Issue 3: January 2010 - The Last Word Newsletter

Transcription

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The Last Word
The Independent Tournament SCRABBLE® Newsletter
A Monthly Newsletter
Issue 3 - January 2010
World Championships
Player Profiles
Travel
Puzzles
The Last Word is an independent publication for tournament SCRABBLE® players. It is not is
affiliated with Hasbro, Mattel, the North American SCRABBLE® Players Association (NASPA), or
the National SCRABBLE® Association (NSA). Our mission is to provide content of interest to all
SCRABBLE® players, so please let us know if there are topics you would like us to add. We
welcome contributions: stories, artwork, etc. Contact CorneliaSGuest@gmail.com.
For the time being, we are hoping to provide this Newsletter at no charge; however, since it is a
100% volunteer effort, we would appreciate any donations. Advertisers are encouraged, too. If
you would like to have The Last Word emailed to you, please send a request with your email
address to CorneliaSGuest@gmail.com and we will add you to our mailing list.
Editor in Chief: Cornelia Guest
Monthly Columnists: Joe Bihlmeyer, Cheryl Cadieux, Diane Firstman, Stu
Goldman, James Leong, Katya Lezin, Art Moore, Ember Nelson, Juraj
Pivovarov, Larry Sherman, Chris Sinacola, Siri Tillekeratne, Joe
Bihlmeyer, Katya Lezin, Diane Firstman, Linda Wancel
The Last Word is a volunteer effort. We
appreciate your donations.
Editors-at-large: Robin Pollock Daniel, Joe Edley, Stefan Fatsis, Ted Gest
Contributors: Judy Cole, Aaron Daly, Ryan Fischer, Brian Galebach,
Diana Grosman, Phillip Hamilton, Jason Idalski, Dallas Johnson, Sam
Kantimathi, David Klionsky, Denise Mahnken, Aune Mitchell, Karen
Richards, Will Scott, Quinten Steenhuis, Dan Stock, Joyce Stock,
Michael Tang, Frank Tangredi, Geoff Thevenot, Janice Vasquez, Nicholas
Vasquez, George Viebranz, Christopher Cole Walleck
Support our Advertisers!
Copyright © 2009 GuessWhat! Some data copyright ©1999-2009 NSA; copyright © 2009 NASPA; and copyright © 2005-2009 Seth Lipkin and Keith Smith.
SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark of Hasbro, Inc. in the USA and Canada. Elsewhere it is the trademark of J.W. Spear & Sons, Ltd.
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Table of Contents
From the Editor
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Searching for SATIRE Bingos by Judy Cole
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Player Profile: David Klionsky by Katya Lezin 50
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2009: The Year in Review
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Friends Who Have Left Us
10
Book Review: Word Nerd by Cornelia Guest 53
Historic Moments: SCRABBLE® Throughout
the Years by Stu Goldman 54
Top North American Players by State & Province
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Top North American Youth Players
Tournament News
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Club & Player News Larry Sherman, Editor
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Emails to the Editor
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Word Trivia Quiz by Siri Tillekeratne
Video Joe by Joe Bihlmeyer
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Tag-Team SCRABBLE® by Brian Galebach and
Cornelia Guest 58
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Iskandar Malaysia World SCRABBLE® Festival 17
Frank Tangredi: From Stage to SCRABBLE® 62
Thoughts on the 2009 World SCRABBLE®
Championship by Geoff Thevenot 18
Stell’s Racks of Mirth by Stellacious (AKA Cheryl
L. Cadieux) 65
The Magic that was the World SCRABBLE®
Championship at Johor Bahru, Malaysia by Sam
Kantimathi 20
Linda’s Library by Linda Wancel
World SCRABBLE® Championship Travelog by
Jason Idalski 23
Anagram Tunnels Quiz by Juraj Pivovarov
The Causeway Challenge by Michael Tang
26
SCRABBLE® in the News
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SCRABBLE® Travels: South Africa by Denise
Mahnken 71
World Youth SCRABBLE® Championship 28
The Art of Strategy by Art Moore
U.S. Youth Players at the WYSC 30
Diane’s Defalts by Diane Firstman
Cleveland Classic Recap by Dallas Johnson and
George Viebranz 36
The Tile Bag by James Leong
December Results
Beating a Legend: An Intermediate Player’s
Dream Game by Will Scott 81
New Faces
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The Wordsmith by Chris Sinacola
We wish you all
the best for 2010-and welcome the
New Year in with
this tableau by
Dan Stock.
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Passages Larry Sherman, Editor
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DRINKInG TO A
HOLIDAy WE
AGING PARTIERS
VERBALIZE QUIET
WISHES FOR LOVE
CONTENTED PEACE
AND A BOUNTIFUL
JOYOUS YEAR MMX
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From the Editor
December was a busy month. On the international scene, the month opened in Malaysia with the
Causeway Challenge, the world’s foremost SCRABBLE® tournament, with $20,000 going to winner
Nigel Richards. That tournament was followed by the World Youth Scrabble Championship, won by
Malaysia’s Suanne Ong (and attended by two U.S. representatives: 17-year-old Christopher Walleck
and 11-year-old Nicholas Vasquez). Stories of these tournaments--and the World Scrabble
Championship in late November--are featured in this issue.
At home, tournament entries were light, with four two-day tournaments and a dozen or so one-day
events. In this issue we include a recap of the Cleveland Challenge, plus winner results from other
December tourneys. As we go to press, Annette Tedesco’s Albany New Year’s Tournament, one of
the largest and most enjoyable U.S. tournaments, is seeing out the old year and welcoming in the
new!
At The Last Word we introduced some changes, including the creation of a Facebook page (The
Last Word Newsletter), where news updates are posted. We hope that site will be an outlet for
discussion--and that readers will post any time-sensitive material on the discussion board. The site
is linked to Twitter, so followers also can get their news in “tweets”. I apologize to any readers who
are having difficulty accessing the Newsletter site; I was spoiled by Aaron Daly’s superb web
management of the old Newsletter, and I am striving to work out some kinks. I greatly appreciate
readers letting me know when there is a problem.
We’ve had good feedback about our new columns, particularly “Linda’s Library,” where
SCRABBLE® player Linda Wancel reviews of some of her favorite books. Readers also have liked
the reviews of SCRABBLE®-related books--and I’ve received some good suggestions of titles to
consider. Let me know if you’re interested in writing a book review for that section! Juraj
Pivovarov’s “Anagram Tunnels Quiz” was also well received and returns in this issue.
Cheryl Cadieux (“Stellacious”), the writer of “Stell’s Racks of Mirth,” underwent brain surgery this
past month. She’s going through extensive rehabilitation right now, but has still managed to send in
some humorous anecdotes for her column. She asked that I mention how much she appreciates
the many notes and cards she’s received. We all wish her our best. She’s handling the event with
her typical good humor: When told by her doctors that she was “unstable,” her response was, “So
what’s new about that!?”
Other features in this issue include profiles of David Klionsky, a top School SCRABBLE® coach and
advocate, and Frank Tangredi, whose play Pastoral will be having a public reading January 26-27 at
the Pasedena Playhouse; a puzzle from Judy Cole: “Searching for SATIRE Bingos”; Denise
Mahnken’s account of her SCRABBLE® adventure in South Africa; and a look at Brian Galebach’s
popular Tag-Team SCRABBLE® game. You’ll also find our established features: “Historic Moments,”
by Stu Goldman; “The Tile Bag,” by James Leong; “Word Trivia Quiz” by Siri Tillekeratne; and Chris
Sinacola’s enormously popular column, “The Wordsmith.”
A special thanks to the readers who sent in donations. The Last Word is a 100% volunteer effort,
and we really appreciate your support. If you would like to make a donation, you may send money
by PalPal to CorneliaSGuest@gmail.com or by mail to Cornelia Guest, 6A Barry Ave., Ridgefield
CT 06877. Best wishes for a great 2010!
Cornelia Guest
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Emails to the Editor
Hi Corny,
I've been enjoying the latest issue of the
Newsletter and came across a photo, one I
had seen before, with Steve Tier, Steve
Pfeiffer and myself. The next people in that
row are Josh Silber, Jeff Kastner (they both
still play occasionally), and directly above
Steve Tier's head, in another row, is
Charlene White.
Hope all is well !!!
Paul Avrin
_____________________________
A question to players:
Copyright © 1979 by Ann Sanfedele
In the "Last Word" online newsletter, there's an article with one of Ann Sanfedele's photos of a 1979
tournament. Several sand timers can be seen on the table; it appears that each player had his own.
Was there a strict 3-minute time limit in which to make your play (assuming they were the standard
3-minute timers)? Here's what I can't figure out - let's say Player A goes first, turns his timer over to
start it, and takes 90 seconds to make his move. He now has half the sand left in his timer. Player B
turns his timer over to start it and makes his play in 30 seconds. That means there is still 60
seconds of sand left in Player A's timer, so how was the time limit figured for his next turn (and all
subsequent turns) since sand was still running through his timer? What happened if you didn't
make your play within three minutes? Any of the veterans like Stu want to clue us in on this?
-Pete Manzolillo
LI, NY
Pete and all-In answer to your question, Pete, it didn't matter how much sand was left in the top half of your
timer. Each turn was started with three minutes to play. For that reason there were usually three
sand timers used per game; if there was very little time used on the turn, the player was supposed
to invert the timer so it wouldn't take long for the sand to run back.
The timers supplied by Selchow & Righter were notoriously inaccurate, sometimes as much as half
a minute off either way, and almost all of them had less than three minutes worth of sand. At my
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club a female player once left the board in tears and headed to the ladies room. When I went to
adjudicate the problem, I was told that her sand timer ran out while she was playing and her
opponent insisted that she had lost her turn for that reason. I told her that she should have called
me over, and I would have timed the length of time allowed by the timer. I don't remember how that
situation was ended except that the obnoxious opponent had previously been warned that if there
were one more complaint about him he would be banned from the club, and this one was it.
Stu Goldman
_____________________________________________________________________
Hi Cornelia,
I've been trying to train up to become a more competitive Scrabble player and am hungry for
material. Read Fatsis's Word Freak, which inspired me. I'm going through Brian Sheppard's thesis
on Maven. Fascinating. And I just ordered a used copy of Wapnick's book on strategy.
I've found some basic word lists online--gone through my 2s and 3s, short JQXZs, UNs, INGs, REs.
All great stuff! Wondering if The Last Word had any collections of strategy or if you there were word
lists, stems/anamonics, etc. that your club members found especially useful. Would really
appreciate it!
Eugene Lin
I’ve sent Eugene some suggestions--many listed in our SCRABBLE® Resources. I encourage
readers to send in their ideas to help Eugene. Thanks! --Cornelia Guest
_______________________________________________________________________________
CORRECTION: In the December issue of The Last Word it was incorrectly noted that the late
Joseph Capalbi had played in SCRABBLE® tournaments in the 1990’s. His son (also named
Joseph Capalbi) was the SCRABBLE® player. Apologies to Susi Tiekert and Mary Capalbi for the
editing mix-up. The copy has been corrected in the archived issue.
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2009: The Year in Review
No doubt about it: 2009 was a year of enormous change in tournament SCRABBLE®. With the
departure of Hasbro and the NSA, Chris Cree stepped to the plate and formed NASPA: the North
American SCRABBLE® Players Association. Hailed as a hero in Charlotte at the
first of many of his “Town Hall Meetings,” Cree shortly learned there was trouble in
paradise when Jeff Weidergren and Rick Wong announced they were running the
prestigious Reno tournament in June independent of NASPA. Lengthy
negotiations took place, and Reno and Albany ran as NASPAʼs first official
tournaments over the 4th of July weekend.
Certainly one of the high points of the year was Dave Wiegandʼs thrilling win over Nigel Richards at
the National SCRABBLE® Championship in Dayton, Ohio, in early August. Wiegand took home
$15,000 for the win.
Dave Wiegand also was named “Player of the Year,” for games played
starting with the 2008 NSC. Kate Fukawa-Connelly, winner of the
Albany 4th of July Tournament, was named “Female Player of the
Year,” and 16-year-old Sam Rosin “Youth Player of the Year.” In
November Rosin joined Wiegand and 13 other players on the U.S.
team at the World SCRABBLE® Championship in Malaysia--the
youngest player to represent the United States at the WSC.
At the National School SCRABBLE®
Championship, the North Carolina team of 5th graders Andy Huong and Eric
Salgado bested a field of 101 teams to win $10,000, the largest prize ever
awarded for this event.
The Newsletter was launched July 21st as the “NASPA Tournament
SCRABBLE® Newsletter.” After two well-received issues it was discontinued
by NASPA. November 1st it reemerged as the independent publication “The Last Word.”
Pakorn Nemitrmansuk of Thailand won the World SCRABBLE®
Championship in Johru Bahra, Malaysia, over Nigel Richards, winning
$15,000. The following week Richards won the Causeway Challenge
over Nemitrmansuk at the same venue, taking home $20,000.
Suanne Ong, a 17-year-old Malaysian player, won
the World Youth SCRABBLE® Championship. U.S.
players Christopher Walleck (17) and Nicholas
Vasquez (11) played in the WYSC, with Vasquez winning the prize for “Best
Player Under 12.”
As we go to press, Annette Tedescoʼs Albany tournament has seen the old year
out and is welcoming in the new. May 2010 be the best year ever for
tournament SCRABBLE®!
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January
• The National SCRABBLE® Association announces that it will no longer be the
sanctioning body for tournament play after the end of the year. Chris Cree reports
that he will be heading a new players organization, with a Steering Committee
chosen by the NSA.
• Revised rating curve goes into effect.
• Scott Appel wins Atlantic City.
• Rob Robinsky wins Twin Cities Redeye.
• Joe Dackman wins Reno.
• Publication in The New Yorker of Judith Thurmanʼs “Spreading the Word,” an article
based on the 2008 Big Apple Tournament directed by Ira Freehof. The article also
appears as a podcast: “War of Words.” http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/
2009/01/19/090119fa_fact_thurman#ixzz0ZEmviZLZ
February
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Rules updated.
NASPA announced as new organization to take over from the NSA on 1/1/2010.
Orry Swift wins State of Texas Championship
The Eastern Championship, formerly in Danbury, CT, is revived in Charlotte, NC, with
Ryan Fischer directing. David Gibson wins the inaugural tournament.
Chris Cree holds “Town Meeting” at Eastern Championship. Announces NASPA will
take over 7/1/09 with $30 annual membership dues.
Sam Kantimathi wins the Phoenix 25th Anniversary Tournament.
NASPA website launched.
Bradley Whitmarsh wins Saratoga Springs.
City of Albany bestows upon director Annette Tedesco the title of Ambassador of
Albany for her work over the past 15 years bringing business to the city with her
tournaments.
March
• At “Town Meeting” at Dallas Open Chris Cree announces $0.50 per-game NASPA
participation fee to start 7/1/09 and $30 fee for clubs to be NASPA-sanctioned.
• Orry Swift wins Dallas Open.
• Online NASPA membership sign-up announced.
April
• NASPA publishes the first issue of the NASPA Bulletin.
• North Carolina fifth graders Erik Salgado and Andy Huang win the 7th National
School SCRABBLE Championship in Providence, RI, over the New Jersey team of
Nicholas Vasquez and Paolo Federico-Omurchu. The winners receive $10,000 prize
money--the highest ever awarded for this event.
• Rod MacNeil wins BAT.
• Jason Idalski wins Princeton
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May
• Dielle Saldanha wins Oregon Tile.
• NSSC winners Erik Salgado and Andy Hoang appear on “Jimmy Kimmel LIve!”
• NASPA announces club sanctioning special: No club charge if 10 members
recruited.
• Joel Sherman wins ArdenCup Memorial.
• Rick Wong announces on cgp that Reno will not be a NASPA-sanctioned
tournament.
• City of Albany bestows upon director Annette Tedesco the title of Ambassador of
Albany for her work over the past 15 years bringing business to the city with her
tournaments.
• NASPA Director Test released.
June
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Reno sanctioned.
Rule changes effective 8/1 announced.
Doug Brockmeier wins first Hartford Open.
David Gibson wins Knoxville.
Pakorn Nemitrmansuk of Thailand wins his third Kingʼs Cup.
July
• NASPA officially takes over as the ruling body of North American Tournament
SCRABBLE®.
• Albany and Reno become first sanctioned NASPA tournaments.
• Kate Fukawa-Connelly wins Albany; top three finishers are women.
• Nathan Benedict wins Reno.
• Cecilia Le and John OʼLaughlin are married in the home of Seth Lipkin in
Hopkinton, MA. Jeremy Cahnmann officiates.
• The first issue of the NASPA Tournament SCRABBLE® Newsletter is published.
• Annual Awards are tabulated, with winners announced in 14 categories. Player of
the Year is Dave Wiegand.
• The first NASPA-run National SCRABBLE® Championship opens in Dayton , OH.
495 players are entered.
August
• Dave Wiegand of Portland OR wins the first NASPA-run National SCRABBLE®
Championship over New Zealandʼs Nigel Richards, taking home a first prize of
$10,000.
• NASPA establishes Governance Committee with Steve Pellinen as chair.
• USA wins CanAm SCRABBLE® Challenge. Nigel Peltier is the individual winner.
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September
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Carl Johnson wins Portland--rating tops 2000.
The third edition of Everything Scrabble is released.
NASPA “dissolves” the Newsletter Committee.
Mark Nyman of Great Britain wins the British Matchplay Scrabble Championship.
October
• NASPA joins WESPA.
• NASPAʼs Executive Committee names Robin Pollock Daniel and Matthew Hodge as
official spokespersons.
• Joel Sherman wins Lake George.
• Jason Hlady wins 14th Annual Western Canadian SCRABBLE® Championship.
November
• The Last Word, an independent tournament SCRABBLE® newsletter, is launched
by the editorial staff of the former NASPA Tournament SCRABBLE® Newsletter.
• Peter Armstrong wins California Open.
• Bruce Adams wins Essex.
• Sam Hollington wins Oshawa.
• Pakorn Nemitrmansuk of Thailand wins tenth World SCRABBLE® Championship
over Nigel Richards of New Zealand. Dave Wiegand finishes third. Thailand is the
winning team over Nigeria and England.
December
• Nigel Richards wins Causeway Challenge to earn $20,000 first prize (Pakorn
Nemitrmansuk is second). International A team tops Thailand for team prize.
• Suanne Ong of Malaysia wins World Youth Scrabble Championship. U.S. player
Nicholas Vasquez, 11, wins prize for “Best Player under 12.”
Team USA at the 2009 World SCRABBLE®
Championship in Malaysia. Congratulations to
national champion Dave Wiegand, who finished
third. Front row L to R: John O'Laughlin, Bob
Linn, Marty Gabriel, Brian Bowman. Back row L
to R: Jim Kramer, Sam Rosin, Nick Ball, Nathan
Benedict, Jason Idalski, Sam Kantimathi, Mark
Kenas, Geoff Thevenot, Jason Katz-Brown,
Dave Wiegand.
Team Canada at Worlds: Front row L to R: Mark
Shellenberg, Tony Leah, Dielle Saldanha. Back row
L to R: Joel Wapnick, Max Panitch, Ron Hoekstra,
Andrew Golding, David Boys. (WSC photos courtesy
of Sam Kantimathi)
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Friends who have left us:
Cecile Betts
Frieda Davis
Joe Capalbi
Ken Lambe
Mike Kavleski
Ellen Miller
Anne McEnis
Dolly Mattisen
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Doug Ingalls Rose Kreiswirth
Roy Kietzman
Lorraine Pariser
Mary Leonbruno
Anne Masi
Robert Emmett Smith
Mary Lou Thurman
Sharon Swerdloff Nita Washington Arnie Weisburg
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2009 Top North American Players by State & Province:
#1 USA
#1 CANADA
David Gibson
Adam Logan
ALABAMA
ALASKA
Eric Harshbarger
Wes Morrison
BRITISH COLUMBIA CALIFORNIA
Dean Saldanha
Jerry Lerman
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Stefan Fatsis
ALBERTA
Eric Tran
COLORADO
ARIZONA
Nathan Benedict
CONNECTICUT
Dominick Mancine
FLORIDA
Ian Weinstein
ARKANSAS
Jimmy Upton
DELAWARE
Jesse Day
GEORGIA
Joey Krafchick
HAWAII
Mark Pistolese
Jan Dixon
IDAHO
Ron Barker
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ILLINOIS
INDIANA
Brian Cappelletto
Mike Paxton
Mike Weepie
MAINE
MANITOBA
LOUISIANA
Keith Savage
Joey Mallick
IOWA
Brian Williams
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KANSAS
KENTUCKY
Ricky Sirois
MARYLAND
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Brian Bowman
MASSACHUSETTS
Sammy Okosaga
Kenji Matsumoto
MICHIGAN
MINNESOTA
MISSISSIPPI
MISSOURI
MONTANA
Ron Hoekstra
Jim Kramer
Noreen Kenny
Sheri Justice
David Weiss
NEBRASKA
NEVADA
George Asaka
Joe Dackman
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NEWFOUNDLAND & NEW HAMPSHIRE
LABRADOR
Jeff Parsons
Amit Chakrabarti
NEW JERSEY
Scott Appel
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NEW MEXICO
NEW YORK
NORTH CAROLINA
Mike Baron
Joel Sherman
Brett Haughney
ONTARIO
OREGON
Adam Logan
Dave Wiegand
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Steve Oliger
UTAH
Mike Howlett
VERMONT
Kevin Colosa
Aaron Daly
VIRGINIA
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OKLAHOMA
Pete Zeigler
PENNSYLVANIA
David Gibson
R
OHIO
SASKATCHEWAN SOUTH CAROLINA SOUTH DAKOTA
Jason Hlady
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Matthew Hodge
QUEBEC
RHODE ISLAND
Joel Wapnick
Max Karten
TENNESSEE
Scott Garner
TEXAS
Orry Swift
WASHINGTON WEST VIRGINIA WISCONSIN
John Luebkemann
Rafi Stern
Jeff Cook
Peter Armstrong
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2009 Top North American Youth Players
SAM ROSIN
Sam Rosin, 17, a high school junior from Bernardsville, NJ, won the Youth Player
of the Year Award (see The Last Word, Issue 1), awarded in August. Rated at
1853 at the end of 2009, Sam ended the year as the highest ranked Youth Player
(under 18 as of 1/1/09) in North America, 47th overall. He represented his
country as part of the U.S. Team at the 2009 World SCRABBLE Championship in
Malaysia in December, the youngest U.S. player to attend the WSC.
