SCRABBLE - The Last Word Newsletter

Table of ContentsT A B L E O F C O N T E N T SFrom the Editor 3Holiday Bazaar 5Tournament News 12Rocky Mountain Rumble by Angela Dancho 12Second Annual California Open by Bennett Jacobstein 14November Results 15New Faces 17SUM Clabbers Tournament 20Causeway Challenge: 12/2-6 22The Wordsmith by Chris Sinacola 23Video Joe by Joe Bihlmeyer 26SCRABBLE® in the News 27Player Profile: Heather Steffy and Michael Bassett by Katya Lezin 29Diane’s DEFALTS by Diane Firstman 31The Mad Scrabblers by Cornelia Guest 32Linda’s Library by Linda Wancel 34The Art of Strategy by Art Moore 36Ann Sanfedele: Photographer, Poet, Artist, SCRABBLE® Player by Cornelia Guest 37Stell’s Racks of Mirth by Cheryl L. Cadieux 40The Tile Bag James Leong, Editor 41Anagram Tunnel Quiz by Juraj Pivovarov 46Book Review: Everything SCRABBLE®, 3rd Edition by Cornelia Guest 48Club News Larry Sherman, Editor 50Word Trivia Quiz by Siri Tilleterakne 54Historic Moments: SCRABBLE® Throughout the Years by Stu Goldman 56Fill in the Blanks by Darin True 57Passages Larry Sherman, Editor 59SCRABBLE® Resources 61Tournament Calendar 64Archives 662

From the EditorF R O M T H E E D I T O RWow! Thanks to the many, many readers who sent praise for the November issue of The Last Word.We now have a strong subscriber base, which includes NASPA members, casual players, onlineplayers, and Youth Players. We hope to provide articles, artwork, humor, quizzes, and games ofinterest to all these readers. (If you would like to join this group and have The Last Word emailed toyou directly, please send your email address to CorneliaSGuest@gmail.com.)Noah Walton’s SCRABBLE® Crossword in the last issue was extremely popular--thanks, Noah!While word puzzles are hard to do online, they can be easily printed. We’d love to be able to offermore puzzles in the future--if other contributors are out there, please let me know!This month’s Newsletter includes popular features by monthly columnists Chris Sinacola (“TheWordsmith”), Katya Lezin (“Player Profile”), James Leong (“The Tile Bag”), Siri Tillekeratne (“WordTrivia Quiz”), and Stu Goldman (“Historic Moments”). Their columns now have a strong following,and I appreciate their continued support. We also welcome seven new faces to the editorial pool:Larry Sherman, who will be editing “Club News” and “Passages”; Cheryl Cadieux, whose humorouslook at SCRABBLE® will be showcased in “Stell’s Racks of Mirth” (we wish her the best after herrecent surgery); Art Moore, who will be sharing his Facebook discussion-board tips in “The Art ofStrategy”; Diane Firstman, whose amusing “alternative” word definitions will be featured in “Diane’sDEFALTS”; Joe Bihlmeyer, whose popular YouTube SCRABBLE® rants will be posted in “VideoJoe”; and Linda Wancel, who will be reviewing her favorite fiction and nonfiction in “Linda’s Library”.Thanks to Keith Hagel and Aaron Daly, whose workloads are demanding they step aside for thetime being; their contributions have been enormous.With the holidays weeks away, we have gathered a collection of must-have items for SCRABBLE®players in our “Holiday Bazaar.” We hope you’ll take the time to look through our many offerings--and support our advertisers. We also welcome contributions--The Last Word is a volunteer effort.New World Champion PakornNemitrmansuk (Photo by SamKantimathi)Among this month’s features are stories on the California Open andthe Rocky Mountain Rumble; a look at the popular new onlinetournament group, Mad Scrabblers; a book review of the longanticipatedthird edition of Joe Edley and John D. Williams, Jr.’sEverything SCRABBLE®; a profile of Heather Steffy and MichaelBassett, a couple who met online; and a profile of Ann Sanfedele,longtime photographer of SCRABBLE® history.The big news, of course, is the recent World SCRABBLE®Championship in Malaysia, won by Pakorn Nemitrmansuk ofThailand. In the next issue we will be featuring a story on the WSCfrom Sam Kantimathi, one of the U.S. team players, who is now atthe Causeway Challenge. For details on the WSC go to http://www.wscgames.com/2009/index.html. Congratulations to Pakorn Nemitrmansuk, the new WorldChampion--and all the other superb players who competed! 3

F R O M T H E E D I T O ROur recent survey indicated that readers would like more information on upcoming tournaments.We’ve now added a short tournament calendar, with links to flyers when available. However, for themost up-to-date tournament news, consult the NASPA Calendar; and for information on playersentered, visit cross-tables.com, a treasure chest of useful SCRABBLE® information.Readers would also like to see more strategy and game analysis. Players who are interested incontributing in these areas are invited to contact me at CorneliaSGuest@gmail.com.Cornelia Guest4

H O L I D A Y B A Z A A R : A D V E R T I S I N G Holiday Bazaar Welcome to the Holiday Bazaar, where you’ll find items galore for holiday giving--equipment, books,software, notecards, calendars, jewelry, games, apparel, and much, much more! Support our vendorsthis holiday season! (Use code: TLW)Please note: Be sure to mention ordering code TLW when you order. The Last Word makes no representations about ouradvertisers and we will not respond to queries about the products. If you have questions, please contact the advertisers directly.If you would like to advertise in the next issue please send an email to: CorneliaSGuest@gmail.comBoardsSamBoards: SamBoards come in round,square or apple shapes. Green or beigeplaying surface is amazingly nonreflective;in Wood, Acrylic, Steel.www.samtimer.comBooksBananagrams! The Official Book: Acomplete guide to the anagram gamesensation by word master Joe Edley.$8.95. Available at Amazon.com.Bob’s Bible, School Edition: For SchoolScrabblers and players using the OfficialSCRABBLE® Players Dictionary. $14.50.Available at Amazon.com.Custom SCRABBLE® Boards:Creative custom boards for theSCRABBLE® afficianado since 2001.www.customscrabbleboards.comBob’s Bible: The ultimate guide tobuilding word power. $14.95. Available atAmazon.com.Brow-Raisers II: A brilliantly organizedstudy guide geared towards the successof beginning and intermediate players.$22.00. http://www.browraisers.com. 5

H O L I D A Y B A Z A A R : A D V E R T I S I N GEverything SCRABBLE, Third Edition:The ultimate guide to winning atSCRABBLE@ by 3-time NationalChampion Joe Edley and John D.Williams, Jr. Completely updated toinclude all new words. (See review thisissue.) $11.55. Available atAmazon.com.The Official SCRABBLE® PlayersDictionary, Illustrated Edition:Illustrated hardcover edition of theOSPD4; $23.10. Available atAmazon.com.SCRABBLE® Puzzles Vol. 1: A greatcollection of SCRABBLE® puzzles by 3-time National Champion Joe Edley.$6.95. Available at Amazon.com.Letterati: An Unauthorized Look atScrabble and the People Who Play It:Paul McCarthy’s fantastic history of thedevelopment of tournamentSCRABBLE®. $11.53. Available atAmazon.com.The Part of Fortune: Poems andphotographs by Ann Sanfedele (see storyin this issue).$10.96. http://stores.lulu.com/annsanSCRABBLE® Puzzles Vol. 2: A greatcollection of SCRABBLE® puzzles by 3-time National Champion Joe Edley.$6.95. Available at Amazon.com.SCRABBLE® Puzzles Vol. 3: A greatcollection of SCRABBLE® puzzles by 3-time National Champion Joe Edley.$6.95. Available at Amazon.com.The Official SCRABBLE® PlayersDictionary, Fourth Edition: The officialword source for School SCRABBLE® andcasual play. $7.50. Available atAmazon.com.The Race Toward the Light:Hardscrabble: SCRABBLE® playerEmber Nelson’s moving story of herextraordinary daughter Genevieve, whofaced severe physical challenges.$28.95. Available at Amazon.com.SCRABBLE® Puzzles Vol. 4: A greatcollection of SCRABBLE® puzzles by 3-time National Champion Joe Edley.$6.95. Available at Amazon.com.6

H O L I D A Y B A Z A A R : A D V E R T I S I N GSCRABBLE® Tournament & ClubWord List (C. Collins): The official wordlist for international tournament play.Available at Amazon.com.Word Freak: Heartbreak, Triumph,Genius, and Obsession in the Worldof Competitive Scrabble Players: Thebest-selling book on the world ofSCRABBLE® by acclaimed author StefanFatsis. $10.88. Available atAmazon.com.ClothingThe OWL and the Pussycat: For theword lover in your family: Shirts, sweats,caps, etc. designed by Ann Sanfedele(see story this issue). http://www.cafepress.com/annsanstuff.SCRABBLE® Wordbook: The ultimateword book for SCRABBLE® players byMike Barron. OSPD4 words. $9.95.Available at Amazon.com.CalendarsAnn Sanfedele’s Calendars: A year’sworth of original rebus puzzles, SignLanguage, Son of Sign Language, andmany more (story in this issue). http://www.cafepress.com/annsanstuff.T-shirts: T-shirts for word game players.http://www.cafepress.com/cornysstuff/4036798Signs Gone By: 73 color photographs ofsigns along the byways of North Americaby Ann Sanfedele (see story this issue).$23.65. http://stores.lulu.com/annsan.The Official SCRABBLE® Page-A-Day 2010 Daily Boxed Calendar: Withits clever mix of puzzles and plays, thiscalendar offers the fun of a new moveevery day while honing skills for the nextgame. $12.99. Available at Amazon.com.Cookies & TreatsTreats for All!: Serving treats at holidayparties? Want a delicious way to includepeople with food allergies? Need a gift forsomeone with a food allergy? HomeFreecookies make it easy!www.homefreetreats.com 7

H O L I D A Y B A Z A A R : A D V E R T I S I N GDVDsDVDs: Akeela and the Bee, Word Wars,Scrabylon, Spellbound. http://www.samtimer.com/st-dvds.htmlKindle: Wireless reading device (6”display, global wireless, latestgeneration). Join the many readerswhose books travel with them on aKindle. $259.00 (Eligible for FREEshipping). Available at Amazon.com.Home Furnishings &AccessoriesGiant SCRABBLE® Rug: 78” x 78”100% Nylon area rug. http://www.samtimer.comScrabbalution: 90-minute DVD, with funand information about America’s favoriteword game--and more than a dozeninsights to the way the champions see theboard and look for high-scoring plays.$49.95 & $5 shh. www.wordgifts.netSCRABBLE®: The updatedSCRABBLE® game for PlayStationPortable. $19.99. Available fromAmazon.com.SCRABBLE® Wine Charms: WithScrabble wine glass charms, you'll neveragain ask "Is that my glass?" Pick up two,three, or more sets for larger gatherings.$14.77. Available at Amazon.com.Starbucking: A quirky documentary(2005) following Scrabbler Winter on hisquest to visit every Starbucks in theworld. $17.99. Available at Amazon.com.Electronics &VideogamesSCRABBLE® SCR-228 PlayersDictionary from Franklin Electronics:The popular Franklin hand-helddictionary, updated to include latestwords. $50.82 (eligible for FREEshipping). Available at Amazon.com.Equipment: Look underBoards, Racks, Tiles,Tile Bags, Timers, Toys& GamesJewelrySCRABBLE® Tile Jewelry: The perfectpresent for SCRABBLE® lovers! Givethem their initials, name or a specialmessage with authentic scrabble tiles setin sterling silver. As a necklace orbracelet, this Personalized Gift willdefinitely score points!www.personalizedgiftsinc.com.8

H O L I D A Y B A Z A A R : A D V E R T I S I N GSCRABBLE® Tile Jewelry: They may betiny, but they are FULL of style! OurSCRABBLE® Tile Jewelry looks great onany neck chain, key ring, or cell phonestrap. Tile earrings, too.www.sandists.com.Photographs & PostersPhotographs: Pick from a large selectionof Ann Sanfedele’s photographs ofScrabblers through the years--or fromAnn’s many other photos (see story thisissue). http://annsan.smugmug.com.SCRABBLE® Sets(Look under Boards,Toys & Games, Racks,Tiles, Tile Bags, andTimers)Name Word ListPersonalized Name Word List:Personalized list, including 60 of thehighest scoringlegal words, using only theletters in the recipient's name. A funconversation piece for home or the office.$25 + $6shh. www.wordgifts.netRacksSamRacks: Beautiful wooden long rackswith rubberized feet to prevent slipping.In two colors of wood.www.samtimer.comTilesSmoothTiles: Official tiles of NASPANSC09. 25 different color combinations,including multiple choices of images onthe blanks. http://www.SmoothTiles.comNotecardsNotecards: Notes for word game playersin a wide variety of designs by AnnSanfedele (see story this issue). http://www.cafepress.com/annsanstuff.RugsGiant SCRABBLE® Rug: 78” x 78”100% Nylon area rug.www.samtimer.comSamTiles: Featuring silk-screenedSamTiles and SamTiles Universal whichfit virtually every board in the world.http://www.samtimer.com/sttilesWCPRO.html 9

H O L I D A Y B A Z A A R : A D V E R T I S I N GTile BagsTile Bags: Various styles and colors withsingle and double drawstrings.www.samtimer.comBananagrams JUMBO Set: Jumbodouble-tile set of the popularBananagrams game, with Banana Leafscore pad. $36.51. Available atAmazon.com.SCRABBLE® Brand CrosswordGame Diamond Edition: This DiamondAnniversary Edition features sleek blackand silver tiles, a rotating board splashedwith color, curved letter racks and muchmore. Folds into a carrying case--forplayers 8 and above. $29.00. Available atAmazon.com.TimersBananagrams Set with Banana LeafScore Pad: The classic Bananagramsgame with a Banana Lear score pad.$21.19. Available at Amazon.com.SamTimers: "The King of scrabbletimers" -- SCRABBLE@ News. A choiceof World Championship SamTimers,inexpensive pocket SamTimers and miniSamTimers. http://www.SamTimer.comSuper SCRABBLE® Deluxe Edition:The game with more spaces, more points,and more tiles! $43.36. Available atAmazon.com.Boggle®: The popular wood game--classic edition. $20.45. Available atAmazon.com.Toys & GamesBananagrams: The fast and furiousword-building game for all ages. $14.25.Available at Amazon.com.SCRABBLE® Upwords: The popular 3-D version of SCRABBLE®. $18.16.Available at Amazon.com.SCRABBLE® Brand CrosswordGame: The standard SCRABBLE®Brand Crossword Game. $15.27.Available at Amazon.com.10

