,
was
t the moment when the ABS
really began.
❒ The first major Matchplay tournament – BMSC 1987
Terry Kirk recalls– "As a relatively new tournament player, I'd spent
-3 years
2
playing high
-score
tournaments where it was easy to be intimidated when playin
g experienced players who made it
plain when you made what they considered to be the wrong move.
The switch to Matchplay gave
the opportunity to play whatever move you liked without fear of opprobrium from across the
board."
❒ The creation of the APSP rating system by Terry Hollington - 1988
Terry used the data from the first BMSC in 1987 to start the system.
❒ Alfred Butts invents Scrabble - 1938
Prior to the ratings system and matchplay, divisional allocations tended to be by average sc
submitted by the players themselves or by reference
to highscore performances. There was no w
of truly measuring who were the best players. The simple fact of seeing one's rating rising o
is a huge incentive in itself to try to improve one's game.
Unemployed architect invents word game to try to make a buck in depression
-era USA. The rest, a
they say, is history.
❒ Publication of OSW - 1989
❒ Gyles Brandreth’s advert in the The Times, announcing the first NSC - 1971
TK – "Thank goodnessorf the end of the days when it was
important to know the track record of the word judge at a tournament before
playing a risky word.Having ANGARIES for 131 points disallowed still
rankles nearly 20 years later!"
Whatever one th
inks of Gyles, his politics, or even the questionable format that the NSC had
many years, this was without doubt a key moment in the history of Scrabble in the UK.
❒ The first World Scrabble Championship - 1991
❒ Helen Gipson becomes first female BMSC champ - 1998
Despite the dubious format and selection procedures, this was a quantum leap forward for
competitive Scrabble. It opened many people’s eyes to the global popularity of the game. B
Cappelletto’s semi
-final crushing of Joe Edley with his GOLDFISH
-timer
9 will live long in the
memory.
A hugely popular champion, Helen beats off the competition, including defending champion An
Davis, to become the first female winner of the BMSC with 14 wins, 2 ahead of the pack.
Other things remarkable about the first WSC
– the TV programs with Alan Coren and Darryl
Francis [if it wasn't for these, I might never have taken up competitive Scrabble
– AD], and, of
course, the final itself, featuri
ng possibly the most famous non
-word ever– Brian Cappelletto's
SMAIL* play, which almost certainly cost him the deciding game and the championship.
A top class site and one which shoul
d be in the 'Favourites' folder of every online Scrabble player
❒ Mike Goldman doesn't have enough time to go to the loo - Winter Matchplay 1991
Possibly British Scrabble's
darkest hour. Mr Goldman returned to the playing area following a
to the rest room to find the next round had started and his opponent had played a bonus. Th
subsequent tedious legal battles and hefty lawyers' fees need no reminder. Following
dict,
the ve
Mike was largely unheard from until his death.
A positive aspect of this affair was that it demonstrated how strong the movement was in ra
support and raising funds for the ABSP's costs.
❒ The appointment of Philip Nelkon as Leonard Hodge's replacement as
National Scrabble Clubs Co-ordinator - 1992
This announcement was made to the players at the East Berks tournament, and a huge che
response.The feeling of optimism that ran through the room was almost palpable.
❒ Di Dennis wins the Masters - 1992
This was the first Matchplay Masters tournament following the demise of the old high score
Masters. Di steamrollered the opposition, winning 12 games out of 12, gaining a tournament
of over 220.
❒ Mark Nyman overcomes huge deficit to win WSC - 1993
In one of the UK's best showings in the WSC, Mark Nyman reached the final against Canad
Wapnick. Despite conceding a-02deficit in the best
-of-5 final, and a 175
-point deficit in the
penultimate game, Mark came up with a sequence of smove
that has become the stuff of Scrabb
legend. All together now, "OX, ASTONES, LEERING, KHI".
❒ Final Game of WSC - 1995
Yet another moment from the world stage. In the final moves of the final game,
David Boys saw bu
chose not to play LADYBUGS against Joe
l Sherman, playing BEADY instead to block Joel's on
possible winning move
- PEJORATE as a-timer.
9
A classic example of lateral thinking and
thorough risk assessment from a top player.
❒ The first ever rated SOWPODS tournament, Phil Appleby's house - 1998
A collection of 7 well-known Scrabble players gathered at an idyllic location in the New Fores
play a few rated games of Scrabble to the combined British and North American word list,
following the bold unilateral decision of the ABSP committee towallo
such games to be rated. O
the next couple of years, support for the combined dictionary known as SOWPODS increas
it became the norm in 2001.
❒ Nigel Richards' CHLORODYNE play, New Zealand - 1998
Demonstrating why many believe Nigel Richardsbetothe best player in the world, Nigel took th
rack CDHLRN?, and spotted what many believe to be the best move ever, through
-O---E.OMost
of us would have been pleased to spot something like CHILDREN.
❒ The launch of the ABSP website - 2000
❒ Internet Scrabble Club launched - 2001
The day the Scrabbling world became much smaller. An excellently designed interface allows
players to lock horns from opposite sides of the world. Since
the launch of the ISC, there has been a
huge influx of new players into tournament scenes in every country. The ISC has also been a
medium for several 'friendly' transatlantic tournaments.
❒ Publication of Word Freak - 2001
American sports writer Stefan Fat
sis took a sabbatical from his usual job in order to explore
competitive scrabble in the USA and, later, the world. The book charted his transformation from
mild outside interest to self
-confessed scrabble obsession as he became more and more like the
personalities about whom he wrote.
The book was responsible for a huge increase in the profile of Scrabble in the US.
❒ Andrew Fisher v David Webb inaugural BEST final - 2001
in
BEST (British Eliminator Scrabble Tournament) was created by Mark Nyman and Evan nSimpso
2001- an ambitiously different format for a Scrabble competition. The final was played in front o
an audience, and the two finalists, at the peak of their Scrabble powers, produced a match of
remarkable quality. The tie was narrowly won by Andrew
sher,
Fi 10 games to 9.
❒ Pauline Johnson TOKOLOSHE, BMSC - 2002
Proving that it's not just players from the top echelons who make brilliant plays, Pauline, with a
rack of OOOTKEL and a floating SH, finds inspiration from Stewart Holden's ISC handle.
❒ Clash of the Thai(tans), WSC - 2003
With their confident, attacking play combined with solid word knowledge and excellent
temperament, the Thais swept all before them. In the final, Panupol Sujjayakorn, in his first WS
defeated fellow Thai Pakorn Nemitrmansukbecome
to
the youngest world champ to date.
Some might see this as a possible shift in the balance of international Scrabble power.
❒ Lost For Words - 2004
At last, fame and fortune for four well
-known Scrabble players (well, perhaps the obligatory 15
minutes of fame). Following in the footsteps of Stefan Fatsis, Channel 4's Josh Whitehead set a
charting the lives of Geoff Cooper, Wayne Kelly, Mark Nyman and Chrystal Rose as they prepa
for the Easter Matchplay 2004. The result was a program that provided
a fascinating insight into the
Scrabbling lives of all four players.
------So there you have it. 25 seminal moments in the development of Scrabble, admittedly from the
perspective of 6 English Scrabble players near the top of the ABSP ratings. I'm
hatsure
there
t will
be lots of moments we haven't included that are significant to players from the lower reaches o
ratings list, as well as those from overseas. I’m sure the new TLW Editor will be pleased to hea
other members’ suggestions via Readers’
tters.
Le
Andy Davis
Many of those mentioned above served on the Committee outside of those key roles so the years for which they get a mention do not refle
and effort devoted to supporting the ABSP ugh
thro the Committee. There have also been numerous others who have generously given up the
help with ABSP Committee work over the years and all deserve mentions, not least current member Wayne Kelly as Document Controller
Margaret Browne who as
sisted with TLW distribution for a decade, plus various auditors: (alphabetical order)
Mary Allen, Syd Berger, Margaret Browne, Russell Byers, Gino Corr, David French, Helen Grayson, Ian Gucklhorn, Ken Heaton, Wayne
Kelly, Lois Mcleod, Ruth Morgan-Thomas, Vanessa Peters, Yoke Shin, Brian Sugar, Fran Thompson, Derrick Thorne.