Sam also made his mark in 2009 by setting a fine example of
“giving back” in SCRABBLE®. Working with Cheryl AllenMunley and Lynda Kraar, Sam helped organize the Teaneck
(NJ) Heritage SCRABBLE® Tournament, which raised almost
$1000 for Alzheimerʼs research. The event also raised money
to donate SCRABBLE® equipment to local senior centers.
A former School SCRABBLE® star, Sam volunteered his time
to coach the New Jersey team of Nicholas Vasquez and Paolo
Federico-Omurchu for the 2009 National School SCRABBLE®
Championship. The boys, both playing in their first NSSC,
made it to the finals and finished second. Since then they have both won NASPA-sanctioned
tournaments, and Nicholas represented the U.S. in the recent World Youth SCRABBLE®
Championship in Malaysia.
NOAH WALTON
Noah Walton, 16, from Portland, OR, gained 423 points this year in reaching his
current rating of 1788, his all-time high. Noah has been playing tournament
SCRABBLE® for a little over two years, and in that time he has won 8 of his 19
tournaments. He now is the second highest ranked Youth Player in North America.
Noah, who also enjoys theater and singing, created a SCRABBLE® Crossword
Puzzle for the first issue of The Last Word (LINK).
JOEY KRAFCHICK
Joey Krafchick, 15, a high school freshman from Roswell, GA, is rated at 1649,
the third highest rated Youth Player in North America--and the number-one player
in Georgia (a few points ahead of his mentor, Dave Liefer). Twice runner-up at
the National School SCRABBLE® Championship and fourth this year, Joey has
made the transition to open play with true style, winning Division 2 at Atlanta this
May and Division 1 at Alpharetta in September.
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MATTHEW SILVER
Matthew Silver, 16, a high school sophomore from Westport, CT, rated 1592, is
the fourth highest rated Youth Player in North America. He holds the distinction
of being the only person to have twice won the National School SCRABBLE®
Championship (in 2007 and 2008). In 2009 Matthew played in only a few
tournaments, but he has been coaching four teams of younger players heading
to this year’s NSSC. He shared a lesson plan in the November issue of The
Last Word (LINK).
BRADLEY ROBBINS
Bradley Robbins, 12, a 7th grader from Windham, NH, had the second largest
rating gain of any player this year--464--in reaching his current rating of 1564.
He is now the fifth highest ranked Youth Player in North America. In August
Bradley won the Annual Award for Highest Point Spread in a Single Tournament
(see The Last Word, Issue 1), for his win in last year’s WSC. Moving into higher
divisions, Bradley is proving himself a strong competitor; in October he won
Division 2 at Cape Cod. Earlier in the year Bradley and his teammate, Quincy
Cerabino-Hess, won the Boston Area School SCRABBLE® tournament.
TOURNAMENT TITANS
North Carolina 5th graders Andy Huang and Erik Salgado won
the 2009 National School SCRABBLE® Championship, besting a
field of 101 teams from across the U.S. The boys were both 11 at
the time--the youngest team to ever win the event. The first prize
check of $10,000 was double the prize money awarded before.
Nicholas Vasquez, 11, a 6th grader from
Livingston, NJ, has had quite a year. He and his teammate, Paolo FedericoOmurchu, won $5,000 as the runner-up team at the 2009 National School
SCRABBLE® Championship in April. The boys also won their divisions at the
April Chappaqua NY School SCRABBLE® Tournament.
In May, Nicholas won Division 3 at the Ardsley NY Tournament. Then, in
November, he traveled to Malaysia to compete in the Causeway Challenge and
the World Youth Scrabble Championship. Nicholas finished 27th of 80 with a
13-11 +540 record in the WYSC and was awarded the prize for “Best Player
Under 12.” His WESPA international rating is now 1271.
Paolo Federico-Omurchu, a 7th grader from Montclair, NJ,
was on the runner-up team with Nicholas Vasquez at the
National School SCRABBLE® Championship, earning
$2,500. Paolo won four sanctioned tournaments last year, most recently
Division 2 of the October Rhinebeck NY Tournament. He and Nicholas also
won the Chappaqua NY School SCRABBLE® Tournament in April.
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Chris Canik, 18, of Austin, TX, came in 2nd in Division 4 at the 2009 National SCRABBLE®
Championship in Dayton. Chris’s rating is now 1375--his peak to date.
Matt Canik, 17, a high school senior from Austin, TX, won Division 2 of the September Irving TX
Tournament. His current rating of 1535 places him 6th among all Youth Players in North America.
Jemmin Chang, a high school freshman from Somers, NY, won his first sanctioned tournament in
January 2009 at the North Salem NY Tournament. He and his teammate, Evan Winston, were
winners of their division at the April Somers NY School SCRABBLE® Tournament.
Thomas Ensey, a high school freshman from Hanover, MD, won two tournaments in 2009:
Rockville MD in March (Division 4) and Annapolis MD in October (Division 3). A the National School
SCRABBLE® Championship Thomas and his teammate, Rachel Backert, placed fifth. Thomas is
now rated at 1122, his peak rating to date.
Aaron P. Green, a high school sophomore from Hopkinton, MA, was third in Division 2 at the
December Durham NH Tournament to raise his rating to 1330.
Noah Lieberman, a Charlotte, NC high school sophomore, won Division 2 at the November
Durham, NC Tournament. His rating is now 1215.
Matthew Nelson, 14, from Poulsbo, WA, won Division 3 at the July Reno NV Tournament with a
21-7 +1164 record.
Matthew O’Connor, a 6th grader from DeWitt, NY, won back-to-back Youth Divisions at the May
Ardsley, NY Tournament.
Charlie Panek, a high school freshman from New York, NY, won Division 7 of the March
Northampton MA Tournament. Charlie and his teammate, Anatol Klass, were also the winners of
the top division of the Brooklyn School SCRABBLE® Championship in April.
Trevor Swope, 13, from Portland, OR, won Division 5 of the February Lake Oswego OR
Tournament. Trevor and his teammate, Adriana Lilla, placed 10th at the National School
SCRABBLE® Championship.
Tristan Vanech, a 7th grader from California, finished 3rd in Division 4 of the National SCRABBLE®
Championship in Dayton, OH 20-11 +1599. Tristan was the division leader for 17 out of 31 games.
Earlier in the year Tristan and his teammate, Ruben Radlauer, placed 7th at the National School
SCRABBLE® Championship in Providence..
Christopher Walleck, a high school senior from Lakewood, OH, represented the U.S. in Malaysia
at the World Youth SCRABBLE Championship. Christopher finished 12-12 +660 in 35th place,
earning a WESPA international rating of 1101. (His NASPA rating is 1240.)
Stephen Winston, an 8th grader from Ridgefield, CT, won Division 3 of the September Rhinebeck
NY Tournament. In June Stephen and his teammate, Jerray Chang, won their division at the
Ridgefield Library School SCRABBLE® Tournament.
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Tournament News
For 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 and
upcoming tournaments is also posted at www.cross-tables.com. Here we will feature a tournament
or two each issue, plus list winners of recent tournaments. Directors who would like to submit results
and photos from their tournaments are encouraged to send them to CorneliaSGuest@gmail.com.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Iskandar Malaysia World SCRABBLE® Festival: 11/26-12/10
SCRABBLE® players from all around the world gathered in Johor
Bahru, Malaysia, in late November and early December for what
was billed as the Iskandar Malaysia World Scrabble Festival: a
series of three world-class International SCRABBLE® tournaments.
The Festival, held at The Zon Regency Hotel, opened with the
2009 World SCRABBLE Championship (11/26-29); continued with
the Causeway SCRABBLE Challenge, the world’s richest
tournament (12/2-6); and concluded with the World Youth
SCRABBLE Championship (12/8-10). More SCRABBLE® was
played during that two-week period than at any other international
event to date.
The events were jointly hosted by the Johor Government, the
Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA), and Mattel, Inc.
With the WSC, the Causeway
Challenge, and the WYSC all
happening at the same spot within
a two-week period, the events
were promoted as the "World
Festival of SCRABBLE," and street
signs like this were all around
town. (Photo by Jason Idalski)
In the following pages we present coverage of these three
important tournaments from event participants and organizers. For
full results and additional photos, commentary, and annotated
games, go to www.wscgames.com (World SCRABBLE
Championship), www.causewayscrabble.com (Causeway
SCRABBLE Challenge), and www.youthscrabble.org (World Youth
SCRABBLE Championship). I offer my enormous gratitude to the
following individuals who graciously contributed their stories and
photographs:
Tan Jin Chor (MY)
Len Farlow (UK)
Barry Harridge (UK)
Jason Idalski (USA)
Sam Kantimathi (USA)
Karen Richards (UK)
Michael Tang (MY)
Geoff Thevenot (USA)
Janice Vasquez (USA)
Nicholas Vasquez (USA)
Christopher Cole Walleck (USA)
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Thoughts on the 2009 World
SCRABBLE® Championship
by Geoff Thevenot, TeamUSA
This was my second Worlds, and like the first in
Mumbai two years ago it was a singular and
special experience, every bit the ride that I'd
imagined when reading about the WSC in
Word Freak years ago. It is always a great
honor to represent my country and have the
opportunity to do battle with so many excellent
players from around the world.
This year's championship was held in Johor
Bahru, Malaysia, also the site of the Causeway
SCRABBLE® Challenge, which took place right
after the Worlds ended. We were welcomed
with a gala dinner the night before the start of
play (and fed exquisitely throughout the event,
with buffet meals rotated among the Zon
Regency's many restaurants), and the next
morning the 2009 World SCRABBLE®
Championship was underway.
The Worlds features the most culturally diverse
field in international SCRABBLE®, with 39
different countries represented in the 2009
championships--a testament both to the spread
of the English language internationally in recent
years and to the rapid growth of Englishlanguage competitive SCRABBLE® in places
hard to imagine when the game was at its
humble beginnings. Great players can come
from anywhere now, no question about it. The
top of the WSC field is heavily laden both with
great names we all know, former national and
world champions, and many excellent players
perhaps less known in the North American
SCRABBLE® scene but scarcely less
dangerous. My own slate of opponents,
strengthened by a fast start, included six former
NSC or WSC champions, and fully half of my
opponents had prior top-10 finishes in either an
NSC or WSC. For an ostensible vacation, I'd
have my work cut out for me! But that's exactly
why I was excited to fly halfway around the
world to play.
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Morning of day 2, Jim Kramer and Nigel awaiting their
first opponents. Matchups on the row: Table 2, BoysJighere; Table 3, me-Dylan Early; Table 4, KramerKomol; Table 5, Nigel-Panupol; Table 6, WapnickWiegand. Six of the ten listed here have won either a
Worlds or a North American Nationals before.
The leader board shifted often in the three
suspense-filled days. At first Wellington
Jighere, a fantastic player from Nigeria who
finished third in the last WSC, was out in front
with an 8-0 first day, but soon other names
crept to the front, and every round reshuffled
the pack. The incumbent WSC winner Nigel
Richards, as usual, was in the mix at the top,
along with reigning NSC champion Dave
Wiegand, former WSC winner David Boys from
Canada, and a host of other formidable
Game 12 vs. Nigel Richards. Purty board. His bingos:
TREBLED, SOV(ER)EIGN, RInGBIT(S)#, COTISED#
(out); mine: RECENSE#, (C)oPURIFY, ARALIAS#.
Nigel won--he kinda does that a lot.
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players. Late in the second day and throughout
the third, Pakorn Nemitrmansuk, longtime
superstar player from Thailand, was making
his presence felt after a slow start: he found
himself at just 3-4 after seven games, but then
reeled off a WSC-record 14 consecutive wins
on the way to a spot in the best-of-five finals.
His opponent was determined in the final round
when Richards prevailed 435-414 in a nail-biter
against Wiegand.
So we had a final pitting the reigning world
champion, Nigel Richards, against Pakorn,
who had made the WSC finals twice before
(2003 and 2005) but had yet to win the ultimate
prize. We all gathered in the viewing room to
watch the fireworks, and fireworks we got: The
first game was a taut 425-419 thriller that
Pakorn pulled out late, an agreeable mix of big
plays and strategic maneuvering. The second
game sounded a different note--Pakorn got
going and didn't stop until he had rung up a
blistering 670-303 victory, with four bingos
including the triple-triple PALUDINE#. Nigel
staved off defeat in game three, with the help
of back-to-back 108-point bingos (JINKERS,
LICHTED), and it was clear the defending
champion had no intention to relinquish his
crown easily.
If game one of the finals had set the bar high in
terms of suspense, the final game four
surpassed even that; each player took turns in
the lead, but every punch brought with it a
counterpunch. Pakorn's second bingo,
GENETRIX#, gave him an early lead, but
Nigel's GEEZ for 61 and FrEEHOLD for 72
turned the tide. Down 419-365 late in the
game, Pakorn held a rack of AABCNOT, and
the viewing room let out a collective gasp. He
had an open I to play through for BOTANICA,
but it wasn't the easiest spot to see, requiring a
couple of overlaps to fit the bingo in, and
Pakorn was short on time. But Pakorn in
championship form found the play, the room
cheered, and when he picked the last blank out
of the bag afterward, his first world title was
virtually assured. Final score: Pakorn 499,
The board for the thrilling Finals Game 4, won
499-480 by Pakorn. Pakorn's late BOTAN(I)CA
sealed the World Championship for him. After
runner-up finishes in 2003 and 2005, the
longtime Thai superstar finally won it.
Congratulations Pakorn!
Nigel 480. Thailand also won the team title,
placing two other players besides Pakorn in
the top five as well--a smashing success.
The U.S. team, led to no one's surprise by
Dave Wiegand's third-place finish, fared better
than expected, with eight of us finishing in the
top 30. We regained the spot that was lost in
Mumbai two years prior, and so at the next
WSC the U.S. will have fifteen representatives.
As for me, I won my first six and stayed in
contention for a while--in fourth place with
seven games remaining and the dream still in
sight--but a late losing skein took me down to
21st at the end, the same finish as in Mumbai.
Perhaps a little disappointing, but it's hard to
use "disappointment" and the Worlds in the
same sentence. Any time I get the opportunity
to experience the feeling of playing for the
world championship is a thrill. Can't wait for the
next one!
Geoff Thevenot is a top-ranked player from
Austin, TX. This is his second time
representing the United States at a World
Championship.
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The Magic that was the World SCRABBLE® Championship
at Johor Bahru, Malaysia
by Sam Kantimathi, TeamUSA
Team Canada
L-R Joel Wapnick, Max Panitch, Ron Hoekstra,
Andrew Golding, David Boys, Mark Schellenberg,
Tony Leah, Dielle Saldanha
Team USA
L-R: Jim Kramer, Sam Rosin, Nick Ball, Nathan Benedict,
Jason Idalski, Sam Kantimathi, Mark Kenas, Geoff
Thevenot, Jason Katz-Brown, Dave Wiegand, John
O'Laughlin, Robert Linn, Marty Gabriel, Brian Bowman
(USA). Photo courtesy of Sam Kantimathi.
Pakorn.
One of the most recognized Thai names for us in North America.
Pakorn is a funny character! He stands out among dozens of other Thai players who tend to be on
the shy side. A packed room was watching the live feed of the best-of-five Finals on two giant
screens. Nigel, trailing 0-1 and 257-451 on the second game, opened a Hail Mary triple-triple,
scoring 14 points. Then the camera showed Pakorn's rack to be ADELNPU. Many of us instantly
recognized the playable Collins 3x3. Pakorn placed just DINE on the triple, but paused. The crowd
went wild. I shouted, "Come on, Pakorn! You can do it!" (They were playing on the other side of the
large hotel, not within earshot.) Lovely Suanne Ong [now the 2009 World Youth SCRABBLE
Champion], playing Vanna White (along with our charming Dielle Saldanha) on the giant
SCRABBLE® board, went ahead and put the tiles in place. Then Pakorn exclaimed, "Not enough
points!" and added P-A-L-U to make PALUDINE# (means pertaining to marshes) to complete the
triple-triple on his way to pummeling Nigel Richards, the reigning World Champion 670-303
(unheard of!) Nigel took it in the lighthearted nature that Pakorn intended. Nigel is a class act.
All the Finals games, including all Board 1 games in regulation (including one of mine) can be
enjoyed play-by-play at http://www.wscgames.com/games/2009/
Something else Pakorn said during the finals surprised Tournament Director Wilma Vialle, the
annotators, and the TV crew, who all roared into laughter. You'll have to ask me later exactly what
he said, as Corny runs a family rag here! :)
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There was a 7-minute delay before a later game commenced, as Pakorn realized he had
inadvertently left his lucky SamRack at the restaurant downstairs during lunch. The spectators--and
Nigel--all waited as Pakorn ran back and got it!
On the first day of the tournament, I scored a narrow win over Pakorn (LINK), as did Dielle Saldanha
(LINK). Pakorn was down 3-4, with Nigerian Wellington Jighere leading in the standings 8-0 +.
Immediately after my game with Pakorn, he went on an incredible 14-game winning streak,
surpassing our own Matt Graham's record of 13 consecutive wins in a World Championship that
stood for over a decade. Pakorn’s record going into the Finals was 18-6 +1388.
It was an emotional moment when Pakorn emerged victorious from the championship room. He gave
me a big hug, tears welling up in his eyes. Let us just say there were not too many dry eyes in the
hallway, as our friend Pakorn Nemitrmansuk (Name-it-man-sook, R being silent) had finished runnerup in not one, but two previous world championships. This also vindicates my efforts (along with
others) starting in the mid-1990's to lift the ban the Brits had placed on Thai players participating in
SCRABBLE® world championships. Now we have two Thai world champions, making Thailand the
only country outside North America with that distinction.
Congrats to Dave Wiegand, who narrowly missed out on the Final Two Shootout, but finished a very
impressive third in a lexicon not his own.
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The most colorful and popular yet slightly controversial character here
at the World Championships this year, without a doubt was Uganda's
Phillip Edwin-Mugisha, self-described as "the phenomenon!" In game
14 he had an incredible game scoring 1157 total points. His share: 627
points! His opponent, the reigning Malaysian national champion
Vannitha Balasingam, scored 530. Her first name means beauty in
Tamil. Her last name: a young lion, also in Tamil.
My most memorable game at WSC '09 was against THE phenomenon.
In his words--and with permission--I reprint what he published in many
world lists:
GAME 22: SAM KANTIMATHI
That extra qualification slot for Uganda was at this stage ebbing away. Enter Sam Kantimathi, a
most interesting looking character. Yes Chris Ntege had mentioned this gentleman to me and now
the guy sat opposite me on the board. The guy wears, a utility belt? Fishing belt? around his waist.
His clipboard is huge, certainly the largest I have ever seen but perhaps this is to provide space for
the ten markers of various shades that the gentleman slapped down on the table. And he was to
use all of them as he wrote furiously away on the clipboard, cap pulled down but face occasionally
exposed to reveal those expressive, intelligent and huge eyes.
This picture is not complete without mentioning the round flask? kettle? from which he occasionally
sipped a liquid from as the game progressed. The flask? kettle? was a crimson red? maroon?
matching his shirt. And then he pulled out from his fishing? utility? belt a small vial containing a
modicum of some transparent liquid which I was too busy to ask him about.
Oh, the game. We were neck and neck as his MEROPIA (83) cancelled out my ANILINE (71). I
tracked his final rack with one letter left in the bag and saw he had rubbish. a V, C, U, O, T, A and so
forth. The man was doomed, especially as I played REGALING for 61. The first sign of trouble was
that I picked the T. This meant he didn't have to worry about playing some impossible OUT- word.
Then he coolly laid down on my R of REGALING, VACUOLAR. He punched the air triumphantly as I
just sat there in disbelief. As fellow American Bob Linn came over to congratulate him, I realised
with utter disgust I should have played LAGERING.This is one of the OQUASSA 's 13,000
Anagrams. Another strategic cockup, through overconfidence thinking I had the man beat.
I told him afterwards, very aggrieved, how could he do such a thing to a living legend. His response;
"But I am also a legend!"
Well!
SAM KANTIMATHI 435 PHILLIP EDWIN-MUGISHA 385
Sam Kantimathi is a top-ranked SCRABBLE® player from California. His company, SamTimer
(LINK), manufactures premium SCRABBLE® equipment. This is the third time he has represented
the United States at a World SCRABBLE® Championship.
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World SCRABBLE® Championship Travelog
by Jason Idalski, TeamUSA
Over Thanksgiving, I went to Johor Bahru, Malaysia, to compete in the World SCRABBLE®
Championship. Here are snippets from my 11 entries, one for each of the 11 days I was gone. The
complete travelog is available by visiting emyouthemagazine.com and viewing the “Blog” category.
Enjoy.
Monday, November 23
I haven’t been out of North America ever, or out of the country in the past decade or so (no, not
even Canada), I’m non-mechanical (Bil gave me his digital camera to use and I can’t even figure out
how to delete the pictures I don’t want) and uncoordinated … so no doubt I’ll find myself in awkward
situations almost entirely of my own doing, especially since I’ve barely learned any Malay. I’d also
like to be funnier and wittier in these things, but I’m in the middle of pulling an all-nighter and really
tired.