H O L I D A Y B A Z A A R : A D V E R T I S I N GSpanish Edition SCRABBLE® BrandCrossword Game: Spanish-languageversion of the popular game. $24.75.Available at Amazon.com.SCRABBLE® Apple: A new anagramtile game that is fun for all ages. $12.16.Available at Amazon.com.Boston Red-Sox SCRABBLE® BrandCrossword Game: For Boston Red Soxfans. $29.99. Available at Amazon.com.Star Trek SCRABBLE® BrandCrossword Game: Combines Star Trekand SCRABBLE®. $29.99. Available atAmazon.com.Shrek SCRABBLE®: Combines Shrek3 and SCRABBLE®. $29.99. Available atAmazon.com. 11

T O U R N A M E N T N E W S : R O C K Y M T . R U M B L ETournament NewsFor the most up-to-date tournament results and the official calendar of upcoming tournaments,players should consult the NASPA results and calendar. Detailed information about past andupcoming tournaments is also posted at www.cross-tables.com. Here we will feature atournament or two each issue, plus list winners of recent tournaments. Directors who would like tosubmit results and photographs from their tournaments are welcome to send them toCorneliaSGuest@gmail.com.______________________________________________________________________________2009 Rocky Mountain Rumbleby Angela Dancho with photos courtesy of Zana AndersonIs hosting a tournament in Denver in November crazy? It hasn’t been for the last two years! Wehave had great weather since the revival of the Rocky Mountain Rumble (I hope I didn’t just temptfate or doom us for next year by mentioning our luck). This year it was sunny and 75 degrees whenwe started at noon on Friday, and the great weather continued throughout the weekend. Of course,only ten days before we had a foot of snow; but as the joke goes, “If you don’t like the weather inColorado, wait 10 minutes and it will change.”Our tournament was held at the lovely Crystal Inn in Aurora, which is near the airport. The hoteloffers a free airport shuttle and a complimentary hot breakfast buffet, and rooms are equipped witha fridge and microwave. Our tourney was in the same room as this year’s Can-Am Challenge, andwe hope that some of the word knowledge from the expert players is still lingering around the room.New Yorker Barbara Epstein took advantage of the great weather to visit the John Denver memorialin Aspen before playing in the main event.The Division 1 Early Bird winner was local player DominickMancine, who is currently the top rated player in the state.Dominick’s record was 4-1 +469, but it is estimated that hewill lose 2 rating points. Hopefully the $100 prize will easethe pain. Division 2 winner Nancy Druskin (sister ofDenver’s club director Laura Scheimberg) also took home$100. Newcomer Thomas Patton from Boulder wasundefeated in Division 3. Congrats to Thomas for hisoutstanding tournament debut! This was the firsttournament for Julia Van Arsdale and Kim Pettit also –welcome to the tournament SCRABBLE® scene!Early Bird winnersCompetition in the main event was fierce after a round robin in each division. In Division 1, it wentdown to the last game between Laura Scheimberg and Ken Kasney. Ken bested Laura in that finalgame, winning the division with a record of 11-6 +477. Dave Johnson took second with a record of10-7 +636, and Laura came in third, finishing up 10-7 -174.12

T O U R N A M E N T N E W S : R O C K Y M T . R U M B L EPeter Michel dominated Division 2 with a final record of 15-2+1150 (he was Gibsonized after the 15 th round). Ruth Hamiltonand Carlynn Mayer battled for second place, with Ruthprevailing (11-6 + 549) and Carlynn taking third (10-7 +367).There were several contenders going into the final round ofDivision 3. Local player Rob Siegelca came out on top with a14-3 +943 record. Another local player, Early Bird Division 3winner Thomas Patton, was second with a record of 13-4 +763.Zana Anderson came in third, finishing 12-5 +860.Div. 1 winners (Missing: Ken Krasney)Complete results can be found at the NASPA website.Saturday night there were no games, so players got a chance to explore Aurora. Twelve players plusthe director ventured to DiCiccio’s Italian restaurant for dinner. DiCiccio’s is home to a giant 20-footTV screen with opera music videos. The décor is kitschy, but the food is good and reasonably priced.A few tournament highlights:• Six bingos were played in a game between LauraScheimberg and Dave Johnson, three each. Laurapointed out that her outplay was OVERKILL.• Division 1 High Play Award: SEMBLAGE*, 176 pts. byWally Schultz.• Division 2 High Play Award: ZOOIEST, 112 pts. byBarbara Epstein.• The Division 3 prize was shared by Zana Andersonand Marie Irvine, who both scored 98 pts. withDEFACING and FACTOIDS, respectively.Local players Scott Newcomb, Div. 3 winner RobSiegel, and Early Bird Div. 3 winner Thomas Patton.A few words from the pile of challenge slips: ROSINOL, OURN*, AZAN, ANEURON*, WRISTERS*,BREAMED, TENSINGS*, INFESTOR*, MADERIZE, EMOTIC*, UPWING*, REHEATER, POKERING*,ZEROTH, TERANNES*, UNTILED*, SUBROOT*, FEUS, YEALINGS, MOXA, NABSTER*,ENOSISES.Hope to see more of you at next year’s Rumble!--Angela Dancho, director 13

T O U R N A M E N T N E W S : C A L I F O R N I A O P E NSecond Annual California Openby Bennett JacobsteinThe Second Annual California Open was held in San Francisco on a beautiful, sunny Halloweenweekend. Participants came from 23 U.S. states, 1 Canadian province, and Israel. Wisconsin’sPeter Armstrong came in first, joining Oregon’s Dave Wiegand (winner of the First California Open2008).Continuing the tradition started at the First CaliforniaOpen, the first, second, and third place finishers and thefirst, second, and third place performance finishers weregiven medals and serenaded with the California statesong, I Love You, California.The Sheraton on Fisherman’s Wharf offeredan ideal welcome to San Francisco.Joining Peter Armstrong on the winners’ podium wereChris Cree of Texas (2nd), Joel Sherman of New York(3rd), Wesley Eddings of Texas (1st, Performance),Paula Catanese of California (2nd, Performance), andJim Burlant of Arizona (3rd, Performance).The tournament was held at the Sheraton located right onSan Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf. Many attendeesenjoyed a traditional seafood dinner at Cioppino’sRestaurant on the Wharf and a post-tournament dim sumluncheon.Saturday night featured casual SCRABBLE® play mixedin with a murder mystery. Who would have believed thatmild-mannered Pat Diener would be the “killer” and thatJesse Wornum could be a “secret Chippendales dancer.”Miraculously, after being “murdered” on Saturday night,John Karris reemerged to go 3-1 on Sunday!Christiane Tran, Mike Frentz, John Wiley, andAndrea Michaels dressed in Halloween garb.Sunday morning once again featured 10-minute massages, helping to relax everyone for the finalfour games. Although not yet set, we are hoping to have next year’s California Open back in SanFrancisco.Special thanks to co-directors John Aitken and Ruth Hamilton.14

T O U R N A M E N T N E W S : R E S U L T STournamentResults 10/21-11/29CALGARY AB CAN 10/211. Eric Tran2. Gene Rawlins3. Dave KrookCALGARY AB CAN 10/221. Eric Tran2. Wendy McGrath3. Andrew TwiddyCALGARY AB CAN10/23-251. Jason Hlady2. Jarett Myskiw3. Dion Saldanha4. Sunshine GudlaugsonANNAPOLIS MD 10/241. Jeff Cook2. Louis Berney3. Thomas Ensey4. Ruth ShilkretFT. LAUDERDALE FL10/241. Ron Tiekert2. George Rogers3. Claire Ullman4. Greg CoonsPLYMOUTH MA (CAPECOD)10/30-11/11. Richard Buck2. Bradley Robbins3. Prashanth Seetharam4. Katie ChristiansonSAN FRANCISCO CA(CALIFORNIA OPEN)10/30-11/11. Peter ArmstrongBRANDON MB CAN10/31-11/11. Brian Williams2. David SmithLAGUNA WOODS CA 11/11. Bruce D. AmbrosioAURORA CO EARLYBIRD (ROCKY MOUNTAINRUMBLE) 11/61. Dominick Mancine2. Nancy Druskin3. Thomas PattonAURORA CO (ROCKYMOUNTAIN RUMBLE)11/7-81. Ken Kasney2. Peter Michel3. Rob SiegelFT. LAUDERDALE FL11/6-81. Ron Tiekert2. Larry Gradius3. Ralph King4. Marilena SouzaASHEVILLE NC 11/7-81. David Gibson2. Gerry Smith3. Davd Rauppius4. Betsey Wood5. Emma GarrettBAYSIDE NY 11/71. Verna Richards Berg2. James Curley3. Nancy KonipolBRANTFORD ON CAN11/71. Lou Cornelis2. Craig Rowland3. Geoff Gibson4. Joyce Spalding5. Ann ElwoodTAMPA FL 11/71. Steve GlassBERKELEY CA 11/81. Leesa Berahovich2. Isaac Apindi3. Jon Demeter4. Bharat SampathAKRON OH 11/81. Pete ZieglerRHINEBECK NY 11/81. Bradley Whitmarsh2. Jo Anne CohenTORONTO ON CAN 11/81. Lou CornelisWILMINGTON DE 11/81. David Koenig2. Edward Stewart3. Christian Jurlando4. Jeffrey Jacobson5. Joe Geibler6. Mike Johnson7. Jan Feidel8. Kenneth Hansen 15

T O U R N A M E N T N E W S : R E S U L T SINDEPENDENCE OH(LCT) 11/101. Dean ScouloukasBLOOMINGTON MN(TWIN CITIES) EARLYBIRD 11/131. David HerfelESSEX VT EARLY BIRD(NAST) 11/131. Bradley WhitmarshESSEX VT 11/13-151. Bruce Adams2. David Engelhardt3. Denise Mahnken4. Linley BinghamBLOOMINGTON MN(TWIN CITIES) 11/14-151. Joey Mallick2. Susan Rhea3. Jason Vaysberg4. Aaron MayersonPITTSBURGH PA 11/141. Dorcas Alexander2. Eileen NarvinTUCSON AZ 11/141. Laurie Cohen2. Richard MartinVICTORIA BC CAN 11/141. Michelle Eisele2. Sean McCool3. Georgianne FioriniROCKY RIVER OH 11/151. Pete ZeiglerDALLAS TX 11/211. Michael Early2. Karen Dacosta163. Robin GatesEDMONTON AB CAN11/211. Juraj Pivovarov2. Dorothy KlovanLEXINGTON KY 11/211. Marc Broering2. David Meredith3. Margaret PozgayMANCHESTER CT 11/211. Bradley Whitmarsh2. John Cheras3. Jeffrey Scranton4. Neva SlaterPINELLAS PARK, FL11/211. Daniel HellmannOSHAWA ON CAN11/21-221. Sam Hollington2. Trevor Sealy3. Shan Abbasi4. Norma LovettVANCOUVER VS.SEATTLE (RESTRICTED)11/211. Rafi Stern2. Murray Weber3. Edward Walton4. Lilia MurnaneEAST LANSING MI(CLABBERS, UNRATED)11/221. Paul EpsteinWORLD SCRABBLECHAMPIONSHIP(MALAYSIA) 11/16-291. Pakorn NemitrmansukBATTLE CREEK MI 11/281. Steve Grob2. Mason Shambach3. Gary SkowronskiDURHAM NC 11/281. Quentin Read2. Noah Lieberman3. Matthew BernardinaELMHURST IL 11/28-291. Alan Helfgott2. Michael Garner3. Bill Rexhausen4. Marlena CannonSOMERS NY SCHOOLSCRABBLE 11/291. Paolo Federico-Omurchu &Conor McGeehan2. DeeAnn Guo & Quinn VissakGlenfield Middle School 7th gradersConor McGeehan and PaoloFederico-Omurchu won all 6 of theirgames to win Div. 1 at the 11/29Somers NY School Scrabble Tourney.

N E W F A C E SNew FacesSince our last issue, 35 new faces have competed at NASPA tournaments. Four of these playerswon their divisions at their first tournament: Matthew Bernardina, Division 3 winner at the DurhamNC Tournament 11/28 (8-0 + 683); Aaron Mayerson, Division 4 winner at the Twin Cities MNTournament 11/14-15 (10-2 +812); Kenneth Hansen, Division 8 winner at the Wilmington DETournament 11/8 (6-1 +303); and our featured “new face,” Thomas Patton, who actually was playingin his second sanctioned tournament (his first was in 1997). Patton’s auspicious return was in theEarly Bird Division 3 at the Rocky Mountain Rumble in Aurora CO Friday, November 6th, where hewon all of his games to win with a 5-0 + 541 record--earning a 1529 rating.______________________________________________________________________________Thomas PattonThomas Patton, 59, a recently retired Postmaster, is not entirely new to the tournamentSCRABBLE® scene. Until 2008 he had worked for 20 years at a small country Post Office on theisland of Maui in the Hawaiian Islands. While living in Hawaii, Patton played SCRABBLE® for a fewyears with the now-disbanded Maui Club, and heplayed in one tournament--in 1997.Thomas Patton at the summit of Mt. Chapin,elevation 12,454 feet, in Rocky Mountain NationalPark, Estes Park, CO.In 2008 Patton moved to Boulder, CO, where hisdaughter is attending the University of Colorado (healso has a son who recently graduated from theUniversity of California at Santa Cruz).Prior to playing at the Maui club, Patton had justbeen a sporadic “living room” player. The clubopened his eyes to what a totally different world thecompetitive SCRABBLE® culture was. The club metonce a week, and Patton would play 3 or 4 games.His first tournament experience--in Lahaina in 1997--was another eye-opener. “I recall being told beforethe tournament that this guy named Joel Shermanwas going to be there, and that he was the ‘WorldChampion of SCRABBLE®.’ At the time I had never heard of Joel Sherman and remember beingamused that there was such a thing as a SCRABBLE® world champion! Now I have a muchdeeper appreciation of his accomplishment.”The Maui club disbanded shortly after that tournament, and Patton didn't play at all for about 9years. “I was raising a family and my job was very time-consuming.” But as his children got olderand he neared retirement from the Post Office, Patton rediscovered SCRABBLE®.“Around the autumn of 2007 somebody turned me on to the ISC website and I rapidly got rehooked.I've played about 3000 games on line over the past two years. About a month ago Istarted going to the local club here in Boulder, CO and found out about the Denver tournament andthought what the heck, I'll give it a go.” 17