PN
SH
AW
PN
JG
JM
VB
PC
VB
AB
AS
GB
2003
2004
AB
RM
Jackie
Mcleod
JM
VB
Allan
Simmons
AS
Gyles
Brandreth
GB
2002
AB
MW
PF
GT
AB
Ross
Mackenzie
RM
Paul
Cartman
PC
AW
Alec Webb
PN
John
Grayson
JG
Christina
French
PN
JH
Ian Burn
Mike Willis
AB
Pete Finley
Graeme
Thomas
2000
GT
AS
1999
2001
ED
Amy Byrne
GT
RT
Elie Dangoor
GW
GT
AS
1998
1997
GT
GW
RT
RT
GT
AS
1996
AS
Gareth
Williams
GW
1995
1989 Clive Spate Philip Nelkon Sheila Spate RussThomas
1990
Graeme
RT
CS
SS
Thomas
1991
Allan
GT
Clive Spate
RT
Simmons
1992
RT
AS
GT
CS
1993
RT
AS
GT
CS
1994
RT
AS
GT
CS
PN
PF
VM
DF
1988
Viraf Mehta
1987
Darryl
Francis
Pete Finley Philip Nelkon
Viv
Beckmann
IB
AF
Paul Allan
PN
AF
PA
Paul Golder
PN
AF
PE
John
Harrison
MF
PN
PA
PN
PE
MF
AF
PE
MF
AF
HM
Phil Appleby
PN
PN
AF
AF
PE
PE
PN
Peter Ernest
SP
Martin
Fowkes
MF
CS
Hartley
Moorhouse
CS
Philip Nelkon
TH
Andrew
Fisher
PF
Steve Powell
LH
CS
LH
PF
TH
PF
JG
PF
JG
TH
CS
RP/LH
TH
VM
RP/LH
RP/LH
TH
Pete Finley
Allan
Simmons
AS
John
Grayson
TH
Clive Spate
Stewart
Holden
SH
WebMaster
R. Perry & L.
Viraf Mehta
Hodge
Terry
Hollington
Newsletter/
Mag. Editor
JWS/Mattel
rep(s)
Ratings
Officer
Publicity
Tournament
Coordinator
Membership
Secretary
The ABSP Committee Teams through the ages
Treasurer
Secretary
Chairman
President
ABSP Titles Update ~ January 2005
We have five new Experts to add to the Titles Roll of Honour this year. Nick Ball, George
Gruner, Chris Hawkins, Stewart Holden and Lewis Mackay take the total of UK Experts to
31. All five had a 5-year average of 175+, while George and Nick also had 5 consecutive
ratings of 170+ and Nick and Stewart also had three ratings of 180+ in the 5-year period.
New Experts L-R: Nick Ball, George Gruner, Chris Hawkins, Stewart Holden and Lewis Mackay
Lewis was something of a special case as he played only 15 rated games at 181 in 2002
(his GSCE examinations year) so did not have a rating registered for that year. However, his
ratings for the three years prior to that and the two years after gave him an average of 175+.
After consultation with the ABSP Chairman, Allan Simmons, it was agreed that as Lewis was
still at school the student exemption rule could apply to him. (Students are allowed to sit
out any or all of their university years if they wish and still have the years either side of the
gap counted.)
Congratulations to the above and commiserations to Danny Bekhor and Neil Scott, who
failed to reach the targets they needed for Expert and Grandmaster respectively.
There were no new Grandmasters this year, so the total stays at 23, but there are four
possibilities for next year. Neil Scott has another chance and can do it with a 184. Harshan
Lamabadusuriya didn’t play at all in 2004 but the student exemption rule applies to him
too and he can achieve GM status with a 190. Nick Ball, currently in the US, can make an
immediate advancement from Expert to GM if he comes back and clocks up a 191. The
fourth contender is Femi Awowade, who needs a 190. This is higher than Femi has
achieved to date, and I normally don’t include possibilities of this type, but Femi has rated
187 or higher three times before, so this has to be within his reach.
Good luck to all of the above.
I can see no new Experts in the offing unless one or two players make a dramatic
improvement on their best yet. There are a couple of outside possibilities, but I’ll keep them
to myself.
As always, please bear in mind that we now count the unweighted rating for all games
played in the year for titles purposes and players must play at least 30 games in the year to
have a rating registered for that year. If you think I have overlooked your claim for an ABSP
title, please let me know.
Pete Finley
ABSP Titles Registrar
25
Mark 2:
by PHIL APPLEBY
No. 18
I annotated one of Mark Nyman’s games in the last issue of TLW, but I make no apologies
for including another in the 100th edition. This time it’s from the Final of the National
Scrabble Championship against Andy Cook, which took place just a week after Mark
became a dad. Would fatherhood and a few sleepless nights affect Mark’s Scrabble ability?
Let’s find out, with guest annotator Ed Martin, who’ll be representing England in the 2005
World Scrabble Championship after improving his rating from 175 to 190 over the course
of 2004.
Annotated Game: Andy Cook v Mark Nyman,
NSC Final Game 2, Nov 2004
Mark had won the first game to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-5 final, so Andy was looking
to strike back...
Andy 1:
ABNOOP?
BOP stands out at first glance from this rack. Gets rid of the awkward B and P, offers only
three floaters, scores reasonably and gives a good leave of ?ANO. Always worth checking
for other words though. The only fives are ABOON and NAPOO. BOON and NOOP are
possible leaving ?AP and ?AB respectively, but place vowels next to DLSs. BOP simulates
best by four points ahead of BOON and ABOON.
BOP
Mark 1:
g8a
14
AELTWZY
14
(-14)
Top score is LAZY at d9a but no need to burn the Z as WALTY and WETLY from c9a score
only one fewer. WALTY is clearly better as it retains the E. There is the possibility of a highscoring play by Andy at a8a in response, but Mark concentrates on score and rack leave
and ignores it. Very sensible - Andy is by no means certain to be in a position to take
advantage and the spot may well revert to Mark next go, who holds the Z. If you really can’t
bear to leave the triple open, two defensive options are TWAY and WALY at d9a for five
points fewer.
WALTY
Andy 2:
c9a
30
ANO? EGY
30
(-16)
GONDELAY e4d and YEARLONG e5d are the top scorers here for 94.
GONdELAY
e4d
94
26
108
EZ HIJNR
(-78)
ZEIN at f2d scores the most and Mark takes the points. There is also WIZEN at c9d and the
interesting JINN at b6a. It has a superior leave of EHRZ compared to ZEIN’s HJR, and
ditches the awkward J. Few of us would be too happy with the possibility of a play
involving DJINN next go from Andy down the A column. Possibly counter-intuitively, it
simulates only one point behind ZEIN despite sacrificing 11 points. With a sizeable deficit,
Mark might consider taking a chance and keeping a more bonus-friendly rack. But ZEIN is
undoubtedly the safe option.
ZEIN
Andy 3:
f2d
38
EEGKOUT
68
(+40)
Lots of possibilities here. The kind of situation where one might not feel one has found the
best play. Probably not a good idea to spend too long on this sort of move - go with your
instincts. The time might well be better spent later on searching for a bonus or calculating
a tight endgame. Andy goes for KUE at d11d keeping EGOT. Other possibilities are KEG in
the same place and ATOKE at d9d. I quite like KEG as I can’t bear having a G without an
N but the leave is vowel-heavy. Simulations show five moves within three points of each
other.
KUE
Mark 3:
d11d
23
HJR ANRT
131
(-63)
Priority here is to score well, get rid of the duplicate R and the awkward J and try and
nurture this rack towards a bonus. HEJRA at c13a leaving NRT fits the bill. Nothing else
comes close for me. THANE at a8a scores the most but leaves the horrible JRR.
