This page provides links related Collins, and is part of our introduction to Collins (SOWPODS) in North America.
CSW Links
General
Word Lists
| CSW |
The official word list, equivalent to the blue OWL2 book |
| COSD |
As CSW but with definitions, hence larger. Equivalent to OSPD, but there is no expurgation in Collins. |
| CSL |
Useful word lists derived from CSW |
| Seattle SC |
Seattle Scrabble Club's CSW lists |
| Bob's British Bible |
The ultimate list for converting to CSW from OWL2 |
Software
| Quackle |
The well-known software will also play CSW (see the 'Try it!' page) |
| Zyzzyva |
Similarly, Zyzzyva is good for CSW study |
| Zarf, Checkword |
iPhone apps which adjuicate and perform searches, such as anagrams, on both OWL2 and CSW |
| tsh, Director! |
Tournament software that can easily run a CSW tournament, or incorporate a CSW division |
Books & Articles
| Collins Scrabble: Play Like a Champion |
UK National Champion Allan Simmons describes CSW play |
| The Last Word Newsletter |
Covers tournament play in North America, including CSW. The June 2010 issue (page 24) contains an annotated game, which is quite advanced, but shows the sort of thinking possible in a CSW game. The July 2010 issue (page 12) contains a writeup of the two CSW tournaments in Portland, May 2010, which includes quotes from some Collins 'newbies' on their experience. Sep 2011 includes a summary of Collins play in North America, and a second article by 'The Wordsmith', Chris Sinacola, on trying out Collins for the first time. The back issues are downloadable from the 'Archives' section of the site. |
Etc.
| How to Win at Scrabble and Wordgame magazine |
Two of the best resources for CSW play are 'How_To_Win_At_Scrabble', by Andrew Fisher and David Webb, and 'Wordgame' magazine from 2000-1 by Mark Watkins. Unfortunately, neither is currently available, but it may be possible to track them down. |
| Interview with Darryl Francis |
Interview from Word Buff with CSW co-creator, Darryl Francis, including information about the next edition, due out May 2011. |