Wednesday, November 25 (afternoon in Malaysia)
I waited in line at immigration, only to be sent back because I forgot to fill out my Singapore
disembarkation form. I picked a different line this time (unsatisfied with the progress it made), only to
watch the line I was in zip along while mine crawled. I then had to go to the bathroom: badly, and
sadly, for quite a while. (As an aside: Automatic flushers should die. Three times it thought I was
done when I wasn’t. I’ll decide when I’m finished, kapeesh?)
Wednesday, November 25
(evening in Malaysia)
Tonight was the “Gala
Dinner” for all participants.
We were encouraged to wear
national dress. After some
deliberation, I came up with a
way to represent both locally
and nationally while not
being underdressed: Wore
my Red Wings polo with blue
slacks. So, red, white (skin)
and blue; plus a shout out to
the Wings!
It may be one of the most
interesting meals I’ve ever
had. Interesting speeches,
interesting “cultural
performances,” interesting
food, very interesting
company in my friends from
the U.S.
As you can see, The Zon Regency Hotel (pronounced ZONE) is a nice place!
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Thursday, November 26
1-7. I’m in 107th out of 108 players, ahead of some guy from Qatar. At 1-4, up by 98 a third of the
way through game six, I felt OK. I then got outscored by 213 the rest of the way and lost, 536-421.
Then I lost 514-338. Then I lost 538-313. It was like a scene from “Family Guy” I saw recently,
where Stewie bashes Brian over the head (game six), then shoots him in the leg (game seven), then
lights him on fire (game eight).
I don’t know what else to say. I’m just absolutely numb right now.
Friday, November 27
Thanks to everybody for their support, publicly and privately. On the advice of mentor extraordinaire
Frank Tangredi, I used the other side of my name tag to spell out a little message (“My name is
Jason and I need a win … Can you help me?”) As the saying goes, if you can’t laugh at yourself,
who can you laugh at? Tony Leah got a kick out of it; a few others appreciated it, too. Near the end
of my win against Michael Quao of Ghana, he noticed it and laughed. “I must’ve paid attention,” he
said. “You owe me.”
Saturday, November 28
I’m happy, but a little frustrated. If I had a ringgit for every opponent who said “I drew better than
you” (including people I beat), then I’d be able to buy my family’s Christmas gifts. I’m glad that my
fellow Collins-virgin, high-school student Sam Rosin, went 13-11 (and has a 1940 WESPA rating to
my 1715), but I’m also a little jealous. I know that eventually all this immediate post-tourney
negativity will go and I’ll only have the positives, but right now I’m not as happy as I should be.…
94th place out of 108 isn’t exactly filling me with pride.
Sunday, November 29
For me, the disappointment of 9.5-14.5, while still there (and probably will be, to some degree, until I
get a chance to redeem myself), was pushed to the backburner during a most enjoyable day
watching the finals.
Game 1 may well be the most exciting game I’ve ever witnessed.… So fun to sit with the
Americans, cracking jokes and hearing their thoughts/opinions on
tough decisions as we watched Pakorn lead 2-0.
After lunch, Game 3 was a little boring. Game 4 … well, when I
said Game 1 was the most exciting game I’d ever seen, it was
before Game 4.
World Champ Pakorn
Nemitrmansuk and me.
Thanks to Pakorn for
posing for a photo with me
not once, but twice after we
had camera problems the
first time.
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Top three finishers, from left:
Dave Wiegand, Pakorn
Nemitrmansuk, Nigel Richards.
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Monday, November 30
Friday night at dinner there was a dessert called “ice
kechang”, which can best be described as a snow cone
with corn and beans in it. I know it sounds weird (I even
took a few pictures); Nathan Benedict described it as
“something a kid would eat on a dare.” It’s not that far off
from how I came to try it: Cecilia Le mentioned it, Geoff
said he’d try it, so I took a couple scoops and a few
spoons back to the table. Nathan took a good video of
Sam Rosin trying it (and the face he made afterward).
Don’t think it made a great impression on anyone.
Tuesday, December 1
Ice kechang! I know, I know, you probably
have the same reaction I did to seeing it for
the first time: "What the ...?"
Then we went to the bowling alley (inside a mall!) I became the
unofficial “WSC/Causeway bowling champ” with games of 154
and 168, besting 11 others, including five WSC participants. Not
quite the 180-some average I carry at home, but given that I
didn’t have my equipment, I’m satisfied. Romanians Adrian
Tamas and Mihai Pantis each broke 140 in the second game.
I still maintain that if they
create SCRABBLE® Bowling
The best example yet of Malay
using English phonetic spelling, at a (a la Chess Boxing), I could
Toys “R” Us.
be World Champ.
Wednesday, December 2
I mentioned Nigel briefly before. 2007 Worlds champ, 2009 runner-up. 2008 Nationals champ, 2009
runner-up (to Dave Wiegand). Eight-time winner of the King’s Cup, a prestigious tournament in
Bangkok. Word Freak author Stefan Fatsis wrote an unbelievably good profile of him (http://
naspanews.com/index.php?id=41) that was unfortunately left out of the book, but that he later
shared with the world. I knew annotating nine games of Nigel’s would be fun and interesting and I
wasn’t disappointed.
Thursday, December 3
No doubt when I hear these seven songs (and there may be more I’m just forgetting about) I’ll think
of my Asian adventure. And since “I Just Called To Say I Love You” is Mom’s ringtone for whenever
Dad calls (his for her is “I Need A Lover Who Won’t Drive Me Crazy”) and these songs are often
played on the radio stations I listen to, I’ll hear some of them a few times.…
And trust me, even though I would’ve liked to have won more games during the Worlds, every
time I randomly start to think about this trip, I’ll smile.
Jason Idalski is a top-ranked player from Warren, MI. This was his first appearance at a World
Championship.
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The 2009 Causeway Scrabble Challenge
December 2-6
by Tan Jin Chor
The Causeway Scrabble Challenge, which was held in Johor Bahru from December 2nd to 6th, 2009
as part of the Iskandar Malaysia World Festival of Scrabble was indisputably the the biggest,
toughest, and richest International SCRABBLE® tournament in the world.
The tournament attracted a record 186 players from over 30
countries. Many of them made the journey from the other side of the
world. Some of them traveled more than 40 hours with three
changes of aircraft to get here. They came from all walks of life –
there were doctors, lawyers, and engineers as well as professors,
teachers, and students. The youngest player was 11-year-old
Nicholas Vasquez from the USA; among the oldest players were
several retirees in their seventies.
Causeway winner Nigel Richards
receiving US $20K check from the
Mayor of Johor Bahru. (Photo
credit: Michael Tang)
The luxurious Zon Regency Hotel, where the competition was held,
provided a grand ballroom as the playing area. There was ample
space to move around, and at no time did the participants feel
cramped and crowded. To add to the comfort and enjoyment of the
players, morning and afternoon tea, with local kueh and other delicacies, were provided throughout
the tournament. In fact, the only negative that can be said about the venue is that the airconditioning was too efficient, causing many players to don woolen pullovers and jackets more
commonly seen in colder climes than sunny Malaysia.
The competition’s website, www.causewayscrabble.com, carries the slogan: “Toughness redefined”.
The competition did, indeed, redefine the meaning of toughness. There were 45 rounds played over
5 days. Most local tournaments are 2-day affairs, with only 8 games played each day. And other
international tournaments are played over 3 or 4 days, at most. Causeway is therefore the longest
International SCRABBLE® tournament on the planet. Even the most diehard SCRABBLE® fiend
could not have come away from the event saying he/she had not had enough SCRABBLE® games
– at least until the next tournament.
Aside from its length, Causeway lays legitimate claim to being the toughest SCRABBLE®
tournament on earth because of the superb quality of its field. The 50 players, comprising 6 World
SCRABBLE® Champions, who qualified to play in the Premier Division hailed from 5 continents –
South America being the only exception. They were selected based on predetermined stringent
criteria. In the competition’s format, each player had to play against 45 other top-rated players from
around the world, thereby making it the most grueling and testing tournament there is.
And, finally, Causeway is the richest International Scrabble tournament in the world in terms of prize
money. The 2009 Premier Division winner, Nigel Richards from New Zealand, was rewarded with
the handsome sum of 20,000 US dollars. The runner-up, Thailand’s Pakorn Nemitrmansuk, received
10,000 US dollars. Cash prizes were also awarded to the other players who finished in the top ten.
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In the Open division, the winner, Michael Akonor from Ghana, received 3,000 US dollars, while the
runner-up, Australian Peter Kougi, walked away with 1,500 US dollars.
The prize money is set to become even bigger next year (the tournament will be held December
1-5, 2010). The tournament’s organizer, Michael Tang, has announced that the top prize for the
Premier Division in 2010 will be 30,000 US dollars. Apart from the Premier Division, there will be
two other divisions: the Masters Division, for players with WESPA (World English-Language
Scrabble Players Association) ratings of 1600 and above who fail to qualify for the Premier Division,
and the Open Division, for players with a rating below 1600. The Masters Division winner will
receive 5,000 US dollars and the Open Division winner 1,000 US dollars.
The prize money for SCRABBLE® tournaments throughout the world has increased substantially in
recent years, due in large part to the example set by the Causeway Scrabble Challenge. In
September, the winner of the Baguio Centennial International Wordbuilders Scrabble
Championship, Nigel Richards, walked away with USD 4,000. In October, the winner of the Godswill
Akpabio International Scrabble Classic in Nigeria, local champion Jighere Wellington, pocketed
USD 10,000. The top prize for the King’s Cup, to be held in Bangkok in June, 2010, has been raised
from USD 6,000 to USD 10,000. This trend has resulted in inducing at least one top SCRABBLE®
player to quit his job and become a full-time professional SCRABBLE® player.
Apart from the size of the winner’s purse, many other firsts were recorded at Causeway 2009. For
the first time ever in SCRABBLE® history, video clips of interviews with players (more than a
hundred) were recorded and uploaded onto the competition’s website for the rest of the world to
view [search “Causeway Challenge” on YouTube]. Up-to-the-minute results were posted on Twitter
for fans from all over the world to follow. All the bingos played in both the Premier and the Open
Divisions (more than 10,000) have been put on the website. Each of the players in the Premier
Division had his/her own annotator for all 45 games, and more than 500 games in the division have
been put on the Causeway website for SCRABBLE® lovers everywhere to replay and reexamine at
their leisure. Hopefully they will learn from the experts that SCRABBLE® is not just about knowing
words, but also involves a lot of thinking and strategizing. It is worthy to note that to date the
Causeway website had received more than 150,000 hits from 138 countries.
The tournament’s organizer, Michael Tang, has brought the game of SCRABBLE® to a new level.
His achievement will be an extremely hard act for SCRABBLE® tournament organizers in other
parts of the world to follow. His untiring efforts have been rewarded by the pledges of full support he
has received from the Chief Minister of Johor, the Mayor of Johor Bahru, and the Johor Tourism
Board for the competition in the years to come. They recognize the tremendous contribution the
staging of the competition makes to tourism in the Southern State of Malaysia.
And Causeway 2009 will always be remembered by all its participants as not only the toughest and
the best, but also the best-organized and best-run tournament in the history of the game. This was
made abundantly clear by the players when, at the end of the tournament, they all rose
spontaneously from their seats and gave Michael Tang the standing ovation he so richly deserved.
Complete results, commentary, and annotated games can be found at www.causewayscrabble.com.
Tan Jin Chor is a high-ranked tournament SCRABBLE® player from Malaysia.
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2009 World Youth SCRABBLE® Championship
December 8-10
Suanne Ong, a 17-year-old Malaysian girl, prevailed over 79 opponents from 14 countries to
capture the 2009 World Youth SCRABBLE® Championship. The event, held at the Zon Regency
Hotel in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, was the largest WYSC to date, according to Karen Richards,
Chairperson of the Youth Committee of the World English-Language SCRABBLE Players
Association (WESPA). Suanne’s winning record was 19-5 +1253. Alistair Richards of Australia, also
17, came in second with an 18-6 +1013 record. Follow Suanne’s final game, against Wong Zhi
Yuan of Singapore, at http://www.cross-tables.com/annotated.php?u=5202.
Suanne, who studies at the Methodist Girls School in Singapore, was competing in her fourth and
final WYSC (the tournament is limited to players 17 and under). In 2006 she had finished 30th; in
2007 3rd, and last year 5th. She took home RM5,000 and the coveted title of 2009 World Youth
SCRABBLE® Champion.
Suanne started playing SCRABBLE® when she was 6, and played in her first tournament at 7.
The week before the WYSC she played in the Causeway Challenge, representing Malaysia on
their Premier team. The 2008 Malaysian National Champion, Suanne impressed the world last
year by beating Nigel Richards to win the Open Division at the prestigious King’s Cup
Championship in Bangkok (LINK)
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An interview with Suanne Ong, 2009 World Youth SCABBLE® Champion, at the
Causeway Challenge the week before her big win.
Two U.S. players competed in the Championship: Nicholas Vasquez, 11, from Livingston, NJ, who
finished 27th with a 13-11 +540 record; and Christopher Walleck, 17, from Lakewood, OH, who
ended up 35th with a 12-12 +660 record. Nicholas also won the prize for “Best Player Under 12.”
Their stories follow.
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The prize winners were as follows:
1. Suanne Ong (MY)
2. Alistair Richards (AU)
3. Michael McKenna (AU)
4. Preedee Khongthanarat (TH)
5. Charnit Khongthanarat (TH)
6. Oluwaseun Oyelek (NG)
7. Wong Zhi Yuan (SG)
8. Wanchana Jirapitiku (TH)
9. Goutham Jayaraman (SG)
Suanne Ong faces Alistair Richards of Australia. Photo credit: Barry Harridge
10.Charas Worapotpisut (TH)
HIGH GAME: Wong Zhi Yuan (SG) (589)
HIGH WORD: Nutt Treepoonsuk (TH) (SEDGIEST, 158)
BEST PLAYER UNDER 10: Anand Bharadwaj (AU)
BEST PLAYER UNDER 12: Nicholas Vasquez (US)
BEST PLAYER UNDER 14: Matthew Malitao (PH)
BEST PLAYER UNDER 16: Michael McKenna (AU)
ENCOURAGEMENT AWARD (YOUNGEST PLAYER IN TOP 25): Victor Gwee (SG), age 12
INTERESTING WORDS (The organizers awarded prizes for interesting words to players from
countries that had not been represented in the official awards): Jacob Sunny (QAT): KVETCH (an
interesting front hook) & Jessica Pratesi (UK): THREEPS (meaning “to dispute”).
Next year’s WYSC will be in Manila, in the Phillippines. Although Christopher Walleck will not be
elibible to compete again, Nicholas Vasquez hopes to attend. Interested North American Youth
Players should contact Karen Richards at karendrichards@gmail.com.
Below is a photo (by Len Farlow) of the players at the 2009 World Youth Scrabble Championship in
Johor Bahru, Malaysia. CLICK HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS AND DETAILED RESULTS.
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U.S. Youth Players at the WYSC
NICHOLAS VASQUEZ
Two of the most grueling, challenging SCRABBLE® tournaments in the world recently took place in
Johor Bohor, Malaysia. Nicholas Vasquez, 11, from Livingston, NJ had the honor and thrill of
participating in both tournaments.
The Causeway Challenge, December 2-6, had 45 games spread over 5 days. It was divided into a
Premier Division, which was an invitational for 5 top players from 10 different countries, and an
Open Division. Nicholas took part in the Open division, where he was the youngest player.
Nicholas won 19.5 games at the Causeway Challenge and placed 113th out of 140 players. He
faced some tough and brutal losses but handled each loss with maturity and good sportsmanship.
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Click the photos above to see his YouTube interviews at the event.
Following the Causeway Challenge, Nicholas competed in the World Youth SCRABBLE
Championship, which ran from December 8-10, 2009. The tournament is open to qualifying players
17 years and younger. Two 17-year-olds, Alastair Richards from Australia and Suanne Ong from
Malaysia, were favored to win the competition. (Suanne Ong took home the title.) Christopher
Walleck, a 17-year-old from Lakewood OH, was the other U.S. representative.
Nicholas, the second-youngest player in the tournament, placed 27th out of 80 players with a 13-11
+540 record, winning the prize for Best Player Under 12 (http://www.facebook.com/v/
1292586241686) and earning an international (WESPA) rating of 1271. Complete results can be
found at http://youthscrabble.org/wysc2009/results/champs.html.
“Playing at the Causeway and World Youth requires a lot of strength and discipline,” said Nicholas.
“You have to be ready to play 7-9 games a day straight, and that means getting to bed early every
day. You also have to be prepared to keep going even after you lose a game and to be able to see
the big picture.”
As one of two Youth Players representing the US at the WYSC, Nicholas said the experience of
playing SCRABBLE® with people from all over the world was definitely worth it. “It’s a treat being
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able to meet and interact and possibly even play some of the best SCRABBLE® players in the
World.”
Indeed, one of the highlights for Nicholas at the WYSC was on day two, when he was pitted against
Suanne Ong of Malaysia, one of the world’s
top players. Facing a Masters Division player
was quite intimidating, but Nicholas played
well, losing the game by 72 points. Not bad
for an 11-year-old facing the player who
toppled Nigel Richards at the 2008 King’s Cup!
Another highlight was being able to meet and
have lunch with Nigel Richards, the 2009
Causeway Challenge Champion, 2008
NASPA National SCRABBLE® Champion, and
2009 World SCRABBLE Championship
runner-up.
To prepare for these tournaments, Nicholas
began studying the Collins (SOWPODS)
dictionary, which is a different lexicon from the
North American OWL, months before the
tournament. He would play SOWPODS on the
Internet Scrabble Club (isc.ro) and also
practice with his grandfather and coach,
Ruben Angeles. In addition, he attended the
Millburn Scrabble Club every Monday and
practiced playing and honing his skills with the
longtime members. Nicholas also credits his
success to his participation in Youth
SCRABBLE® tournaments sponsored by
Cornelia Guest.
2009 Causeway Challenge winner Nigel Richards
poses with Nicholas Vasquez--one of his biggest fans.
Nicholas was invited to attend the Causeway Challenge and the World Youth SCRABBLE
Championship by the World English-Language SCRABBLE Players Association Youth Committee
Chair, Karen Richards. In other countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, and the U.K., youth
representatives at the WYSC had to pass qualifying tournaments or rounds and have a certain
international rating in order to be chosen to represent their respective countries. However, in the
U.S., candidates submit an individual application to the World Youth Committee and are selected by
invitation.
You would think, after playing over 80 games of SCRABBLE® at the Causeway Challenge and the
WYSC, that Nicholas would want a break from SCRABBLE®. You would be wrong. After stepping
off the plane and arriving home in New Jersey, he met eagerly with his grandfather and was ready
for yet another round. Nicholas has been invited to participate in next year’s WYSC in Manila, and
he hopes to attend.
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Nicholas is also looking forward to participating in the 2010 National School SCRABBLE®
Championship April 9-10 in Orlando, Florida. Last year, he and his teammate, Paolo FedericoOmurchu, won 2nd place and shared a $5,000 prize.
Nicholas is a 6th grader at Mount Pleasant Middle School in Livingston, NJ, where his favorite
subjects are math, social studies, and writing. He is the son of proud parents Dennis & Janice
Vasquez. Nicholas has a younger sister, Kelsey, 5, and a baby brother, Jaden, 16 months old.
Nicholas is now teaching his sister how to play SCRABBLE®. In addition to playing SCRABBLE®,
Nicholas enjoys tennis, soccer, and golf. He also likes playing chess, Uno, and Set.
Nicholas kept a journal of his Malaysian travels, portions of which are reprinted here:
MALAYSIAN JOURNAL BY NICHOLAS VASQUEZ
November 28, 7:01 AM
This is the day that I’ve been waiting for. The trip to the World Youth SCRABBLE® Championship
and Causeway Challenge. The Causeway Challenge is a major tournament, and only a few kids
enter. It is much more serious and hard because everyone is trying hard to win the grand prize of
20,000 US dollars. I probably will do okay in this tournament, but it’s really just for practice. I was
studying for so long. My brain was freezing and I couldn’t think anymore. All these words were just
jamming in my head. I was getting sick of it. We were at the airport, going through security and bag
checks while I was standing there just waiting for it to be over. When we were done, I also had a
smoothie and a pepperoni pretzel. It was hard for me to just sit and eat. I wanted to board the flight
already, but they wouldn’t let us. Why did we have to get here two hours before our flight and just sit
around? We shouldn’t have to wait 30 minutes. Nothing to do. No entertainment. No anything. I’ll get
back to you when we actually get on board.
November 29: 9:00 AM
I’m on the plane. This is the longest time I’ve had to wait on anything. The flight attendants told us it
should take 13 hours to get to Japan. You might not think this is long, but after we arrive we only
have one overnight stay before we leave the next morning for yet another 7-hour flight to Malaysia.
Well let’s cut to the chase. There were so many first-class seats in the front of the plane. Did you
see how big they were? Huge. I was happily anticipating sitting in one because when we ordered
our tickets at home my mom said we had first-class seats. She lied. We had to sit in the regular
seats. “We’re doomed. How am I going to sleep on this plane?” We sat in our seats and then had to
sit and listen to English and Japanese flight safety instructions for 30 minutes.
December 1: 9:30 AM
I was wrong about the plane flight. They had these big TVs with remote controllers for watching new
releases of the most popular movies sold. Plus, they even had arcade games like 3-D golf. It was
actually just as much fun as playing SCRABBLE®.
I’ll tell you about Japan. Very weird, but fascinating. Everyone was driving on the right side of their
car and on the left side of the road. Also, many people seemed to be wearing doctor masks over
their mouths. Not so in America. When we got to our hotel we unpacked and looked around, and I
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knew what I was looking for. Real, authentic, tasty sushi just about to make my taste buds explode. I
rushed into the room. I couldn’t wait for the food I had to have. This is the real deal. Finally, our
order came. I had very bad manners at this point. I dug my hand through…swished it in my mouth
and BAM! It was bad. The Americanized version is so much better. It was just fish slapped on rice.
