Archive-name: games/scrabble-faq/general
Posting-Frequency: monthly
Last-modified:  15 Oct 1996
URL: http://www.teleport.com/~stevena/scrabble/faq.html
Copyright: 1994, 1995, 1996 Steven Alexander


		Scrabble Frequently Asked Questions


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1.    What this FAQ covers
2.    The trademark Scrabble
3.    Organized Scrabble activity
3.1.     National Scrabble Association and Association of Premier
	 Scrabble Players
3.2.     Clubs
3.3.     Tournaments
3.3.1.      North American, UK and world championships
3.3.1.1.       Winners of the North American championships
3.3.1.2.       Winners of the World (English language) championships
3.3.2.      How club and tournament Scrabble differs from the rules
	    in the box
3.3.3.      The Official Scrabble Players Dictionary and Official
	    Scrabble Words
3.3.3.1.       Why are all those stupid/non-English/indecent words
	       allowed?
3.3.3.2.       Words removed from OSPD 1st ed. in 2nd ed.
3.3.3.3.       Current corrections to the OSPD 2nd ed.
3.3.3.4.       Current corrections to the Franklin Electronic OSPD
3.3.3.5.       Expurgation of OSPD and OSPD 3rd ed.
3.3.4.      Tournament pairings
3.3.5.      Tournament ratings
3.3.6.      Upcoming tournaments
3.4.     Organizations conducting Scrabble activity outside North
	 America and the UK
3.6.     Crossword games on the Internet
3.6.1.      Crossword games servers
3.6.2.      Crossword games mailing list
3.6.3.      Crossword games related homepages
3.6.4.      Crossword games related newsgroup
4.    Differences between Scrabble in North America and in the UK
5.    Publications on Scrabble
5.1.     Periodicals
5.1.1.      Scrabble News
5.1.2.      Tourney News
5.1.3.      JG Newsletter
5.1.4.      Non-North American periodicals
5.1.4.1.       Onwords
5.1.4.2.       APSP Newsletter
5.1.4.3.       Forwords
5.1.4.4.       Scrabble Club News
5.1.5.      Defunct periodicals
5.1.5.1.       Letters for Expert Players
5.1.5.2.       Matchups
5.1.5.3.       Medleys
5.1.5.4.       Rack Your Brain
5.2.     Books
5.3.     Word lists
5.4.     Word study/lookup software
6.    Basic tactics and methods
7.    Typical games
7.1.     Typical scores
7.2.     Frequency of bingos
8.    Scrabble records
8.1.     Actual
8.2.     Theoretical
8.3.     Blocked games
9.    Scrabble variants
10.   Play-by-mail games
11.   Scrabble paraphernalia
11.1.    Tiles
11.2.    Clocks
11.3.    Playing equipment
11.4.    Miscellaneous
12.   Computer versions of Scrabble
12.1.    CrossWise (IBM PC)
12.2.    Gameboy Super Scrabble (hand-held)
12.3.    Maven (Macintosh, Windows)
12.4.    Monty Plays Scrabble (hand-held)
12.5.    Scramble/Literati (IBM PC/Windows)
12.6.    Tyler (IBM PC, Macintosh)
12.7.    US Gold Scrabble (IBM PC, Amiga, Atari ST)
12.8.    Vic Rice's Game (IBM PC)
12.9.    Virgin Mastertronic (IBM PC, Macintosh)
12.10.   WordsWorth (IBM PC)
12.11.   STrabbler (Atari)
12.12.   Unix Scrabble (Unix)
12.13.   CRAB (Unix, Sun, Vax and Macintosh)
12.14.   Scrabble Door (IBM PC BBS)
12.15.   ScrabOut (Windows)
12.16.   X-Words (Macintosh)
12.17.   Amiga Scrabble (Amiga)
12.18.   Scrabble CD-ROM (Windows, other formats unknown)
12.19.   XScrabble (X Windows)
12.20.   Gary's Computer Scrabble (Unix)
12.21.   Ortograf (Macintosh)
13.   Glossary
14.   Litigation
A0.   Copyright
A1.   Credits

[In the supplement:]
A2.   Roster of clubs in the US and Canada
A3.   Upcoming North American tournaments
A4.   Contacts for major Scrabble organizations worldwide


1.    What this FAQ covers

This article is about English language Scrabble, or more properly,
Scrabble Brand Crossword Game.  It is North American-centric (and to
a lesser extent covers the UK), but information regarding English
language Scrabble played anywhere is welcome.