HEJRA
Andy 4:
c13a
32
EGOT EFI
100
(+31)
Despite holding a slight lead Andy will not be thinking about defence too much here
because there are simply too many openings to block. With the bonus lines at 12g and 14g
as well as the S hook onto BOP, it is better to keep scoring rather than worry too much
about what Mark might do. Most of the highest scoring options involve plays parallel to
ZEIN - OFT, FOE, FEE, FEET, and OF. Andy goes for OF which is quite tight and keeps
EEGIT. I might be inclined to play OFT for the extra five points. Although the leave is less
balanced there are four more Ts in the bag and it restricts the h1 hotspot a little. OFT turns
out to simulate best, closely followed by the volatile EGOTIZE at a2a. This is an extremely
aggressive move, placing the E second in a nine timer slot. Should not be attempted by the
faint-hearted or with a reasonable lead like Andy’s!
OF
Mark 4:
g2d
29
NRT ALVX
160
(-60)
VAT scores 9 more than the next highest scoring move, burns the V and keeps the X. No
contest. As an aside, Maven finds VALKYR at a11a as one of the lowest of its top 10 moves.
Nice word, bad move! Mark goes for VAT and reduces the lead to 24.
VAT
h1d
36
27
136
Andy 5:
EEGIT RS
Andy 7:
(+24)
Lucky pickup for Andy, and he plays the only bonus.
PRESTIGE
Mark 5:
i8d
63
LNRX QW?
223
(-87)
Mark is 87 behind but has a powerful rack. The choice is between REWaX at a15a for 66
burning the blank, or WEX in the same place for 39 keeping it. There’s also WRaXLE at
d15a for 57, also using the blank. Given the deficit, Mark opts to sacrifice the points and
keep the blank in the hope of adding a bonus to his score here. Simulation indicates
REWaX is some ten points better than WEX, but the fact that Mark is behind in the game is
in favour of WEX. Difficult decision. Glad it was Mark’s and not mine!
WEX
Andy 6:
h15a
39
ABFOSTU
a b c d e
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
f
g h
V
Z O A
E F T
G I
ON
N
D
E
BO
WA L T Y
A
K Y
U
H E J R A
i
j
k
l m n o
15
D
Mark 6:
LNQR? DI
Score: Andy
Mark
223
175
Andy
DLNR? HI
246
27
28
47
249
(+28)
a7d
11
LR? EEEG
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
(-71)
a15a
PUTTED
Mark 8:
2
b14a
(-75)
DTT DELP
1
23
277
A poor pickup for Andy and precious few options now to protect his slender lead.
Playing through the E or S of PRESTIGE (PETTLED, STEDD) opens the board up
unnecessarily. This leaves PUTTED for 11 at a7d leaving DL, DELTA at c2d for 12 leaving
DPT or DUPLET for 9 at a7d keeping DT. PUTTED and DUPLET use the most letters and
therefore give the best shot at the blank, as well as hastening the end of the game.
Neither are particularly attractive and Andy picks PUTTED, praying that Mark doesn’t
have a bonus.
a b c d e
a8a
31
Mark gets a break and can take full advantage of the TWS at a15 whilst retaining his blank.
HIND is the top score and nothing comes close. Mark now has Andy in his sights scorewise with a very promising leave. His heart was probably pounding as he reached for the
bag at this point...
A B F O S T U
QI at b14a is the only move that gets rid of the Q and scores well. With only two I’s played
Mark won’t like opening up the TWS at a15, but he is behind and has no choice. With
scores level, he might have considered QUIN or QUID at a7a, but these score little and he
might need that floating U for a bonus. Keeping DLNR?, he desperately needs a vowel
pickup.
QI
Mark 7:
6b
HIND
Another tricky situation for Andy. Again, with the lead he has he ideally wants to close the
board down but it is not easy. The WEX(E) hook cannot be blocked without severely
sacrificing points and rack leave. Accordingly, he opts to keep his score ticking over and
his rack bonus-friendly in the hope of moving further ahead. There are more points
available with moves like BOUNS and FAUNS at b6a but Andy chooses to keep the S by
playing UFO, probably mindful of the possibility of BOP(S) later.
UFO
(+44)
BANNS
Andy 8:
P
R
E
S
T
I
G
WE X
14
175
(+48)
ABST DNT
Awkward rack for Andy. BANNS is the highest score by some way. It uses up the S and
keeps duplicate Ts but there are few options and with the blank unseen using four tiles
is attractive. An interesting alternative is DEBT at h10a. It blocks the WEX(E) opening, for
which Andy does not have an E, creates another S hook, and leaves the attractive ANST.
On the other hand it leaves Mark a floating T and scores a whopping 18 points fewer
than BANNS. With the lead, I would be inclined to take the points.
11
12
13
14
15
(-39)
f
g h
V
Z O A
E F T
G I
ON
NN S
D
E
BO
A L T Y
A
K Y
U
E J R A
B A
P
U F O
T W
T
E
D
H
Q I
H I ND
i
j
k
288
D
l m n o
Score: Mark 249
Andy 288
P
R
E
S
T
I
G
WE X
E E E G L R ?
Mark
202
29
Crunch time. Mark has a 39-point deficit, no bonus to play but a promising rack. His next
move could easily decide the game. The choice is essentially between:
*
Taking a decent score with a move like GERLE, GREE or GLEE to make WEXE (scoring
26, 21 and 21 respectively), keeping E? and possibly an L or R;
*
Making an opening with GEL at i14a for 17, keeping EEGR?;
*
Leaving the WEX(E) opening unchanged with TEE at f9d for 18 with a reasonable leave
of EGLR?.
Mark agonises over this move for some time and runs his clock down to only six minutes
before deciding on GEL. Simulation indicates that GERLE is the best move, with TEE two
points behind and GREE, GEL and GLEE a further two points behind that.
GEL
Andy 9:
i14a
17
DL AALUV
Andy 11:
ICED
Mark 12:
Mark 9:
a b c d e
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
EIRS? EG
SEdGIER
Andy 10:
m1d
78
344
(-44)
l4d
33
EIMNRTU
(+11)
A fortuitous pickup by Mark and the game looks over. He plays the only bonus.
MINUTER
13
14
15
n7d
66
30
Andy 13:
P
U F O
T W
T
E
D
H
Q I
H I N
Mark 13:
410
g h
i
j
k
l m n o
V U L V A S
Z O A
E
E F T
D
G I
A G
ON
D I
NN S
ME
D
A RM
E
BO P
N
I
A L T Y
R
N
A
E
U
K Y
S
T
U
T
I C E D
E J R A
I
R
G E L
D
WE X
o8d
14
ILOORRS
ROO
Andy 14:
333
351
D
(+59)
f
OE
I instantly thought of LARDMAN* at this point, but there is nowhere to play this non-word
in any case. ADMAN at l4d scores seven points more than the next highest-scoring
alternative ALMA, in the same position. It keeps LR compared to ALMA’s DNR and Andy
goes for it to take his score to within 11 of Mark.
Mark 10:
12
B A
(-34)
ADL AMNR
ADMAN
11
300
Five bonuses from m1 net the top score of 78 (How many can you see? See page 35).
Mark’s choice is as good as any and there is nothing to be gained from sacrificing points
to play from h4 or down the L column.
18
ACEEIOO
266
A fiendishly difficult choice for Andy with no clear best move. On balance my decision
would be to play VASAL, to take out the GEL opening and achieve a reasonable score.
Andy’s play of VULVA actually simulates best, although the simulation cannot take into
account the fact that we can infer from Mark’s last move that he probably holds the
blank.
12
l12a
Both players now have less than a minute on the clock, and the game concludes. Mark
misses an opportunity for a two move out-play - can you spot it (see page 35)?
(+22)
h1a
(-77)
Andy is sunk. His only hope is to play off a few tiles in such a way as to leave a shot at a
rack which gives bonuses from both o1d and j1d, the only bonus lanes left on the board.