Anyway when we got to our room it got even worse. We slept for the whole entire night after having
already slept on the plane, and we missed the opportunity to go swimming and see the Japanese
Temples and Gardens.
December 9: 8:00 AM
I’m entering the tournament stadium. Gleaming with pride. I knew I was going to win this game.
Nothing will stop me. I was going up against an Indian kid who was a spelling bee champion. I was
determined not to be afraid or discouraged. It makes me nervous and I lose my concentration.
When we first started, it was a bad start, meaning I was unlucky. I kept drawing tiles consisting of all
vowels and all consonants and all at the wrong moments.
The I actually got a bingo (meaning a 7-letter word) and was catching up to him, only losing by 40
points. Picking the last seven tiles, I closed my eyes and had faith that I would win even if he would
get a word that might destroy me. When I started placing the tiles on my rack I tried to hide the
fearfulness in my face. I had the rack RAEATIO and he just got a 30-point word that made him up by
70. It was a close game so I knew I had to be careful and take my time. After the first few minutes I
found it! I played the word AERATION for 80 points and won. There were no more tiles left in the
bag, so game over since I bingoed out. Bingoing out means being the first to play off your last
remaining tiles.
Victory! My first win of the day.=) Thankfully, it’s time for a break. My stomach is growling, so if you
will excuse me, it’s time to eat some fancy Malaysian cuisine.
December 12: 4:03 PM
I’m on my final game at the World Youth SCRABBLE® Championships and so far I have 13 wins
and 10 losses. I know I’ve already won a trophy for Best Player Under 12, but this round I am
fighting for the prize for Youngest Player in the Top 25. I’ve played my opponent before, and he
definitely presents a challenge. Last time I played him, he beat me by 200 points. It going to be the
opposite now. I’m going to cream him this time.
Well, it started out badly. He was already beating me by 100 points in the first 5 moves because he
had all the high-point tiles. I was struggling to catch up and even when I got a bingo (PUNKIEST) for
90 points, I was still 30 behind. Suddenly, he had a 50-point word and was ahead of me by 80. My
bingo didn’t do anything. There was 1 tile in the bag left and surprisingly I had gotten 2 blanks,
which I can make any letter I want. Five minutes passed. I was still thinking hard to find another
bingo and then it flashed in my mind. I played SECURED for 86 points. It was a miracle. I grabbed
the last tile (T) and was happy from what I’d done until he hit me again with a 40-point words. Ahead
by 30 again. Will this kid ever give me a break? I went out with the word TASTY for 12 points and
then added his little 5 extra points. He beat me by 11. A great game. Still, I’m so proud I made it this
far. It was a very close game. I got a trophy, and when the day was over, I realized that this wasn’t
just a tournament, but a great experience.
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THE MALAYSIAN ODYSSEY BY CHRISTOPHER WALLECK
After approximately twenty-eight of flights and layovers, I arrived at Singapore’s Changi Airport
slightly sleep-deprived, but extremely eager to meet young players from around the world and play
as much SCRABBLE® as I could handle. Embarking from Cleveland at around 9:00 AM on
Saturday, December 5th, I arrived in Malaysia at about 2:30 AM on Monday. This of course followed
my midnight arrival in Singapore, where I waited for about an hour for my taxi driver who was
scheduled to pick me up and drive me to my hotel in Johor Bahru, Malaysia (about half an hour
away by car). This soon became an hour and a half, which in turn became two hours.
Starting to feel the poignant sting of almost thirty hours of straight consciousness, since I had
traveled alone, I decided that if I couldn’t find my way to the hotel soon, I’d collapse in the airport.
Fortunately, I was able to take two separate taxi cabs (one to travel to the border, and one to travel
from the border to the hotel), and after a seemingly endless barrage of passport checks and
customs inspections, I arrived safely at the Zon Regency Hotel in Johor Bahru (or JB, as my
Malaysian roommate would later coin it).
In the morning, attempting to recover from the cerebral whiplash from the thirteen-hour time
difference and resulting jetlag, I found a relatively large clutch of players who had traveled from
Qatar to play in the WYSC for the first time in their country’s history. Soon, I met players from
Indonesia, Bahrain, Thailand, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Australia, India, Nigeria, Singapore, Kuwait,
Great Britain, and the Phillipines, and I began to realize the direct implications of the word “world” in
the tournament’s title. After a mock SCRABBLE®-cum-trivia tournament later in the day, I went up to
my hotel room to visit my new roommate for the duration of the tournament: Muhammed Nasroom (I
called him Nas for short). Having a Malaysian roommate who prayed five times a day in Arabic and
spoke English as a third language after Bahaya Melasu and Japanese was certainly a cultural
experience unlike any other for me
(did I mention that he had fourteen
brothers and sisters?)
Mao Fong Lim (MY), Alastair Richards (AU), Kim Rubina (PH), Phillip
Hamilton (AU), Natasha Podesser (AU), Michael McKenna (AU), and
Christopher Cole Walleck (US).
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The next day, after a brief
registration session and
introduction, we finally began what
we had all traveled hundreds or
even thousands of miles for (about
9,000 in my case): the tournament.
In total, there were twenty-four
games in the tournament and I
finished 12-12 +660. In total, I got
forty bingos (average of 1.667 per
game), including a couple Collinsonly words that most TWL’ers
would probably scoff at, such as
OTARINE and NARTJIE. Yes, in
Collins AEINRT takes a J and an O
in addition to everything else (sadly
still nothing inside AEINQRT). A
couple of my favorite bingos that I
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played included ABELIAS, WARMTHS (I drew HMTW from a rack of RS and then, miraculously, the
blank), TRITONS, RIMESTER (nobody had the chance to use the T front hook), AVERRING,
OOGONIA, and SULCATE. Of course, due to the looming threat of college applications, Quackle
has yet to exasperatedly point out to me the hundreds of bingos I missed, but that’s another story.
The tournament structure was one part KOH, one part Swiss, and one part Modified Swiss, almost
all of my games were played with analog clocks (as a spoiled SamTimer child, this was a new
experience for me), and the entire tournament had a free challenge policy, leading to innumerable
clock-stoppings and Zyzzyva verifications. From the games I played, there were approximately
seven or eight total per game, which meant a lot more leg exercise in marching up to the computers
than I was initially expecting.
Besides the games themselves, the most exciting parts of my Malaysian adventure were my
opportunities to spend time both during and after the games with my fellow players. Although I did
get to see my American teammate Nicky Vasquez once in a while, I mainly ate my meals, rehashed
my games, and spent time playing after hours with players from countries like Qatar, Malaysia, and
Australia. Later in the tournament, I also got to meet fellow American Scrabbler Jesse Day, who had
traveled from Beijing to compete in another tournament at the same venue. Perhaps I regret a few
careless moves I made throughout the tournament and maybe I should have thought a little more in
advance before playing some of my they’re-probably-good-in-Collins phonies, but my incredible
tournament experience, both in and out of the Zon Regency Grand Ballroom, made it all worth it.
Phillip Hamilton (AU) wins against Chris
Walleck.
Phillip: “I spent 3 minutes deciding
whether to play DETONATe,
DeTONATE, DeNOTATE or DENOTATe.”
Christopher: “And I spent 36 seconds
deciding between GRANDSO(N),
GRA(N)DSON, SARO(N)GED*, and
DRAGONS.”
A high school senior from Lakewood OH, Christopher Walleck has been playing tournament
SCRABBLE® for just over years. However, he’s improved rapidly. In August, 2008, he won Division
3 of the Pontiac MI Tournament with a 19-1 +1492 record, in the process winning 18 games in a
row. This achievement placed him fourth nationally for the “Longest Winning Streak” in the Annual
Awards (see The Last Word, Issue 1). Christopher also won 19 games in Division 4 of the 2009
NASPA National SCRABBLE® Championships, ending the tournament 11th out of 94.
Christopher’s current NASPA rating is 1240.
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Cleveland Classic Recap
by Dallas Johnson and George Viebranz
Thirty-eight players made their way to the coast
of Lake Erie in December, braving Ohio’s winter
weather lottery to participate in the second
annual Cleveland Classic. The weather outside
was merely chilly, rather than frightful, but the
competition in Conference Room A at the
Holiday Inn Cleveland West kept spirits warm
and bright, even as an aggressive HVAC system
sought to put a chill on the proceedings.
Boston's Rod MacNeil made his first appearance
ever in an Ohio tournament. Rod led the field in
Division A, followed by Jason Idalski and Brian
Bowman, both of whom were jetlagged* from
their recent trip to Malaysia for the World
Tableau by Kelly McKenzie
SCRABBLE® Championship, and both of whom
sported fancy Worlds polo shirts. In Division B,
top-rated Kevin McCarthy, Sr., who recently completed his first year as an Ohioan, took on long-time
native Midge Skwire at table 1. Kevin proclaimed that his Metallica hockey sweater was in honor of
visitor Rod MacNeil, a devout hockey fan who wore his own Boston Bruins jersey. Division C's initial
top game was between Pat Hardwick (OH) and Fort Knox, KY's Candace Hurley, who also played
her first tournament in Ohio at
this event.
Jason Idalski and Rod MacNeil contemplating the board.
36
The players exhibited tenacity
throughout the event. One
especially tenacious player
was Ohioan Keith Cejmer, who
was encumbered by a back
brace from a recent injury, but
didn’t let either pain or his
limited range of motion deter
him from playing effectively
over the board. Kristy Zurbrick
exhibited a different kind of
tenacity. Playing in her first
tournament in four years,
Kristy made effective use of
her last 15 games under the
enhanced initial ratings
multiplier, garnering 126 shiny
new ratings points. In round 5,
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Kristy managed a score of 555, including a run of 4 consecutive bingos. Other plays of note were
Kevin McCarthy’s natural ten-letter (GEL)ATINOUS and Wilma Pitzer’s play of three consecutive
bingos: EARRING(S), TOUCANS, and (G)ROOMING. Wilma also got away with the phony
NODELIKE* in that same game.
Div. A winner Rod MacNeil
Rod MacNeil (12-3, +1138) earned the win in Division A, and he was
Gibsonized after round 13 due in part to his substantial cumulative
spread. MacNeil was followed in the final standings by Brian Bowman
(11-4, +329) and Jason Idalski (10-5, +367). In Division B, Rob Long
(12-3, +754) earned the win, just edging out Kevin McCarthy (12-3, +679),
while Karen Smith (10-5, +356) finished third. The Division C champion
was Pat Hardwick (10-5, +350), while Walter Konicki (10-5, +15) finished
in a close second, and Kristy Zurbrick (9-6, +658) finished third.
Complete results and additional photos can be found at the event website:
http://www.neoscrabble.com/site.cfm/Events/ClevelandClassic.cfm.
Dallas Johnson is the webmaster of www.neoscrabble.com, the website for Northeast Ohio
SCRABBLE®, and also serves as cochair of the NASPA Tournament Committee and codirector of
Club 653 in Akron. In addition to SCRABBLE®, Dallas enjoys woodworking, art, and colonial
American history.
George Viebranz is a top-rated Northeast Ohio player with a number of tournament wins to his
credit, most recently the 2009 Purple & Green tournament in Elyria, OH. George's interests outside
SCRABBLE® include writing, music, and popular culture.
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Tournament
Results 12/3-31
R
Premier: Nigel Richards (NZ)
Premier Team: International
A (Mark Nyman, Lewis
Mackay, Harshan
Lamabadusuriya, Craig
Beevers, Phil Robertshaw)
Open: Michael Akonor (GH)
MONTROSE OH 12/3
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1.
2.
3.
4.
Steve Polatnick
Frances Shaw
Angela Hellmann
Cheryl Levin
KNOXVILLE TN 12/5
1. David Gibson
2. David Meredith
ATLANTA GA 12/5-6
1. Steve Glass
2. Stefan Huber
1. Geoff Thevenot
2. Ruben Solis
3. Mariah Smith
BAYSIDE NY 12/5
1. Jordan Dale
2. Jim Fonti
3. David Goldberg
CALGARY AB CAN 12/5
1. Juraj Pivovarov
2. Wesley Yocom
3. Linda Slater
CLEVELAND OH 12/5-6
1. Rod MacNeil
2. Rob Long
3. Pat Hardwick
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GUELPH ON CAN 12/13
1.
2.
3.
4.
Jim Nanavati
Roger Cullman
Risa Horowitz
Lynette Stewart
FT. LAUDERDALE FL 12/5 PHILADELPHIA PA 12/13
TAMPA FL 12/5
AUSTIN TX 12/5-6
R
Bradley Whitmarsh
Joel Horn
Renee Camille
Quinten Steenhuis
1. Pete Zeigler
1. Brett Haughney
2. Jesse Wornum
3. Michael Krafchick
T
DURHAM NH 12/5
1.
2.
3.
CAUSEWAY CHALLENGE 4.
JOHAR BAHRU
MALAYSIA 12/2-6
N
BERKELEY CA 12/6
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Jerry Lerman
Bruce Ward
Andrea Michaels
Tapani Lindgren
Rob Wiener
1.
2.
3.
4.
Stefan Rau
Daniel Milton
Cheryl Allen-Munley
Mike Lean
RHINEBECK NY 12/13
1. Bradley Whitmarsh
2. Linda Wancel
MOUNTAIN VIEW CA
12/20
1. Jerry Lerman
2. Emely Weissman
3. Bennett Jacobstein
SAFETY HARBOR FL
12/20
1. Winter Zxqkj
LAKE OSWEGO OR (LCT)
LAGUNA WOODS CA 12/6 12/27
1. Rachel Knapp
WORLD YOUTH
SCRABBLE
CHAMPIONSHIP
JOHAR BAHRU
MALAYSIA 12/8-10
1. Suanne Ong (MY)
NORTHAMPTON MA
(LCT) 12/12
1. Evans Clinchy
2. Judy Cole
3. Leanne Gray
1. Michael Baker
2. Betty Cornelison
3. Jesse Wornum
ALBANY EARLY BIRD
12/29
1. Winter ZXQKJ
2. Brett Constantine
3. Bridget McGrew
ALBANY EARLY BIRD
12/30
1.
2.
3.
4.
Mike Wolfberg
Michael Bassett
Wilma Pitzer
Dave Krook
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New Faces
Since our last issue, 13 new faces have competed at NASPA tournaments. One of these players
won his division at his first tournament: our featured “new face,” Quinten Steenhuis, who won
Division 4 at the Durham NH Tournament 12/5 (6-2 +204).
______________________________________________________________________________
Quinten Steenhuis
Quinten Steenhuis, 27, grew up in Ithaca, NY, where he enjoyed playing SCRABBLE® with his
family. “I come from a big family, so we would play up to six-player games.” An avid reader,
Steenhuis was always trying to figure out the best words. “I think
I drove my family crazy.” However, he realizes now that he used
no real strategy. “I approached it strictly as a living-room player.”
Quinten Steenhuis and his wife,
Amanda
Steenhuis became interested in competitive SCRABBLE® after
reading Stefan Fatsis’s Wordfreak [perhaps the single most
effective recruiting tool in tournament SCRABBLE® history]. A
few years ago, he was overjoyed to find the Internet Scrabble
Club (isc.ro). “I had been playing a few other word games
online--Boggle and “babble”--but Scrabble is the perfect game
for me.” Steenhuis also played “a bit” on Scrabulous, but was
frustrated by the long delays between plays.
In 2008, after finishing law school, Steenhuis moved to the Boston area, where he works as an
attorney at a non-profit legal services organization. There he joined the Scrabble Enthusiasts of
Boston Meetup. “The Meetup is a lot of fun as we have bi-weekly gatherings with people at all
levels of play. It is very different from tournament-style games--people are not afraid to chat during
the game.” Steenhuis ended up taking over the Meetup after the first organizer abandoned the
group. Since then there’s been a regular attendance of from 6-20 people, and they may need to
find a larger space.
At the Meetup Steenuis met some tournament players, and they encouraged him to enter the
Durham tournament. He won his first four games, then finished 6-2 +204 to win. “Playing in my first
tournament was a great experience. It was exciting to win, but I look forward to getting thrashed in
the next division for a while.” Steenhuis is hoping to attend other local tournaments in the near
future.
Steenhuis does not do a lot of word studying. “I studied the two- and three-letter words early after I
started playing online, and did a very little bit of study for the more common seven-letter stems. I
use Zyzzyva mostly for the word study I have done. I've also played a lot of ‘void’ games online,
where only valid words can be played, which let me see a lot of new words and not be afraid to try
words that I wasn't as sure about.” Recently Steenhuis has stopped playing void games, as he felt
they were “not the best practice for real-life games.” He also suspected he was getting some bad
habits. ISC did help him learn to play and find anagrams quickly, though, which he felt was very
helpful. At the Durham tournament he had no problems with time.
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In preparation for his first tournament, Steenhuis ramped up his study, using flash cards on his daily
commute and Zyzzyva's card-box system at home. “I focused on lists with the power tiles, threeletter words, and seven-letter stems. Zyzzyva is a great way to generate interesting word
lists. I'm a big open-source software booster as well, so I'm glad to use a program that supports
those ideas.”
For the future, Steenhuis plans make his word study a lot more systematic. “I'm still a bit shaky with
some of the three-letter words, and I need to work on my bingos even more.”
Besides SCRABBLE®, Steenhuis enjoys baking and learning how to make new things. He’s put his
hand to brewing and cheesemaking as well as renovating the kitchen in his parents’ old home.
But SCRABBLE® has definitely hooked him:
“On the drive back home from Durham, which happened to be during our first major snow of the
year, I told my driving companion that I had initially been debating attending our bi-weekly Meetup
the next day, not being sure how I would feel after eight games of Scrabble in one day. By the end
of the day, though, I had made up my mind to attend--I don't think it's possible to have too much
Scrabble!”
_______________________________________________________________________________
Welcome to Quinten Steenhuis and the following other new faces:
ATLANTA GA 12/5-6: J.J. Jones, Delbra Matlock-Washington, Viki Stewart
AUSTIN TX 12/5-6: Alexander Rivard, Oliver Roeder
CALGARY AB CAN 12/5: Mary Anne St. Onge
DURHAM NH 12/5: Joal Hetherington
NORTHAMPTON MA 12/12: Saloma Furlong
PHILADELPHIA PA 12/13: Brian Feigley, Emmanuel Sharpe
RHINEBECK NY 12/13: Robert Lorick
ALBANY NY EARLY BIRD 12/29: Linda Gayle Wood
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The Wordsmith
A rare bit of Welsh
by Chris Sinacola
One of the eternal debate topics in SCRABBLE® circles is which words that are not in a given
lexicon should be, and which that are should not be. Shakespeare might have said all that far more
succinctly: “To be acceptable, or not to be acceptable, that is the question!”
Like every passionate Scrabbler, I have a few strong opinions on that score. The purist in me says
that obvious acronyms should be banished. Take off, JATO and RATO. Get lost, AWOL. But then,
the realist in me points out that RADAR is also an acronym, for RAdio Detection And Ranging, and
was coined in 1941 and has long since been incorporated into our language as a common noun.
And who would want to dump LASER -- Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation?
Heck, even AWOL has been around, in a sense, for a long time.
The issue becomes still cloudier when you consider a word such as ATHODYD, which just looks like
a low-probability oddball unless you know it is a type of jet engine derive from aero +
thermodynamic + duct. Should it stay or not?
I tend to get more annoyed when I play or encounter words that, at least to me, are obviously
acceptable, but which didn’t make the lexicographical cut. Five that are sitting in the notes section of
my diary at present are ASKARI*, MURIATIC*, MOSSYCUP*, MUNG* and ALLOTROPISM*. I don’t
have high hopes for any of them.
Some have suggested that I could solve my annoyance by playing English or world SCRABBLE®,
and welcoming thousands of new words onto my rack. Fair enough, but thinking this over, I realized
that I’m not out to solve my personal dilemma, but rather to cast light on exactly why some words
make the cut and others do not.
The simplest and most obvious answer is that it’s a combination of a given word’s good or bad luck,
subject to the whimsy and proofreading skills of members of the dictionary committee. A somewhat
more sophisticated view holds that any given lexicon is simply a portrait of the language at a given
time and place. In the case of the OWL2, that would be March 1, 2006, North America, Planet Earth.
In recent days, however, I have encountered a far more elegant and satisfying exploration of this
topic in John McWhorter’s “Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue: The Untold History of English.”
To be sure, the word scrabble does not appear anywhere in McWhorter’s 230-page book, which just
came out in paperback. But in the course of arguing that the Celtic languages influenced Old
English in heretofore unexplained and unrecognized ways, McWhorter makes some fascinating
points about the fluidity of language that I think are germane to this argument over which words
should and should not be acceptable to us.
McWhorter’s main argument rests on the recognition that English possesses what he calls the
“meaningless do,” in sentences such as “Do you write?” or “Does he read?” whereas all other
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Germanic languages get by with the verb alone. A German, for example, would simply ask
“Schreiben Sie?” or “Liest er?” There’s no “do” involved.
McWhorter argues that the “do” came into English from Welsh and Cornish, both of which have the
very peculiar habit of starting a sentence with the verb, as in the Welsh “Nes i agor?” which means
“Did I open?”
I should note that McWhorter’s argument reflects a minority view of how English developed, and it is
not my purpose here to advocate his position or any other. But he does proceed to make a broader
point that I would readily endorse: There is a world of difference between the spoken and written
forms of a language at any given time.
Thus, the Old English that we see in Beowulf, written sometime between the eighth and eleventh
centuries, has changed dramatically by the time Chaucer begins writing the Canterbury Tales in his
Middle English at the end of the fourteenth century. There may not be a lot of written signposts in
the intervening years to mark exactly how English was evolving, but you can be sure that it was, in
both its written and spoken forms.
