Competitive SCRABBLE play - Revision history

Judycole: /* Attend a tournament */ 2021-07-25 - Removed another SCRABBLE

2021-07-25T15:15:22Z

‎Attend a tournament: 2021-07-25 - Removed another SCRABBLE

Judycole: 2021-07-25 - Removed SCRABBLE

2021-07-25T15:14:45Z

2021-07-25 - Removed SCRABBLE

Katefc at 00:42, 4 March 2015

2015-03-04T00:42:00Z

Jgrobertson: /* Go to a club */

2010-08-20T01:57:24Z

‎Go to a club

Poslfit: /* Attend a tournament */ typo

2010-08-08T20:49:29Z

‎Attend a tournament: typo

Poslfit: New page: What is '''competitive SCRABBLE play''' and what draws people to it? Stefan Fatsis wrote a best-selling book about his personal experience entering the world of SCRABBLE [[tournaments...

2010-01-31T15:22:41Z

New page: What is '''competitive SCRABBLE play''' and what draws people to it? Stefan Fatsis wrote a best-selling book about his personal experience entering the world of SCRABBLE [[tournaments...

New page

What is '''competitive SCRABBLE play''' and what draws people to it?
[[Stefan Fatsis]] wrote a best-selling book
about his personal experience entering the world of
SCRABBLE [[tournaments]], but let’s see if we can
cover the key points in a brief webpage.

So you’ve been a SCRABBLE player for fun for a while.
Maybe you get together for a regular game with some friends,
or spend a few hours a day playing online. You think you’re
pretty good at the game and get to wondering if there’s
more to it, or maybe you hear about a local club or tournament.
A web search brings you to our website, so now what?

== Go to a club ==

The chances are good that you live near a NASPA SCRABBLE [[club]].
Take a look at the [[club roster]] for the club director’s
contact information and give them a call or send them email.
Almost all clubs are extremely welcoming to newcomers, and
give them a lot of help with the transition to competitive play.

Why should you need a lot of help, when you already know how to
play the game? Here are the things that casual players first
notice about competitive play.

=== Competitive play ===

; One-on-one play
: All competitive play consists of two-player games. When more players are involved in a casual game, there is an advantage to having your turn after a weaker player.
; [[Official Tournament and Club Word List]] (OTCWL)
: Many websites use this lexicon too, but you may be used to using either the slightly abridged [[Official SCRABBLE Players Dictionary]] or a non-SCRABBLE dictionary. The OTCWL was compiled from several college-level dictionaries, and is therefore more inclusive than any one of the source works while being more restrictive than a large unabridged dictionary. On first glance, most people think it has either too many or too few words, but it's our best compromise against the chaos that would ensue if every club used its own dictionary.
; Timed Games
: Some people are naturally fast players, most people are a little deliberative, and a few people are extremely slow. There are some game positions that require very little thought, but others that experts can debate for days. To keep everyone to a schedule, club and tournament [[directors]] require the use of timers, typically limiting each player’s total thinking time to 25 minutes per game. A game is typically 12–15 plays each, so you could safely spend a minute or two on each play, or spend ten minutes on one and then a minute on the rest. If you go overtime, you lose penalty points but do not immediately forfeit the game as in chess.
; Etiquette
: Our official [[rules]] are fairly long, and are the result of decades of experience in trying to come up with the fairest way for players to compete. They can be intimidating, especially during your first game, when you’re trying to remember the sequence of actions needed to correctly end a turn (place word, announce score, record any blank designations, start opponent’s timer, record your cumulative score, draw replacement tiles, record anything else you want). A better place to start is our [[Media:Top Ten Things to Know.pdf|Newcomer’s Handout]], and the most important rule to remember is to always ask the director if you’re not sure what to do.

A club is a good place to learn the basics of competitive play,
and to get regular practice facing better players. We strongly
recommend that players attend at least one club session before
attending their first tournament. At a tournament, players play
more seriously and directors are busier, with less time to help
out newcomers.

If you live in an area not served by any of our clubs, it’s
possible for even a newcomer to start a new club. Doing so involves
paying a small fee, taking an open book test about the rules,
and then being apprenticed to an experienced director until
they’re sure you know everything you need to know.
Please contact our [[Club Committee]] to learn more about this
process.

== Attend a tournament ==

Some clubs run a monthly one-day tournament on a Saturday or a Sunday,
most clubs run a larger multiday once a year,
and then there are very large events like the annual
[[National SCRABBLE Championship]] where several hundred
players compete for tens of thousands of dollars in prizes.

All of our open sanctioned tournaments are listed in our
[http://www.scrabbleplayers.org/tourneys/calendar.html tournament calendar]. If you don’t see one listed near you, ask your
club director: some events are listed as far as a year in
advance, but others may not appear until several weeks
before they take place.