Even this may not allow him to score enough. No such rack exists with the unseen tiles,
and in any case to find such a combination under time pressure in the NSC final would
take superhuman powers!
Yet another miserable rack for Andy, although he has clung on to his lead and is now 22
ahead. Given Mark’s last move he will have a strong suspicion that Mark holds the blank.
VASAL for 16 at g11a blocks the opening created by GEL, as well as taking out the E, S and
T floaters of PRESTIGE. VULVA for 12 at h1a uses up the awkward U as well as the V, but
creates E, L, R and S hooks of its own and, given that Mark probably holds the blank, leaves
a fair chance of a bonus next go. VULVAL in the same spot for 13 removes the possibility
of the hooks. Both these moves take out the BOP(S) spot, but with Mark’s GEL opening, this
is largely academic.
VULVA
CDIILRS
D
Score: Mark
410
Andy 351
A C E E I OO
Mark
424
(-73)
n2d
15
ACEIO
366
(+58)
DECO
o12d
LEIRS
h10a
23
ILRS
447
(-81)
7
373
Final score: Mark 445 Andy 375
Summary:
A cracker of a game between two fine competitors played before a sizeable audience at the
venue and to many more fans around the world live on the internet. Both players kept up
an astonishing standard under such pressure. Mark’s win took him 2-0 in the best of five
final, but there was plenty of Scrabble still to come!
31
Moves to be proud of
3. Played by Chris Hawkins on the Internet Scrabble Club
Here’s another selection of star plays submitted by ABSP members. Can you spot the moves
played? Have you come up with anything to rival these moments of brilliance? If so, do
send in details! I need the board position, your rack, the score, and details of when and
where the game took place.
1. Played by Stewart Holden. Club game, December 2004
a b c d e
f
g h
i
j
k
a b c d e
1
2
3
4
5
l m n o
1
6
2
7
3
8
9
4
Score: Stewart
5
J I L L
GO A F
A
T
G L U E Y
T
H
A
C
A S T E RO I D
H
N
R OM
K
V I EWY
S
Z
E X
S I
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
236
Opponent 163
a b c d e
f
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
O
R
Y
X
10
11
12
13
14
15
J
O
B
E
HM
OO
G I RO
I
Y
Q I
N E
B I
A A
L
E E L
S
N
A
P
E
g h
A
D
WA
G
E
H
O T
D I
i
j
k
l m n o
I C I E R
A
F T U R E
P
U
AMU S
T O
E R
11
12
13
14
B E OR T U V
15
g h
i
j
k
l m n o
E ND A R T E D
E
A
D
Q I
H I N
G
D E P O S I T
A
U
R
X I
UN
E
CH A NG E R S
E I N R R T V
Chris
Vocabulary v Strategy
E
Score: Andrew
315
Opponent 198
A CGN S T ?
Andrew
There has been a recent discussion on the UK-Scrabble mailing list about the 5-point
penalty challenge. No, please don’t stop reading! I’m not going to mention it again, except
to say that the discussion evolved into a second topic – whether good strategy can
overcome good vocabulary. Obviously the ideal is to combine perfect strategy with total
knowledge of the dictionary, but as far as I know no-one can claim to have reached this
stratospheric level.
My own opinion is that if you know the right words – twos, threes, a good selection of fours
and their hooks, J Q X Z words, and high-probability sevens and eights – then if you
always played the best move you’d be more than a match for most players. However I
thought it would be interesting to do some analysis to see whether it threw any additional
light on this subjective view.
People who know me well will be aware that I analyse every move from all of my games,
so I have the raw material available to find out what types of mistakes are the most costly,
at least for me. Based on the 82 rated games I played in 2004, on average I made mistakes
that cost me 68 points per game. So how were these 68 points made up? Here’s the
breakdown:
Known non-bonus plays
19
27%
Unknown bonuses missed
11
16%
Phonies
11
16%
7
11%
Pre-endgame
32
Score: Chris
194
Opponent 313
Stewart
2. Played by Andrew Fisher. Kings Cup, Thailand, 2004
1
10
f
33
Unknown non-bonus plays
6
9%
Known bonuses missed
5
7%
Endgame
5
7%
Suboptimal bonuses
4
5%
So what does this tell us? If I’m in any way typical, then the biggest thing one can do to
improve one’s game is to spot the best move involving words that one is 100% certain of.
(In the table above, ‘unknown’ includes words that are vaguely familiar but that I wasn’t
confident enough to play.) If you include the ‘known’ bonus words not spotted, plus the
late game errors, I’d guess that around 50% of my errors involve failing to spot plays using
words I know. Am I typical? Probably not, in that I have a bigger vocabulary than most
players. But it’s interesting to see how many ‘normal’ words are played in a game between
top players – and by ‘normal’ I include all two letter words and most three-letter words,
which all tournament Scrabble players should know. Take a look at the annotated game in
this issue - how many of the words played are unfamiliar to you? Not more than four of five
I suspect – which means that for most moves you are capable of playing as well as Mark
Nyman and Andy Cook! Of course learning the basic Scrabble vocabulary is essential;
without that you’ll consistently miss out on parallel plays and potential hooks.
X
8
tras
No 16
from Christina French
Little Innocents
Well done to Stewart Holden, Robert Richland,
Margaret Harkness, and Mabel Choularton for
spotting our Membership Secretary, Viv Beckmann
posing for a childhood photo.
Margaret and Robert also deduced our couple
were Mike and Nuala O’Rourke
One thing that’s missing from this data is the number of moves in each category; in terms
of which errors are most expensive, playing phonies comes first (an average loss of 36
points each time), followed by missed bonuses (average loss of 35). Endgame and preendgame errors can also be very costly.
I shall leave you to draw your own conclusions, but here are a few things to think about:
• If you’re not sure of a word, don’t play it – phonies are very expensive.
• Don’t get fazed if your opponent keeps playing words that you don’t know – if you play
well within your own vocabulary, you’ve got every chance of winning.
From my side of the desk this little cutie is
quite recognisable – but can you
Guess Who from where you are sitting?
• If you spot a bonus, don’t run down your clock looking for a better one. The number
of points lost by playing suboptimal bonuses is usually quite insignificant.
• Try to leave time on your clock for the latter stages of the game; errors late on will
usually be more expensive than errors in the early stages.
A familiar couple here – she was
obviously upset because she had not met
her sweetheart yet!
Solutions
Annotated game:
• Playable bonuses: EMIGRES, LEIGERS, LIEGERS, SEDGIER, SIEGERS
• Out in two: LOOIE at j1d for 7, leaving ACE. The best Andy can do is play ROOS at
n2d for 21, after which Mark can play out with CECA at m12d for 20.
Moves to be proud of:
1. Stewart played OBTRUSIVE at d15a for 98. (His next move was PAROQUET for 88!)
2. Andrew played CAATiNGAS at b10a for 69. No 7- or 8-letter words are playable.
3. Chris played INTERCHANGERS at b15a for 20. Undoubtedly there are ‘better’ plays,
but how often do you get the chance to play a 13-letter word??
34
35
The Numbers Game
Super Scrabble
from James Wilkie
Robert Richland recently showed off one of his recent purchases to participants at the Stoke
Rochford Tournament. Says Robert:
Can any of you statisticians out there who keep records of all your games match the
tale of coincidences below?
I thought readers of TLW may find my tournament stats for the Stoke Rochford
December event interesting reading:
On Day 1, I won 4 out of 6
On Day 2, I won 4 out of 6
My total points average on Day 1 created any average game score of 403
Games 7 and 11 were won with my winning scores being 403.
Games 7 and 11 both had 2 100+ bonuses which were played on move 6 of each game.
Each word yielded a score of 102 points.
I finished 3rd overall in Division D and you will never guess where I was seeded to
finish – yes 3rd!