The point with regard to SCRABBLE® is that English is still changing in this early 21st century, as
surely as it was in 1500 or 1100. Indeed, the pace of change is likely accelerating. A sentence such
as “Google antisense DNA and text me later” makes perfect sense to a technically literate American
today, but would have been partially or wholly unintelligible 10, 25 or 50 years ago.
Whatever our personal comfort level with rapid change, it is clear that what we see on TV, hear on
radio spots, or say colloquially in our professional or personal lives – and remember, our jobs and
hobbies often involve specialized vocabulary not shared by most others – cannot possibly be the
subject of rapid consensus and inclusion in any given word list. Indeed, words and phrases we use
every day may not always past muster as “proper” English in the pages of newspapers and
magazines.
I have, to offer just three examples, challenged off GOOGLE*, ACAI* and ALTOIDS* in recent years.
If I had to place bets, I’d say GOOGLE* has an even shot at someday becoming a common verb.
ACAI* is clearly enjoying fad status at the moment, although my first taste of it last week left me
unimpressed. If ACAI* proves to be all its proponents claim, it has a good chance to join the very
long list of acceptable but often obscure botanicals. On the other hand, I doubt ALTOIDS* will ever
follow in the footsteps of XEROX and FEDEX. I like to think that while the folks at Xerox and FedEx
would be (and perhaps are) slightly peeved at the small erosion of their trademarks that can be
ascribed to their inclusion in the OWL2, the chaps at Callard & Bowser-Suchard would be peeved
that their product, which dates back 200 years or so, hasn’t made the list.
Ironically, Altoids are, or at least were until recently, manufactured at a plant in Wales, which is a
nice way of bringing our story back to its Celtic roots. I think we should pause to recognize the
Welsh and Cornish for their contributions. Those still struggling with the justice or injustice of certain
words’ acceptability should at least be thankful for CWM, not to mention a couple dozen other words
that derive from one language or the other, including BROCK, MENHIR, DOLMEN, DRUID,
MITHER, and PENGUIN.
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And be warned that McWhorter wraps up the Celtic word list with by remarking (p. 47) that “there is
some work suggesting that there are at least a few more Celtic words in Modern English than once
thought. Candidates include brag, brat, curse, and baby.”
Well, well. Speaking of a certain word game and the folks who play it, those do make an interesting
list!
Chris Sinacola is co-director of the Worcester MA SCRABBLE® Club #600.
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Club News
Larry Sherman, Editor
With the busy holiday season, we do not have a featured club this month. However, we hope to be
featuring clubs again next issue. Please submit club information or news either to Cornelia Guest at
CorneliaSGuest@gmail.com or to Larry Sherman at icenine378@aol.com.
A SCRABBLE® Honeymoon
Jason and Shelley Ubeika, two Scrabblers who met at the
end of 2005 at Annette Tedesco’s New Year’s Tournament
in Albany, are about to go on a belated honeymoon--on a
SCRABBLE® cruise! Their main travel over the last few
years has been to SCRABBLE® tournaments, and their
wedding, on February 29, 2008 in Mississauga, ON (not
so many anniversaries to remember!), had a
SCRABBLE® theme. The two, who attend Mississauga
ON Club #422, are leaving on January 17th for a twoweek tour of Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay on a cruise
run by Barbara Van Alen and Larry Rand.
The couple’s wedding, attended by many Scrabbler friends, included a SCRABBLE® cake and a
tableau that they worked on together. They also had mini tilebags with tiles on each table and
requested that people shake those to get the couple to kiss in lieu of the traditional clanging on
glass.
Shelley comments on the cake, pictured below: “It says CRAZEE* because when I first started
playing, I knowingly played a phony in the lowest division, hooking a C onto RAZEE for a bunch of
points. It became a standing joke with my friends that I was a bit CRAZEE*!”
“I know some people might find it weird to take your honeymoon on a SCRABBLE cruise and play in
a SCRABBLE tourney during the days at sail, but it is just RIGHT up our alley!”
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Mississauga ON Club #422 meets Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. at Erin Mills Church Center, 3535 South
Common Court. Contact Shan Abbasi, 416-305-4736, shan19@gmail.com or Jean Barinque,
jbarinque@rogers.com.
Buffalo Club #456 Featured in Niagara Gazette
The December 20 Niagara Gazette ran a nice story on Buffalo NY SCRABBLE® Club #456 (though
readers of cgp were quick to point out that the reporter misspelled Jerry Scheiten’s name as
“Schiatam”). Nonetheless, the article was nice publicity for a club who boasts a number of top
tournament players, including 2009 NSC Division 3 winner Dave Leonard and longtime expert
competitor Randy Greenspan. Read the article at http://www.niagara-gazette.com/features/
local_story_354235803.html.
Buffalo NY Club #456 meets Thursdays from 6:30 to 10:00 p.m. at the Kenmore Baptist Church, 10
Wardman Road, Kenmore, NY. Contact Joan Tondra, 716-847-0391, ardnotj8@localnet.com or
Ember Nelson, 716-862-3863, hapax29@hotmail.com.
The Year’s Strangest Challenge
John Robertson, Director of Cambridge ON Club #471, shared the following on cgp--and graciously
has allowed us to reprint it here:
“It's not often I seriously use hyperbole, but a game I played Dec. 23 at the Stratford (ON)
SCRABBLE® club had the strangest challenge situation I've ever seen or heard of. I think you
might agree. I'll do my best to describe what happened.
“I was playing Matt Schlegel--a promising player from the Stratford area. It was the last game of the
night. I went first. I opened with TWANG at 8D. Matt took a long time before he made his first play.
He decided to play one tile--a B on top of the A to make BA at F7. Three other plays are made: I
played WAVE from the W in TWANG. Matt played LIRI, hooking the R onto WAVE. I played CULT
through the L in LIRI. Everything is fine so far.
“Then Matt plays FUN at G6. I stupidly don't notice the phony BU hook--and neither does Matt. The
game continues and we each make three more turns. One of Matt's turns is the bingo ERASERS,
hooking the first S onto TWANG. Now the weirdness begins.
“For my next turn I play DO from 9G making DOE, FUND and GO for 19 points. Matt's attention
must have been averted when I made the play. To my astonishment, Matt puts me on hold.
Since all three of the words are pedestrian, I can't figure out why I'm on hold. Finally Matt shrugs
his shoulders and says, ‘Challenge’ and neutralizes the clock. Still perplexed, I ask, ‘What are you
challenging?’
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“Matt says, ‘I'm challenging BU.’
“I look at the board and reply, ‘Matt, I didn't play BU. I played DOE, FUND and GO.’
"’How did BU get on the board?’ Matt asked. Then the realization sets in: ‘Geez, I must have made
the word BU when I played FUN. I just challenged my own phony!’
“I just started laughing. I told Matt I've been running a club since 1996, I've regularly attended
several clubs since 1994, I've directed about 100 tourneys, but I'd never heard of this situation
before. We agreed that Matt's challenge had to stand--but it was a challenge of DOE, FUND and
GO--not the BU that he had played earlier in the game.
“Has anyone heard of anything similar to this?
“The lesson to be learned here: Sports officials should never say they've seen it all. There's always
something new and bizarre that can't possibly happen--but does.
“P.S. I'm not playing another game in 2009. I want my decade of play to end with this crazy game.”
Stratford ONTARIO Club #546 meets Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. at the Eileen Langley Centre, 112
Frederick Street, Stratford, Ontario (CANADA). Contact Terry Aitken, 519-273-2233,
terence.aitken@gmail.com.
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Searching for SATIRE Bingos
Find and circle the 70 bingos that you can form by adding a letter to SATIRE.
The number next to each letter indicates the number of bingos for that letter plus SATIRE.
A-3
L-6
S-1
T-7
B-4
E-2
P-6
F-1
C-4
M-4
G-5
V-2
N-9
D-7
W-4
R-3
H-1
I-1
Turn to the following page to solve the puzzle with the list of bingos provided.
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Searching for SATIRE Bingos
Find and circle the 70 bingos that you can form by adding a letter to SATIRE.
The number next to each letter indicates the number of bingos for that letter plus SATIRE.
A-3
B-4
C-4
D-7
48
ARISTAE
DISRATE L - 6
REALIST
RETAINS S - 1
SATIRES
ASTERIA
STAIDER
RETAILS
RETINAS T - 7
ARTIEST
ATRESIA
TARDIES
SALTIER
RETSINA
ARTISTE
BAITERS
TIRADES
SALTIRE
STAINER
ATTIRES
BARITES E - 2
AERIEST
SLATIER
STEARIN
IRATEST
REBAITS
SERIATE
TAILERS P - 6
PARTIES
RATITES
TERBIAS F - 1
FAIREST M - 4
IMARETS
PASTIER
STRIATE
ATRESIC G - 5
AIGRETS
MAESTRI
PIASTER
TASTIER
CRISTAE
GAITERS
MISRATE
PIASTRE V - 2
VASTIER
RACIEST
SEAGIRT
SMARTIE
PIRATES
VERITAS
STEARIC
STAGIER N - 9
ANESTRI
TRAIPSE W - 4
WAISTER
ARIDEST
TRIAGES
ANTSIER R - 3
ARTSIER
WAITERS
ASTRIDE H - 1
HASTIER
NASTIER
TARRIES
WARIEST
DIASTER I - 1
AIRIEST
RATINES
TARSIER
WASTRIE
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Did you find the sentence formed by the unused letters?
"Playing 'bop' is like playing Scrabble with all the vowels missing," according to the legendary Jazz great Duke Ellington in Look.
Judy Cole is co-director of the Lexington MA Scrabble® #108 and solves crossword puzzles when not playing SCRABBLE®.
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Player Profile: David Klionsky
by Katya Lezin
There are plenty of other competitive SCRABBLE players out there who,
like David Klionsky, are also tournament directors. And there may be
some who, like him, are also elementary school teachers. Yet others
may share his passion for teaching the game to newcomers, whether
they attend one of his tournaments in Durham, North Carolina or are
members of the club he runs at Seawell Elementary School in Chapel
Hill, NC. But it is doubtful there is anyone else who can lay claim to
dashing across town, after directing a one-day SCRABBLE®
tournament, to play Uncle Louie, a gangster, in the Neil Simon play Lost
in Yonkers at the Raleigh Little Theatre! Or who can brag that they not
only played a bingo, but also the role of a beauty pageant contestant in roller skates!
In fact, David’s theatre background has actually enhanced his
SCRABBLE®-playing. He is currently playing the part of
Conrad in Much Ado About Nothing at the Burning Coal Theatre
in Raleigh and, he notes, “there are lots of Shakespeare words I
am now able to use.” Words like gleek, which means to joke
around, and baldrick, which is a holster for a sword. David is
also fond of Yiddish words, especially since it puts his Hebrew
School education to use in ways he never dreamed possible
when he was studying for his Bar Mitzvah. His favorite play of
late is the bingo hejiras for 120 points, which happens to be the
title of his favorite Joni Mitchell album.
Klionsky in A Midsummer Night’s Dream
David first remembers playing SCRABBLE® with his mom and
his grandmother when he was in high school, but it was a sporadic pastime at best. In fact, he was
oblivious to the world of competitive SCRABBLE® that surrounded him when he was living in New
York City pursuing a career it the theatre. It was only when he moved to Chapel Hill, NC and
transitioned from the theatre to a career in teaching that he first ventured into the SCRABBLE®
tournament scene. His brother sent him Word Freak, and David loved the descriptions of the gamut
of characters playing the game, although he was dismayed to learn that there had been a vibrant
SCRABBLE® club and tournament scene at his disposal in New York, had he known to look for it.
David’s first foray into the world of competitive SCRABBLE® was a tournament in Atlantic City. He
remembers being very nervous about the clocks and challenges but he ended up doing okay. And
he was so impressed with the array of boards and equipment that he walked around the room taking
photographs. When he returned to North Carolina, he scoured the newspaper and Internet for
SCRABBLE®-playing opportunities closer to home and discovered a casual group playing in a
Borders Bookstore about 30 minutes away. David enjoyed playing with his newfound SCRABBLE®
buddies, but the group was primarily a social gathering with no real direction or organization. The
club David now runs, closer to home, meets every Sunday afternoon but the one feature David has
retained from the Borders’ Bookstore group is how welcoming his club is to newcomers and players
of any ability.
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In 2005, while David was still playing at Borders Bookstore, he approached another player, Sharon
Flicker, about directing a tournament together. She was initially skeptical they could pull it off but
agreed to take the Director’s test while David handled the logistics and administrative end. Their
first 3-day tournament in Raleigh attracted 80 players and, while not without its glitches, proved a
success. David and Sharon collaborated on a 3-day tournament the following year as well, as well
as on four one-day tournaments each year. David is currently focusing exclusively on the one-day
tournaments, both because Sharon has had to step down to focus on family health concerns and
because “the 3-day tournaments are just not worth all the effort” and are too difficult to sustain if
enough folks don’t show up. (So do you hear that, all you fans of the multi-day tournaments? We
have to show up to ensure their continued viability!)
A down side to directing tournaments is that David, an avid player with a current rating of 1028,
doesn’t get to play. “It’s disappointing to have to sit out,” David acknowledges, “but I’m just a pretty
good SCRABBLE player. I’m never going to be a great one.” Where his strength lies is in breaking
down the game for others, like the 36 kids he coaches at Seawell Elementary School. His
philosophy that the game involves much more than sheer word memorization is evident in how he
runs the club. The kids are paired with a different partner each week because, as David puts it,
“some are excellent SCRABBLE players but not so good at
teamwork.” He wants to ensure that they learn how to play
with different personalities and levels of play. He also insists
on learning the definitions of words, and time is set aside each
week to study the roots and etymology of words, grammar
rules, and neat word tricks, such as portmanteau, which is
when a new word is formed from two existing words, such as
motel and blog.
David also runs a tournament each year for all of the NC
students in grades 4 trough 8 who play on a school team. He
Klionsky with fifth graders Jeffrey He and began the tournament as a way to give the students he
coaches at Seawell Elementary School an opportunity to play
Edward Zhuang, from Seawell
Elementary, the 2009 North Carolina
against other neighboring schools, but he has now opened it
School SCRABBLE® Champions.
up to all of North Carolina. Thirty teams of two from twelve
different schools have competed the last two years, including
the team of Erik Salgado and Andy Hoang from nearby Cary, NC, who won the 2009 National
School SCRABBLE® Championship. What David loves most about coaching kids also holds true
for what he enjoys about running tournaments for adults and that is the joy of seeing new players
develop. “Seeing new and inexperienced players gain confidence and improve their SCRABBLEplaying skills is very gratifying,” David notes. “Seeing them come alive when something clicks,” he
adds, makes all of the coaching and directing worthwhile.
“What’s great about SCRABBLE,” David muses, “is that everyone knows the game.” They may not
be savvy about the strategies and acceptable words, but they all recognize the game. This was
evident when he and the members of his Seawell Elementary School SCRABBLE® Club marched
together in the Chapel Hill Christmas Parade. They were positioned behind a local Tae Kwon Do
Club, who wowed the crowd with unified chants and board-breaking karate kicks. “But you know,”
David says, chuckling at the memory of his kids sporting a big SCRABBLE banner and yelling out,
“Yay! Triple Word Score!,” “people were totally into us too. Their eyes lit up when we walked by and
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they cheered and waved.” No doubt they were also wishing there were a David Klionsky around
when they were kids to coach them and instill a life-long love of words.
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 sentenced
to death, and has written numerous articles for magazines and other publications. When she is not
on the tennis court or competing in a SCRABBLE® tournament (two of her passions, which her
husband would argue border on obsessions), she enjoys cooking, reading, and spending time with
her family.
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Book Review
by Cornelia Guest
Word Nerd
by Susin Nielsen
Ambrose Bukowski is a twelveyear-old social misfit. He has
food allergies; he wears
“uncool” clothing (his sneakers
are Ikes, a cheap imitation of Nikes); he has no
friends. He and his overprotective widowed
mother, Irene, live in a dreary basement rental
in Vancouver, where they have moved so Irene
can work teaching “sessionals” to mediocre
college students. Three school bullies torture
Ambrose on a daily basis.
When Ambrose almost dies at school from a
“prank” the bullies play on him, his mother
switches him to home schooling, requiring him
to spend much of his time at the apartment
alone. At the same time, the family upstairs, a
Greek couple named Mr. and Mrs.
Economopoulos, welcomes back from jail their
twenty-five-year-old son Cosmo, who tells
Ambrose he was jailed for “killing a boy...who
asked too many stupid questions.”
An improbable friendship develops between
Ambrose and Cosmo when they discover their
mutual interest in SCRABBLE®. Ambrose
finds a flyer advertising the West Side Scrabble
Club and convinces Cosmo to drive him there-very much against Irene’s rules. The
SCRABBLE® club helps Ambrose gain
confidence and self-esteem, and Cosmo gets
support from Amanda, the beautiful director, in
his efforts to find a better life after a rough start
as a drug addict and thief.
Author Susin Neilsen has done her homework.
Her descriptions of the West Side Scrabble
Club and its annual tournament, where
Ambrose and Cosmo compete, offer a warm
look at the many types of people one meets at
clubs and tournaments. Ambrose, initially
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intimidated by the players and then boastful
when he wins, learns sensitivity to others--and
a good list of helpful words. He finds in the
SCRABBLE® community a welcome he never
received at school. A cute touch is that each
chapter begins with an anagram of the actual
title, followed by words that can be made using
those letters. Initial caps starting each chapter
are inside bonus-point-shaped squares. The
only inaccuracy I noted was when Ambrose is
told after his first tournament that his initial
rating will be in the 400s; first-time players gain
a minimum 500 rating.
In many ways the book reminded me of Nick
Hornsby’s excellent novel About a Boy, in
which the friendship between a shallow
womanizer and an awkward preteen boy with a
difficult home life transforms them both. While
Word Nerd is definitely aimed at the young
adult audience, it is a nice read for all ages-particularly SCRABBLE® players. As a coach
of middle-school players, I understood
Ambrose’s emotions as he went from kitchen
player to tournament player, gaining confidence
and pride. I only wish that most SCRABBLE®
clubs didn’t meet so late in the evening--it’s
tough for younger players to attend.
In the acknowledgments the author thanks the
Vancouver SCRABBLE® Club for letting her
attend--and credits Stefan Fatsis’s Word Freak
for attracting her to SCRABBLE®. I am
grateful she chose SCRABBLE® as the
background for this coming-of-age story--and I
hope that the story not only appeals to today’s
Youth Players, but also may attract other young
players to the club and tournament scene.
Word Nerd by Susin Nielsen is available at
bookstores and at Amazon.com.
Cornelia Guest is a writer, publisher, and editor
who also directs and plays in SCRABBLE®
tournaments. She teaches and coaches
School SCRABBLE® at the Ridgefield (CT)
Library and the Somers (NY) Middle School.
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Historic Moments: SCRABBLE® Throughout the Years
The Greatest Sportsmanship
by Stu Goldman
I'm about to embarrass Lester Schonbrun. Although he was the hero of this incident, which took
place at the October 1997 Los Gatos CA Tournament, I don't believe he'd want it shown off. Yet,
since this is indeed the greatest act of sportsmanship I've ever been aware of in my long experience
in our game, I think it should be broadcast far and wide, in the hope that others will emulate it.
Lester was playing Robin Levin, and the winner would take third place. The tiles are all drawn, and
TOP is on the board vertically, with an inviting hook possibility on the top row. Robin plays
SANIOUS, hooking the A on TOP. Neither SUASION nor an S-hook are possible. Lester says he
thinks it's good, but since it's a going-out play that will decide the game, he challenges. It is before
the OWL has been published, and the play is looked up in the OSPD and declared unacceptable.
Robin asks for a second opinion, and the second judge looks up the word in an alphabetical list of
all words and confirms the ruling.
At that point the game is finished by Lester's play and the scorecards are signed and turned in.
Robin is near tears, and Lester has his own doubts. He pulls out his Franklin, presses in the word,
and announces that it's good. The players then check the scoring after the SANIOUS outplay, and
when it's determined correct, they go to the director to reflect SANIOUS being good and Robin the
winner.
It is not only that Lester persisted in evaluating the play after two judges had ruled in his favor that
makes it such a great act of sportsmanship. It's the fact that the game was officially recorded
already, plus Robin's getting the prize instead of himself, that makes Lester's persistence to get it
right uniquely great sportsmanship.
Stu Goldman lives in California and has been playing tournament SCRABBLE® for 36 years.
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Word Trivia Quiz
by Siri Tillekeratne
All words are found in OSPD4/TWL2.
1.What is the only word in the TWL/OSPD that contains the letters “KPW” consecutively?
2. Which are the only three (related) words in the TWL/OSPD ending with “MT”?
3. What is the only word in the TWL having all five vowels in alphabetical order?
4. If you remove “Q” from IRAQ and replace it with “N” without making any other changes you get
IRAN, the name of another country. There are names of two other well-known countries with
which you can do the same type of single-letter switch. Which are they?
5. What is the only six-vowel eight-letter word in the TWL/OSPD in which the two consonants are
the same letter?
ANSWERS ON THE NEXT PAGE
Siri Tillekeratne is a director of the Calgary SCRABBLE® Club #374 and a former Director of the
Year.
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ANSWERS
1. EKPWELE(S)
2. DREAMT, REDREAMT, UNDREAMT
3. FACETIOUS. (The longer ABSTEMIOUS is the only other one).
4. ICELAND and IRELAND
5. EPOPOEIA
Siri Tillekeratne is a director of the Calgary SCRABBLE® Club #374 and a former Director of the
Year.
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Video Joe
by Joe Bihlmeyer
Ever lose a game of SCRABBLE®? Who hasn’t! Here we see Joe Bihlmeyer, a top Connecticut
SCRABBLE® player, after two losing tournaments--and with two different reactions. In these videos
Joe takes us through the roller coaster of emotions SCRABBLE® players feel when things aren’t
going their way.