N E W F A C E SPatton made quite a splash in his reentry to tournament SCRABBLE® at the Rocky MountainRumble: In the Early Bird he won all of his games to win his division, and in the Main Event hefinished second in Division 3, 13-4 +763. He looks forward to playing more live SCRABBLE® at theDenver/Boulder CO Club #185 and at other tournaments.“I must say it is nice to be playing ‘real people’ and not wondering if they've got an anagrammercranking away on the side. The Word Biz site [ISC] is convenient, but it's also cold. I do need towork on my tile tracking and score tallying skills--the computer made all that so easy.”Patton’s primary passion in life is mountaineering and "peak bagging." Right now he is working onclimbing/hiking to the summits of the of the 87 highest ranked peaks in Boulder County, which rangefrom 6000' to 14255'. “I believe that as long as we are alive and able to do so, we were meant toexercise our minds AND our bodies, so for me SCRABBLE® and mountaineering make a nice one/two punch.”Look out SCRABBLE® players--you may be Patton’s next punching bag!_______________________________________________________________________________Welcome to Thomas Patton, Matthew Bernardina, Aaron Mayerson,Kenneth Hansen, and the following other new faces:BRANDON MB CAN 10/31-11/1: Krista PicheSAN FRANCISCO CA (CALIFORNIA OPEN) 10/30-11/1: Tom GraimAURORA CO EARLY BIRD (ROCKY MOUNTAIN RUMBLE) 11/6: Kim A. Pettit, Julia Van ArsdaleASHEVILLE NC 11/7-8: Jacob Cohen, Ellie R. Dixon, Greg Hatem, Donetta Pedroza, BrandonZitzmanBAYSIDE NY 11/7: Emily LichtmanBRANTFORD ON CAN 11/7: Leighton Campbell, Linda Cockell, Agnes Link, Hugh MiddletonRHINEBECK NY 11/8: Mike Iglinski, Tim IglinskiTORONTO ON CAN 11/8: Jackson Smylie, Tara SmylieBLOOMINGTON MN (TWIN CITIES) 11/14-15: Matt Carlson, Haley Golz, Ben Guzik, EmmamarieHaasi, Mina Le, Michelle PavleckPITTSBURGH PA 11/14: David York, Aaron LeClair, Colleen MackinVICTORIA BC CAN 11/14: Jordan Campbell, Bryan Haugh, Joanne LeslieV18

N E W F A C E SLEXINGTON KY 11/21: Janet ScheelineOSHAWA ON CAN 11/21-22: Diane StanishVANCOUVER VS. SEATTLE (RESTRICTED) 11/21: Hilary Johnson, Simon SpicerBATTLE CREEK MI 11/28: Ryan BeesonDURHAM NC 11/28: Ritchie HearneELMHURST IL 11/28-29: James Nalepka, Willie Smith 19

S U M C L A B B E R S T O U R N A M E N TSUM Clabbers TournamentTournament winner Paul Epstein with RodneyNivison, co-organizer and 3rd place finisher.Six players competed in a 5-game Round Robin clabbers tourneyat Michigan State University Sunday, November 22. Organized byJeff Clark and Rodney Nivison, the event attracted a small but starstuddedentry, including Peter Morris, the winner of the first WorldScrabble Championship (1991) and one of the outstanding 5 whohave won both that and a National Scrabble Championship (1989).Rod Nivison was another top player making a return toSCRABBLE® after almost a decade away from tournament play.They were joined by Paul Epstein, Jeff Fiszbein, MargaretSutherland, and Diane Kraynak, a clabbers “newbie.”Despite posting the tourney high average score (650) and the 3 highest scores (718, 716, 696),Peter Morris was not able to beat Paul Epstein (Polyp Stain).Jeff Clark does not think we will see Peter back onthe scrabble circuit. “We designed this clabberstourney to encourage Peter to attend,” said Clark.“We picked a site less than 10 miles from hishouse. Peter admitted his scrabble is rusty. Heplayed (and got away with) a phoney 4. He playedEDUX thinking that DEUX might be a new word.But he still has great bingo knowledge. He playedILEZIBNE for 137 and added YR to IZENCIT for 69.Paul Epstein is a great player as well, but I believethe numbers show that it was a fluke that Peter didnot win the tourney. Had this been more than a 5-game tourney we would have had different results.Tournament co-organizer Jeff Clark welcomes PeterMorris, one of SCRABBLE®’s all-time greatest players.“Paul had a nice 10-letter bingo. Thru FYE, Paul played PtUFYERGIN 2x2 for 122 points.“Kudos to Diane Kraynak who had never played clabbers before. She arrivedthinking that clabbers was ‘collaborating scrabble,’ a version where players helpeach other out. She was given a brief intro before she was thrown to thewolves. She handled the new experience like a veteran.”For those readers not familiar with clabbers, the game is a variation onSCRABBLE® popular with tournament Scrabblers. The name derives from thefact that the words CLABBERS and SCRABBLE are anagrams. The rules areidentical to those in SCRABBLE®, except that valid plays are only required toform anagrams of acceptable words--the letters can be in any order. If a word“Newbie” Diane Kraynakis challenged, the player who played the word must name an acceptable wordthat anagrams to the tiles played.Because the number of "words" that can be formed is vastly larger than those in the OWL2, theboard usually ends up tightly packed in places, and necessarily quite empty in others. Game scores20

S U M C L A B B E R S T O U R N A M E N Twill often be much higher than in standard SCRABBLE®, due to the relative ease of making highscoringoverlap plays and easier access to premium squares.After the tourney, 9 of the group went to Pizza House for dinner and drinks.Here are the tournament results:Name Wins Losses Spread Average Score High Game High Loss1. Paul Epstein 5 0 770 599 648 NA2. Peter Morris 4 1 1056 650 718 5283. Rodney Nivison 2 3 -243 465 625 4414. Margaret Sutherland 2 3 -434 471 532 4765. Jeff Fiszbein 1 4 -184 479 597 4666. Diane Kraynak 1 4 -965 400 520 430 21

C A U S E W A Y C H A L L E N G E : 1 2 / 2 - 6Causeway Challenge: 12/2-6December features two outstanding SCRABBLE® events in Johor Bahru, Malaysia: The CausewayScrabble Challenge on December 2-6 and the World Youth Scrabble Championship on December8-9 (see story in our last issue). These tournaments are part of the Iskandar Malaysia WorldScrabble Festival, which started with the exciting World Scrabble Championship that was justcompleted. Both tournaments are being held at the Zon Regency Hotel.The Causeway Challenge, a world-class event, features 50 of the world’s top SCRABBLE® players,including Pakorn Nemitrmansuk, the new World Champion. Conceived in 2002 as a challengebetween the top 10 players from Singapore versus the top 10 players from Malaysia, the CausewayChallenge now features top players from around the world in a Premier Team event. In 2009, as in2008, the Premier section consists of 10 teams of 5 where each team member plays 45 roundsagainst all 45 players from the other teams. This section is strictly invitational and represents thecream of world Scrabble (to see the teams, go to http://www.causewayscrabble.com/premier/pplayers.html). First prize is $20,000 (U.S.)In addition there is an Open Division, with 150 players from 28 countries, including Mark Kenas andNicholas Vasquez from the United States. Last year the open section enjoyed the longesttournament many have ever played, 33 games over 4 days. At the end of the tournament,tournament organizer Michael Tang asked players if they enjoyed such a long tournament, andwhether they would like to have even more games. The answer to both questions was a resoundingyes, so this year the open section will have 45 games over 5 days, matching the premier section'stimetable.To follow the coverage of the Causeway Challenge (at least 500 of the Premier Team event gameswill be annotated) go to www.causewayscrabble.com.The mayor of Johor Bahru presenting the 2008 premier winner,David Eldar from Australia, with 10,000 US dollars. This year’sprize money is doubled.22

The WordsmithT H E W O R D S M I T HUnearthing Anglo-Saxon Treasureby Chris SinacolaAmong the more delightful stories in the news this last month was one detailing the discoveryin July, on a farm in western England, of more than 1,500 pieces of Anglo-Saxon treasuredating to the 7th century.Now it really isn’t true, as some friends have suggested, that we SCRABBLE® playersperceive in every aspect of our daily lives - particularly in everything we read, hear or see -some connection to our favorite word game.This, however, surely is such an instance. Notwithstanding the enormous and welcomeadditions to our game from the 3,600 or so other languages and dialects on the planet, itremains true that ours is a game rooted in English, whose development centered on theBritish Isles, no matter that it has grown in time to become a worldwide language forbusiness, aviation and so many other endeavors.Whatever method of study one adopts, acquiring a large vocabulary and putting it to good usenecessarily involves the patient and sometimes serendipitous unearthing of words, many ofwhich may have lain for years or decades just below the surface of our reading and our dailylives – unused, neglected, and perhaps unknown by all but the most specialized researchersin academia.The treasure discovered by an unemployed Englishman armed only with a metal detector is aonce-in-a-lifetime occurrence that will make him a wealthy man. I like to think that our wordexcavations, while hardly making headlines, provide a lifetime of riches, whether they comeback to us because of a search on the Internet, greet us from the pages of a short story ornovel, or leap off the newspaper page.New and interesting words might, of course, derive from any of the world’s languages, but Ifind that those rooted in English or its linguistic ancestors hold particular resonance. Perhapsthey return us to the earliest sounds and memories of our youth, when speech patterns werelaid down in our English-speaking brains. Perhaps it is the echo of the Victorian language ofnursery tales, or the dark visions of the Brothers Grimm (in translation), or the lilting cadencesof poems we loved as a child, even if we did not understand every word, or bother to look upthe hard ones until much later in life.Whatever the case, such words form, least in my mind, part of a subterranean (andsubmarine) network whose roots tap into Ireland and Wales, surface in Scottish lochs, touchthe shores of Brittany, and slip beneath the North Sea to reach the fjords of Scandinavia andthe headlands of Jutland.Let us turn to a few examples. 23

T H E W O R D S M I T H“September,” a Boston Globe story informed me one day, “…is often the early bellwether ofhow the fiscal year is shaping up.”Never mind the finances, a grim enough topic these days. There’s one of those words –BELLWETHER. For me, this word has always evoked the image of a tolling bell portending astorm, only I had to remember to drop the “a” from the weather part.The Oxford English Dictionary soon sets the record straight.A BELLWETHER is simply the leading sheep in a flock, around whose neck the shepherdhangs a bell. This may be obvious enough if one knows that a WETHER is a gelded malesheep – which anyone who has studied their six-letter words assiduously, with meanings,could tell you. But experience suggests that most SCRABBLE® players don’t spend all thatmuch time on six-letter words, and many do not go out of their way to learn meanings.Our family had a very modest flock of sheep while I was growing up, and even a few thatwore bells, but I never made the BELLWETHER connection. In any case, I have to wonderwhat good it did the sheep, as at least one of the bell-bearing beasts was slaughtered by apack of rather uncivil German shepherds - “ding! ding!” in this case meaning their doggiedinner was ready.The derivation of WETHER, and its spelling variations, occupies the better part of a page inthe OED, but it will suffice to illustrate my English-and-Anglo-Saxon-centric point if I note thatthe various linguistic references thereon encompass Common Teutonic, Old English, Old LowFranconian, North Frisian, Old Middle German and so forth.Moving to the kitchen, everyone knows what a dishcloth is, even if some young folks seempuzzled as to what to do with such an item. But what’s a DISHCLOUT? And could it be usedto sop up dull old dishwater, or its close cousin, ditchwater?DISHCLOUT is, indeed, a dishcloth by another, older name. CLOUT has very deep roots inOld English and Old Teutonic, meaning, variously, a clod of earth, a cloth, or, as a verb, topatch something with cloth or metal, or to simply club someone, usually on or about the headand shoulders.The OED offers several instances of DISHCLOUT in literature, the most amusing being fromthe “Diary and Letters of Madame D’Arblay,” by the English playwright Fanny Burney, in whicha maid laments having failed to properly tidy up the table, and exclaims, with reference to acertain visiting dignitary: “Only think what a slut Mrs. Ord must think me, to put a dish-clout inmy pocket!”Needless to say, slut in that context meant a kitchen maid or drudge, no doubt one inattentiveto the niceties of keeping a clean house, but did not always carry the implications of loosemoral character that have today come to monopolize the word. Indeed, among the otherusages of the word now forever lost to us is the one “in playful use, or without seriousimputation of bad qualities,” as in this line from Samuel Pepys’ famous diary: “21 Feb. Ourlittle girl Susan is a most admirable slut, and pleases us mightily.”24

T H E W O R D S M I T HOne presumes Pepys was pleased with Susan's skill in wielding a dishclout, but, on the otherhand, Pepys was a famous womanizer, and is not known to have had children.But to return to the DISHCLOUT, yes one could use it to sop up dishwater, but notDITCHWATER*, a particularly interesting word that is, like so many interesting words,unacceptable in North American SCRABBLE®.Finally, let’s stay with the theme of domestic servants as we encounter a third word fromacross the pond and centuries: TIREWOMAN. This was another of the nine-letter bunkerbusters dropped upon me by Quackle, played, appropriately enough, through my WO.As I have tried to be a good citizen of this egalitarian world – and really, with three daughters,what choice did I have? – I immediately assumed that TIREWOMAN was a woman who sellstires. Moreover, I happened at the time I met this woman to be in need of tires, but got sosidetracked that I am still in need of tires, which is among the reasons I am planning to winmy next tournament.But then I got to thinking that TIREMAN* had never crossed my consciousness, for the verysimple reason that AEIMNRT yields MINARET and RAIMENT only, as any noviceanagrammer could tell you.It turns out that a TIREWOMAN is a lady’s maid. One skilled in the use of the dishclout, nodoubt.I'd write more, but I am a tired man and must away to some WITAN or FOLKMOOT or other. Ifyou don't know what those are, well, by all means look them up.Chris Sinacola is co-director of the Worcester MA SCRABBLE® Club #600, and a huge fan ofEnglish Breakfast tea. 25