“I’ve just acquired a Super Scrabble set from the USA . . . with 200 tiles and a 441 square
(21 x 21) grid. It’s actually the normal 15 x 15 board in the centre, but then extended
outwards at each side.
Playing with it you can find even juicier scoring spots in the outer region . . . easier 4-timer,
6-timer and 9-timer opportunities plus 12-timer opportunities with the introduction (in each
corner) of quadruple-word squares (as well as a peppering of quadruple-letter squares).
However, when I checked the letter distribution I found it rather baffling. There are roughly
twice as many of each letter as in the normal set, but with some curious exceptions...
A–16, E–24, I–13, O–15, U–7 more Os than Is !!!
D–8, G–5, L–7, N–13, R–13, S–10, T–15, more Ds than Ls . . . !!!
B–4, C–6, F–4, H–5, M–6, P–4, V–3, W–4, Y –4 As many Hs as the Gs !!!
J–2, K–2, Q–2, X–2, Z–2, blank - 4
Working in the Xtras office does have some advantages. I get the odd freebie and one which
came my way just recently was a copy of Andy Becher’s book of poems (some of which are
not for the faint hearted) The Day My House Went Mad. A little taster for you all...
Goodbye, Mr Bond:
The commander?
Oh yes, we were all
very fond of Mr Bond.
Those dry ripostes, the twinkling eyes.
My nurses knew his roving hands.
He sat right there – the tartan rug
- his cocoa (which he never stirred)
shaking in his ‘Grandad’ mug.
The ladies loved it when he donned
his silken dressing gown
and regaled them with his famous tales
of femmes fatales and foreign lands;
diamonds, men with golden guns, gondolas
that sprouted wings!
I’m afraid in the end it went beyond a joke.
I mean, the wheelchair races
across the lawn, the exploding fountain pen,
then trying to abscond at dawn (with Dawn),
the anaconda in the bath.
Then one morning Jackie found
Mr Blofeld’s cat in the pond.
Towards the end he seemed to lose
the will to live, or rather that he’d lived too
long.
He’d sit for hours and not respond.
The ladies complained how in Scrabble
games he’d dwell upon his silent rack
and play one letter at a time – a Q, an M
- and stare with index finger raised,
as though it were a magic wand
that could make the darkness come.
His last words? ‘A blonde, A blonde!
My bedpan for a blonde!’.
Oh yes, we were all
very fond of Mr Bond.
Unfortunately, although Andy ia a member of both the ABSP and the East Berks S.C. the
above poem is the only one with any reference to Scrabble.
If you would like to know more about Andy’s poetry you can email him on
[email protected]
36
My argument against this new distribution is that it changes the probabilities of several
bonus words.
I sent an email to Winning Moves (the company who manufacture the game with Hasbro’s
permission) requesting an explanation for the shift in distribution, but they have yet to reply.
I chose to disregard their distribution altogether and play a trial game using two sets of
normal tiles. With far more possibilities to consider (and the board much more difficult to
block!) I would suggest 60 minutes per player (rather than 50).
For the record, I beat my opponent 1035 - 893 (28 moves each) . . . there were nine
bonuses on the board.”
Scrabble Love
Posted by Louis Berney recently on the American cgp email list, a passage from a short
story that appeared in the November 8th issue of The New Yorker:
Now and then he came back into focus, leaned over and put his arm around Lidia,
and instructed her, for example, to tell his friends about the word she’d played in
Scrabble the other night for eighty-seven points. Lidia lowered her eyes to her napkin.
The word, she said, was "plenary" – not even that great a word. But Ron insisted that
he had never seen this word before, that her vocabulary was much larger than his,
and, absurdly, that he had never in his life scored eight-seven points in one Scrabble
play. "I’m happy," he said simply, his body angled toward the restaurant front door.
"I feel like I could be content to play Scrabble with Lidia for the rest of my life.
Louis added, “Before any of you begin to speculate that the moral of this story is that
Scrabble can lead to a lifetime of blissful romance, Ron - a philosophy professor at the New
School in New York - abandons Lidia within six months, despite her Scrabble prowess.”
To which someone else remarked, “... or because of it.”
37
Lost For Words
What a pedigree!
(Extracts from comments posted on uk-scrabble about Josh Whitehead’s TV documentary)
We welcome Lucy Simpson
Born 4.14pm 9th December 2004
Weight: 6lb 2.5oz
Denise Saxton
Mother: Joanne Hiley (Member 00793)
Father: Evan Simpson (Member 00021)
Grandmother: Denise Saxton (Member 00972)
Mike O’Rourke: Yawn, groan - why did we stay up? Because it was a superb programme - extremely
well put together, very amusing, very human. A cameo of 4 “ordinary” people made extraordinary.
Although I know Mark Nyman, Wayne Kelly, Geoff Coper and Chrystal Rose as Scrabblers I can’t say
I know them particularly well. Having watched the film, I feel I know all 4 people better which is
interesting in itself. ...Well done Josh - you have put us on the map and portrayed us as normal people
not as eccentrics in anoraks.
Pete Finley: ...Watching it was a bit like trainspotting at times. “There’s Sandie”, “There’s Dweeb”,
“There’s Dot,” “There’s Allan” etc.
Raymond Tate : ...I thought it was an excellent positive piece about our glorious game, showing that
the game is played by ordinary people (OK, I concede Chrystal isn’t exactly your average Jill) from all
walks of life who have discovered an unbounded enthusiasm for a particular hobby. ...However,
would it encourage people to play Scrabble? If a non-Scrabbler stayed up to watch it I’d say yes but
I’m sure it would have more impact if Josh can use any influence he has to get it repeated at a more
reasonable hour. I’ll be showing it to my non-Scrabble playing friends & family to try to get them
interested.
Graeme Thomas: My idiot Sibling watched the program last night, and felt that it wouldn’t do much
for the neutrals. (He’s not one of those, though, so perhaps he’s biased the other way.) He said that,
perhaps, interviews with more players who are lower-ranked but comfortable in that position would
have attracted more people. I enjoyed it, particularly playing “Spot the Scrabbler”.
Wayne Kelly: ...On the whole I am OK with it - it was certainly very well made, and did not make a
mockery of the game, or its players. But I still cringe at some of my on-screen moments, and I don’t
just mean the karaoke.
Evan Simpson = Joanne Hiley
Stewart Holden: I think the film would be very watchable for a non-tournament player, it gives a nice
insight into our world and does explain some of the obsessional nature of the game. I’m less sure of
the documentary’s ability to persuade people to start playing, but it’s a good publicity vehicle for the
existence of the competitive Scrabble scene and it may contribute over a longer period of time to
bringing new people into the game... We saw four young-ish stars and then shots of row after row of
middle-aged ladies (or older) which may make the viewer think the documentary is trying to present
a false impression of who really goes to Scrabble tournaments. ...The film was both humorous and
serious in the right places and the positive reaction of the packed audience at the Sheffield preview
was wonderful to hear. The graphics were a nice touch, the music was well chosen and the pace was
relentless for the whole 50 minutes.
Jackie McLeod:...I am delighted that Josh featured Chrystal, to help combat the oft repeated journalists’
view that “Scrabble is not sexy”.
Phil Appleby: Congratulations to Josh for putting together an interesting, entertaining, beautifully
crafted, and affectionate film. Yet at the end I felt strangely sad and disappointed, and I’m trying to
work out why. Perhaps I wanted the film to be something different, something that I could show to my
friends with pride and say: “Look, this is what I do when I’m not helping IBM make lots of money” but having watched it I think I’ll keep it to myself.
Josh Whitehead:... I could have made a promotional video for the ABSP and the Masters event.
However I was commissioned to make a documentary by Channel 4, for television. There’s a huge
difference. There was a certain amount of artistic license in the film. However I think I portrayed the
four people involved quite fairly....I think Scrabble will be on tv much more in the future and more
people will be drawn to the game. Watch this space.