2.    The trademark Scrabble

Scrabble is a registered trademark owned in the United States and
Canada by Milton Bradley Company, a division of Hasbro, Inc.  In
Great Britain and everywhere else in the world, by J.W. Spear & Sons
PLC.

Selchow & Righter, listed as the US owner on many of your boards, was
bought -- in good health -- by Coleco, which shortly went into
bankruptcy due to the collapse of the market for their Cabbage Patch
dolls.  Coleco also led itself to bankruptcy by losing a fortune on
the Adam home computer flop, and the unexpected (to them) slowdown in
Trivial Pursuit sales.  (Trivial Pursuit was marketed in the US by
Selchow & Righter).  Coleco was bought up by Milton Bradley, which
was in turn gobbled up by Hasbro.

In North America, technically, the term Scrabble refers to any game
or related product Milton Bradley cares to label that way, while the
popular board game is "Scrabble Crossword Game".  Most people --
including Milton Bradley's own publication -- use the term Scrabble
to refer to that game, and so will this FAQ.

The magazine Financial World (July 8, 1996, p. 65) estimates the
value of the Scrabble brand to Hasbro as $76 million, and 1995 sales
under that brand at $39 million.


3.    Organized Scrabble activity
3.1.     National Scrabble Association and Association of Premier
	 Scrabble Players

The National Scrabble Association ("NSA") is the only organization
running Scrabble activity in North America.  It is a subsidiary of
Milton Bradley.  NSA licenses tournament and club directors.  Club
and tournament play, except for the national and world championships,
is sanctioned but not run by NSA.  Non-members are supposed to be
required to join before playing in their second tournament.

As noted, NSA is an arm of the manufacturer, not a true membership
organization.  An advisory board occasionally is chosen by NSA and
NSA and Milton Bradley.  Ad hoc committees concerning changes in the
dictionary and the ratings system also have been created.

Membership is $18 per year in the US, $20 (US) in Canada, and $25
elsewhere, by postal money order outside the US.

	    National Scrabble Association
	    c/o Williams & Company
	    120 Front St Garden
	    Box 700
	    Greenport, NY 11944
	    (516) 477-0033
	    (516) 477-0294 fax

In the UK, the Association of Premier Scrabble Players ("APSP"),
while not owned by the UK copyright and trademark holder, is bound
to it by a licensing agreement.  The APSP organizes many tournaments.
It may be reached at

	    APSP
	    c/o Gareth Williams
	    209 Fidlas Rd
	    Llanishen
	    Cardiff
	    CF4 5NA
	    United Kingdom
	    Tel: +44 1222 758249

Membership in APSP costs #10 per year.  members receive a newsletter
six times per year.  Its chairman, Graeme Thomas, may be reached by
e-mail at <URL:mailto:graeme@insignia.co.uk>.


3.2.     Clubs

Clubs normally play Scrabble according to tournament rules, although
sometimes accommodation for newcomers includes allowing them to refer
to lists of two- and three-letter words for their first couple of
visits.

The current roster of active North American clubs, according to the
most recent listing from the National Scrabble Association, is an
Appendix to this FAQ.  Some of the listings may be out of date, so
call the person listed before trying to attend.

A list of clubs in the UK is available at
<URL:http://sushi.st.usm.edu/~jjchew/scrabble/clubs-uk.html>.
For further information on them, contact

	Philip Nelkon
	J.W. Spear & Sons PLC
	Richard House
	Enstone Road
	Enfield, Middlesex
	England EN3 7TB
	Tel: +44 181 443 8152
	Fax: +44 181 443 8175
	<URL:mailto:101354.3235@compuserve.com>

Steve Oliger has written an IBM PC program, Focus (currently in
version 2.10) to maintain club statistics.  It comes highly
recommended by others who have used it.  $20 plus shipping ($3 in
US).

