Advanced Scrabble Techniques
So do you think you’re ready to take your game of Scrabble to the next level? Considering becoming a member of a Scrabble club or participating in a local tournament? How do you know if you’re ready? You may be the champion of the family, having mastered the basics, but will your reputation hold up on the competitive field?
Scrabble experts each have their own styles and opinions on what makes a champion, and this article covers four skills that everyone agrees are necessary to survive the cut.
The first advanced skill on every expert’s list is shelf management. A play is good if you consider the points won first and the output second. To play competitively, one must maintain a balanced rack. While there is an element of luck to any draw, a skillful player knows when to sacrifice a higher point value for a better outing. In general, try to play with longer words, in order to keep a high number of chips, increasing the chance of getting the best letter combinations for bingo. Consonants and vowels must be kept in balance to avoid difficult scenarios. Tile tracking is a way for players to decide between two good plays. If you know there are still multiple Os in play, you can choose to keep that I instead. And even after following the guidelines for the best shelf management, an expert knows when to change the tiles.
Second on the list is a player’s relationship with two special tiles: the blank and the S. Everything Scrabble authors Joe Edley and John D. Williams suggest players remember that “the blanks are for bingos and S is for scoring.” Although they are almost worthless at first glance, these two tiles are actually the most valuable tiles you can draw. Nothing is better than a blank space to build a bingo. Good players use their blanks and high point chips to get them into the bingos. (If you can’t find a bingo, but have a play that scores at least 20-30 points more, only then should you play your blank.) As the saying goes, S is for scoring. It pluralizes most nouns, singularizes most verbs, and is invaluable as a letter to add in front of other words, all of which make the S the best hook in the bag.
The third necessary skill mentioned by experts is vocabulary building. There are various ways to do this, from mnemonics to wacky definitions to memorizing groups of anagrams. After the list of two-letter words, experts advise taking the 3-letter words, emphasizing words created with front and back extensions of the two. Computers have been used to compile lists of words most likely to occur given the frequency of letters in the game, and some players have memorized these lists to their benefit. Other hungry bingo players memorize the 7-8 letter words, although some criticize this practice as the opportunities to use these words are very limited. Others focus on words that contain high-value tiles or difficult letter combinations. The best advice when it comes to building vocabulary is to let your natural curiosity guide you and learn words in small sets that you can master well enough to recognize when you can or cannot anagram a certain combination.
A final note that every Scrabble expert will point out involves the proper use of dares and dummy words. This may never have been much of a problem when playing with friends and family, but in the competitive arena, a game can depend on this ability. First of all, know your opponent. Some players will drop a cheat right at the start of the game just to see if you challenge them! There are some good reasons why you might even want to play a fake game, though you should never risk a win for it. This is a skill that requires good judgment, finesse, and flair, and maybe even a poker face!
Working on these skills will certainly improve your game. If these suggestions are old for you, you may already be ready for the Scrabble circuit. Go ahead, sign up for a match. There is no better practice than reality.
Copyright (c) 2006 Emma Snow