Lucy Simpson
38
Graeme Virtue (www.sundayherald.com):...Although it was screened as part of Channel 4’s late-night
Outside strand, Lost For Words could easily have gone out at prime-time (or, considering the subject
matter, before Countdown).
39
S p o t t e d o n t h e We b
At columbiaspectator.com
Scrabble With a Nuanced Twist
by Nick Summers
October 22, 2004
I FIRST LEARNED about the history of Scrabble from the excellent 2002 book Word
Freak, the story of a Wall Street Journal sports writer who took a year off to play the
game competitively. The book describes how Alfred Butts meticulously invented the
details of Scrabble, counting letters on the front page of The New York Times to get an
accurate alphabet distribution, agonizing over blank tiles, arranging bonus squares
just so.
You come away with the impression that the game is perfect-- incapable of
improvement. But I’ve never had great respect for the status quo, so on Wednesday
night I set out to add to Scrabble a little je ne sais quoi, which is French for "alcohol."
Drinking Scrabble is just like regular Scrabble, except it gets harder to play well as the
game goes on, so your turns devolve from OXIDIZE and ZEPHYR to RAT. My friend
James, aka The Spectator’s real editor, accepted my challenge. We’d played once
before, a total barn-burner that he took, 376-312, on the strength of a single sevenletter play. We’re both serious Scrabble nerds--the board was dense with obnoxious
two-letter plays like XI and NE.
The tactics Wednesday night were, uh, not so nuanced. Part of the problem was that
we started the game at 1:30 in the morning, after Game 7 of Yanks v Sox, so even
going in we weren’t the picture of sobriety. We hammered out the rules – take the
other guy’s score for each turn, halve it, and drink that many sips of beer. Bingos and
triple-word scores were worth a shot each. Our friends left to go out to the bar like
normal people, and we sat down for a game that would make Alfred Butts spin, like
my deluxe rotating board, in his grave.
Turn 1
I open with WILT. James doesn’t take long to lay down ALE on top of that, to make
AW, LI, and EL vertically. It’s 14-14. We take seven sips each; no big deal.
Turn 3
Yahtzee! Using the T in WILT, I play THINGIES all the way down the center of the
board to the triple-word score, using my blank tile for the G. This, I learn, is where
Drinking Scrabble starts to break down. Just like drinking at parties makes everything
seem like a really good idea ("Let’s go into Riverside Park at 4 a.m. and scale a rusty
metal fence to play a game of Horse!" or "She’s kind of attractive!"), Drinking Scrabble
makes lots of words seem like great plays. James knows right away THINGIES isn’t a
real word and challenges it off the board.
40
Turn 5
James is playing well-- using average words but hooking them onto what’s already on
the board, and making good use of the premium squares. I also haven’t been making
him drink, since I’ve been saving my good tiles for a big play. Finally it happens:
THINNEST, up to a triple-word score for 87 points and a whole lot o’ drinkin’ for Jim.
But then he plays JAM for a triple himself (47 points), and it takes a while to figure out
just how much we each have to imbibe. The game deteriorates immediately.
Turn 8
No one has any idea what the beer count is. I turn over the arithmetic to James. We’re
playing well-- XI, OGLER, WIRIER-- but almost completely abandoning defense, and
only James is making intelligent use of the tiles already on the board.
Turn 10
I stop taking notes. The last thing I write down is that deciding on TOMES is "endlessly
agonizing."
Turn 11
Complete chaos. I play IF. James plays PAT.
Turn 13
With James up by a lot, I need a big play. I stare at my tiles: QOOIRA and a blank.
None of the triple-letter squares are open, but I need at least 30 points to get back in
the game. Letter by letter I study my options, and then I maturely reach for the board
and throw it across the room. Final recorded score: James 305, Nick 239. I checked
our math yesterday, and it’s not even close to being correct.
Epilogue
It’s safe to call Drinking Scrabble the single worst idea I have ever had. I can think of
nothing redeeming about the experience. I don’t think I’ve been this upset about the
game since the time my mom challenged SPAGHETTO off the board and I didn’t speak
to her for two days.
Alfred Butts knew what he was doing. Next week: games you can play in church.
and finally... the very last thing to plop onto my editorial doormat
(dont forget, hereafter the editorial doormat is behind Elisabeth Jardine’s
front door).
Kathryn Le Grove of the
Portsmouth & Southsea S.C.
has happily informed me
that from now on she will
be competing under the name of Kathryn
Henry after marrying her fiancé Steven at
Fareham Register Office on January 15. Our
good wishes to you both and to the two
prospective runners.
41
Scottish Masters (9 games) (Invitation only) Contact
FORTHCOMING EVENTS
Compiled by Paul Cartman
Each tournament approved for rating will get a listing including: date, number of games
and contact details. For one day tournaments, further details will be given as regards
pricing, start times etc, to allow members to utilise the generic entry form. Note that
some organisers have indicated that rated tournaments will occur on particular dates,
but that full details are not yet available. These tournaments are included for
completeness and once details are known, they will be published as appropriate.
This symbol denotes that the tournament organiser has let it be known that
the venue is disabled friendly. The absence of a symbol does not mean that
disabled access is not possible, and in these circumstances the prospective
entrant should check with the organisers
Note to Entrants
These rules apply to all tournaments
The entry cost of all rated tournaments includes the ratings levy
Positions are determined on win and spread unless otherwise stated
Smoking is not permitted in the playing area(s)
You will normally be placed in a division equivalent to your rating or ability. You
may request to enter a higher division but the Tournament Organiser reserves the
right to reject your request.
Entries are at the sole discretion of the Tournament Organiser.
You must always include a SAE with your entry for application.
Please arrive on time
Andover (6 games)
5th GRAND HAMPSHIRE OPEN
SCRABBLE CHAMPIONSHIP (competitive)
Incorporating
5th ANNUAL TEST VALLEY SCRABBLE
CHAMPIONSHIP (recreational 5 or 6
games depending on demand)
Sunday 13th February 2005
Contact
Alan Bailey
023 9238 4360
In emergency on the day
07763 894738
Venue
John Hanson School, Floral
Way, Andover.. SP10 3PB
Registration 09:00
First game 10:00 Departure 18.00
Entry Cost £17 for ABSP members
playing in the competitive
section
£19 for non-ABSP members
Deduct 50p if bringing a timer
£9 for the recreational section
Hot lunch will be provided as will
Tea/Coffee in breaks
Cheques payable to Andover and District
Scrabble Club and sent to:
Alan Bailey, 84 East Lodge Park, Farlington,
Portsmouth, P06 1AQ
42
19th-20th February
Neil Scott
01224 639291
4 Divisions
Entry costs: £12.00 for ABSP member
Saturday 19th February 2005
£14.00 For non-ABSP member
Contact:
Shirley Cave
Deduct 50p if bringing a clock
020 8540 8469
which you are willing to lend
Venue:
Christ Church Centre, Coombe Tea, Coffee and biscuits will be provided
Road, New Malden , KT3 4RE Cheques payable to S I Cave, 14 Linden
Registration: 9.15
Gate, 9 Church Walk, Raynes Park,
First game: 10:00 Departure: 17.45
London, SW20 9DL
New Malden (6 games)
Leicester (6 games)
Saturday 26th February
Contact
Marjorie Smith
01162 551176
Venue
The Church of the Blessed
Sacrament, Gooding Avenue,
Leicester
Registration 9:30
First game 10:15 Departure 17:30
3 Divisional tournament
Ramada Jarvis Hotel, Bingley
4th-7th March
Swindon (6 games)
Sunday 13th March
Contact:
Steve Perry
01367-244757
Venue:
Nationwide Building Society
Head Office, Swindon, Wiltshire
Proceeds to Prospect House Hospice
Registration: Before 10.00
First game: 10:20
5/6 divisional tournament.
Lothian (5 games)
Saturday 19th March
Contact
Alan Sinclair
0131-669-7316
Venue
Liberton Kirk Halls,
30 Kirkgate, Edinburgh
Registration 10.15
First game: 11.00 Departure 17:30
Tea/Coffee available on arrival and after the
fourth game.