Video Joeby Joe BihlmeyerV I D E O J O EJoe Bihlmeyer, a top Connecticut SCRABBLE® player, has been posting his SCRABBLE® rantsand lessons on YouTube and cgp. We are pleased to offer Joe’s humorous take on the world oftournament SCRABBLE® to readers of The Last Word.SCRABBLE® is about emotional controlAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA26

S C R A B B L E I N T H E N E W SSCRABBLE® in the NewsSee something about SCRABBLE® or a SCRABBLE® player in the news? Let us know! Send yourstories to CorneliaSGuest@gmail.com.Ask Marilyn?In the November 15 issue of Parade Marilyn vos Savant gave SCRABBLE® playing advice to areader who wrote into her “AskMarilyn” column: http://www.parade.com/askmarilyn/2009/11/Sundays-Column-11-15-09.html. Thanks to Thea McGivney who sent in this look at SCRABBLE®concerns of Parade readers.Nelkon preview to the WSCPhilip Nelkon, one of Britain’s top SCRABBLE® players, wrote a preview to the 10th WorldSCRABBLE® Championship for thestaronline: http://www.thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2009/11/20/lifeliving/5093447&sec=lifeliving.Afraid of drawing bad tiles?Canada’s Most Fearless Person was crowned on November 19th in a contest put on by VirginMobile’s Richard Branson. The first challenge was to shift through a pile of maggots to findSCRABBLE® tiles and spell “fearless.” The National Post covered the bizarre contest: http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/toronto/archive/2009/11/19/toronto-timeline-richard-bransongoes-totally-off-script.aspx#ixzz0XPdnWsSI.School SCRABBLE® program on TVThe Eastern Greene (IN) Middle School SCRABBLE® club, which has won several statechampionships, was featured in a local News 10 segment: http://www.wthitv.com/dpp/news/local_wthi_bloomfield_eastern_greene_scrabble_200911131742_rev1SCRABBLE® “play dates”Singles are meeting at “PlayDate” events to play SCRABBLE®: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/expatnews/6613231/US-singles-look-for-soulmate-over-a-game-of-Scrabble.html.India’s supreme court ruling on SCRABBLE®India’s supreme court rules that SCRABBLE® is a game, not a puzzle, and thus subject to excisetax: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Scrabble-not-a-puzzle-or-educational-toy-but-a-game-SC/articleshow/5230903.cmsOnline SCRABBLE® in the newsA story on the growing interest in online Scrabble: http://www.canada.com/story.html?id=54d3b900-bab4-46e9-ab9a-87966f850a0a 27

S C R A B B L E I N T H E N E W SMaine Event coverageThe Maine Event SCRABBLE® Tournament got a nice write-up in the Portland Press Herald/Maine SunTelegram: http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=281582&ac=PHnwsOklahoma Tourney in the newsA short piece in the October 7 Oklahoma Gazette featured the SoonerSCRABBLE® SCRABBLE®Tournament in Oklahoma City Tournament and Oklahoma City Club #631: http://www.okgazette.com/p/12776/a/4780/Default.aspx?ReturnUrl=LwBEAGUAZgBhAHUAbAB0AC4AYQBzAHAAeAAslashAHAAPQAxADIANwAyADkA. (Pleanote that Matthew Hodge was misquoted “a lot” in the article.)A very large game of SCRABBLE®Primary and Intermediate school students flocked to Auckland’s Mt Smart Stadium November 2nd towitness New Zealand’s largest game of SCRABBLE®: http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0911/S00006.h28

Player Profile: HeatherSteffy and Michael Bassettby Katya LezinLook aroundthe room atanySCRABBLE®tournament,and you’relikely to spot afew couples.Heather Steffyand MichaelBassett areone such couple, but unlike so many of theother SCRABBLE® sweethearts, they did notmeet at a tournament or at a club or online.Well, that’s not actually true. They did meetonline, but it was not through an onlineSCRABBLE® game. SCRABBLE® does get alot of the credit, though, for their relationship.Heather, who was living in Ann Arbor, Michiganat the time, decided to give online dating a try.Wanting to make clear that she enjoyed thegame of SCRABBLE® but wasn’t particularlygood at it, she included in her Match.comprofile, “I’m trying to learn my 2-letter words tobe better at SCRABBLE®.” Michael, who lived2 hours away in Port Clinton, OH, respondedwithin six hours. “I’m not any good either,” heassured her. They agreed to meet. For theirthird date, they went to a bubble tea café andplayed their first SCRABBLE® game. Heatherwon.P L A Y E R P R O F I L Eweekend, however, Michael decided they wereup to the challenge. “Let’s do this,” he said,and Heather agreed. They treated it liketraining for a marathon, playing 7 games in oneday to see if they could handle it.Their first tournament was a 7-gametournament in Battle Creek, Michigan inSeptember 2007. They each won two games.Since then, they’ve often had to face eachother across a SCRABBLE® board at atournament. Heather usually prevails in casualgames, but Michael is usually the victor intournament games. “Michael is mySCRABBLE® Daddy,” Heather notes,chuckling. She has lost more rating points tohim than anyone else, but she is actually ratedhigher.Asked if SCRABBLE® ever causes any frictionin their relationship, they both insist it actuallybrings them closer together. “WithSCRABBLE® to discuss,” Heather says, “wenever run out of things to talk about.” Michaeladds that they haven’t gone to the moviestogether in a very long time because “we’drather play SCRABBLE® or talk about it or dostems or check out words on our Franklins.”Heather’s best SCRABBLE® moment is herfirst triple triple, a Hail Mary that waschallenged and stayed on the board:DUETTING with 2 T’s for 158 points. Michael’sfavorite SCRABBLE® moment is when he wonthe door prize at the Albany, NY New Year’stournament last year. The prize? A free hotelstay for this year’s tournament.As their relationship developed, so did theirSCRABBLE playing skills. They played gamesin coffee shops just so they’d get out of theirrespective apartments, which has its perkssince they are both now relatively immune tonoise levels around them. Heather, who hadread Word Freak, gave a copy to Michael.They both agreed that the world of competitiveSCRABBLE®, which they had not even knownexisted, was too daunting and scary. OneAnd just in case you see Heather and Michaelat the Albany New Year’s tournament, or anyother tournaments where they happen to bestrolling together hand in hand, try to refrainfrom asking the inevitable question, “So whenare you two getting married?” Michael wouldlike it duly noted that it’s not that he hasn’tbroached the subject. Heather, a speechlanguage pathologist who works with kids, isstill trying to figure out her career. She has 29

P L A Y E R P R O F I L Emoved one hour closer to Michael, who is an attorney, so that they at least both live in the samestate now. “But make sure you put in there that it’s not me holding things up,” Michael insists, “sothat these ladies will get off my back!”Katya Lezin lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with her husband and three children (Noah, Hannah,and Eliza). She is the author of Finding Life on Death Row, which profiles six individuals sentencedto death, and has written numerous articles for magazines and other publications. When she is noton the tennis court or competing in a SCRABBLE® tournament (two of her passions, which herhusband would argue border on obsessions), she enjoys cooking, reading, and spending time withher family.30

D I A N E ’ S D E F A L T SDiane’s DEFALTSby Diane FirstmanDiane Firstman published her first book of DEFALTS,Generous to a DEFALT: Vol. 1-3, in 2006. Since then, shehas published a second volume of her humorousalternative definitions to common (and not-so-common)words--DEFALTS Vol. 4--and selected DEFALTS haveappeared in SCRABBLE® News and on the onlineSCRABBLE® discussion groups crossword-games-pro(cgp) and OSPD. The Last Word is pleased to offer thefollowing selection of DEFALTS.CAVY: Mr. Crockett, "King of the wild spelunkers"CELT: 1) a unit of animation in Ireland; 2) the cartoonrepresentation of a leprechaun, as in ads for "Lucky Charms"CERO: zero degrees CelsiusCESS: waste in search of a poolCHAM: finishing 2nd in an event, not quite the championCHAO: a single unit of chaos?CHIA: a "pet" you can't buy in any pet storeCINE: a movie to which you can't take your "ma"CIRE: frustration at the lack of vitamin C in one's dietCIST: one who programs in "C"CLAG: slow-footedness as a result of wearing ill-fitting clogsDiane Firstman is a lifelong New Yorker and has been playing SCRABBLE® competitively since1994. When not thinking up DEFALTS, she attends crossword puzzle tourneys, and writes on theNew York Yankees for www.bronxbanterblog.com. She is adept at math, can reach items on topshelves in supermarkets, and does a dead-on impression of a sea lion. The collected “DEFALTS”are available at http://stores.lulu.com/dianagram. 31

The Mad Scrabblersby Cornelia GuestT H E M A D S C R A B B L E R SAs was clearly demonstrated when Scrabulous ruledFacebook, there are many more SCRABBLE® playersout there than the members of NASPA and the NSAcombined (there were more than 2 million activeScrabulous users when it was shut down, with severalhundred thousand playing every day). With the demiseof Scrabulous, many of these players turned to theofficially sanctioned SCRABBLE® game on Facebook,offered by Entertainment Arts (EA).Six months ago, Martin LaGrow, a 39-year-old ITprogram coordinator from Kaukauna, Wisconsin, wastalking on the online SCRABBLE® discussion board withArt Moore and Brian Galebach about the possibility ofholding tournaments on the SCRABBLE® site. Within afew hours, Mad Scrabblers was created and held its firsttournament--with 8 players. Galebach was the winner of that inaugural tournament, and hecontinues to offer LaGrow regular suggestions for tournament formats. Art Moore does not play inMad Scrabbler’s tournaments, but noted: “Martin's tournaments have garnered a lot of interest andboard traffic. It was a great idea.”Since then the group has grown close to well over 200 players--most learning about Mad Scrabblersby word of mouth. “Just about everybody who has joined had at leastone friend already in the group,” said LaGrow, who has 114SCRABBLE® players among his Facebook friends. The most recenttournament, USA vs. Canada, had 96 players entered (Canada won: 35games to 30).LaGrow, father of five, has had help from two volunteer administrators,Cory Christopher Smith and Dani Baldwin. If the site continues to grow,more administrators may be added.The online SCRABBLE® game has appeal for many reasons, one ofwhich is that it can be played at any time one wants. Many of theplayers on the site have never played in a sanctioned tournaments, yet have skills that rivalseasoned experts. Smith is rated in the 2000s, LaGrow over 1600--but these are online ratings.They do not have NASPA ratings.LaGrow says he studies word lists and probability letter combinations, but notes, “I learn more byplaying good players, and I take notes when I get burned by a good hook.” Unlike in live games, allof the games in Mad Scrabbler tournaments are played in a “void” mode, where phonies are notpermitted. There is also no time limit to the games, which can sometimes be a problem when a32

T H E M A D S C R A B B L E R Stournament game stretches out for many days. There is a “force forfeit” option where a player canforce a slow player to make a move or lose the game (slow in this case meansa player who has not made a move in over a day). “What I have learned, though,” says LaGrow, “isthat 90 percent of slow players tend to get eliminated early.”Do any of the Mad Scrabblers play in NASPA tournaments? Yes. Brian Galebach, one of thefounders, is a tournament regular, and other NASPA members play as well. However, most of thestar players are unknown to the live tournament scene. Do the names Cathy Feleky, SallyEverding, or Curran Eggerton ring a bell? These are all top online players--unknown at NASPAtournaments.Galebach believes many of these players would enjoy live games, and thinks Mad Scrabblers couldbe “a bridge between some of these more enthusiastic Facebook Scrabblers and tournamentScrabblers.” He proposed on cgp that NASPA court Mad Scrabbler members and other onlineplayers with special incentives such as trial memberships or special tournaments. “If they did thatwe could explode the membership--double it easily,” suggests Galebach.Is LaGrow concerned that players use the “Teacher Feature” offered in a side ad “to help find thebest play” (an anagram of “teacher” might be a more appropriate name for this feature)? “I’m suresome do,” he said, but it doesn’t worry him. Also, because there is no time limit as in liveSCRABBLE®, players have the opportunity to consult anagrammers and dictionaries. But LaGrowbelieves the better players don’t. “What’s the point? There’s no prize money.”Although Mad Scrabblers is a free group, LaGrow has kept it invitation-only. Facebook memberscan visit the site by typing “Mad Scrabblers” in the search window.Mad Scrabbler tournaments are held approximately once a month, with elimination brackets in eachdivision winnowing a large field down to the two finalists. The players are grouped by onlineranking--your actual NASPA rating has no bearing. Consolation tournaments are sometimes offeredfor players who are eliminated early. LaGrow also likes to divide the tournaments into fast and slowrounds.Want to try a game with the Mad Scrabblers? Contact LaGrow at the Mad Scrabblers page onFacebook. And get ready for some serious online competition!If you search “Mad Scrabblers” on Facebook you’ll find more information about the group’smembers and tournaments. 33

Linda’s Libraryby Linda WancelAs an avid reader and book lover, I have foundthat many other Scrabblers also share mypassion for books and for reading. So, I amhappy to have this opportunity to share some ofmy favorite books with you. These reviews, forthe most part, were written for Amazon.com,where I have been writing reviews under apseudonym for nearly ten years. I hope that thebook lovers among you may find their interestpiqued by some of these books.Non-fiction:Auschwitz: A New Historyby Laurence ReesL I N D A ’ S L I B R A R YThe author attempts to answer that question andsucceeds in doing so brilliantly. This is a verywell written book that will appeal to those whoare interested in the general human condition, aswell as those interested in the holocaust itself. Itis scholarly, yet, at the same time, immenselyreadable. This is because the author has put avery human face on the dreaded death camp ofAuschwitz. The stories and experiences of morethan a hundred people are integrated throughoutthe narrative, which delves into the historicalbackdrop of the Nazi political machinery and itsleadership. Survivors of Auschwitz, as well asNazi perpetrators, tell of their experiences in thehell that was known as Auschwitz, and they tell itfrom their own unique perspectives. Thesymbiosis that often existed between prisonerand prison guard is quite unsettling, as are theattendant moral and ethical issues.When one thinks of the labor and death campsinstituted by the Nazis during World War II, thenotorious concentration camp at Auschwitzcomes immediately to mind. One cannot help butwonder what kind of mind set would devise suchan infamy. How could Germany, a nation thatwas noted for its richness of culture, havedevised a plan of genocide that was so farreachingand so inherently evil?The author attempts to help the readerunderstand how it was that the "final solution"came about. It is an unsentimental, intellectuallyobjective, critical analysis of one of the mostinfamous episodes in modern history andwarfare. The author carefully delineates how theNazis developed their reprehensible strategy forglobal genocide, and how it came about beingimplemented. The creation of Auschwitz wascrucial to Nazi Germanys' desire to rid itself ofEurope's Jewish population; however, that desiremay not have been entirely ideologically driven.From his extensive research, the authorpostulates that there may have been a practical,more pragmatic component that dictated theactions of the Nazis in the final, waning days ofWorld War II that was no less immoral than theideological one.This is simply a stunning and authoritative bookby an author whose expertise in this area isundeniable. It is a comprehensive and insightfullook at one of the most notorious death camps inthe history of Nazi Germany. The author carefullyexplains the rise and fall of Auschwitz within thecontext of the Nazi mentality and ideology, as34

