Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, April 1, 1991 TAG: 9103300302
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: E-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: VINCE KOWALICK/ LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Form interlocking words in crossword fashion across a 225-square, multicolored grid using letter tiles of different point values and in order to take advantage of premium squares on the board to achieve the highest possible point total.
Mastery of the game, however, isn't as easy. Experts say success requires the development of an extensive mental inventory of words and laying down miles of tiles in organized and informal play.
"There is no substitute for desire," said Joe Edley, 1980 national champion and now the National Scrabble Association's second-ranked player.
For Edley, it meant memorizing the 86 two-letter words, 908 three-letter words and about 3,600 four-letter words in the Official Scrabble Players Dictionary, the dictionary of reference for all official Scrabble tournaments.
Word lists abound for Scrabble enthusiasts to study.
"If I have a weakness in five-letter words ending in H, I know there is a list somewhere that exists," said association president John Williams, a graduate of Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Va. "There are some very complex word-list books."
Perhaps the most famous is "The Double-List Word Book," written by 95-year-old Ethel Cannon Sherard of Pasadena, Calif., who is affectionately known by aficionados as "the Scrabble Lady."
While in her 80s, Sherard, a Scrabble fan for decades, spent three years compiling a list of more than 100,000 words and grouping them by size and common first and last letters to aid Scrabble and crossword-puzzle buffs.
Experts seemingly all agree that memorization of two- and three-letter words is the foundation of excelling at Scrabble.
"Suppose you have a seven-letter word on your rack like `provide,' " Edley said. "There isn't always a place to play it. You have to know if it will fit under another word and if all the letters will match up."
Good strategy also involves rack management (maintaining a balance of vowels and consonants on your rack throughout the game) and the ability to play - and spot an opponent's - "phonies," a Scrabble term for a made-up word.
Should you successfully call your opponent on playing a phony, his tiles must be removed at the cost of a turn.
Should the "phony" prove to be, in fact, a little-known word, the tiles remain and the player issuing the challenge forfeits a turn.
"Phonies are what separate the experts from the so-called experts," Edley said. "Real experts will know when to lay down a phony or when to challenge and when not to challenge. They'll also know how to play phonies."
For more information on tournaments or clubs, write the National Scrabble Association at Box 700, Front Street Garden, Greenport, N.Y. 11944 or call (516) 477-0033.
"The Double-List Word Book" is available by sending a check or money order for $9.95 plus $1.75 postage and handling to Gwethine Publishing Co., P.O. Box 41334, Los Angeles, Calif. 90041.
by CNB