	 Steve Oliger
	 P.O. Box 7003
	 Lancaster, PA 17604-7003
	 (717) 284-2274
	 <URL:mailto:soliger@epix.net>


3.3.     Tournaments
3.3.1.      North American, UK and world championships

"National Scrabble Championship", really for North America, is held
by the National Scrabble Association in even years.  In 1996 it was
held in Dallas in late July.  North American players were eligible
for entry if they had played in at least one rated tournament.
Players from elsewhere entered without condition.

In odd years, an invitational "World [English language] Championship"
is held.  The 1995 World Championship was held in November in London.
Words allowable in North American or British play are allowed.

In the UK, Spear runs the National Scrabble Championship.  Several
regional events (apparently open only to UK residents) are used as
qualifiers for the national final.

Also in the UK, the APSP organizes a 17-game British Matchplay
Scrabble Championship held each August.  It is open to all.


3.3.1.1.       Winners of the North American championships

   1978, May 19-21, New York City: invitational, 64 contestants
	  David Prinz

   1980, November 14-16, Santa Monica: invitational, 32 contestants
	  Joe Edley

   1983, August 10-12, Chicago: qualifiers, 32 contestants
	  Joel Wapnick

   1985, July 28-31, Boston: open, 302 contestants
	  Ron Tiekert

   1987, July 5-7, Las Vegas: open, 300+ contestants
	  Rita Norr

   1988, July 31-August 5, Reno: open, 323 contestants
	  Robert Watson

   1989, July 29-August 3, New York City: open, 221 contestants
	  Peter Morris

   1990, August 5-9: Washington, 300+ contestants
	  Robert Felt

   1992, August 9-13, Atlanta: open, 320 contestants
	  Joe Edley

   1994, August 14-18, Los Angeles: open, 294 contestants
	  David Gibson


3.3.1.2.       Winners of the World (English language) championships

   1991, September 27-30, London: invitational, 48 contestants
	  Peter Morris

   1993, August 27-30, New York City: invitational, 64 contestants
	  Mark Nyman

   1995, November 2-5, London: invitational, 64 contestants
	  David Boys


3.3.2.      How club and tournament Scrabble differs from the rules
	    in the box

NSA, APSP and ASPA rules for competitive play are available at
<URL:http://sushi.st.usm.edu/~jjchew/scrabble/rules/nsa.html>,
<URL:http://sushi.st.usm.edu/~jjchew/scrabble/rules/apsp.html> and
<URL:http://www.ozemail.aust.com/~aspa/rules.html>, respectively, as
are the rules that come in the box.
<URL:http://www.scrabble.com/corner/rules.html>

Club and tournament Scrabble games are always two-player games.

Both players must keep score.  A bag is used for tiles (not the box
lid).  Chess clocks are used to time the game and each player is
allowed a total of 25 minutes to make all of his or her moves in the
game.  If a player's time limit is exceeded, the game continues but
the player is penalized 10 points for each minute over the time
limit.

The validity of words is determined, in North America (and some other
places, including Israel and Thailand) by the Official Scrabble
Players Dictionary, and in the UK by Official Scrabble Words.  Most
other places use Official Scrabble Words, although some (including
New Zealand and all of mainland Australia) use both.  (These
references are described in section 3.3.3.)

When a player challenges one or more words in his or her opponent's
move, the clock is stopped while a third party (usually a club or
tournament director) looks up the challenged words (which the
challenger must specify) to determine whether the move is valid.  If
a challenged word is unacceptable, the play is removed and the player
loses that turn.  In North American play, the maker of an erroneous
challenge loses a turn; in the UK, and most of Australia, they do
not.

There are no "house rules" that many social players use, such as free
exchange of four of a kind, or claiming blanks off the board by
substituting for them.

Once there are fewer than seven tiles left in the bag, no exchanging
of tiles is allowed.  Passing is allowed at any time.

At the end of a North American game, when one player uses all his or
her tiles with none remaining in the bag, he or she receives double
the value of the opponent's remaining tiles.  In the UK, as specified
in the box, that value is added to and subtracted from the players'
respective scores.  Both methods result in the same spread.

Ties are not broken.  (The box rules don't mention this possibility.)