L I N D A ’ S L I B R A R Ywell as within the broader context of historicaland military pragmatism. It is a devastatingportrait, indeed, and with its sixteen pages ofvintage black-and-white photographs, it is a bookthat will keep the reader riveted to its pages untilthe very last one is turned.Available at Amazon.com.Fiction:The Story of Lucy Gaultby William TrevorThis is a beautifully written book, rife withemotion and feeling. It is a book that will keepthe reader enthralled, so absorbing is the story. Itis, as the title of the book says, the story of oneLucy Gault. Her story begins in Ireland in 1921,in the shadow of the Partition of Ireland. Feelingsagainst the English and Protestants were runninghigh, and many of the manorial estates werebeing targeted for destruction by the localCatholic peasantry in that time of unrest.The Gault family lived in a lovely ancestral home,Lahardane, tucked away in the remote Irishcountryside. Captain Everard Gault, Lucy'sfather, though Irish, was Protestant and hadserved in the English Army. He was married toHeloise, an English woman. These facts hadevidently not gone unnoticed by the locals. Whenthe Gaults find that their home has been targetedfor destruction and the threat of arson is all tooreal, they reluctantly decide to leave theirbeloved home in the care of their two faithfulfamily retainers and relocate to England forsafety's sake. This is a decision that leaves theirnine-year-old daughter, Lucy, heartbroken.Lucy is loath to leave her home with itsresplendent land and rolling acres of lushgreenery, as well as its lovely beach and a dogfor which her feelings run deep. Lahardane is,indeed, a child's paradise. Just before they aredue to leave, a distraught Lucy, desperate tochange the way things are going, decides to runaway in hopes of having her parents see thingsher way. Instead, what occurs is a tragedy of epicproportions, one that would have far-reachingramifications, changing the lives of many. Itwould certainly impact profoundly upon Lucy.This is truly a gloriously written, thematicallycomplex book in which the author examines theway that love and calamity can shape destiny. Itscomplexity is belied by its simple, yet rich andlyrical, prose. The author lovingly tenders thedelicately nuanced words that express the strongundercurrent of emotion that ripples beneath thesurface of this haunting novel, drawing thereader into its heartbreaking story of love,forgiveness, and redemption. The fatalism of itscharacters aptly mirrors the historical fatalism ofthe Irish. This is a literary gem that the readerwill, undoubtedly, read in one sitting, as I did,loath to break the careful cadence of the wordsthat tell so compelling a story.Available at Amazon.com.Linda Wancel loves reading, writing, watchingfilms, traveling, and Scrabbling. She is themother of 27-year-old twins and has been acriminal prosecutor for the last 23 years. 35

The Art of Strategyby Art MooreT H E A R T O F S T R A T E G YThe BasicsA popular feature of the Facebook SCRABBLE® Beta application is thediscussion board. With many of the online players new to one-on-oneSCRABBLE®, the most popular conversation threads have been those onstrategy--and Art Moore, a NASPA tournament player, has emerged as thestrategy guru. The Last Word is pleased to offer Art’s lessons as a new monthlyfeature.Tip 1: Conserve good letters, play off the bad.Trying to score a bingo? It helps to hold on to bingo prone tiles! Succinctly put by former nationalchampion Joel Sherman, the letters in the word CANISTER affords you the best chance to bingo. Ifyou can rid yourself of ugly tiles such as U, V, W, Y while making a good score, leaving behind someCANISTER letters, you'll increase your chances of hitting a big one soon after.Tip 2: Rack Balance.Again, deferring to Mr. Sherman, there is a ratio of 4:3 of consonants to vowels in the tile pool.Strive for that type of balance as well on your rack. CANISTER is a great rule of thumb, but don'tmake a play leaving AIE on your rack, because you've got to draw 4 consonants to balance thingsout. Not likely to happen.Tip 3: Beware of fishing.Don't often try to play off just one tile hoping to score the one you need. Occasionally this works, butit alerts your opponent that you're close to a bingo and they will likely play defensively to block. Inaddition, your average score over the two (or three, or four...) turns doesn't usually make itworthwhile.Tip 4: Blanks are good. Really.Don't waste your blank on a 20 point play. Many use the blank only for a 50 point or better score.They score 0 points but their value is immeasurable.Tip 5: ING is a trap.Don't get too caught up holding -ING for a bingo. Yeah it works, but often you find yourselffrustrated. Try it for a turn or two at most, remembering that G is not one of the CANISTER letters.SCRABBLE® being his mother's favorite game, Art Moore played a lot of it growing up. Afterplaying online for a number years, Art made the jump to club (and tournament) play three years ago.Art lives just outside of Orlando, husband to an incredibly patient woman and father of four equallytolerant children. He is co-director of Club #438 in Casselberry, Florida. Find him on ISC under themoniker "Werds".36

A N N S A N F E D E L EAnn Sanfedele:Photographer, Poet, Artist, SCRABBLE® Playerby Cornelia GuestReaders of Paul McCarthy’s Letterati, a highly recommended bookdocumenting the roots of organized tournament SCRABBLE®, haveseen a glimpse of the many wonderful moments captured on film byAnn Sanfedele, a New York photographer and SCRABBLE® player.Her photos also adorned the walls at the Comfort Diner for most of IraFreehof’s New York City tournaments.Ann and her cat, Ashley(photo by Amita Guha)Ann has been a photographer for over 40 years, traveling all over theUnited States and Canada with her camera. She has had numeroussolo exhibits in New York galleries, and her work has been included inmany group shows. Her first book of photographs, Sign Language,was published by Citadel Press in 1992. The sequel, Signs Gone By, isavailable at Amazon.com or directly from her lulu storefront: http://stores.lulu.com/annsan. Ann’s professional photography web site isannsan.smugmug.comAnn is also a skillful designer with a strong sense of humor. You’ll find her SCRABBLE®-relateddesigns at her online store, The OWL and the Pussycat, at Cafe Press (http://www.cafepress.com/annsanstuff), where she sells such tournament player favorites as the “Rack of Lambdas” (aconcept requested by Jack Eichenbaum) and the SOWPODS T-shirts pictured below. Her designfor “The Tiles Are Out There” has been a perennial favorite.Ann started playing SCRABBLE® in the 1950s in Chicago, where she was involved in the localtheatre scene. “I was hanging out at The College of Complexes, a bar on North State Street wherewe’d go after rehearsals at the Chicago Stage Guild down the street. I was even going there beforeI got out of high school. It was an arty, intellectual scene--chess, quizzes for bar tokens, etc. Wedid one-act plays there as well. It was one-on-one SCRABBLE®, even then, in that environment.“But it wasn’t until the mid 70’s in New York that I got into tournament SCRABBLE®.” Ann saw anarticle in the New York Times Metro section about a SCRABBLE® tournament in Brooklyn: The New 37

A N N S A N F E D E L EYork City Championship. Her participation in thattournament got her on a hot list, and she was invited tojoin Manhattan Club 17, run then by the late MiltWertheimer. By the late 70’s she became a regular atThe Game Room as well.Ann Sanfedele’s collection of SCRABBLE®photographs documents the roots of tournamentplay. This photograph is from the 1979 New YorkCity Scrabble Tournament at the Brooklyn WarMemorial. Front to back: Steve Tier, Steve Pfeiffer,Paul Avrin. Copyright © 1979 Ann Sanfedele.“In those days every Sunday for several weeks therewould be games, with the top players from each weekmaking it into quarter-finals, semis, and finals.” Ann madethe quarter-finals regularly, the semis twice, and the finalsonce. “If I didn’t get to the next level I would be at thegames photographing. I probably have more picturesthan anyone else from that era.” Some of them appearedin the documentary “Word Wars,” as well as in books andother publications. John Houle, and later, John Williams,liked Ann’s photographs and used many of them inSCRABBLE® News. She was the official photographer forthe 1983 National SCRABBLE® Championship.Ann became a serious SCRABBLE® competitor. Back inthe 70’s she was ranked in the top 10 percent, and in1991 she reached her peak rating to date of 1888. Shehas been a regular for many years at Club 56 inManhattan, where she is always a formidable opponent.What is less known about Ann in the SCRABBLE® community is that she is a published poet. In1972, the year she graduated from Hunter College, Ann won the Hotchiner Poetry Prize. The judgewas the Pultzer Prize-winning poet James Wright. His admiration for Ann’s poetry ultimatelyresulted in her friendship with him and his wife (now widow), Anne.Ann’s poems have appeared in a number of publications, including The American Poetry Review.The poem “Richard Leaving,” about Richard Gilston, Ann’s partner for thirteen years until his deathin 1993, appeared in the 2001 anthology The Cancer Poetry Project.“I met Richard at the Game Room in 1980. He had been one of the players at the old ‘FleaHouse’ [Chess and Checker Club of New York], where he convinced the others to use the Funk &Wagnalls Standard College Dictionary for rulings.” That dictionary was the one used for the firstNorth American Championship in 1978. “Although he refused to play in tournaments, Richard wouldindulge me at home.”In 2008 The Part of Fortune, a collection of Ann’s poems and black and white photographs, waspublished (http://stores.lulu.com/annsan), and new readers are discovering her amazing voice.A few months ago Ann got a request from the theatre department of the Shawnee Mission School inOverland, Kansas for permission to include “Richard Leaving" in a presentation of poetry from TheCancer Poetry Project. It is being performed there as we go to press.Readers will enjoy the following poem from The Part of Fortune, reprinted here with permission:38

A N N S A N F E D E L EGRAMERCY PARKThe ghost of you, my father, haunts me here;I cannot pass this place without the spectreOf your grossness before me. I see yourWaxen eyes, your whiskey-rouged cheek,Cross-fading into your final pallor.You were a tough old bird until the last;But what I mourn in your passing is notThat your bones must now commune with worms,But that your ornery cussedness must live on -An aspect of myself.Copyright © Ann Sanfedele 39

S T E L L ’ S R A C K S O F M I R T HStell’s Racks of Mirthby Stellacious (AKA Cheryl L. Cadieux)I think that the funniest thing that ever happenedto me transpired at the Palm HarborSCRABBLE® club in Florida.I was playing a guy from Gainesville, his nameescapes me--Mo?“Never be afraid to try something new.Remember, amateurs built the ark. Professionalsbuilt the Titanic." --AnonymousMay you have a heart that never hates and asmile that never fades.He announced, "Pass," and as I glanced up,there he sat with absolutely NO tiles in front ofhim to exchange.I pleasantly asked, "You're not changing anytiles?"He responded with a "No.”I then looked at him, smiled demurely and almostshouted: "DOES THIS LOOK LIKE A REALLYSTUPID FACE TO YOU???"The whole room erupted into laughter. Then thedirector, Myron Wilson, piped up with "Now, now,don't anybody answer that question!”Stellaisms for Your Day"You know the hardest thing about havingcerebral palsy and being a woman? It's pluckingyour eyebrows. That's how I originally gotpierced ears." --Geri Jewell"The depressing thing about tennis is that nomatter how good I get, I'll never be as good as awall." --Mitch Hedberg."I haven't reported my missing credit card to thepolice because whoever stole it is spending lessthan my wife." --Ilie Nastase."Everyone has a photographic memory. Somedon't have film." --AnonymousTo join OSPD, Stella's SCRABBLE® mailgroup, please send a blank message to thefollowing URL: ospd-scrabblesubscribe@yahoogroups.com.We are so delicious, that we areDIGESTable, with the digest form of onlyone e-mail a day.At the bottom of each and every e-mail thatyou receive from OSPD, you will see theaddress to change your daily subscriptionfrom receiving the e-mails as they come into only once a day in the digest form.OSPD is a way for Scrabblers tocommunicate. We also have a Daily WordList: For example, one recent word listwas “N” back hooks.Paul Epstein occasionally does MysteryRacks and we have a quiz from time totime.Please join us!StellaciousAKA Cheryl L. CadieuxCheryl L. Cadieux, a congenial tournamentplayer better known to her OSPD groupmembers as “Stella,” lives in Au Gres, MI andNew Port Richey, FL.40

The Tile BagJames Leong, EditorT H E T I L E B A GHello again everyone! I hope all you American readers are happily sated from some turkey andgood shopping. With Christmas now around the corner, maybe Bob Schoenman will come out withgreen Protiles with a white and red inlay? That’d help add some festivity to tournaments (if it doesn’tstart hurting people’s eyes).I should preface this column by mentioning that the previous PIZZAZZ question (“Why is PIZZAZZin the dictionary?”) does have two bona fide explanations, even if it’s not just for SuperSCRABBLE® or for the purposes of having as complete a dictionary as possible. Thanks to RossBrown and Jim Pate for their responses.Per Ross Brown:James,I read with interest, in the recent Last Tile newsletter, your answer to a question about why the wordPIZZAZZ is in OSPD4.I have an alternate account, based on a conversation I had about this word shortly after the newedition's publication a few years ago. I believe it was Jim Pate, chairman of the NSA DictionaryCommittee, who reminded me that it is possible to see this word played in regular SCRABBLE® if anon-blank tile has been played as a blank, designated a Z, and accepted as such by the opponent.Once the play is final, the tile set now effectively has three blanks, making the appearance ofPIZZAZZ a possibility, however remote. For this reason, it was decided not to exclude any wordfrom OSPD4 (and, I suppose, the LWL as well) on the basis of what letters it contains.Cheers,Ross BrownPer Jim Pate:Cornelia,Yes, when I read James' article I made a mental note to respond regarding the PIZZAZZ matter, butI just never got around to doing so. Therefore, I am glad that Ross brought it to your attention.It is much less likely now than before that an inverted tile would be played as a blank. However, Isuppose it could still happen within the official rules. The more likely "unlikely, but possible"scenario is as follows. The set of tiles used in a game might inadvertently contain one extra "Z" orone extra blank making the total number of tiles in the game 101. Or, an accidental swap of tiles ofa similar style and color could happen -- a set with eight "I's" and three blanks for example. In atournament I directed many years ago in Birmingham, Alabama a pair of players had two "J's" in anofficial game. They had counted the tiles and checked the distribution and both agreed that the setdid not contain the letter "J". So I found a matching tile set (wooden at that time), took the "J' fromit, and gave it to the players. Of course, near the end of the game they were surprised to see a 41