Manchester Rant
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
No justice at Bayside!
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
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Tag-Team SCRABBLE®
by Brian Galebach and Cornelia Guest
Over the years players have come up with numerous variants on the game of SCRABBLE®. In
2008 Brian Galebach, a 38-year-old tournament player and computer programmer from Columbia,
Maryland, came up with an idea to play SCRABBLE® in a tag-team team format, with each team of
two making two plays before the next team plays. Each player has a rack of tiles, so the game
offers the team the opportunity for one player to set up an advantageous play for the other. The
Tag-Team SCRABBLE® game is a strategic, high-scoring game that is becoming enormously
popular.
Tag-Team SCRABBLE® was first played in the after-hours room at the 2008 National SCRABBLE®
Championship in Orlando. Galebach was thrilled to play on a team with Joe Edley (they won that
game). Since then, Tag-Team SCRABBLE® has been played at several tournaments, including a
mini Tag-Team tournament at the 2009 NSC in Dayton OH and, more recently, a mini tournament at
the 2009 Shelton CT Tournament. Many top-ranked players have enjoyed the game, including Joe
Bihlmeyer, Frank Tangredi, and Bradley Whitmarsh.
Photos of a Tag-Team SCRABBLE® game played at Annette Tedesco’s 4th of July party at the 2009
Albany Tournament. The teams were Joe Bihlmeyer and Judy Cole (left photo) and Bradley Whitmarsh
(blue checkered shirt) and Brian Galebach. There was a lot of interest from some top players.
Galebach, who has enjoyed the sport of curling for the past 8 years, relates how he came up with
the idea for Tag-Team SCRABBLE®:
“At the curling club, there was a family of three players: a mom and two young teens. I would
always try to find a way to play against them that made it a more-or-less even matchup. I came up
with the idea to let them play as a team, and on their ‘turn’ they could make their plays in any order,
and we would add their scores together. It occurred to me that if there were two teams of two skilled
SCRABBLE® players, they would be able to set up some really high-scoring plays. I kept this idea
in my head until the Orlando nationals, where we got to put the idea into practice. More recently, I
came up with the catchy name of ‘Tag-Team Scrabble,’ which seems to be sticking. Sometimes,
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people congratulate me for coming up with the game. ‘To be fair,’ I usually reply, ‘it wasn't quite as
difficult as inventing Scrabble!’”
The current Tag-Team SCRABBLE® rules are as follows:
TAG-TEAM SCRABBLE RULES (9/6/09)
Overview:
Each team has two players, each with their own rack of tiles. Tiles may not be shared between the two players, but teammates
may openly discuss strategy between themselves. On a typical turn for a team, either player may make a play, followed
immediately by the other player on the team. In this way, a skilled team will often be able to set up a very high-scoring (e.g.
triple-triple) play for one of the players.
---------Detailed Rules:
Each team starts with 25 minutes. Draw tiles to see which team goes first. Both players on first team draw 7 tiles each. Time
starts when either player sees a tile. (Best to keep all 14 tiles face down and turn up simultaneously.) Other team then also draws
7 tiles each.
The first team gets only one play (making a word or exchange), and may choose which player will play. For all subsequent turns,
a team gets to make two consecutive plays, either player playing first, and the other player playing second. Teams may change
their playing order from turn to turn. The player making a play is responsible for placing their own tiles and announcing the score
for the play.
After the score (or number of tiles to be exchanged) is announced for the team’s first play, the declaration "This is our first move"
is made in lieu of hitting the clock (since the team's turn is not yet over). This gives the other team an opportunity (at least five
seconds) to hold or challenge the first play. Should the play be put on hold, the clock is switched to the holding team until the
hold is released or the play is challenged. After the second play in a turn, the score is announced, and the clock is hit as in a
normal game. Each player may draw replacement tiles as soon as each has made his or her play, but players must always draw in
the order they played.
If a play is successfully challenged, that player's play is removed with loss of that player’s turn only. If a challenge is
unsuccessful, the challenging team loses one of their plays on their following turn.
A team goes out only when both players have emptied their racks. If only one player goes out on a turn, that team will get only
one move in their remaining turns.
---------Turn Sequence – Quick Reference:
• Either player places tiles on the board (or place tiles face down for exchange)
• Announce score, designate blank (or announce number of tiles exchanged)
• Declare “This is our first move”
• Opposing team may hold or challenge (gets at least 5 seconds following announcement)
o If opponent holds first move, clock switched to their side until hold is released
• First player may draw replacement tiles
• Second player places tiles on the board (or place tiles face down for exchange)
• Announce score, designate blank (or announce number of tiles exchanged)
• Hit clock to end team’s turn
• Other team may hold or challenge as in a normal game
• Second player draws replacement tiles, but only after first player has drawn their tiles
A couple of the rules merit a little extra discussion.
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There's a rule that the player making the play must place
the tiles and announce the score. This ensures that both
players are actually controlling their own play, and
prevents control freaks from simply taking over both
racks and making both plays, making the other player
feel useless.
Another rule is that a player may replenish tiles as soon
as he or she has made a play. There has been a little
disagreement about this rule, some people feeling that
tiles should only be replenished after both plays have
been made in a team's turn. Galebach feels that it
makes the most sense to be able to replenish
immediately for a couple of reasons. “First off, each play
is still a self-contained play as in a normal Scrabble
game, and being able to do everything as similarly as
possible as in a regular game is the most natural. If one
exchanges tiles, for example, it is natural to immediately
want to see what tiles have replaced the drek put into the
bag. The other key reason is that being able to see new
tiles immediately increases the strategy in the game, as
this may affect the play chosen by the second player in
the team. As the main focus of Tag-Team Scrabble is to
pump up the amount of strategy in the game, it makes
sense to choose the rule that maximizes the strategy.”
Galebach is still looking for an effective way to
definitively mark the end of the first player's play, and the
beginning of the second player's play. Right now, the
rules state that the team must announce "This is our
play." However, Galebach has found in practice many
teams are not very good at doing this, requiring their
opponents to ask, "Is that your first play?" Galebach has
several ideas: “A couple of potential options are for the
announcement of the first player's score to mark the end
of the play. Another idea (which may go well with the
name of the variant) is for the partners to physically
"tag," as with a high-five, a fist jab, or maybe a head butt.
I'm up for suggestions. :-)”
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HOW BRIAN GALEBACH GOT
INVOLVED IN COMPETITIVE
SCRABBLE®
I was at our curling club for a drop-in
session in 2006, and I spotted Stefan
Fatsis at our club. [Stefan was there
doing research on curling for his
coverage of the sport at the 2006
Olympic Games.] I recognized him as a
commentator on ESPN for the 2004
nationals where Trey came out on top. I
said to him, "Hey, aren't you that
Scrabble guy?" He replied, "Wow, a
Scrabble sighting! I don't get many of
those." I told him how I had been
interested in checking out his book from
the library but that it had already been
checked out. He told me to just go buy
the book. "Authors like when you buy
their books." We got to talking a lot
about competitive Scrabble, and it
sounded like something I'd really enjoy,
so as soon as the curling season was
over, I started going to clubs and
tournaments. Stefan and I also won our
curling match that day. He played on
my team, and took lots of notes
between plays. We were down 6-0 in
that game, but we made a couple of
outstanding shots, one being a long "inoff" (a shot where you hit a stone near
the edge of the sheet, and careen in
towards the center) dislodging the key
stone to tie the game 6-6. We then won
a one-shot draw-to-the-button shootout
to win the game.
Joe Bihlmeyer came up with the rule that the first team gets only one play. “At first, I didn't like the
suggestion,” said Galebach, “but I grew to like it pretty quickly, as it does minimize the advantage
between the two teams. In fact, the second team seems to have a slight advantage using that rule.”
Currently, Galebach believes Joe Bihlmeyer to be the best Tag-Team player. “His deep
understanding of strategy really suits him well in the variant. Joe quickly developed many key
concepts of Tag-Team strategy, including the tactic of playing a word with no hooks in a position
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ending one space from a triple lane in order to minimize the chances that their opponents will be
able to play a triple-triple on their turn.”
The strategy in Tag-Team SCRABBLE® is part of the game’s great appeal. A key play is what
Galebach calls the "T-bone" play, which is to play a word with a hook that your partner has in their
rack to one space from a triple word score. Then when the partner uses the hook to score a triple,
both words get tripled. “I believe there are lots of interesting setups that end up being possible in the
game that you can't normally do in a regular Scrabble game (because your opponent would take
advantage),” said Galebach.
Judy and Joel Horn were the winners of the Dayton side tournament (http://
www.scrabbleplayers.org/w/2009_Tag-Team_SCRABBLE_Tournament). Joe Bihlmeyer and Cheryl
Allen-Munley were the winning team at Shelton.
Galebach hopes to have future Tag-Team side tournaments at upcoming big tournaments if possible.
Interested directors should contact him at scrabble@ProbabilitySports.com.
Brian Galebach is a computer programmer and web developer from Columbia, MD. In addition to
playing tournament SCRABBLE®, he enjoys singing, playing piano, and curling.
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Frank Tangredi: From Stage to SCRABBLE®
For Frank Tangredi, SCRABBLE® and theatre have always existed side-by-side. “Theatre got me
into serious Scrabble,” he says. “And eventually, Scrabble led to one of my biggest breaks in
theatre.”
Born in North Carolina, where his father was stationed in the Marines, Frank grew up on Long Island
in the 1960s. He saw his first Broadway play at the age of six. At nine, he wrote his first Christmas
playlet – and played his first game of SCRABBLE®. “We’ve always been a game-playing family,”
Frank recalls. “but Scrabble was always my favorite. I loved reading and I loved words.” When he
went off to Cornell in 1971, his SCRABBLE® set went with him. He’d play his dorm mates for a
penny a point. “I thought I was the world’s only Scrabble hustler. Who knew?”
Frank married his wife Pamela in 1979. By the mid-1980s, he was a social studies textbook editor
and a busy actor in Long Island theatre. SCRABBLE® was just a pastime. Then, in 1985,
SCRABBLE® and theatre came together in a big way. He was appearing in a local production of
Somerset Maugham’s The Circle. Also in the cast was Marjorie Schoneboom. One night, Frank
learned that Marjorie was going that weekend to a SCRABBLE® tournament in Atlantic City. “I told
Marjorie, ‘I love to play Scrabble. The problem is, I’ve never met anyone better than me.’ And
Marjorie replied, ‘Well, now you have.’ It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”
Marjorie beat Frank soundly the first time they played
– but she was also pleasantly surprised. “I had figured
out many basic strategies for myself, and avoided the
mistakes that kitchen table players make.” Marjorie
told some SCRABBLE® friends that she had just met
a fine natural SCRABBLE® player. A few months later,
Frank played in his first tournament. In 1987, he had
his first major tournament win when he took the
Intermediate division at BAT. He reached his peak
rating (1932) and ranking (#27) in 1999. “I was there
for about fifteen minutes,” says Frank, “but I was
there.” Two years later, Frank got a protégé of his own
when he began coaching Jason Idalski online. “The
pupil has now surpassed the master,” says Frank,
“and I couldn’t be prouder.”
Meanwhile, Frank was getting serious about
playwriting. A couple of his plays even had public
readings in Manhattan. But getting produced was an
elusive goal. That’s when SCRABBLE® and theatre
came together again in a big way. Purely for fun, he
organized an after-hours reading of his play Galatea
at the Reno nationals in 2005. One of the actors was
Eric Chaikin, who asked if he could use the play in a
scene study class. An actor in that class then brought
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Three generations of SCRABBLE® players: BAT
2008 marked the first time Frank was at the same
tournament with both his mentor Marjorie
Schoneboom and his protégé Jason Idalski.
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the play to a director, who brought the play to a fledgling theatre company in Los Angeles. “I got a
call from them saying they’d like to do Galatea. And my first reaction was, ‘Who are you?’ It took a
while to trace it back to that reading in Reno.”
The Los Angeles production of Galatea proved to be a milestone. It got excellent reviews (http://
www.backstage.com/bso/news_reviews/la/review_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003555334) and
eventually earned Frank a nomination for an L.A. Weekly Theatre Award. In 2008, the production
applied for the New York International Fringe Festival. “We were accepted, and two days later the
theatre disbanded.” To bring the play to New York, Frank had to raise almost $10,000 himself. And
nearly a third of that money came from the SCRABBLE® community. “Sam Kantimathi even
donated a deluxe board, which I raffled off for $500. My friends really came through for me.”
Frank has worked SCRABBLE® into several of his plays. One of them even has a tournament
SCRABBLE® background. “Dylan’s Dads was inspired by my friendship with Jason Idalski. We did
an after-hours reading of the play at the Player’s Championship in Dayton in ’07. We couldn’t have
asked for a better audience, since everybody there got all the Scrabble references. For many
reasons, that reading was probably the most moving single experience I’ve ever had at a Scrabble
tournament!”
In 2009, eighteen SCRABBLE® players took part in yet another reading at Dayton – this time a
program of Frank’s one-act plays. It was great fun, but Frank has no plans to do a reading in Dallas.
“I need to focus on my Scrabble next time. Besides, I think most of my other plays are too heavy for
the occasion.”
Frank as Max in The Sound of Music, produced by the BroadHollow Theatre in 2000,
performing “No Way to Stop It.” He sang a verse of this song on national television when
he was a contestant on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
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Many of Frank’s plays are intimate dramas about flawed but decent people facing painful situations.
He prides himself on writing realistic dialogue for all kinds of people, from elderly Italian grandmas to
teenaged boys. In fact, when he needed teenagers to vet the dialogue in a recent play, he turned to
SCRABBLE® players Conrad Bassett-Bouchard and Sam Rosin. “The worst thing to get wrong is
teen dialogue, because teenagers can smell phoniness a mile away,” says Frank.
Theatrically, 2010 is shaping up as Frank’s biggest year yet. His play Pastoral will have a public
reading at the Pasadena Playhouse in January, followed by a full production in September. “My first
professional production, at a prestigious theatre, with a name director and a name actress! I’m so
excited, I keep checking the website to make sure I didn’t imagine it.” (You can check the website
yourself at http://www.pasadenaplayhouse.org/current_shows_and_events.htm#Hothouse at the
Playhouse for the reading and http://www.pasadenaplayhouse.org/2010_pastoral.htm for the
production.)
Frank also plans on more SCRABBLE® in the future, especially now that he’s started seriously
studying for the first time in 20+ years. For years, he prided himself on his reputation as an ‘expert
who never studies.’ But nearly coming in last at Orlando in 2008 was a wakeup call. “I’m not exactly
happy that the game has been sort of hijacked by the mathies and memorizers. But I can either
kvetch about it or roll with it. I’d rather roll, because I want to keep playing the best players I can, for
as long as I can.”
Besides, for Frank, SCRABBLE® is still the best fun in the world. “I still love the game, and I
probably have more dear friends in Scrabble now than I ever have. Some of my favorite friends are
the young whippersnappers, who have accepted me as their ‘cool uncle.’ I love that, and I love them
– no matter how many times they call me old!”
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Upcoming Hothouse Reading
PASTORAL
By Frank Tangredi
Directed by Sheldon Epps
Starring Angela Bassett
In this searing drama, a pastor's faith is tested by a shocking request.
*See it on the Playhouse mainstage September 2010!
January 26-27, 2010, 8:00 p.m.
All readings take place in the Carrie Hamilton Theatre.
Tickets are FREE but reservations are a must and can be made at 626-356-7529. Click
here for more information about the Hothouse at the Playhouse program.
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Stell’s Racks of Mirth
by Stellacious (AKA Cheryl L. Cadieux)
On November 27th Cheryl Cadieux had surgery for two brain tumors. Her friend Jill Heffner has
been sending updates to the OSPD mail group, plus continuing to post Cheryl’s word lists and
“Stellaisms.” The good news is that Cheryl is home now. The amazing news is that she still
managed to send me her column for this month! Best wishes to an incredible woman!
“After surgery I told my husband, Gary, ‘Well, I still have my
facilities,” and Gary said, “No, honey, you mean your
‘faculties.’ But you still have some good facilities, too!!!!!!!!”
My DIRECTOR FROM HELL in Safety Harbor, Joan
Knobelsdorf, came to see me just before my surgery. We
had talked about playing a penny a point, the way I do with
Elaine Glowniak and Jan Fisher, but Joan was too AFRAID;
her rating is around 1200 and mine about 200 points higher.
I am on antidepressants, heavily sedated, keep running low
on time on the clock, and she asks ME for a HANDICAP!!!! I
almost screamed at her, "I have brain cancer and tumors and
YOU want a HANDICAP!?!"
She took two dollars off of me and I told her, “Now GET THE
HELL OUT OF MY ROOM, B***H!!"
Stellaisms for Your Day
To join OSPD, Stella's
SCRABBLE® mail group, please
send a blank message to the
following URL: ospd-scrabblesubscribe@yahoogroups.com.
We are so delicious, that we are
DIGESTable, with the digest form
of only one e-mail a day.
At the bottom of each and every
e-mail that you receive from
OSPD, you will see the address to
change your daily subscription
from receiving the e-mails as they
come in to only once a day in the
digest form.
stop making it tomorrow; if it's all three, they stopped making
it yesterday.” ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic's Notebook
OSPD is a way for Scrabblers to
communicate. We also have a
Daily Word List: For example,
one recent word list was “N” back
hooks.
“Tell a man there are 300 billion stars in the universe and
he'll believe you. Tell him a bench has wet paint on it and
he'll have to touch it to be sure.” ~Murphy's Law
Paul Epstein occasionally does
Mystery Racks and we have a
quiz from time to time.
“How is it that our memory is good enough to retain the least
triviality that happens to us, and yet not good enough to
recollect how often we have told it to the same person?”
~François Duc de La Rochefoucauld
Please join us!
“If an article is attractive, or useful, or inexpensive, they'll
Stellacious
AKA Cheryl L. Cadieux
“The odds of going to the store for a loaf of bread and coming out with only a loaf of bread are three
billion to one.” ~Erma Bombeck
Cheryl L. Cadieux, a congenial tournament player better known to her OSPD group members as
“Stella,” lives in Au Gres, MI and New Port Richey, FL.
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Linda’s Library
by Linda Wancel
As an avid reader and book lover, I have found that many other Scrabblers also share my passion
for books and for reading. So, I am happy to have this opportunity to share some of my favorite
books with you. These reviews, for the most part, were written for Amazon.com, where I have been
writing reviews under a pseudonym for nearly ten years. I hope that the book lovers among you
may find their interest piqued by some of these books.
Non-fiction:
Escape
by Carolyn Jessop
This is an excellent memoir that recounts the author's life as a member of
the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), a
splinter breakaway group of the Mormon Church that still practices
polygamy as a central tenet of its beliefs. Rejected by mainstream
Mormons, these patriarchal fundamentalists live in a way that would seem
aberrant to most Americans. The author's compelling story allows the
reader an intriguing glimpse behind the closed doors of the lifestyle of this
fundamentalist group.
The author, Carolyn Jessop, was born into a family that had practiced
polygamy for six generations on her mother's side, starting life In Hildale,
Utah, a FLDS enclave. The family later moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, when the author was about
five, only to move a year later to Colorado City, Arizona, another FLDS enclave, where the public
schools were staffed by teachers who were FLDS adherents. While the author describes what is like
growing up in a FLDS household, the book focuses on the turn that her life took when, at the age of
eighteen, her marriage was arranged and she found herself married to a total stranger, Willie
Jessop, a fifty-year-old man with two other wives at the time.
The author recounts what is what like being the third wife in that polygamous household, which was
filled with abuse, servitude, loneliness, and isolation. Miserable for years and hoping to break the
cycle of polygamy for her children, who had been thoroughly indoctrinated in FLDS beliefs, the
author finally did so in 2003, managing to take her eight children with her to freedom, but it was far
from easy. Yet at the end of the day, the author was able to rebuild her life and give her children the
tools to help them find their own destiny.
Through the author, one is able to see what life is like within such an insular community and the
subservient role the FLDS allocated for its women. It is little wonder that people, especially women,
that come from this culture seem to need deprogramming, as they have been so thoroughly
brainwashed. Along with indoctrination of FLDS beliefs, these people have also been indoctrinated
into having a palpable fear of the outside world, which has been totally demonized. The reader is
also able to see the further descent into harsh extremism that the FLDS underwent, as the
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leadership in the church changed hands into those of Warren Jeffs, a man to whom the author's
husband had been fiercely loyal.
This is a fascinating, well-written account by one who has lived a life that most would rather not
have to live. It is an insider's look at a religious community that is extreme in its beliefs and
outrageous in its treatment of women. So unique and quirky are its beliefs that the reader will be
fascinated that the FLDS can exist in twenty-first-century America.
Escape is available at Amazon.com.
Fiction:
The Lion’s Game
by Nelson DeMille
When Libyan terrorist, Asad Khalil, known as "the Lion", decides to defect
to the West, a jumbo jet from Paris, transporting him, as well as hundreds of
other passengers, is approaching the runway at JFK airport in New York
City. The plane is incommunicado and remains so when it lands. Something
is terribly wrong.
Asad Khalil is apparently on a mission, and his goal is to kill by any means
necessary all those who were involved in the 1986 bombing of Libya that
killed his family. He leaves a swath of carnage in his wake, as he seeks to
complete his personal jihad. Former NYPD homicide detective John Corey and FBI agent Kate
Mayfield, both members of the federal Anti-Terrorist Task Force, join forces, and when these two
are not busy trading light-hearted banter, they are at the top of their game in trying to stop Asad
Khalil from completing his mission.