If the two players take six consecutive turns without successfully
placing any tiles on the board -- due to any combination of
challenges, passes and exchanges -- the game ends, and both players
lose the value of the tiles on their racks.  A game in which neither
player can make a play ends this way, although the players may simply
agree that the game is over without going through all six turns.  In
the UK, exchanges do not count toward the six turns.

The box rules do not mention whether one can make written notes
during the game.  In tournaments and clubs, players are allowed to
write anything they wish on their score sheet.  One use of written
notes is to keep track of which tiles have been played, allowing one
to know which tiles remain to be played.  This is known as tile-
tracking, and players may use preprinted score sheets that show the
tile distribution as an aid to tile-tracking.


3.3.3.      The Official Scrabble Players Dictionary and Official
	    Scrabble Words

The Official Scrabble Players Dictionary ("OSPD"), published by
Merriam-Webster, is the official dictionary used for all North
American tournament and club play.  The OSPD first was published in
1978.  It includes all words of eight or fewer letters, and
simplifies the settling of Scrabble word arguments by specifically
showing those words' inflections (plurals of nouns, conjugations of
verbs, comparatives and superlatives of adjectives).  For root words
longer than eight letters, Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary,
Tenth edition, is used.  (The Tenth came out in May 1993 and replaced
the Ninth on May 1, 1994.)  The OSPD does include inflected forms of
up to eight letters whose roots words are longer.

In 1990, a second edition of the OSPD came out in hardcover.  A
paperback of the OSPD2 came out in June 1993.  Matchups ($1 + $1
shipping, see section 12.6) and Cygnus Cybernetics (see section 12.1)
each publish a complete list of the words added (and the handful
removed) in OSPD2.

A hardcover third edition of the OSPD came out in October 1995.  See
section 3.3.3.5 below for a discussion of its contents.  The new
words in it are allowable in competitive play as of February 1, 1996.
Only SPAZES and HERPESES were removed.  A list of the additions is
available by ftp at ftp.cygcyb.com in the directory /Cygnus, file
name ospd3.add.

The OSPD was created because in the 1950s Selchow & Righter sold the
right to put out Scrabble word lists to Jacob Orleans and Edmund
Jacobson, authors of Scrabble Word Guide, a 1953 book based on the
Funk and Wagnalls Dictionary.  The official publication, Scrabble
News, is still circumspect about publishing word lists, tending to
print them in small chunks to conform to some idea of their remaining
rights.

Parallel to the OSPD for North America, the UK has Official Scrabble
Words ("OSW"), which lists all rules-acceptable words in the Chambers
Dictionary ("Chambers") whose uninflected roots have nine or fewer
letters, and words of nine or fewer letters which are inflections of
longer words.  The third edition of OSW, including words from the
1993 edition of Chambers, came out in September, 1994.  Challenges of
longer words are looked up in Chambers.

OSW is available outside the UK from

	James Thin Ltd
	53-59 South Bridge
	Edinburgh, EH1 1YS
	Scotland
	+44 131	556 6743
	+44 131	557 8149 fax
	<URL:mailto:james.thin.ltd@almac.co.uk>
	<URL:http://www.almac.co.uk/business_park/thin/ordering.htm>

For trademark reasons, the OSPD is not legally sold outside North
America, and OSW is not sold in North America.


Here are data showing the relative sizes of the lexicons of OSPD and
OSW, showing that OSW is a richer lexicon at all lengths.  "SOWPODS"
is a common abbreviation for the union of the two.

    length     OSW    OSPD  SOWPODS
    2          109      97      121
    3         1126     977     1231
    4         4769    3904     5140
    5        10697    8635    11774
    6        18435   15224    20895
    7        26539   23097    31136
    8        30732   28406    37907
    9        30456   24752    36655


3.3.3.1.       Why are all those stupid/non-English/indecent words
	       allowed?

The OSPD was formed according to the rules of Scrabble, allowing all
non-capitalized words without apostrophes or hyphens which are not
designated as foreign.  In a compromise between the number of words
in a standard college dictionary (such as Funk & Wagnalls, in use
before the OSPD) and an unabridged dictionary, the OSPD includes all
words found in at least one of five major US college dictionaries,
including a total of nine editions, which in the judgment of Merriam-
Webster's lexicographers (contracted by the trademark holder to do
this) meet the rules.