T H E T I L E B A Gsecond "J' come out of the tile bag. They asked what should be done, and my ruling was that theywere to finish the game with the tile distribution with which they started.Under a circumstance like those described above a four "Z" play could actually occur. Therefore,since the dictionaries showed that spelling as an otherwise legal SCRABBLE® word the decisionwas to list it in the OWL. It certainly did not take up a lot of extra paper and ink!Hope this helps.Sincerely,Jim Pate, Chairman, NASPA Dictionary CommitteeI have to thank both of them for pointing out my oversight! I’ll have to consult the rulebook moreoften, but I think it’s interesting that a letter initially set to be something else can be re-designated ifagreed upon by both parties. Playing non-Z, non-blank tiles in this manner seems to mean thatthey’ll be treated as blanks played as Z, meaning they’d score zero points and would effectively berecognized as Zs for the remainder of the game. So, at this rate, I guess the word PIZZAZZ with nobonuses could score at most, 15 points. Interesting…Well, I’ll try my best to play PIZZAZZY as a bingo at a tournament now!Now, onto some questions:_______________________________________________________________________________Dear Tile Bag:In a recent friendly game, [I ended up at this position:]42

T H E T I L E B A GI was debating between FA(E)RIES for 40 points and FERIA for 32 down to the triple, and decided itwas a wash, or that FAERIES may be slightly favored, so I played for the extra 8 points. I wouldn'tthink AS would be 8 points stronger than just A, but I was shocked to find out that Quackle likedFERIA by at least 6 points more! What's the deal with this position? – Quackle AddictHi QA! Okay, so, these are the results from hitting the ‘Ask Championship Player’ button in theposition you list (up at the top).To break it down for everyone, Quackle has two ways by which a move is evaluated: one is by ‘WinPercentage’ or, rather, how often it projects a move will win over a specified amount of turns into thefuture; the other is by ‘Valuation’, which is how much your move scores, along with the estimatedvalue of what tiles you leave. This means that if you hold, say, ES?, your leave is stronger than ifyou hold VUW, and the valuation is adjusted to reflect that difference in how useful your leftoverletters are for your next turns.Something to keep in mind is that every time you hit ‘Ask Championship Player,’ Quackle tries toevaluate your potential choices from a fresh batch of samples, meaning that every time you hit thatbutton the numbers on the side are likely to change slightly. For instance, the screenshot I postshows FERIA apparently winning 66.31% of the time over FAERIES, which wins with a 66.03%frequency. Another time, it was 66.31% to 64.91%, and the valuation numbers accordingly changedas well.As it is, the general theme seems to be that, although FAERIES outscores FERIA by 8 points,Quackle generally sees FERIA as better. Why? I’m not the greatest predictor of exactly why, but Ithink it’s partly because, on this board, an S can equate to more than 8 points very easily (JAWSbeing 14 already) and there’s enough open space that an S will likely be that beneficial to keep forthe next turn. It will be rare to draw a bingo in playing either move, but the S gives a few moreoptions whilst giving a very respectable score of 32, and holding it right now is not likely to penalizeyou in some way. On the other hand, playing FAERIES offers your opponent a few more easyplaces to score at (a TLS to play parallel to and an S to start with). If you had, say, a position wherean S would score a bonus like it does here and the S has very little residual value (an examplebeing a highly blocked board, or if you have multiple S’s) Quackle might evaluate the play using theS as being far more favorable.Please note that while there are some reasons for FERIA being stronger from the positional andleave justification that I just explained, the valuation difference between FAERIES and FERIA seemsto be in a 1-4 point range, meaning that the extra 8 points are a strong factor and help to keep thetwo moves very close together.The theme of this question is somewhat continued in the next one. And onto it we go…_______________________________________________________________________________Dear Tile Bag:How does one draw the lines for when you are putting too much importance on rack balance/leave,and when one is giving up too much for a leave? – R2 43

T H E T I L E B A GDear R2,This is, and has always been, a question that people routinely debate, and any answer I give is notgoing to be the be-all and end-all of what one should do (nor do I think it should be, because Icontinually ask this to myself). What I can do, however, is outline the key arguments as I personallysee them.The first argument is, of course, that if you take the points in the present, you will definitely have thatscore going into the next turns and thus are able to dictate the pace of the game. After all, a playerhaving a lead through the game is one of the key elements that will dictate the style of playthroughout the game as well as each party’s strategy on how to best manage his or her situation.The second argument is that while it is true that you can take points in the present, if you don’t makethe odds favorable that you can score well for the next turns, the score of the present might not beworth it. After all, it’s immaterial to score well for one turn if your opponent can easily catch up orovertake you, whilst you either are forced to exchange or play for small amounts of points as you tryto rebalance your rack. Pursuant to this opinion, one has to put at least some emphasis on futureconsiderations, and the best ways to do that are to keep your rack balanced, to give yourself theright leaves for the future, and in doing so shape your future prerogatives. Particularly in caseswhere a bingo or some other significant play is needed, the thought is that if you don’t save upproperly, you’ll almost definitely fail to achieve what you require.Both of these arguments have a lot of extra variables that often need to be considered when tryingto figure out what to do. How does the board look, from a positional perspective, and does thatperspective suit your objectives at the time? (Generally, when in the lead, you want to restrict theboard to keep your opponents from having chances to score, and when trailing you want to keepoptions open so that you have the chance to bingo or play other high-scoring plays when you getthe materials to do so.) What kinds of moves has your opponent been playing, and what kinds oflikely responses will he or she have to your move? Do you need to really start thinking outside thebox if, indeed, by general conventions, you would be generally thought to have lost the game? If youplay with a certain objective in mind, what chances do you have of obtaining that objective? And, ofcourse, other potential questions might come in mind when confronting a particular problem.In my opinion, there is no hard and fast rule about when to take points instead of leave. There aregeneral principles that you, as a player, need to try to develop on your own, and adopt what worksand refine or abandon what doesn’t. Tools such as Quackle and Zyzzyva can be helpful in givingyou tools with which to improve your choices (i.e., building vocabulary) or providing new ideas inhow to look at a position (Quackle). But, as discussed in the previous question, you have to startlooking at why certain things might be viewed as right by other players, by computers, and so on;once you can explain these ideas to yourself, you can really start to figure out whether or not youagree with them and, in doing so, develop your own strategic framework from which to play. Forexample, the question involving the position above uses quite a few of these ideas, and it isidentifying these concepts that will continually help a player to make decisions in every game with achallenging turn.As I see it, help from outside is usually quite useful, and I think its greatest gift is in providing aseparate viewpoint that you can evaluate and use to build your own reasoning skills. It’s in this vein44

T H E T I L E B A Gof building one’s intuition that you will likely find the best tool to help you solve these dilemmasencountered in most games: yourself.And with this, ‘til the next column!____________________________Got a question? Don’t hesitate to write, no matter how strange or silly it may sound! Just fire away totilebag@gmail.com.James Leong is a top player from Vancouver, BC, Canada. He was the winner of the 2007 Players’Championship in Dayton, OH. 45

A N A G R A M T U N N E L S Q U I ZAnagram Tunnels Quizby Juraj PivovarovThere are exactly 6 words that have maximal length anagram tunnels of 7 words.Example:GRIFFSGRIFFESGIRAFFESFIREFANGSRESTAFFINGAFFORESTINGOVERSTAFFINGAn Anagram Tunnel is a sequence of words such that there is exactly ONE word that can be formedfrom the previous word and a blank.In our current dictionary, the maximum length of such a tunnel is 7, and it is realized by 6 differentstarting words.If you want to try them, here are the other 5:1. BUCKO2. BUCKS3. PINKEN4. PEPSINE5. SHIPMANANSWERS ON NEXT PAGEJuraj Pivovarov is a 1400 SCRABBLE® player and a near-expert chess player. He has a degree inPure Math and a M.Sc. in Computer Science.46

A N A G R A M P U Z Z L E S Q U I ZANSWERS:BUCKOBUCKOSBUCKOESROEBUCKSBUCKEROOSSOURCEBOOKSOURCEBOOKSBUCKSBUCKOSBUCKOESROEBUCKSBUCKEROOSSOURCEBOOKSOURCEBOOKSPINKENPINKENSPINKNESSPUNKINESSSPUNKINESSPUNKINESSESSPUNKINESSESPEPSINEPEPSINESPEPPINESSPREPPINESSPEPPERINESSPREPPINESSESPEPPERINESSESSHIPMANPASHMINAPASHMINASSEAMANSHIPSEAMANSHIPSSALESMANSHIPSALESMANSHIPSJuraj Pivovarov is a 1400 SCRABBLE® player and a near-expert chess player. He has a degree inPure Math and a M.Sc. in Computer Science. 47

Book Reviewby Cornelia GuestEverythingSCRABBLE®, ThirdEdition by Joe Edleyand John D.Williams., Jr.SCRABBLE® players rejoice!The long-awaited third editionof Joe Edley and John D.Williams, Jr.’s classic book onSCRABBLE® strategy is nowavailable. The words addedto the OSPD4 in 2006 havebeen included, and newsample games and puzzleshave been added. EverythingSCRABBLE® is once againthe book to read for everyserious Scrabbler.The book is divided into 5parts, each addressing adifferent aspect of the game.Diagrams are presentedthroughout to illustrate points,and quizzes are interspersedto help the reader develop topcompetition skills.B O O K R E V I E WPart 1, “Getting BetterQuickly," is perhaps the bestintroduction to winningSCRABBLE® strategies everwritten. Readers are firstintroduced to the OfficialScrabble Players Dictionary,Fourth Edition, the wordsource for casual and SchoolSCRABBLE® play, and thebasic rules of the game.They then learn the importanttwo-letter words and Q-without-U words. Theauthors next explain basicstrategy essentials: How tomove your tiles on the rack tofind useful letter combinations(ERS, BR, IES, for example);how to maximize points byusing “hot spots”; how to find50-point bonus “bingos”; andhow to manage your rack tomaximize your chances forhigh scoring plays.Part 2, “Advanced Play,”takes the reader to the nextlevel. For more experiencedplayers, this will is the heartof the book. Edley andWilliams explore advancedrack management, helpingplayers determine whether togo for points or a good leave.They discuss when toexchange, rather than play offtiles, and when to tryphoneys. One of the mostinteresting chapters in thissection shows how to takeadvantage of the developingspatial patterns on the board,“opening” or “closing” theboard to your advantage.Chapters 1 and 13 discussways to use important “powertiles”: the blanks and S, J, X,and Z. Chapter 12, “It’s YourWord Against Mine,” givestips on expanding yourSCRABBLE® vocabulary,with advice from four expertsand a list of amusing “wackydefinitions” and usefulmnemonics.Part 3, “Puzzles,” is fun foreveryone--and gives anopportunity to practice whathas been learned. Thepuzzles will help you developyour word-finding skills--which makes them perfect forteachers of SchoolSCRABBLE®. You’ll learnhooks, fill-ins, andextensions, enabling you tolook at a board and seewhere opportunity lies. You’llalso learn to look for thehighest-scoring play, ratherthan the first good play yousee. By listing the “AverageScore,” “Good Score,” and“Expert Score” for eachpuzzle, the authorsencourage readers to lookhard for the best play--a skillthat will be invaluable in anactual game. Chapter 18 has35 pages of very toughpuzzles, including difficult“blanagrams” and “Clabbersstyle”puzzles.Part 4 is called “Exploring theWorld of Scrabble® Clubsand Tournaments.” It givesan insider’s view ofcompetitive SCRABBLE®--and includes wonderfulstories from clubs andtournaments, plus examples48

of outstanding play from actualgames by experts. There isalso information about theNational SCRABBLE®Association’s SchoolSCRABBLE® program, andother suggestions for childreninterested in competitiveSCRABBLE®. Chapter 25closes the instructional part ofthe book with 25 pages of gamediagrams, asking you to find thebest play.Part 5, “Appendices,” includesinformation on rules, fun factsand trivia, information about theNSA, word lists, how to useflashcards and zyzzyva, andhow to calculate the odds ofyour opponent having any givenletter during a game--aninteresting look at howprobability factors into successin a SCRABBLE® game.It is unfortunate that NASPAtook over from the NSA just asthis book came out. Informationin the book about the NSArunning sanctioned tournamentsand the National SCRABBLE®Championship is no longeraccurate. On the final page ofthe book, there is an ad forSCRABBLE® News and theNSA--and three lines have beenadded: “For Information onOfficial SCRABBLE®tournament play and clubs,contact the North AmericanSCRABBLE® Tournament [sic]Association atinfo@scrabbleplayers.org. Butmy guess is that many readerswon’t get to these final words,and may find themselvesB O O K R E V I E Wfrustrated by joining the NSAprior to a tournament, only tofind it is no longer thesanctioning body for tournamentplay. Hopefully future printingswill address this problem.I have only a few othercriticisms of this excellent book.Readers new to SCRABBLE®may find it confusing whengames are shown that wereplayed when a differentdictionary was in use, but theauthors always try to clarify. InChapter 13, the Q is cited asoften being “a difficult tile toplay” as opposed to the J, X,and Z. With the inclusion of QIin the OSPD4, I think that the Qis no longer the pariah tile itonce was, and probably shouldbe added to this group of the“Heavy Artillery.” There is alsoquite a bit of promoting ofHasbro-licensed products,though readers new toSCRABBLE® may appreciatelearning about these items.A note to tournament players:Everything Scrabble omitswords that are in the OWL2(Official Word List for Club andTourament Play, 2nd Edition).This has been true of allprevious editions, too, and inmy mind does not diminish theexcellence of the book in anyway. As a teacher of SchoolSCRABBLE®, I appreciate thatthe “rude” words are notincluded. However, readerslooking for top plays in thediagrams should be aware ofthis fact.Kudos to Joe Edley and John D.Williams, Jr. for updating thisextraordinary book. I can notthink of a book aboutSCRABBLE® I couldrecommend more highly,particularly for the player new tothe tournament and club scene.Everything SCRABBLE®, ThirdEdition, by Joe Edley and JohnD. Williams, Jr. is available atbookstores everywhere and atAmazon.com.Cornelia Guest is a writer,publisher, and editor who alsodirects and plays inSCRABBLE® tournaments.She teaches and coachesSchool SCRABBLE® at theRidgefield (CT) Library and theSomers (NY) Middle School. 49