This is a top-notch action thriller. The author skillfully presents the perspectives of both John Corey
and Asad Khalil, so that the reader knows what makes them each tick. Great dialogue, non-stop
action, and interesting characters, including one of the most intriguing villains of all time, are some
of the hallmarks of this page-turner. With a fiendishly clever plot, peppered with many twists and
turns, this novel is sure to thrill those readers who enjoy well-written, action-packed thrillers.
The Lion’s Game is available at Amazon.com.
Linda Wancel loves reading, writing, watching films, traveling, and Scrabbling. She is the mother of
27-year-old twins and has been a criminal prosecutor for the last 23 years.
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SCRABBLE® in the News
See something about SCRABBLE® or a SCRABBLE® player in the news? Let us know! Send your
stories to CorneliaSGuest@gmail.com.
New SCRABBLE® Club in British Columbia (CAN)
Jesse Matthews is starting a new SCRABBLE® club at the Kelowna Branch of the Okanagan
Regional Library, with meeting Thursday evenings, beginning January 7th.
http://www.kelowna.com/2009/12/14/scrabble-champ-to-start-club-at-library/
World SCRABBLE® Championship Coverage
Numerous stories appeared in the media about the recent World SCRABBLE® Championship in
Malaysia November 26-29. Here are a few:
http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/articles/21jog-2/Article/index_html
http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=212511
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/3108750/Kiwi-loses-world-Scrabble-title
World Youth SCRABBLE® Championship
Various stories have appeared in the media about the competitors in the WYSC December 8-10.
Here are two:
http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsindex.php?id=461480
http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?
cu_no=2&item_no=329641&version=1&template_id=36&parent_id=16
SCRABBLE® Cheez-It Fan
A fan of Cheez-Its extols the virtues of the tile-like SCRABBLE® Junior
Cheez-It crackers in the Boise Weekly: http://www.boiseweekly.com/
boise/scrabble-cheez-it/Content?oid=1348429
An ISC Addict Shares its Pleasures
Nancy Panakkal shares the joys of ISC in an article on Associated
Content: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2434920/
lets_scrabble.html?cat=11
Elemental SCRABBLE®
Professor Kerry Cheesman of Capital University (Ohio) helps students
learn the Periodic Table while playing SCRABBLE®. http://
www.schooltech.ancientfuturemedia.com/2009/12/teach-periodic-tablewith-scrabble/
Buffalo Club Featured in Niagara Gazette
The Dec. 20 Niagara Gazette featured Buffalo NY Club #456 (see also “Club News”): http://
www.niagara-gazette.com/features/local_story_354235803.html
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Anagram Tunnels Quiz
by Juraj Pivovarov
An Anagram Tunnel is a sequence of words such that there is exactly ONE word that can be formed
from the previous word and a blank.
Example:
GRIFFS
GRIFFES
GIRAFFES
FIREFANGS
RESTAFFING
AFFORESTING
OVERSTAFFING
In our current dictionary, the maximum length of such a tunnel is 7, and it is realized by 6 different
starting words (see The Last Word, Issue 2).
Here are 5 (from the 15 total) 5-letter words that stretch into 5-word tunnels. See if you can find the
3 missing words that complete each tunnel:
BUBUS...SUBSHRUBS
CZARS...OSTRACIZE
DORKY...HYDROSKIS
EXCEL...EXCLUDERS
FRAYS...FOREYARDS
ANSWERS ON NEXT PAGE
Juraj Pivovarov is a 1400 SCRABBLE® player and a near-expert chess player. He has a degree in
Pure Math and a M.Sc. in Computer Science.
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ANSWERS:
'BUBUS
SUBURB
SUBURBS
SUBSHRUB
SUBSHRUBS
CZARS
CRAZES
CRAZIES
CRAZIEST
OSTRACIZE
DORKY
DROSKY
DROSHKY
HYDROSKI
HYDROSKIS
EXCEL
EXCELS
CULEXES
EXCLUDES
EXCLUDERS
FRAYS
FORAYS
ORFRAYS
FORAYERS
FOREYARDS
Juraj Pivovarov is a 1400 SCRABBLE® player and a near-expert chess player. He has a degree in
Pure Math and a M.Sc. in Computer Science.
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SCRABBLE® Travels: South Africa
by Denise Mahnken
Sometimes we take months and months to plan exotic vacations to far off places, and then once
and a while, if we're real lucky, a trip of a lifetime falls into our lap. That's how it was that I went to
South Africa last summer. Family members visiting from California asked me to take them to
Connecticut to visit an ailing in-law. As it turned out someone else visiting, whom I hardly knew,
happen to mention that she was going with her church to Johannesburg, South Africa. I
immediately perked up and inquired about the details. It was to be a joint missionary
and sightseeing tour. Being wary of all organized religion, I was skeptical of the missionary idea.
Because they had such a large group the price was very reasonable and I could not pass it up. I
never made it to Connecticut to meet the coordinators, therefore all correspondence was done by
email and phone and it worked well. Using the two people I dealt with as indicators, I knew the
group would be fine, as they were personable, easygoing, and enthusiastic about all the details.
My calendar was such, that I would arrive back from Scrabble Nationals in Dayton on August 5th
and have two days to prepare for my trip to Johannesburg which left on Saturday, August 8th. As it
turned out, our flight out of Dayton was cancelled due to thunderstorms. Eight of us got stuck at
an airport hotel having dinner at what I dubbed "The Homesick Restaurant" and had a good time
celebrating Ben Schoenbrun's start of college. I arrived home late-evening on August 6th and had
one day to get it all together and get to the airport at 6:00 am for an 8:00 am international departure.
At the airport I met the other ninety-six members of our tour. All ages were represented, the
youngest being 11 and the oldest 82. Within an hour of their company, the laughter, the comraderie
and the excitement of the group let me know it was going to be a great trip.
We arrived in Johannesburg after a twenty-four hour
nonstop flight from JFK. The weather was as it would be
for the next two weeks: Bright sun, no clouds, 70-75
degrees and no rain in sight. The Hotel Protea was
centrally located. Modern and quite comfortable with full
amenities, including a 24 hour bar to accommodate world
travellers, an espresso bar and lovely restaurant with
good food.
Young dancers in Johannesburg market square.
Our itinerary was wonderful. We spent two days at
local orphanages. Building, painting, planting, reading
to the children. We made donations of $1,000 to each
orphanage, the equivalent of approximately $8,000
African Rand. It was a nice surprise to have the
missionary work add a new and emotionally satisfying
element to my travels.
Me and some of the older girls at the Sitabile
Orphanage.
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Me and fellow traveler with the children.
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The younger children at Sitabile singing for us.
The itinerary also included a one-day safari and a trip to a
magnificent spa in the mountains where no sounds were heard
but the waterfalls and birdsongs.
We visited a shanty-town, the Apartheid Museum, and Nelson
Mandela's cell on Robben Island. We had daylong tours of
Johannesburg, Soweto, wineries, and the Biko exhibit. Our tour
guide, David, was a 17-year-old student who had been part of the
student uprisings in the early 70's. He gave us first-hand accounts
of this and other historical milestones.
Sweet face of love.
In between events, we ate and drank at wonderful local restaurants where the food and service
were exceptional. Also gambled at a casino to rival any in Monte Carlo.
Dancing with the women from the Manguanani Spa.
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After six days, guess what? You're right. I was fiending for a SCRABBLE® game. One night after
dinner I went on line and looked up local clubs. One club listed the director's phone number. I
called. He answered. The conversation went something like this:
"Hi, may I speak to Garth?"
"Speaking"
"Hi, my name is Denise Mahnken and I'm a Scrabbler from New York visiting here for a couple of
weeks and I need a game."
"I know how that is,” he said chuckling. "Where are you staying?” he inquired.
"Hotel Protea," I answered.
"I know where that is; you're close to most clubs. Let's see,” he continued. "What about tomorrow?
There's a club starting at noon.”
"I have a trip to Sun City.”
"How about Thursday?"
I looked at my itinerary and saw it was a 'day of leisure'. "That works!" I exclaimed.
"Good,” he said. "I'll pick you up at 8:30 a.m. and we'll go to club.” I thanked him, thrilled I would
get to play. With all the excitement of being in Africa, the excitement of playing SCRABBLE® in
Africa had my heart racing even more.
Garth picked me up that Thursday morning and in continued beautiful sunshine we drove to an area
called Fourways and went to the Roosevelt Park club, which met at a senior center. The club was
housed in a rec room surrounded by a lovely garden. About ten club members were there when we
arrived. They gave me a warm welcome. I really felt like a guest of honor, as they knew I was
coming and did not start until we got there. They don’t get many Scrabblers from outside Africa, and
I was the first American to visit and play.
We had coffee and homemade baked goods as we chatted
before starting the games. One woman told me she was
born and raised in the Bronx but had left as a young girl to
get married and make a life in South Africa. She had not
been back in 50 years.
Pairings were made and the fun began. I was not given a
“cheat sheet” for Collins play.
Me with Garth van Vliet at the Roosevelt
Park SCRABBLE® Club in Fourways.
I did not challenge any words, which for me is a first; I always
seem to be at the ajudicator more than most. I played four
games and went 2-2. Had a 526 game. The two I lost were
close.
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I quickly utilized a few of the two-letter words they use such as ZE, EE, UG, etc. The word I found
most useful to my game was ADE. The ratings ranged from about 900 to 1600, which gave me a
good cross-section of play levels. All in all it was a lovely day, and a real highlight to my trip.
Unfortunately, I forgot to grab my camera and do not have any photos of the club members.
The rest of my trip to Cape Town and the Cape of Good Hope continued to astound and amaze me.
Here in the States, I travel to a lot of tournaments and have
been graced with the warmth and hospitality of many local
Scrabblers. The kinship and understanding of a common
bond knows no boundaries or limitations. After my time in
South Africa, I now know it extends worldwide. Sharing
good times enriches the lives of everyone. Not just in the
obvious ways, but in a tiny jewel of a thing that stays tucked
in your heart as you leave.
For more information on SCRABBLE® in South Africa, visit
their website at Scrabble South Africa. You can also contact
Garth van Vliet at garth@juggle.co.za.
Scenic view of Cape Town.
Denise Mahnken, from Long Beach, NY, is a teacher of the deaf and an enthusiastic SCRABBLE®
player. She loves to travel, and this past August won the Annual Award for “Most Different
States” (see The Last Word, Issue 1).
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The Art of Strategy
Blocking a Triple Word Score
by Art Moore
Blocking a Triple Word Score is a very situational thing. But there are a couple
things to try:
1. Start or end a word with a V or a C. V and C are the only letters that do not combine to make two
letter words. Your opponent won't be able to play parallel there. If your word at least contains those
letters, you shorten the length of the word than can play.
2. Play a short word in the triple lane. So, you can't make a 6 letter word that covers the triple word
score? OK, then play a two, three or four that doesn't reach. If it's something that can't be extended,
or very difficult to extend, you may effectively block the space.
3. Consider letters with limited twos. The letters J, K, Q and Z do not make two letter words by
putting a letter in front of them. Use them safely on the top and left sides of the board.
4. Open another option. So, your opponent opened up a Triple Word Score but you can't take
advantage of it? Then open up another one. With any luck, you'll draw something better and the two
of you will split them and minimize the damage.
Sometimes it's to your advantage to open things up. Maybe the board is too tight and you can't
make any high-scoring plays. I've watched players fish for a comeback bingo but never get to play it
because the board is locked down. It's not the best strategy, but it may be the only one you have.
When opening a triple, consider also what you are giving your opponent to work with. Leaving a
CANISTER letter alone in the triple line gives your opponent a chance to play a triple-triple bingo,
scoring 9x the word value +50 points. An easy way to ratchet up a 150+ point play. My highest
scoring word ever was OVERWIND, done in just that manner (my opponent left the I behind). It
scored 212 points. No word generators here-- it was in a face-to-face game. And face it, you don't
know what help your opponent might be using, so be careful.
Sometimes it's worth the risk. There are Double Letter Score squares in the triple lanes. If you can
play a high-point tile there, extending a word to the Double Word Score, you'll effectively get 4X the
value for that letter. If it's a tough letter to bingo with, like a J, K, Q, W, Z... you might want to take
the gamble.
Whatever you do, don't leave a vowel next to a Triple Word Score. Ideally, avoid placing vowels next
to any premium square. It gives your opponent a chance to play a high-scoring tile and create two
words, doubling the effect of the premium.
As always, consider the situation. Sometimes a dangerous play scores just too many points to say
no to. Keep in mind the skill level of the player you are playing against, the score, and if you can,
what tiles are available.
Art Moore lives just outside of Orlando, husband to an incredibly patient woman and father of four
equally tolerant children. He is co-director of Club #438 in Casselberry, Florida. Find him on ISC
under the moniker "Werds"
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Diane’s DEFALTS
by Diane Firstman
Diane Firstman published her first book of DEFALTS, Generous to a
DEFALT: Vol. 1-3, in 2006. Since then, she has published a second
volume of her humorous alternative definitions to common (and notso-common) words--DEFALTS Vol. 4--and selected DEFALTS have
appeared in SCRABBLE® News and on the online SCRABBLE®
discussion groups crossword-games-pro (cgp) and OSPD. The
Last Word is pleased to offer the following selection of DEFALTS.
QUOINS: coins of questionable authenticity (aka slugs)
RAMJET: an airline with seating that makes you feel like you are being "herded" to your destination
REBOZO: once a clown, always a clown
REQUIN: having yet another set of quintuplets
ROQUET: a precursor to the game of croquet
SCABBY: children's educational cartoon character who warns kids not to pick at still-healing wounds
SEIZER: ancient Roman leader known for just taking what he wanted
SHAMMY: music award given to Milli Vanilli after their fraud was discovered
SHMUCK: in poker, to toss away one's cards very quietly and discreetly
SIXMOS: a gathering of Mo Vaughn, Moses Malone and any four other guys named Mo
Diane Firstman is a lifelong New Yorker and has been playing SCRABBLE® competitively since
1994. When not thinking up DEFALTS, she attends crossword puzzle tourneys, and writes on the
New York Yankees for www.bronxbanterblog.com. She is adept at math, can reach items on top
shelves in supermarkets, and does a dead-on impression of a sea lion. The collected “DEFALTS”
are available at http://stores.lulu.com/dianagram.
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The Tile Bag
by James Leong
Hi all, and welcome to another new edition of The Tile Bag.
I’m just going to take a break from answering questions this one time, but don’t think I’m not going
to chase you all for questions! Even if you think it’s completely out of left field, inane, or unflattering
to the question writer, I want to read your thoughts and publish them, damn the fact that my
waistline has expanded beyond my normal Homer Simpson figure to that of an oversized globe
(and thus given you some ammunition).
Anyway, it’s the end of the holiday season, and what I want my readers to think about is something
that’s more within themselves, rather than a question anyone can answer. Aside from the
constants in life, such as lining up at 6:00 a.m. on December 26 to buy something at half price that
we’ll return in two weeks, receiving enough fruitcake that is in sufficient quantity and hardness to
qualify as building material, or sitting back in the darkness just reflecting on life, I have a question
which sounds a little strange, but let’s run with it:
What is your SCRABBLE® resolution for this coming year?
Think a little on it. Nobody’s perfect at playing this game, after all, and I personally don’t think that
state exists. The elements of chance, of human fallibility, of all sorts of elements that make the
game a game between two or more people instead of a solo pursuit, eliminates the idea that you
can win everything in my opinion. Borrowing a concept from thermodynamics, a chaos, an entropy,
exists within the game that will mean that no matter how well you try to order everything, you will
never get your game to be one hundred percent efficient at spitting out the results you desire.
But, I also believe, we might as well die trying instead of give up.
There’s always a bit of something that one can improve. There are the basics of a strong game,
which will serve you better simply in affording you more options; improving your vocabulary; honing
your board vision and predictive capabilities in playing the game; gaining a better sense of
positional development and versatility in playing various kind of games; figuring out how to play a
game based on the way you want that game to go, and so forth. These basic building blocks are
the foundation that can always be explored, and in doing so you can improve your fundamentals.
Basics aside, there are many other factors that can help one’s game that don’t get emphasized as
much as they should. I just want to point out some obvious ones that all of us likely neglect in our
pursuit for perfection; however, maintaining or mastering them is integral to making sure any
improvements to our fundamentals will actually show.
So, let’s start with perhaps the most obvious: consistency.
Consistency is that attribute which, in my opinion, stands foremosts in helping players to improve
their game. It really doesn’t matter how well one can identify words, or can spot great tactical
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plays, or can challenge phonies using one’s memory if it can’t be done at a consistent level of
quality. The fact that potential exists will not instantly win games. There are some players who
continually point at others who they can outplay on a given day, wondering why those players do
better. While one player might have potential ability to outplay another, it doesn’t mean a whit unless
it is something that can be done over and over. And the irony is that this is perhaps the easiest area
in which people can improve. After all, if somebody realizes they can make good plays once in a
while, it becomes less of a task to get to a level where they can find consistently find a good play.
Consistency is one of the biggest differentials between players. I have repeatedly seen many highly
skilled players, in my estimation, who aren’t consistent in displaying their skills and thus aren’t
receiving results that match their capabilities. Similarly, I have seen other players, including myself,
who lack the talents of others but can put together strong results by managing to put forth a game
close to their best on a more frequent basis. This is entirely self-evident, but to consistently get
results that you expect of yourself, you have to consistently play to the level you know you can
achieve.
Another important factor that I think is obvious, but which people might miss on their hunt for the
more obscure, is to have a strong mental outlook and an ability to play your game in the face of both
adversity and bounty. I’ve noticed that sometimes people (myself included) fail to maintain a good
attitude going through a tournament. This is probably most evident to those of us who have seen a
player who is having a bad tournament, or a bad string of tournaments, blame everything from luck
to the scratchiness of the tile bag to the fact the day was both a solar and lunar eclipse and thus
threw off their circadian rhythm – blaming all but themselves, and thus their own play begins to
reflect their mindset. What’s interesting to note, though, is that those who do extremely well might
suffer from complacency and start to “coast” – in essence, their confidence increases to a point
where they start to lose focus on each game, thinking instead about future games or their final
placement.
Having one of these mindsets, whilst comforting in the present term, can be detrimental because
you never know what the next game, or even the next move, might bring. It is because of this that I
think the best attitude towards the game is to simply try my best, and if that doesn’t work, it just
doesn’t work. If I get wrapped up in why I didn’t do as well as I’d hoped, I find it sometimes spirals
into affecting my mindset later on, making me perform worse through the cycle of competition.
Likewise, if I get wrapped up in how well I’m doing, I might lose focus on the present and in doing
so, lose the present and likely the future I was dreaming for myself.
Finally, the third obvious factor, which I think people innately know but may not act upon as much as
they should, is that in order to play well in a tournament, you have to be prepared for it in its entirety.
Most of us assume this has to do with knowing words, with having competitive practice, and with
having some strategic fine-tuning that we hope will give us that extra card up our sleeves when
facing opponents we may have faced earlier, or never. But what about other preparatory elements
that might be helpful, like being well-rested, or calm in a game, or in some very exceptional
instances, sober or at least not nursing a huge hangover?
We all know we go to tournaments to play the games, to see people, to socialize; for most of us, the
point of going to a tournament is to have fun. It’s important to have fun playing SCRABBLE®--it’s
the original intent of the game’s inventors (I’m not going to have my column be the reason that
decades later, some controversial champion figure will write about wearing a wig in the WSC final!)
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That being said, sometimes trying to figure out what the fun is and how much of it one wants to have
in order to ensure optimal competitive results need to be weighed. Friends, diversions, alcohol, the
whole nine yards, I partake in it, too, but I’ve been lucky to find myself feeling fresh the next day.
A good night’s sleep helps you think better, and while my reason for getting sleep is more medical
(i.e., I do *not* want to have another seizure), I appreciate getting sufficient rest so that I have a
strong reserve of mental energy to burn the next day. While I like to drink sometimes, I’ve never
been a heavy drinker, so I don’t have a hangover the next day, either. Having fun and enjoying the
company of others helps me relax when I’m outside of competition and focus when I’m in.
In a way, a tournament can be characterized as an optional exam – an exam in that if you prepare
properly, you can at least give it your best and hopefully get the reslts you are seeking; optional in
that is it up to you how much preparation you do. There’s no magic formula for how much focus or
relaxation or diversion or other elements are needed for the success of each individual, but in order
to make sure your enjoy yourself at a tournament and feel you are playing your best, a happy
medium needs to be arranged.
Consistency. Mindset. Balance. Three simple goals that I think everyone knows, deep down, are
important to routinely do well in this game. At the risk of sounding like some self-help life-path guru,
the game is whatever you make of it: How you perform is entirely, and truly, up to you.
So, to that, I’ll make my SCRABBLE® resolution. And perhaps you might be able to make a
resoution, too.
And now, I raise my glass to you. Cin cin! And a happy new year.
____________________________
Got a question? Don’t hesitate to write, no matter how strange or silly it may sound! Just fire away to
tilebag@gmail.com.
James Leong is a top player from Vancouver, BC, Canada. He was the winner of the 2007 Players’
Championship in Dayton, OH.
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Beating a Legend: An Intermediate Player’s Dream Game
by Will Scott
I knew David Gibson only as a legend: He had studied words for hours every day, for 12 years. He
won nationals in 1994, placed second in 2004, and placed third in 2008 – after losing his first five
games but winning his last 14. He won the two richest tournaments in North America to date – the
SCRABBLE® Superstars tournament in 1995 and the All-Stars tourney in 2003. Both paid $50,000
to the winner. He placed third at the worlds in 1993.
Even his niceness is legendary. The math professor from Spartanburg, SC, after winning the
Superstars tournament, shared his winnings with his vanquished opponents. David Gibson is quiet,
unassuming and friendly – to everyone, not just his top-tier SCRABBLE® peers.