The dictionaries used for OSPD2 are: Funk & Wagnalls Standard College
Dictionary (1973 printing), American Heritage Dictionary of the
English Language (First and Second College Editions), Webster's New
Collegiate Dictionary (Merriam-Webster; Eighth and Ninth Editions),
Webster's New World Dictionary (Second and Third College Editions),
Random House College Dictionary (Original Edition and Revised
Edition).

To some extent, this succeeds at capturing the language, not as some
set of Scrabble players would have it, but as it is -- according to
professional lexicographers.


3.3.3.2.       Words removed from OSPD 1st ed. in 2nd ed.

	    AINE
	    AINEE
	    ALIYAHS
	    AUTARKIK
	    BABBOOL BABBOOLS
	    BORAZON BORAZONS
	    DIALOGGED DIALOGGING
	    DUC DUCS
	    ECOLE ECOLES
	    ENFIN
	    INVAR INVARS
	    IODOL IODOLS
	    MISENROLL MISENROLLS
	    NEGRO NEGROES
	    NOIR
	    ONCES
	    PAPULAN
	    PERE PERES
	    PHYTIN PHYTINS
	    SITI
	    SLIVOVICS
	    STETSON STETSONS
	    SULFONAL SULFONALS
	    SURVEILED SURVEILING
	    THERMIT THERMITS
	    UIT
	    WAEFU
	    WITEN
	    WOSTTETH WOTTETH
	    XANTHATE XANTHATES


3.3.3.3.       Current corrections to the OSPD 2nd ed.

The cumulative corrections to the OSPD2, all (except for DIDDLEYS)
corrected in the most recent printings, are:

	    p16   ALIYAH: -YAHS (not -YAS)
	    108   CLAUGHT: -ING (not -INT)
	    109   CLEEK: CLAUCHT (not CLAUGHT)
	    155   DIDDLEY: DIDDLEYS, DIDDLIES
	    213   FLANKEN: pl. FLANKEN
	    272   HONDLE: -DLED, -DLING, -DLES (not -DLIED or -DLIES)
	    273   insert HOOTY adj HOOTIER, HOOTIEST
	    321   LEAP: add LEPT as third past
	    359   insert MISENROLL v -ED, -ING, -S
	    364   MOJO: add MOJOES
	    424   PECORINO: -NOS, -NI
	    436   PINYIN: delete PINYINS
	    451   delete PREFROZE; insert PREFREEZE v -FROZE,
	          -FROZEN, -FREEZING, -FREEZES to freeze beforehand
	    481   delete REARMICE; insert REARMOUSE n pl. -MICE
	          reremouse
	    477   REFALL: add REFALLS
	    488   delete REREMICE; insert REREMOUSE n pl. -MICE a bat
	          (a flying mammal)
	    537   SJAMBOK: definition should be "to flog"
	    635   UNMESH: -ES (not -S)
	    638   UPFRONT adj
	    639   URB: pl. URBS
	    643   delete VANIR
	    675   insert XANTHATE n pl. -S a chemical salt

Some of these "corrections" muddy the rule that all uninflected words
in the OSPD have eight or fewer letters.


3.3.3.4.       Current corrections to the Franklin Electronic OSPD

	    additions   deletions
	    ---------   ---------
	    AMNIA       AMNIONIA
	                BRITISH
	    CAUDILLOS   CAUDILLLOS
	                CHEERLEADED
	                CHINESE
	                CHRISTMAS
	    CLUBBERS
	    CRACKLES    CRACKLEES
	    CRIOLLOS    CRIOLLLOS
	    EXPIATING
	                GONIONIA
	    GRAMS
	    HALAZONES
	    HIGGLED
	    HONDLES     HONDLIES
	    HORNBEAMS
	                IRISH
	                ITALIAN
	    MACHES
	                MISEATE
	    OPALESCING  OPALESCESCING
	    OUTDRAGGING
	                OUTEATE
	                OVEREATE
	    OVERLIT
	    PECORINI
	                PINYINS
	    REFALLS
	                S
	    SISSIES     SIES
	    UNCLOGGING
	                UNDEREATE


3.3.3.5.       Expurgation of OSPD and OSPD 3rd ed.

In October 1995, NSA issued an Expurgated Scrabble Players Dictionary
("ESPD"), calling it OSPD3, omitting approximately 167 words labelled
as offensive to specific ethnic, racial, sexual and other groups,
such as the words "dago", "jew" and "fatso".  Hasbro, the NSA's
parent, gave as major reasons for the change its desire to promote
Scrabble in elementary schools using the OSPD and complaints by
offended ethnic groups.