C L U B N E W SClub NewsLarry Sherman, EditorIf you'd like your club to be considered for an article, please send us some information on it.Obviously, we'll need the who, what, why, where and when of the club activities: meeting times (dayof the week and hours), address, with directions if appropriate, club leaders, contact information(phone and email), fees, and web site, if any.But that's just the basics. We'd also like one or more paragraphs on what makes your club special.For instance, focus of club (whether geared to casual or strong players, or both), history, clubtournaments and other special events, average number of attendees, and regular prizes. Use yourimagination, and think of the kinds of information that you would find valuable and/or interesting.Also, if a newsworthy event has taken place at your club in the last several months, please let usknow. While we will feature one club a month, we will include highlights from other clubs as well.All clubs—big and small, urban and rural—that submit information will be considered for publication,and all material is subject to editing. The major criteria for selections will be appeal and variety.Please submit material to CorneliaSGuest@gmail.com.Lexington MA Club #180by Judy Cole, Judy Horn, and Mike WolfbergThe Lexington MA Scrabble® Club #108 has been running continuously since it was started by EdieBerman and Muriel Sands in January, 1980. Judy Horn has directed for about 24 years, with JudyCole joining recently as associate director. Mike Wolfberg joined the club within its first month ofexistence, and took on the role of club statistician within the first year. Mike issues weekly reportswith current club ratings and newsy items. The club has operated with its own rating system,designed primarily by Alan Frank, since early 1981. Ratings are based on the percentage of pointseach of the players scores in each game.Norma Marshall, Wayne Yorra, and otherLexington Club members.(Photo by Judy Cole)We meet nearly every Thursday night from 7 to midnight ina comfy basement meeting room of the First ParishChurch, situated on Lexington Green behind the LexingtonMinuteman Statue. The cost is $5 per session; seniors andstudents receive a discount as do those who play only 1 or2 games. A newcomer's first visit is free.This past May the club lost two long-term club players:Ellen Miller, who had served as Judy's assistant director formany years, and veteran player Dolly Mattisen.Two of our active players, Hilda Siegel and ElainePatterson, moved to Southern Florida this season. Theycontinue to participate in SCRABBLE ® clubs and tourneysin Florida.50

C L U B N E W SIn the club's Sep-08 through Aug-09 season, individuals played 4,762 games with an average scoreof 387. Of the 4,762 individual games, 4,364 were played by regulars. Average attendancethroughout the season was 22.2, and with 49 sessions, competitors averaged 4.4 games persession.One hundred forty-seven different players have attended the club in the past two years. During the2008-2009 season, there were 50 “active” players. Here are the top 20, ordered by decreasing clubaverage rating:PlayerClubRating Average WinsTotalGamesSeth Lipkin 1783.47 425 37 50Rod MacNeil 1782.81 438 32 41Merrill Kaitz 1772.55 428 42 55Alyssa Faria 1767.57 416 35 46Richard Buck 1760.41 425 131 188Jamie Ryan 1756.51 440 78 110Brad Whitmarsh 1755.57 443 24 32Evans Clinchy 1751.46 421 49 68Mark Fidler 1750.24 405 116 165Joel Horn 1747.80 417 164 240Scoring 100,179 pointsBen Harrison 1747.50 426 84 115Steven Saul 1746.80 413 110 173Bruce Adams 1740.87 405 73 114Mike Wolfberg 1738.89 422 111 165Leigh Bernstein 1734.13 413 26 41Carl Durdan 1720.59 410 22 39Elaine Patterson 1711.51 385 11 22Judy Horn 1706.42 402 153 264Scoring 106,939 pointsBob Becker 1705.17 403 55 83Navee Angsuputiphant 1703.67 422 14 21Also of note, Trx. Kt. (name abbreviated by request) played 323 games and scored 111,171 points,and Judy Cole played 309 games and scored 113,385 points, for the most games and most pointsrespectively.The full 2008-2009 Season Report can be found at the club's website: http://wolfberg.net/scrabble/lexington. The club now has its own Facebook page: NASPA Scrabble Club #108 - Lexington, MA. Ifyou are a Facebook member, join the group to access the club website from within Facebook.Search "Lexington SCRABBLE" to find the group or use the direct link: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=119298679388&ref=ts.Lexington MA Club #108 meets on Thursday nights at 7 p.m. at the First Parish Unitarian Churchat 9 Harrington Rd. in Lexington, MA. For additional information go to http://www.wolfberg.net/scrabble/lexington. 51

C L U B N E W SMaddy Kamen scores 724 at Anaheim ClubMaddy Kamen of Covina, CA, had a 724 game against West Los Angeles Club#195 director Bruce D’Ambrosio at the Anaheim Hills CA SCRABBLE® Club#550 on Monday, November 23rd, helped by a 284 point triple-triple ofQUARtZES. There were no challenges and no phonies in the game.Eerily enough, her husband Roy played QUARTZ for 60 points againstD’Ambrosio in his previous game. Details of Maddy’s 724-point game can befound at http://www.scrabbleclub195.net/maddy724.htm (or http://www.scrabbleclub195.net/, then following the link “Click here for Maddy Kamen’s724 game.”) The web page, generated from the Quackle Quick report, includes only partial datafor Maddy’s racks; however, it of course includes the full racks for her four bingos. Not surprisingly,even Quackle thinks the 284-point play was best!Anaheim CA Club #550 meets on Monday nights at 6 p.m. at Denny’s Restaurant, 22611Oakcrest Circle, Yorba Linda, CA 92887. Contact director: Yukiko Loritz, 714-713-6057,yukikoloritz@sbcglobal.net.West Los Angeles Club #195 meets on Saturday morning at 10 a.m. at the Felicia MahoodSenior Center, 11338 Santa Monica Blvd., Anaheim, CA. Contact director Bruce D’Ambrosio,310-641-2879, scrabbleclub195@aol.com.Wisconsin wizardsScott Jackson and Steve Hartsman, both from theMilwaukee WI area, played a 1034-point game at theWaukesha WI SCRABBLE® Club #560 on September 3.The game, which ended 530-504 for Hartsman (givingJackson his record high loss), included a 3x3 bingo, a 2x2bingo, and a 9-letter bingo. The final board is picturedhere. To see the game on cross-tables.com’s annotatedgames, go to http://cross-tables.com/annotated.php?u=4682#0.Waukesha WI Club #560 meets on Thursdays from 6-10p.m at UW-Waukesha, Game Room, 1500 NorthUniversity Drive, Waukesha, WI. Contact director JimFrankki, 262-385-6370 (h) or 262-521-5468 (w),JFRANKKI@wi.rr.com.203-point MONOXIDE playDee Segrest, of Grand Prairie, TX, played a 203-point bingo, MONOXIDE, against Mike Early onNovember 10th at the Bedford TX SCRABBLE® Club #248. Although she did not win the game,the high-scoring bingo made her evening!Bedford TX Club #248 meets on Tuesdays at 6:45 p.m. at Taco Bueno, 1528 Brown Trail (cornerof Airport Fwy. and Brown Trail), Bedford, TX. Contact director Mary Rhoades, 817-718-3115,mrhoadestx@gmail.com.52

C L U B N E W SRidgefield Club’s Scott Morese joins 700 ClubRidgefield CT Club #603 congratulates Scott Morese of New Milford, CT for his702-point game against Tim Iglinski at the Rhinebeck NY Tournament onNovember 8. Scott finished second overall to Jo Anne Cohen in Division 2.Ridgefield CT Club #603 meets on Fridays from 6:30-10:30 p.m at the CVSPharmacy Community Room, 382 Main St., Ridgefield, CT. Contact co-directorsMike Ecsedy, 203-775-0817, mikeecsedy@yahoo.com or Cornelia Guest,203-244-5324, CorneliaSGuest@gmail.com.One-in-a-million event at Exeter, NH ClubEarly in the evening on October 12, there were only three players at the Exeter NH Club #587--JudyCole, Joe Walbaum, and Mike Wolfberg, so they set up three boards in a triangular arrangement toeach play two simultaneous games. The first person to pick a letter in each of the three games drewa Z out of the bag!Exeter NH Club #587 meets on Mondays from 6-10:30 p.m at Riverwoods at Exeter, 7 RiverWoodsDrive, Exeter, NH 13833. Contact director in absentia Kath Mullholand, 603-834-0676 (cell),KathNH@comcast.net. For additional details go to the club web page at: http://home.comcast.net/~exeterscrabble/.Some words just keep coming upJeff Clark of the Flint MI SCRABBLE® Club #317 reported the following:“I was playing Steve Grob in game 3 at club last September. Steve played DAIMIO. It was a wordthat I was not familiar with but I did not challenge. I looked it up after the game and saw that it wasgood, took an S, and had an alternate spelling. The next game I was playing Miki Sutherland whenI spotted DAiMYOS on my rack and I was able to play it for 85 points. Other words I saw with thatrack that would not play were DYnAMOS, SOMeDAY, SAMOYeD. Linda Hoggatt had playedSOMEDAY on me earlier in the week.“On a similar note, I was playing Kathy Washburn when she played ALATIONS through a T on theboard. My rack at the time was LATINOS. Unfortunately, there were no open As on the board or Icould have played ALATIONS back at her.”On November 9 Jeff was hot and cold. In one game he scored 607, with four bingos including the3x3 FISHBONE natural for 194. The next game he scored 298.Flint MI Club #317 meets on Tuesdays at 5:00 p.m. at the Carmen-Ainsworth Senior Center, 2071S. Graham Rd., Flint, MI. Contact director Margaret (Miki) Sutherland, 810-653-0152,dragonlady@charterinternet.com. 53

Word Trivia Quizby Siri TillekeratneW O R D T R I V I A Q U I ZAll words are found in OSPD4/TWL2.1.There are many species of fish whose names have as a prefix the name of another animal.Perhaps the best known one is CATFISH. What are the others?2. Which 1982 musical starring Julie Andrews had as its name two consecutive main entries in theOSPD?3. Which two consecutive main entries in the OSPD, when read together, reminds one ofChristmas?4. Of all the many words ending with "-MENT" in the OSPD, only three don't take a S "back-hook".What are they?5. What is the only word which rhymes with both syllables of PURPLE?ANSWERS ON THE NEXT PAGESiri Tillekeratne is a director of the Calgary SCRABBLE®® Club #374 and a former Director of theYear.54

W O R D T R I V I A Q U I ZANSWERS1.TOADFISH, CODFISH,WOLFFISH, PIGFISH, DOGFISH, HOGFISH, FROGFISH, LIONFISH,BOARFISH, BATFISH, GOATFISH, RATFISH, COWFISH, FOXFISH.2. VICTOR VICTORIA3. CANDY CANE4. VEHEMENT, CLEMENT, DIRIMENT5. HIRPLE 55

H I S T O R I C M O M E N T SHistoric Moments: SCRABBLE® Throughout the YearsThe Rest of the Storyby Stu GoldmanThe above headline, used as a regular feature in the radio broadcasts of the late Paul Harvey, isappropriate for an incident involving Joel Sherman, reported in S.L. Price’s December 18, 1995Sports Illustrated article about SCRABBLE® players (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1007571/7/index.htm). The article was largely criticized by SCRABBLE® players.The article mentioned Joel storming out of the tournament room in the middle of a game in the LosAngeles National SCRABBLE® Championship of 1994. Nothing else was written about theincident. Joel was playing me at the time, and I had just successfully challenged a bingo of his andplayed one of my own, in a game in which I already held a sizable lead.The rest of the story is that Joel returned and finished the game. The next day, before play began,he sought me out and apologized, saying that his departure came when he realized that if he lost tome he had no chance to win the tournament. Although his emotional exit, caused by the playsimmediately preceding it, is certainly not commendable, the sportsmanship and camaraderieshowed in his apology certainly deserves praise, and should have been mentioned in the SportsIllustrated article.Yes, the magazine knew about it. I had contacted them about the article for another reason, andthey sent me a reply asking if I knew of any misstatements of fact. I responded with the account ofJoel's actions following his leaving the room, but they did not print it. And that's the rest of the storyStu Goldman lives in California and has been playing tournament SCRABBLE® for 36 years.56

Fill in the Blanksby Darin TrueF I L L I N T H E B L A N K SFill in the blank in the following with the letter that will make it a word. Many will have multipleanswers, which will be posted below.EXAMPLE: BUILDE_ answer: (d,r) for BUILDED, BUILDER1) TITAN_TE2) _ENOGRAM3) _ARCENER4) A_IARIST5) BARG_EST6) EN_AMEBA7) CA_IOLE8) VENE_ATE9) MA_OLICA10) _UTATIVE11) _AROUCHE12) _ENOLOGY13) _ARIOLE14) CASTRAT_15) _INERIES16) _ARLDOMS17) GOMER_L18) DA_EWORT19) AL_HORN20) ARS_NOUSANSWERS ON NEXT PAGEDarin True is an on-again off-again tourney player (since 2000) from central Illinois. He has twodaughters, age 8 and 13, one of whom has done very well at spelling bees (the younger one willstart next year--Darin helps with training). Darin’s most notable achievement in SCRABBLE®,posted as a record in SCRABBLE® news, is that his rating never went down during the course ofhis first 15 tournaments. 57