Entry costs: £10.50 to ABSP member
£12.50 to non-ABSP member
Deduct 50p if willing to bring
and loan a timer
Cheques payable to Leicester West End
Scrabble Club MP event and sent to:
Marjorie Smith, 9 Brazil Street, Leicester,
LE2 7JA
Contact
Viv Beckmann
0191-273-1705
Tea/Coffee available throughout the day,
finger buffet provided for lunch.
Entry costs: £13.00 For ABSP members
£15.00 For non-ABSP members
Deduct 50p if bringing timer
and are willing to lend it
Cheques payable to Highworth Scrabble
Club Tournament a/c and sent to:
Steve Perry, 29 Elm Road, Faringdon,
Oxfordshire, SN7 7EJ
Tea/Coffee available throughout the day
and hot soup at lunchtime
Lunch is NOT provided.
ntry costs: £7.50 to ABSP member
£9.50 to non-ABSP member
Cheques payable to Alan Sinclair, 19
Duddingston Avenue, Edinburgh, EH15 1SJ
43
East Sussex (6 games)
Tea/Coffee available at points during the
day but lunch is not provided.
Entry costs: £11.50 For ABSP members
£13.50 For non-ABSP members
Deduct 50p if bringing timer
Cheques payable to East Sussex Scrabble
Tournament and sent to Ed Breed, 19
Magdalen Road, Bexhill-on-Sea, East
Sussex. TN40 1SB
Saturday 19th March 2005
Contact
Ed Breed
01424 219334
Venue
Hailsham Community Hall,
Vicarage Lane, Hailsham
Registration 09:00
Entries not accepted after 09.45
2/3 divisional tournament.
Exeter ISCA Event (6 games)
Friday 25th-Saturday 26th March
Exeter Easter Event (19 games)
Saturday 26th-Monday 28th March
Southend-on-Sea (6 games)
Saturday 2nd April
Contact:
Evelyn Wallace
01702-302569
Venue:
The Civic Centre, Victoria Ave,
Southend-on-Sea, Essex
Registration 09:30
First game 10:00
4 divisional tournament.
Southampton (6 games)
Sunday 10th April
Contact
Alan Bailey
023 9238 4360
Venue
Waterside Theatre , Long
Lane, Holbury, SO45 2PA
Emergency no on day
07763 894738
Registration 09:25 – 09.55
First game 10:00 Departure 17:50
Durham Event (10 games)
Sat. 16th – Sun 17th April
Brentwood (6 games)
Saturday 16th April
Contact
Cindy Hollyer
01277-822050
Venue
Kelvedon Hatch Village Hall,
School Road, Kelvedon Hatch,
Brentwood, Essex
Registration 09:30
First game 10:15 Departure 18:00
Contact
Ronnie Reid
01256 354604
Welsh Masters (Invitation only)
Contact
Ronnie Reid
01256 354604
Newcastle (5 games)
Tea/Coffee available at points during the
day but lunch is not provided.
Entry costs: £12.50 For ABSP members
£14.50 For non-ABSP members
Deduct 50p if bringing timer
Cheques payable to Southend-on-Sea
Scrabble Club and sent to
Evelyn Wallace, 2 Shakespeare Avenue,
Westcliff on Sea, Essex, SS0 0ST
4 Divisional tournament
Tea and coffee will be available during
some breaks and before start
Entry costs: £12.50 for ABSP member
£14.50 For non-ABSP member
Deduct 50p if bringing timer
Cheques payable to Southampton Scrabble
Club and sent to:
Alan Bailey, 84 East Lodge Park, Farlington,
Portsmouth, P06 1AQ
Contact
Laura Finley
0191-565-4079
Don’t forget to enclose a stamped self-addressed
envelope when making entry applications
44
23rd-24th April
Saturday 23rd April
Contact:
Michael Murray
0191 2412521
Emergency No. on day
0191 267 4242
Venue:
West Denton Community
Association, Hillhead Road,
Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Registration: 09.45
First game: 10:15 Departure: 18.00
Best Western, Worthing
29th April – 3rd May
Newport (6 games)
Saturday 7th May
Contact
Terry Jones
01633-775313
Venue
Cwmbran Stadium, Cwmbran,
Gwent
Registration 09:30
First game 10:15
No of divisions dependant upon entries
(venue can accommodate 100 players)
MSO Cambridge
Sunday 8th May
Tea/Coffee available at points during the
day but lunch is not provided.
Entry costs: £11.50 for ABSP member
£13.50 for non-ABSP member
Deduct 50p if bringing clock
and are prepared to lend it
Cheques payable to Brentwood Scrabble
Group and sent to:
Cindy Hollyer, 78 Peartree Lane,
Doddinghurst, Brentwood, Essex, CM15 0RH
Contact
Shane O’Neil
07976 905484
2/3 Divisional depending on entries
Refreshments available most of the day,
food facility expected to be open at the
venue
Entry costs: £10.50 for ABSP member
£12.50 for non-ABSP member
Deduct 50p if bringing a timer, which you
are prepared to lend
Cheques payable to Rona Falconer, 18
Nuns Moor Crescent, Fenham, Newcastleupon-Tyne, NE4 9BE
Closing Date for entries 9th April
Contact
Viv Beckmann
0191-273-1705
Entry costs: £12.00 for ABSP member
£14.00 for non ABSP member
Deduct 50p if bringing a
timer, which you are prepared
to lend
Lunch will be provided as will both tea and
coffee at intervals during the day
Cheques payable to Newport Scrabble Club
and sent to Terry Jones, 5 Arlington Close,
Newport, South Wales, NP20 6QF
Enclose sae for directions
Details to be announced
45
Bourne (6 games)
Sunday 9th May
Contact
Betty Benton
01778 425234
Venue
Bourne Corn Exchange
Registration 09.15
First game 10:00 Departure 18.00
2/3 divisional tournament of up to 96
players
Bournemouth (6 games)
Sunday 8th May
Contact: Ruth Marsden
01202 707148
Emergency on day only
07720 949 825
Venue:
Rooper Hall, 5 Victoria Park
Road, Moordown,
Bournemouth
Lothersdale Hotel, Morecambe
13th – 16th May
Melton Mowbray (6 games)
Contact:
Venue:
Maureen Rayson
01664 563330
Council Offices, Nottingham
Road, Melton Mowbray, Leics.
Charity event in support of the Mayor’s
Appeal
Registration: 10:00
First game: 10:30
2 divisional tournament.
Tea/Coffee available on all day
Entry costs: £12.00 for ABSP member
£14.00 for non ABSP member
Deduct 50p if bringing a timer
Cheques payable to Bourne and district
Scrabble Club and sent to:
Betty Benton, Walnut Farm, Twenty,
Bourne, Lincs, PE10 0BH
Closing Date for entries 23rd April 2005
Registration: 09:30
First game: 10:10 Departure: 17.30
Tea/Coffee available throughout the day
Entry costs: £12.50 for ABSP member
£14.50 for non ABSP member
Cheques payable to Bournemouth Scrabble
Tournament and sent to Ruth Marsden, 27
Spencer Road, Canford Cliffs, Poole,
BH13 7ET
Contact
Viv Beckmann
0191-273-1705
Tea/Coffee available on arrival and after
game 4.
Entry costs: £10.00 for ABSP member
£12.00 for non ABSP member
Deduct 50p if bringing a timer
Cheques payable to Melton Mowbray
Scrabble Club, and sent to Maureen
Rayson, 57 Highfield Avenue, Melton
Mowbray, Leics. LE13 0NQ
Closing date for entries 21st May 2004
Brighton & Hove (6 games)
Peterlee Matchplay (5 games)
Tea/Coffee available at points during the
day but lunch is not provided.