So I had mixed feelings as I drove to the Knoxville tournament in early December. For whatever
combination of reasons, division 1 for the two-day tournament consisted of Gibson, with a rating of
2067, and seven intermediate players with ratings between 1189 and 1440. I was seeded sixth in
the division, at 1302. On one hand, I felt a little sheepish about the legend having to amuse himself
with a bunch of non-experts. On the other hand, I was grateful that the star of the field was not likely
to show up with a lot of attitude.
As it turned out, he came to a little Friday night get-together hosted by Ruchi Gupta, and he joined
in a couple of games of pairs SCRABBLE® after dinner. (His team won both games.) He was every
bit as nice as I thought he would be, and I was glad to be able to meet the person before I met the
legend across the board.
The tournament was 15 games – eight on Saturday and seven on Sunday. Division 1 had eight
players, so it would be a double round-robin and a king of the hill final game. The other seven of us
had already conceded that Gibson would be Gibsonized and we would be fighting for second place.
My first game against David was in game 3, and I was winless. I started well, opening with THUYA,
and after he played AGIOT(A)GE, I came back with a DWS/TLS FLAKY for 56, picking up points on
overlap plays. After playing QI for 32 and WINS/AGIOTAGES for 40, I had a small lead. It soon
disappeared. David bingoed with OUTRIGS, bingoed again with (E)UsOCIAL, followed that with ZA/
ZA/AG for 45, then added a fourth bingo, INDITES. Even after that I was happy to be down by only
80 points, but I blew any chance I had by trying to slip a phoney past him: DELETER*.
David scored 509, but I had 405, and considering that he drew both blanks and dropped four
bingoes on me, I put it in the “moral victory” column.
My second game against him didn’t go so well. On my fifth turn, trying to close a triple lane that I
couldn’t afford to leave open, I made a small blocking play: ALT.
I hit my clock.
“Challenge!”
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I looked at David, then I looked at the board, and my face turned red.
I had placed the A under a D to make a parallel play: DA.
Duh.
I’ll always be grateful to him for what he said next: “You probably remembered it from when it was
good.”
I nodded sheepishly, and it was true, I do remember when DA* was acceptable, but we both knew
what really happened: I had just made a bonehead play because of inattention.
Of course, I do that fairly regularly, but I wanted to play my best against the best, and I had failed.
David won that game by 158, but I had limited him to only two bingoes: OURANGS and
WENDIGOS. I had never seen the latter, but I didn’t even think about challenging, because another
part of the Gibson legend is that he rarely, if ever, plays phonies.
After 14 games, I was 6 and 8 – out of the money but about where I was projected to be. David
Gibson had put an early end to anyone else’s dreams of first place. He was 14-0, and no one else
had more than 8 wins. So he was Gibsonized, and I was chosen as his final victim. I didn’t mind at
all. I enjoyed playing against him, and factoring in his 2067 rating three times in 15 games could
only help in calculating my own rating after the tournament. So I was prepared to finish at 6-9.
Except.
Chance is what gives SCRABBLE® much of its allure. True, it can make you crazy when you
exchange five vowels for … five more vowels. It can make you want to chew the table when a
gorgeous and rare bingo appears on your rack – COCOMAT, say, or GRAVLAX – and your
opponent blocks the one spot where you could have played it.
But chance also allows for that joyous moment when you notice a spot on the board where, with the
right letters, you could make a difficult, dazzling play – and then you pull those letters out of the bag.
Or when, on the way to a tournament, another player mentions a word he has just learned that’s
also new to you, and the next day, that word appears on your rack.
The final game began with no hint of an upset. I opened with WILT for 14, and David played BRITT
for 15. I played JOINT for 28, and he followed with HONDA for 33. I exchanged four of my six
vowels, and he played ABO for 27, taking a 30-point lead. I played CRAFTER for 15 to keep the
board open (again, the Gibson legend: He’ll kill you on a closed board). David played UREA for 12
and FUG for 18, so I knew he wasn’t getting much to work with.
On my eighth play, I burned my S to play SPIV for 26, trying to open the right side of the board, but
knowing I might have set up my opponent for a big play. I was within 30 points.
Then, with a leave of CLT, I drew the unlikely combination of HMY?. I quickly rearranged them and
saw that with an open A or I, I had MYTHICAL. And there was the I in SPIV, with just enough room
to play my bingo.
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I waited. David was working his tiles, so I braced myself for a big play. Instead, he made a small
play, PIU, elsewhere on the board, and I knew he was trying to dump drek and balance his rack.
I played MYTH(I)CaL for 88, putting the L on the bottom row, between the triple word scores.
Danger! But David didn’t have a triple-triple. He had 6 vowels. He played (L)OOIE to the triple – and
picked up more vowels.
Meanwhile, I had picked up the Q, the Z and the second blank after playing MYTHICAL, and my
heart started to beat faster. I had a chance!
I played Q(I) for 22 over the I in LOOIE, so that if David was going to bingo in the far-right triple lane,
he’d have to make it end in IE.
David played (C)IAO for 6, and a few more drops of adrenaline entered my bloodstream. I was
ahead by almost 60 points, but I fought to stay calm. I’ve lost games in which I had led by almost
200, so 60 points against David Gibson was not enough.
With a rack of GILNSZ?, I played Z(A) for 30, and then came the bingo from David: ATONIES/
SPIVS for 69. My lead was down to 18.
I drew an A, so I had a promising rack of AGILNS?.
There was a D in the bottom right-hand corner, where David had played (HA)WED on his seventh
turn, and that D was still open on turn 12. I needed an eight that started with a D. After shuffling my
tiles for a minute or two, I found it: (D)eALINGS, for 80. (DIALINGS also would have worked, but I
didn’t see it, didn’t know it and wouldn’t have dared to try it.)
I hit my clock. There were eight tiles in the bag, I was going to draw seven of them, and I was up by
nearly 100 points. My hands were shaking as I reached into the bag.
“Hold!”
Instantly, my confidence waned. Dealings, dealings. Isn’t that good? I know I’ve heard it or read it
somewhere.
David studied the board, looked at his rack, checked his scoresheet. I simply tried to breathe.
“I’m going to challenge,” he said.
My doubt turned to dread. Maybe it’s one of those weird phonies, I thought – like FEEDINGS*, used
by parents of infants but unrecognized by the OSPD.
David typed in the word on the computer screen. I hit the button … and it came up green.
It’s good!
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I could breathe again. I realized then that the challenge was a hail-mary pass: David wasn’t 100
percent sure, and he needed that spot to have any chance of catching me with only a single tile in
the bag.
With my free turn, I played TONEY/AY on a DWS/TLS for 45 points, and we finished with a few
more points each.
I had just beaten David Gibson by nearly 150 points!
Occasionally, I’ll hear a story about this or that expert player, who, after getting beaten by a much
lower-rated player, will become a study in boorishness: cursing, perhaps, or belittling the opponent,
or flipping the scorecard at the winner after signing it, then walking away without tidying up the
board.
Not David Gibson. He congratulated me, complimented me on my play, and explained, without
whining, why he made certain plays but was unable to balance his rack.
I finished the tournament with a 7-8 record, boosting my rating by 24 points to 1326. And I was glad
to see that, despite his unlikely loss to me, David gained 4 ratings points. He’s now at 2071.
Shortly after that last game, while still enjoying the endorphin buzz from my win, I admitted to myself
that when I draw only vowels for three straight turns, I’m not nearly as good as David is at
containing my frustration. I realized that, after three games with him, the most impressive thing
about one of the biggest winners in SCRABBLE® was how he behaved when he lost.
Will Scott, 49, of Versailles, Ky., played in his first tournament in 1997 in Lansing, Mich. Despite not
knowing about clocks or word lists, or even that round boards existed, he managed to win two
games that day and was hooked. He is a copy editor for the Lexington Herald-Leader and hopes
that newspapers will continue to exist for at least 15 more years. He and his wife have two foundon-the-road dogs, Malcolm in the Median and Bella. His other interests include backpacking,
volleyball, and masters track and field.
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Passages
Larry Sherman, Editor
Each month we will be including information about SCRABBLE® players (births, deaths, marriages,
etc.) Please send your news to the newsletter editor, Cornelia Guest, at
CorneliaSGuest@gmail.com.
_______________________________________________________________________________
DEATHS
ANNE McNELIS
by Diana Grosman
Anne McNelis, grande dame of Club #50 in Baltimore, passed away on December 3, 2009.
Although Anne never got into the tournament scene, she was a regular player in our club for over 25
years. Since our club meets in our homes on a rotating basis, we played at Anne's lovely home on
many occasions and enjoyed her delicious snacks and desserts.
Besides loving SCRABBLE®, Anne was an accomplished photographer, seamstress, and hostess
extraordinaire. She and Des, her husband of 61 years and both natives of Ireland, had 5 children,
13 grandchildren, and 3 great-grandchildren. She reveled in hosting the large family gatherings on
holidays and other special occasions and organizing huge beach getaways for her family in Ocean
City, MD. Samples of her beautiful photography adorned the walls of their home.
Another passion of the McNelis's was travel. Anne and Des made many trips around the US, to
Ireland, and to other countries; she liked to note that she had visited 49 of the 50 states. Anne was
always happy to share tips and suggestions about travel in Ireland with those who wanted ideas
when developing their own itineraries.
We will miss her generous spirit and kind nature.
May she rest in peace.
Diana Grosman
Maryland
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SCRABBLE®
Resources
There are many study tools to help tournament
SCRABBLE® players hone their skills,
including a number of programs that can be
downloaded for free. This section will offer
suggestions and links, plus feature each month
a different SCRABBLE® resource. This
month’s focus will be on the SCRABBLE®
blogs, with Ryan Fischer, or “badqoph” as he is
known on LiveJournal and the eponymous
blog, introducing readers to this way of
improving by reading perspectives on
SCRABBLE® from tournament players of all
skill levels, not just in North America, but in the
world at large.
SCRABBLE® Blogs
SCRABBLE® has had a presence on the
Internet since at least early 2000, with games
offered on playsite.com (inactive) and
games.com. The first online SCRABBLE®
communities emerged at about that time, too,
with a community called “SCRABBLE®
Players” created on LiveJournal by user
ginkgoes on September 19th, 2001. Another
community, “Scrabble Addict's Journal,” has
existed since November, 2001. Most akin to
contemporary tournament SCRABBLE®
players cum bloggers is “Scrabbling,” a
community started by vavaverity (Shelley
Ubeika) on July 5th, 2006. Additional blogs can
be found by searching the interests keyword
"scrabble" on LiveJournal. There are over 100
SCRABBLE®-related communities on
LiveJournal, these three being the most closely
connected to tournament SCRABBLE®. They
are very lightly trafficked, but they've no doubt
attributed in some small way to the slow,
steady growth of SCRABBLE® blogs on
LiveJournal and other similar blog websites
such as Blogspot and Tumblr.
In August of 2007 at the Player's Championship
in Dayton, OH, I met many people who shared
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my passion for SCRABBLE® and marveled at
the sense of community I found. I was already
aware of a few SCRABBLE® blogs in
existence, but tracking them was difficult and
tedious. So on returning from Dayton, I set to
work creating a database of known
SCRABBLE® bloggers to give people a central
place to go for that information. Thus, "the
badqoph directory" was born.
Once I had a rudimentary form to the site, I
responded to a post on CGP asking for similar
information, and more information came out of
the woodwork. Two big contributors were
Steven Alexander and Thomas Conrad, who
both had small databases that they allowed me
to incorporate into mine. As time passed, I
included a system of rating blogs (since
removed, pending addition of a public rating
system), and added WESPA ratings,
international players' blogs, and community
blogs such as that of the West Virginia area
SCRABBLE® club(s).
These blogs impact the SCRABBLE®
community by enabling people to voice their
opinions and have their peers respond in kind.
On the negative side, the blogs can be a bit
cliquish and esoteric. Some of the more
interesting information is only available if you're
on the “Friends” list of the person who starts
the conversation, making the blogs a bit
gossipy. Still, the forum is refreshing, as the
discussions there are usually civil, and replete
with depth rarely found elsewhere.
Some top SCRABBLE® players keep blogs
that are of note. Since June of 2007 Dave
Wiegand has done "The Windage Report,"
which chronicles all of his tournament games,
one a day, most every day. Kenji Matsumoto
used to have a blog discussing various
advanced theories and musings about the
game, but he’s since replaced it with "Kenji vs.
Quackle", an ongoing series of games where
Kenji plays the Quackle computer program and
comments on certain positions. Also of note is
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Joe Bihlmeyer's blog, “HeyLimberJoe,” which is
one of the most widely respected in the
community. He used to post almost daily,
chronicling his Aerolith misses and yoga
experiences, and philosophizing about both.
He's posted less recently, and is concentrating
more on topical and comedic video blogs about
SCRABBLE®, much in the way Clifford Stoll
used to discuss the Internet in its early days on
the MSNBC news magazine "The Site" in the
mid-90s (see “Video Joe”).
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befriend “badqoph.” (Private posts will not be
reprinted.)
Ryan Fischer graduated from the University of
North Carolina in 2005 with a degree in
communications studies and a minor in creative
writing. He is a NASPA player and director, a
major force, with John Luebkemann and Sherrie
Saint John, behind the Eastern Championships
in Charlotte, NC, where he now lives. He
recently completed a documentary on chaos
magick, and he is working on a television pilot
This month’s blog postings have focused in large about ballroom dancing.
part on “This Year in SCRABBLE®,” the main
impetus for this being Brian Bowman’s reflections
on SCRABBLE®‘s impact on his life after
returning from the WSC, and Joey Mallick’s
OTHER SCRABBLE®
response in kind. Other participants’ blogs have
rundowns on the highlights and lowlights of their RESOURCE LINKS
year in tournament play, including interesting
anecdotes that reflect the heart of the
Play SCRABBLE® On Line
SCRABBLE® community and illustrate what
makes playing on the tournament circuit so
POGO SCRABBLE®
rewarding.
The official SCRABBLE® online game. Created
under agreement with Hasbro in 2008.
Also of note is the idea of a “SCRABBLE® IQ
SCRABBLE® ON FACEBOOK
Test,” first proposed by Joey Mallick and then
Select the SCRABBLE® application on the
fleshed out by Ben Schoenbrun in the form of the
Facebook home page to play the official
"50 Racks Scrabble Meme." SCRABBLE®
SCRABBLE® game. Various groups hold
players of all skill levels are invited to play along
tournaments at this site, including a group called
and share their results as a valuable learning
“Mad Scrabblers”.
experience. Says Mallick, "I know there is more
to SCRABBLE® than opening racks, but if you're INTERNET SCRABBLE® CLUB
A Romanian-based site and application for
good at those, the other aspects of the game
interactive games. A favorite site for many of the
shouldn't be too hard to fix up."
top players.
Visiting a blog can give you a look at how players
of many different skill levels are thinking about
Play Live SCRABBLE®
SCRABBLE® and their games. You’ll find a
CROSS-TABLES
depth of analysis that’s often startling--and get a Lists all upcoming tournaments, as well as
better understanding of SCRABBLE® and its
results of past tournaments. Has SCRABBLE®
many nuances.
tournament aides.
NASPA CLUB LISTINGS
Ryan Fischer will be writing a monthly column on Lists clubs throughout North America with their
interesting SCRABBLE® blog discussions.
meeting times and locations.
LiveJournal bloggers who are interested in
NSA CLUB LISTINGS
having their blogs considered are encouraged to
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Lists casual clubs throughout North America
with their meeting times and locations.
Free Anagramming/Practice Tools
JUMBLETIME
A web site for practicing anagramming skills.
MAC USERS: After you do a Jumbletime quiz
on a Mac, the scroll bar to view the results is
missing. To make it appear, go to the lower
right corner and grab the striped triangle and
shrink the window all the way to the top left
corner. When you pull it back, the scroll bar to
the right of the answers to the quiz (magically)
appears. (Make sure you do this before you
check your score against other players.) Also,
before running a quiz, you might want to first
press Control and scroll with the mouse to
enlarge the screen so that you can more easily
view the jumbles. Once you finish playing,
scroll the screen back to its original size.
(Thanks to Larry Rand and Monique Kornell.)
AEROLITH
A free application for practicing anagramming
skills and learning words.
QUACKLE
A free application for playing, simulating, and
analyzing games.
ZYZZYVA
A free application for practicing anagramming
skills and learning words. Also has Word Judge
capabilities.
SCRABBLE® DICTIONARY
Type a word to check for acceptability. OSPD4
words.
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A free vocabulary testing site. For every
correct word, grains of rice are donated through
the United Nations World Food Program. Feed
hungry people as you expand your vocabulary!
Online SCRABBLE® Discussion
Groups
CGP (crossword-gamespro@yahoogroups.com)
This group, for tournament players and
directors only, has the largest membership of
any online tournament SCRABBLE®
discussion group. Most important events and
changes in the SCRABBLE® world are
discussed on cgp. Admission is by approval
only. Details can be found in the NASPA
Tournament SCRABBLE® Newsletter #1.
OSPD (ospdscrabble@yahoogroups.com)
This group, dedicated to players using The
Official SCRABBLE® Players’ Dictionary,
offers light-hearted humor, daily word lists, and
more. Admission is to all SCRABBLE® lovers.
Details can be found in the NASPA
Tournament SCRABBLE® Newsletter #1.
SCRABBLE® Blogs
THE BADQOPH DIRECTORY
This is a database of blogs by known
SCRABBLE® bloggers, primarily tournament
players. As of December 15 there were 193
blogs in the directory.
.
CLICK HERE TO HELP END WORD
HUNGER AS YOU LEARN WORDS
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Tournament Calendar
The most accurate tournament information is posted on the NASPA Calendar, which includes all
regular sanctioned tournaments to date. Additional tournament information is posted at crosstables.com, which often includes tournaments not on the NASPA Calendar: Local Club
Tournaments (LCTs), School SCRABBLE® Tournaments, and special invitational and/or unrated
tournaments. Cross-tables.com also provides for most tournaments a list of participants, both
confirmed and tentative, with their ratings. Many unrated fundraiser tournaments and School
SCRABBLE® tournaments can be found on the NSA website. Additional international tournaments
can be found on the WESPA calendar. (Past tournament flyers will be removed from archives.)
JANUARY TOURNAMENTS
Albany, NY: 12/29-1/3
Laguna Woods, CA: 1/3
Berkeley, CA (NAST): 1/9
Dallas, TX: 1/9-10
Flint, MI: 1/9-10
Regina, SK CAN: 1/9
Tampa, FL: 1/9
Berkeley, CA: 1/10
Guelph, ON CAN: 1/10
Rhinebeck, NY: 1/10
Brandon, MS: 1/15-16
Reno, NV: 1/15-18
Bayside, NY: 1/16
Bryan, TX: 1/16-18
Twin Cities Redeye, MN: 1/16-17
South American Cruise: 1/17-31
Ft. Lauderdale, FL: 1/23
Hudson, OH: 1/23-24
Seattle, WA: 1/23
Tucson, AZ: 1/23
Winnipeg, MB CAN: 1/23
Mountain View, CA: 1/24
Atlantic City, NJ: 1/30-2/1
Calgary, AB CA: 1/30-31
La Grange Park, IL: 1/30
Kissimmee, FL: 1/30-31
Stanton, CA: 1/31
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WEST
Laguna Woods, CA: 1/3
Berkeley, CA: 1/9
Berkeley, CA: 1/10
Seattle, WA: 1/23
Moutain View, CA: 1/24
Stanton, CA: 1/31
MIDWEST
Flint, MI: 1/9Twin Cities
Redeye, MN 1/16-17
Hudson, OH: 1/23-24
NORTHEAST
Albany, NY 12/29-1/3
Rhinebeck, NY 1/10
Bayside, NY: 1/16
Atlantic City, NJ: 1/30-2/1
SOUTH
Tampa, FL: 1/9
Brandon, MS: 1/15-16
Ft. Lauderdale, FL: 1/23
Kissimmee, FL: 1/30-31
SOUTHWEST
Dallas, TX: 1/9-10
Reno, NV: 1/15-18
Bryan, TX: 1/16-18
Tucson, AZ: 1/23
CANADA
Regina, SK CAN: 1/9
Guelph, ON: 1/10
Winnepeg, MB: 1/23
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FEBRUARY TOURNAMENTS
Texas State Championship (Restricted)
2/5-7
Berkeley CA (NAST Final) 2/6
Greater Des Moines (Johnston) IA 2/6-7
Seven Hills OH 2/6
Berkeley CA 2/7
Laguna Woods CA 2/7
Rhinebeck NY 2/7
Eastern Championships NC 2/12-15
Phoenix AZ 2/12-15
Bayside NY 2/13
Ft. Lauderdale FL 2/13
Tampa FL 2/13
Edmonton AB CAN 2/20
Pittsburgh PA 2/20
Guelph ON CAN 2/21
Mountain View CA 2/21
Saratoga Springs NY 2/26-28
Dallas TX 2/27
Indianapolis IN 2/27
Lakewood Ranch FL 2/27
WEST
Berkeley CA (NAST Final) 2/6
Berkeley CA 2/7
Laguna Woods CA 2/7
Mountain View CA 2/21
MIDWEST
Greater Des Moines IA 2/6-7
Seven Hills OH 2/6
Indianapolis IN 2/27
Warren MI 2/27-28
NORTHEAST
Rhinebeck NY 2/7
Bayside NY 2/13
Pittsburgh PA 2/20
Saratoga Springs NY 2/26-27
Philadelphia PA 2/28
SOUTH
Eastern Championships NC 2/12-15
Tampa FL 2/13
Lakewood Ranch FL 2/27
SOUTHWEST
Texas State Championship 2/5-7
Phoenix AZ 2/12-15
CANADA
Edmonton AB 2/20
Guelph ON 2/21
Warren MI 2/27-28
Philadelphia PA 2/28
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Archives
To access previous issues of The Last Word click the links below.
Issue 1: November 2009
Issue 2: December 2009
90

Issue 3: January 2010 - The Last Word Newsletter

Transcription

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