Each director sets his or her tournament’s entry fee.
Players may compete in separate divisions according to their
tournament [[rating]], and divisions may have different fees.
Be punctual at tournaments: if you are a first-time player
and do not arrive in time for registration, your director
may think you are not going to show up and remove you
from the event. On the other hand, if something comes up
and you have to cancel at the last minute, always inform
your director

To play in a tournament, you must also have a paid NASPA
[[membership]]. You should sign up online, and may either
pay at the same time using a credit card, or pay your director
cash when you arrive at the tournament.

If you have any questions about competitive SCRABBLE play that
are not answered here, please
[[mailto:info@scrabbleplayers.org email us]].

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-What is '''competitive SCRABBLE play''' and what draws people to it?
+What is '''competitive Scrabble play''' and what draws people to it?
 [[Stefan Fatsis]] wrote a best-selling book
 about his personal experience entering the world of
-SCRABBLE [[tournaments]], but let&rsquo;s see if we can
+Scrabble [[tournaments]], but let&rsquo;s see if we can
 cover the key points in a brief webpage.
-So you&rsquo;ve been a SCRABBLE player for fun for a while.
+So you&rsquo;ve been a Scrabble player for fun for a while.
 Maybe you get together for a regular game with some friends,
 or spend a few hours a day playing online.  You think you&rsquo;re
@@ Line 16: / Line 16: @@
 ; One-on-one play
 : All competitive play consists of two-player games. When more players are involved in a casual game, there is an advantage to having your turn after a weaker player.
-; [[Official Tournament and Club Word List]] (OTCWL)
+; [[NASPA Word List]] (NWL)
-: Many websites use this lexicon too, but you may be used to using either the slightly abridged [[Official SCRABBLE Players Dictionary]] or a non-SCRABBLE dictionary.  The OTCWL was compiled from several college-level dictionaries, and is therefore more inclusive than any one of the source works while being more restrictive than a large unabridged dictionary.  On first glance, most people think it has either too many or too few words, but it's our best compromise against the chaos that would ensue if every club used its own dictionary.
+: Many websites use this lexicon too, but you may be used to using either the slightly abridged [[Official SCRABBLE Players Dictionary]] or a non-Scrabble dictionary.  The NWL was compiled from several college-level dictionaries, and is therefore more inclusive than any one of the source works while being more restrictive than a large unabridged dictionary.  On first glance, most people think it has either too many or too few words, but it's our best compromise against the chaos that would ensue if every club used its own dictionary.
 ; Timed Games
 : Some people are naturally fast players, most people are a little deliberative, and a few people are extremely slow. There are some game positions that require very little thought, but others that experts can debate for days. To keep everyone to a schedule, club and tournament [[directors]] require the use of timers, typically limiting each player&rsquo;s total thinking time to 25 minutes per game. A game is typically 12&ndash;15 plays each, so you could safely spend a minute or two on each play, or spend ten minutes on one and then a minute on the rest. If you go overtime, you lose penalty points but do not immediately forfeit the game as in chess.
@@ Line 25: / Line 25: @@
 == Go to a club ==
-Many players try their hand at competitive play at a NASPA SCRABBLE [[club]] before taking on a tournament.  The chances are good that you live near a NASPA SCRABBLE [[club]]. Take a look at the [[club roster]] for the club director&rsquo;s
+Many players try their hand at competitive play at a NASPA [[club]] before taking on a tournament.  The chances are good that you live near a NASPA [[club]]. Take a look at the [[club roster]] for the club director&rsquo;s
 contact information and give him/her a call or send an email.
 Almost all clubs are extremely welcoming to newcomers, and
@@ Line 50: / Line 50: @@
 most clubs run a larger multiday once a year,
 and then there are very large events like the annual
-[[National SCRABBLE Championship]] where several hundred
+[[National SCRABBLE Championship |championship]] where several hundred
 players compete for tens of thousands of dollars in prizes.

@@ Line 74: / Line 74: @@
 cash when you arrive at the tournament.
-If you have any questions about competitive SCRABBLE play that
+If you have any questions about competitive Scrabble play that
 are not answered here, please
 [mailto:info@scrabbleplayers.org email us].

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 pretty good at the game and get to wondering if there&rsquo;s
 more to it, or maybe you hear about a local club or tournament.
-A web search brings you to our website, so now what?
+A web search brings you to our website, so now what? Here are the things that casual players first notice about competitive play.
 === Competitive play ===
@@ Line 34: / Line 22: @@
 ; Etiquette
 : Our official [[rules]] are fairly long, and are the result of decades of experience in trying to come up with the fairest way for players to compete. They can be intimidating, especially during your first game, when you&rsquo;re trying to remember the sequence of actions needed to correctly end a turn (place word, announce score, record any blank designations, start opponent&rsquo;s timer, record your cumulative score, draw replacement tiles, record anything else you want).  A better place to start is our [[Media:Top Ten Things to Know.pdf|Newcomer&rsquo;s Handout]], and the most important rule to remember is to always ask the director if you&rsquo;re not sure what to do.
 A club is a good place to learn the basics of competitive play,