Entry costs: £9.50 for ABSP member
£11.50 for non ABSP member
Deduct 50p if bringing clock
which you are prepared to lend
Closing date for entries 29th May 2005
Cheques payable to Samantha Beckwith,
91 Hatfield Place, Peterlee, Co. Durham,
SR8 5SU
Sunday 12th June
Contact
Samantha Beckwith
0191-586-6436
Venue
The White House Community
Centre, Eden Lane, Peterlee, Co Durham
Registration 10:00
First game 10:30 Departure 17:00
2/3 divisional tournament depending on
entries
Ramada Jarvis, Caledonian Hotel Ayr
24th – 27th June
Germanica
1st – 3rd July
9th-10th July
Details to be announced
Cairn Hotel, Harrogate
Contact
22nd - 25th July
Nottingham Nomads (16 games)
46
Viv Karl Khoshnaw
0049 5541 954794
Summer Matchplay
Best Western, Bridgend
10th – 13th June
Contact
4 Divisions
Entry costs: £12.00 for ABSP member
Saturday 9th July 2005
£14.00 for non ABSP member
Contact:
Shirley Cave
Deduct 50p if bringing a timer
020 8540 8469
which you are willing to lend
Venue:
Christ Church Centre, Coombe Tea, Coffee and biscuits will be provided
Road, New Malden , KT3 4RE Cheques payable to S I Cave, 14 Linden
Registration: 9.15
Gate, 9 Church Walk, Raynes Park,
First game: 10:00 Departure: 17.45
London, SW20 9DL
Saturday 23rd July
Contact
Teresa Hill
01427-838741
Venue
Bracebridge Community
Centre, Newark Road/Maple Street, Lincoln
Registration 10:00
First game 10:30 Departure 17:30
2/3 divisional tournament.
Viv Beckmann
0191-273-1705
Viv Beckmann
0191-273-1705
New Malden (6 games)
Tea/Coffee available at points during the
day but lunch is not provided.
Sunday 12th June 2005
Entry costs: £12.50 for ABSP member
Contact:
Jim Lyes
£14.50 for non ABSP member
01273 813006
Deduct 50p if bringing clock
Venue:
Southwich Community Centre,
which you are prepared to lend
Southwick, City of Brighton &
Hove, West Sussex, BN42 4TE Cheques payable to Brighton & Hove
Scrabble Club, Jim Lyes, 4 Delves Close,
Registration: 09:30
Ringmer, Lewes, BN8 5JW
First game: 10:15 Departure: 18.00
Closing date for entries 5th June
Divisions according to entries
Contact
Contact
Lincoln (6 games)
Tea/Coffee available on arrival, at
lunchtime and after fourth game
Entry costs: £10.50 for ABSP member
£12.50 for non-ABSP member
Deduct 50p if bringing a timer
Cheques payable to Lincoln Scrabble Club
and sent to Teresa Hill, Granville,
Heapham, Nr Gainsborough, Lincs, DN21
5PT
Closing date for entries 12th July 2005
Contact
Saturday 6th – Sunday7th August
47
Viv Beckmann
0191-273-1705
Clive Spate
0115-920-0208
3 divisional tournament.
Tea/Coffee and homemade cakes provided
(but not lunch)
Entry costs: £10.00 for ABSP member
£12.00 for non ABSP member
No further discounts
Cheques payable to Carol Smith,
31Christine Road, Spixworth, Norwich,
NR10 3PH
Norwich (6 games)
Sunday 18th September
Contact:
Carol Smith
01603 898791
Venue:
Hethersett Village Hall,
Hethersett, Norwich, Norfolk
Registration 09.30
First game: 10:15 Departure: 18.00
Middlesbrough (5 games)
Sunday 25th September
Contact
Samantha Beckwith
0191-5866436
Venue
Linthorpe Community Centre,
Linthorpe Road, Middlesbrough
Registration 10:00
First game 10:45 Departure 17:30
2/3 divisional tournament.
Falkirk
23rd -26th September
Tillington Hall, Stafford
1st – 2nd October
Bournemouth (6 games)
Sunday 2nd October
Contact: Ruth Marsden
01202 707148
Emergency on day only
07720 949 825
Venue:
Rooper Hall, 5 Victoria Park
Road, Moordown,
Bournemouth
Cardiff Weekend
to be announced
Lothersdale Hotel, Morecambe
14th – 17th October
Standish Moat House, Wigan
18th – 21st November
Answers to Edgeways XXVI
Meet My Twin
EXPANDS
TADPOLE
MADNESS
GARBLED
BOOZERS
SMOKILY
DOORMEN
SANDERS
DAMPISH
ECONOMY
Lunch is not provided.
Entry costs: £9.50 for ABSP member
£11.50 for non ABSP member
Deduct 50p if bringing clock
which you are prepared to lend
Closing Date for entries 11th September
Cheques payable to Cleveland Scrabble Club
and sent to Samantha Beckwith, 91 Hatfield
Place, Peterlee, Co Durham, SR8 5SU
The 5-Minute Anagram Test
Contact
Viv Beckmann
0191-273-1705
Spot The Phoney
Contact
Paul Cartman
01785 211851
Registration: 09:30
First game: 10:10 Departure: 17.30
Tea/Coffee available throughout the day
Entry costs: £12.50 for ABSP member
£14.50 for non ABSP member
Cheques payable to Bournemouth Scrabble
Tournament and sent to Ruth Marsden, 27
Spencer Road, Canford Cliffs, Poole,
BH13 7ET
A.
B.
C.
D.
EARDRUM
LIBRARY
REFRAIN
SURGERY
FELSPAR
DOGSLED
TSOTSIS
BITUMED
EMERALD
SCRATCH
PATIENT
SPLODGE
BIOGENS
MYRIADS
GHERAOS
MISDREW
Deer Oh Deer
MUNTJAC
SAMBHUR
CARIBOU
WHITETAIL
LETTUCE
DESKTOP
WEDLOCK
AGELONG
MYRTLES
GIBBOSE
WHISTED
KEEPSAKY
WAPITI
SIKA
MOOSE
CARIACOU
(or CARJACOU)
Y C
R
L Y
I
I N
G
Y S
U
L U
E
T U
I
D I
E
S
1
Fancy Fours
MACHINE
NOBLEST
WEIRDLY
PERSONA
DERRICK
TEOPANS
ROSAKER
CEVAPCICI
b
L E
G
N A
L
D I
T
H E
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V V
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P
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G E
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A
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N A S
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A
f
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M M
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Z
P
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N O L L E D
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A
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A C T O R
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A L I S E S
V
N
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I V I U T S
Z
T
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I L I C E S
N
A
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G E L A S T
j
k
l
Cryptogram
1. bhel, t
2. doob, r
3. eddo, s
4. gymp, i
Mary Allen
0191-273-1705
5. phoh, o
6. khor, k
Contact
Viv Beckmann
0191-273-1705
7. whot, j
8. ouph, e
9. kilp, f
10. lerp, b
Viv Beckmann
0191-273-1705
11. buna, q
12. muil, m
48
TOEHOLD
BUREAUS
CRYSTAL
FORERAN
SAVEYED
RISIBLE
KINESIC
COPIHUES
The phoneys are:DEARISH*, MAUVEISH*,
ORANGEISH*, HAPPYISH*, BRIGHTISH*
and KINDISH*. And yes, I do mean
PHONEYISH*.
PUDU
CHITAL
BARASINGHA
ELK
FERTILE
ADMIRAL
PINCHES
UNBUILT
MATURES
Anagrid
Contact
Contact
REPTILE
BONDAGE
COOLEST
GYMNAST
GLIMPSE
13. momi, l
14. pium, h
15. motu, a
16. rotl, n
17. turm, g
18. yoop, d
19. yunx, c
20. zouk, p
A
G
U
I
S
E
B
Y
P
L
A
C
E
S
iii
J I
Z
N Z
T A
H R
D
A S
V A
W
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I
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H T
U L
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A C
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A N
G O
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S I
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Q U R
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K N
D O E
K S
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