F I L L I N T H E B L A N K SANSWERS:1) (a,i) for TITANATE, TITANITE2) (g,r,v) for GENOGRAM,RENOGRAM, VENOGRAM3) (l,p) FOR LARCENER,PARCENER4) (p,v) for APIARIST, AVIARIST5) (h,u) for BARGHEST,BARGUEST6) (d,t) for ENDAMEBA,ENTAMEBA7) (r) for CARIOLE8) (n,r) for VENENATE,VENERATE9) (i,j) for MAIOLICA, MAJOLICA10) (m,p) for MUTATIVE,PUTATIVE11) (b,f) for BAROUCHE,FAROUCHE12) (m,o,p,v) for MENOLOGY,OENOLOGY, PENOLOGY,VENOLOGY13) (c,d,v) for CARIOLE,DARIOLE, VARIOLE14) (e,i,o) for CASTRATE,CASTRATI, CASTRATO15) (f,p,v,w) for FINERIES,PINERIES, VINERIES,WINERIES16) (e,j) for EARLDOMS,JARLDOMS17) (a,e,i) for GOMERAL,GOMEREL, GOMERIL18) (m,n) for DAMEWORT,DANEWORT19) (p,t) for ALPHORN, ALTHORN20) (e,o) for ARSENOUS,ARSONOUSDarin True is an on-again off-again tourney player (since 2000) from central Illinois. He has twodaughters, age 8 and 13, the older of whom has done very well at spelling bees (the younger onewill start next year--Darin helps with training). Darin’s most notable achievement in SCRABBLE®,posted as a record in SCRABBLE® news, is that his rating never went down during the course ofhis first 15 tournaments.58

PassagesLarry Sherman, EditorP A S S A G E SEach month we will be including information about SCRABBLE® players (births, deaths, marriages,etc.) Please send your news to the newsletter editor, Cornelia Guest, atCorneliaSGuest@gmail.com._______________________________________________________________________________BIRTHSGIANNA MARY KINGScrabbler Norma Marshall is happy to share the news that she is now a grandmother! Gianna MaryKing was born on Friday, November 13th at 5:08 p.m., weighing 7 lbs. and 7 ounces, while Normawas playing in the Green Mountain Challenge in Vermont. Gianna was born with a respiratory issueand was placed in neonatal intensive care; however, her medical team put her on antibiotics andshe made a terrific recovery very quickly. She is home now and doing very well. She is thedaughter of Christopher and Kimberly King (Norma’s daughter), who live in Virginia. Norma adds: “Ihad kidded my daughter that if the baby was born while I was playing SCRABBLE® she shouldhave a good SCRABBLE® name like Panchax. I like Gianna better! For those interested, googlethe name “Gianna” because the story of this saint is interesting, and my new granddaughterdefinitely had an angel watching over her.” Click the photos below to see short videoclips ofGianna.AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADEATHSJOSEPH R. CAPALBIby Susi TiekertJoseph R. Capalbi, 70, of Deerfield Beach, FL, died on Friday, November 13.Scrabblers are a different sort of animal. While it's possible that chess players might walk down theblock reviewing opening gambits they've read about, only a Scrabbler will absolutely walk down theavenue and have the street signs and store names dance and rearrange themselves before ourvery eyes. We are different and we know it. And we do try to keep ourselves to ourselves, notpolluting the general population with our particular brand of "thinking." 59

P A S S A G E SBut every now and then an outsider falls in love with us and elects to stay. They happily take thevows: For better or worse, in sickness or in health, for home sessions and away tournaments.Joe Capalbi, 1939-2009, was one of those outsiders. He was married to SCRABBLE® player MaryCapalbi for 41 years, every one of them happy. Even when his first stroke, in his mid-40s, forced hisretirement, he just took that as another opportunity to become a house-husband, with all that thatconveyed ... including catering home SCRABBLE® sessions. After all the players had arrived andbegun their first game, he grabbed his paints, easel, and brushes and set out for a day of peace andquiet and his own brand of right-brain creativity. At which, I might add, he was very, very good!Joe and Mary lived for years on Long Island and then in Queens before they moved to Florida in2000. Joe took to Florida like a duck to water. More time to paint, play golf, cook. At all of which heexcelled. He took pride in his wife and their son, Joey, and all their accomplishments. He neveronce balked when Mary attended club, went to a tournament, or even spent the day at the beach orpool playing SCRABBLE®. He was content. He claimed that when he was born the words, "GoodHorse" got stamped on his head. He was right. A finer specimen of man, husband, and father won'tcome this way again for a good long while.A memorial service was held on Saturday, November 21, at the Saint Ambrose Roman CatholicChurch in Deerfield Beach. Share memories of Joe online memorial Legacy.com. Friends wishingto send letters of condolence to Mary Capalbi may get her address from Susi Tiekert atsuuuzz@pobox.com.60

SCRABBLE®ResourcesThere are many study tools tohelp tournament SCRABBLE®players hone their skills,including a number of programsthat can be downloaded for free.This section will offersuggestions and links, plusfeature each month a differentSCRABBLE® resource. Thismonth’s focus will be on one ofthe most popular study tools ofexpert players: JumbleTime.JumbleTimeS C R A B B L E R E S O U R C E S“We can blame it on my greatgrandmother,who, when I wasin grade school and during oneof very few times I canremember seeing her,introduced me to the game ofanagrams. (Of course, myVirgo moon doesn't hurt.)“As an undergraduateexperimental psychology major,I began developing the initialprototype to JumbleTime --timed jumbled wordsexperiments. Then, later, in amasters program, I did mythesis on anagram solving.“Then, much later, as I wasstruggling to find the righttechnical people to getJumbleTime on some new thingcalled the Internet, my son,Oliver, who had recentlycompleted a degree ininformation technology, saidhe could do it.“We developed many Internetversions of JT, until we settledwith the wall of words that is JTtoday.“Joel Sherman and Rick Wongwere probably the firstSCRABBLE® jocks to find theirway to JumbleTime. Ultimately, Iran into Robin Pollock Danielthere. She loved the site, andbecame a confidante andadvisor.“I attended the BAT [BostonArea Tournament] in 2002 as anobserver, and, with Sherrie’sblessing promoted JTthere. Soon thereafter I playedin my first SCRABBLE®tournament in Stamford.“JT was first and foremost aLaunched in 2002, JumbleTime(www.jumbletime.com) offersSCRABBLE® players a terrificsite for practicinganagramming. Players selectthe length of word they want topractice, either in their ownprivate “room” or in competitionwith other players, and are thenpresented with a “wall” of 45anagrams they must solvewithin a short time period.Each day hundreds practice onJumbleTime, with many tryingto win the “daily challenge.”JumbleTime designer DavidJohnson talks about the thehistory of JT. 61

game--it still has the option forone to play others head-tohead--butit has beentransformed into a word-studytool by the rank and file, whotypically close down their ‘room’for their use only (that's where/how I became somewhatdangerous with sevens.)“I think one of the mostinteresting features wedeveloped is the dailychallenges. These provide away for you to compare howyou fare in your knowledge ofwords/jumbled-word-solvingskill against the full range ofplayers. ‘drbing’ reignssupreme, though that player isrivaled by ‘Robin,’ ‘evzone,’ anda small coterie of extraordinaryword people.“I don't count the number ofplayers who come in andpractice and/or compete eachday; but the number ofindividuals who play the sevenletterword daily challenge isusually somewhere between 75and 60 (barring a majorSCRABBLE® tournamentweekend). Many more playfours and fives.“New people continue todiscover JT all the time, and notjust in the SCRABBLE®community. At a recentMinnesota tournament, I metand played a guy who goes by‘Woody’ who plays pretty evenlywith me on the sevens dailychallenge. Just the other daymy sister told me about someS C R A B B L E R E S O U R C E SWalMart employees she knowswho play JT at work each day.“I would love to make a bunchof changes to JumbleTime, andhave been attempting to getserious about learning Java(Oliver's time is now taken uppretty much with a relationship-- god, am I impressed with allthe coding labor he did). I knowthat I need to be able to learnwords in a way to make themmore accessible to me duringSCRABBLE® play, and I knowways to do it, but it wouldrequire some interestingrevisions --and we will see if Iam up to it.“I am really gratified that mylittle word hobby has beenhelpful and interesting to somany of you.”To play JumbleTime, go towww.jumbletime.com.OTHERSCRABBLE®RESOURCE LINKSPlay SCRABBLE® OnLinePOGO SCRABBLE®The official SCRABBLE® onlinegame. Created underagreement with Hasbro in 2008.SCRABBLE® ONFACEBOOKSelect the SCRABBLE®application on the Facebookhome page to play the officialSCRABBLE® game. Variousgroups hold tournaments at thissite, including a group called“Mad Scrabblers”.INTERNET SCRABBLE®CLUBA Romanian-based site andapplication for interactivegames. A favorite site for manyof the top players.Play Live SCRABBLE®CROSS-TABLESLists all upcoming tournaments,as well as results of pasttournaments. Has SCRABBLE®tournament aides.NASPA CLUB LISTINGSLists clubs throughout NorthAmerica with their meetingtimes and locations.NSA CLUB LISTINGSLists casual clubs throughoutNorth America with theirmeeting times and locations.Free Anagrammingand Practice ToolsJUMBLETIMEA web site for practicinganagramming skills.AEROLITHA free application for practicinganagramming skills andlearning words.QUACKLEA free application for playing,simulating, and analyzinggames.ZYZZYVAA free application for practicinganagramming skills andlearning words. Also has WordJudge capabilities.62

S C R A B B L E R E S O U R C E SSCRABBLE®DICTIONARYType a word to check foracceptability. OSPD4 words.Players’ Dictionary, offers lightheartedhumor, daily word lists,and more. Admission is to allSCRABBLE® lovers. Detailscan be found in the NASPATournament SCRABBLE®Newsletter #1.CLICK HERE TO HELPEND WORD HUNGER ASYOU LEARN WORDSA free vocabulary testing site.For every correct word, grainsof rice are donated through theUnited Nations World FoodProgram. Help feed hungrypeople as you expand yourvocabulary!.Online SCRABBLE®Discussion GroupsCGP (crossword-gamespro@yahoogroups.com)This group, for tournamentplayers and directors only, hasthe largest membership of anyonline tournamentSCRABBLE® discussion group.Most important events andchanges in the SCRABBLE®world are discussed on cgp.Admission is by approval only.Details can be found in theNASPA TournamentSCRABBLE® Newsletter #1.OSPD (ospdscrabble@yahoogroups.com)This group, dedicated to playersusing The Official SCRABBLE® 63

T O U R N A M E N T C A L E N D A RTournament CalendarMany readers have asked us to include a tournament calendar. The most accurate tournamentinformation is posted on the NASPA Calendar, which includes all regular sanctioned tournaments todate. Additional tournament information is posted at cross-tables.com, which often includestournaments not on the NASPA Calendar: Local Club Tournaments (LCTs), School SCRABBLE®Tournaments, and special invitational and/or unrated tournaments. Cross-tables.com also providesfor most tournaments a list of participants, both confirmed and tentative, with their ratings. Manyunrated fundraiser tournaments and School SCRABBLE® tournaments can be found on the NSAwebsite. Additional international tournaments can be found on the WESPA calendar.Here we will be listing tournaments scheduled for the next two months. However, readers arerecommended to consult the NASPA Calendar and/or cross-tables.com first before making plans.DECEMBER TOURNAMENTSCauseway Challenge, Malaysia: 12/2-6Atlanta, GA: 12/5-6Austin, TX: 12/5-6Bayside, NY: 12/5Calgary, AB CAN: 12/5Cleveland, OH: 12/5-6Durham, NH: 12/5Ft. Lauderdale, FL: 12/5Knoxville, TN: 12/5-6Tampa, FL: 12/5Berkeley, CA: 12/6Laguna Woods, CA: 12/6World Youth SCRABBLE® Championship(CWS), Malaysia: 12/8-10Guelph, ON CAN: 12/13Philadelphia, PA: 12/13Rhinebeck, NY: 12/13Mountain View, CA: 12/20Safety Harbor, FL: 12/20Albany, NY: 12/29-1/3WESTBerkeley, CA: 12/6Laguna Woods, CA: 12/6Mountain View, CA: 12/20MIDWESTCleveland OH: 12/5-6NORTHEASTBayside, NY: 12/5Durham, NH: 12/5Philadelphia, PA: 12/13Rhinebeck, NY: 12/13Albany, NY: 12/29-1/3SOUTHFt. Lauderdale, FL: 12/5Atlanta, GA: 12/5-6Knoxville, TN: 12/5-6Tampa, FL: 12/5Safety Harbor, FL: 12/20SOUTHWESTAustin, TX: 12/5-6CANADACalgary, AB: 12/5Guelph, ON: 12/13INTERNATIONALCauseway Challenge, Malaysia: 12/2-6World Youth SCRABBLE Championship(CWS), Malaysia: 12/8-1064

T O U R N A M E N T C A L E N D A RJANUARY TOURNAMENTSAlbany, NY: 12/29-1/3Laguna Woods, CA: 1/3Dallas, TX: 1/9-10Tampa, FL: 1/9Berkeley, CA: 1/10Rhinebeck, NY: 1/10Brandon, MS: 1/15-16Reno, NV: 1/15-18Bayside, NY: 1/16Bryan, TX: 1/16-18Twin Cities Redeye, MN: 1/16-17South American Cruise: 1/17-30Ft. Lauderdale, FL: 1/23Hudson, OH: 1/23-24Seattle, WA: 1/23Tucson, AZ: 1/23Winnipeg, MB CAN: 1/23Mountain View, CA: 1/24Atlantic City, NJ: 1/30-2/1Calgary, AB CA: 1/30-31Kissimmee, FL: 1/30-31WESTLaguna Woods, CA: 1/3Berkeley, CA: 1/10Seattle, WA: 1/23Moutain View, CA: 1/24MIDWESTTwin Cities Redeye, MN 1/16-17Hudson, OH: 1/23-24NORTHEASTAlbany, NY 12/29-1/3Rhinebeck, NY 1/10Bayside, NY: 1/16Atlantic City, NJ: 1/30-2/1SOUTHTampa, FL: 1/9Brandon, MS: 1/15-16Ft. Lauderdale, FL: 1/23Kissimmee, FL: 1/30-31SOUTHWESTDallas, TX: 1/9-10Reno, NV: 1/15-18Bryan, TX: 1/16-18Tucson, AZ: 1/23CANADAWinnepeg, MB: 1/23Calgary, AB: 1/30-31CRUISESouth American Cruise: 1/17-30 65

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