Facing much opposition by competitive players who did not want their
playing vocabulary restricted to those words considered safe for
children, NSA has made the ESPD *not* the official reference for club
and tournament play.  (It says on the dust jacket, "for recreational
and school play.")  Instead, as of February 1, 1996, competitions use
OSPD2 plus the words added in ESPD.  (A few words which reappear in
ESPD because of its sloppy basing on early copies of OSPD2 -- before
some corrections -- will not be added back, though.)

This compromise may be illusory, as ESPD is in print, while OSPD2 is
not.  NSA says it will supply the need for an in-print copy of the
unexpurgated word list by making All Words (section 5.3) or something
similar an official, licensed, publication.  Whether or not this
works, it's anomalous to have the "Official Scrabble Players
Dictionary" not be official.


3.3.4.      Tournament pairings

Most North American tournaments are ranked according to win-loss
record first, followed by the total of point margin in each game.  A
few tournaments score according to a predetermined number of credits
for winning and for each ten points of margin.   UK tournaments
commonly use sum-of-scores (the sum of the number of wins by one's
opponents), and Australian tournaments use total game score, as the
secondary factor.

In small tournaments or ones in where the field is sufficiently
divided, each player plays every other once.  This is called a round
robin.

In all the other tournament designs, whom one plays depends on where
one stands in the tournament so far.  In the first round, generally
the players' pre-tournament ratings temporarily stand in for the
tournament rank.

The modified form of Swiss pairing used at North American Scrabble
tournaments is best described by example.  Suppose 64 players are at
the tournament.  In round one, the first player plays the 33rd, the
second plays the 34th, etc., and the 32nd plays the 64th.  In round
two, the same top plays middle is used for the top and bottom halves
of the tournament separately: 1 plays 17, 2 plays 18, down to 16
plays 32, and 33 plays 49, down to 48 plays 64.  This continues with
groups shrinking by a factor of two at each round.

Because determining the pairings between rounds can take so long in
this method (computers are fast, but data entry can be slow), often
the field is divided into four groups, instead of two.  So with 64
players, 1 17 33 49 would be grouped together, as would 2 18 34 50,
and 16 32 48 64.  These groups of four then each play a round robin.

Note that this "speed-pairing" method provides the better players an
advantage.  Denote the four quartiles in order as A, B, C, D.  Then
the A player plays a B, C and D, while the D plays an A, B and C;
this tends to reinforce the pre-tournament estimate of the players'
strengths, and thus detracts from the aim of a tournament -- to
recognize performance, not rank.  A simple improvement has rarely
been tried, to have each A player also matched against an A from
another group, etc.  This models the round robin in small, and seems
inherently fairer.  (If anyone has references to scholarly treatments
of the fairness of tournament designs, I would be grateful to be
supplied with them.)

In the UK, most tournaments use a version of the Swiss method in
which at each round players are paired within groups consisting of
those with the same win-loss record.


3.3.5.      Tournament ratings

Using a system based on the Elo system used in chess, North American
tournament players get a rating in the range 0 to ~2150 which
indirectly represents the probability of winning against other rated
players.  This probability depends only on the difference between the
two players' ratings as follows:

	  rating     probability
	 difference  of winning
	    400       .919
	    300       .853
	    200       .758
	    100       .637
	     50       .569
	      0       .500
	    -50       .431
	   -100       .363
	   -200       .242
	   -300       .147
	   -400       .081

This represents the area under the standard bell-shaped curve where
200*sqrt(2) points are taken as one standard deviation.  (The table
shows some sample points on this curve, adequate for good
approximations of rating calculations by interpolation, although
actual calculations use the exact curve.)

To keep current on a player's actual quality of play, the rating is
updated after every tournament played.  First, the number of games
one is expected to win is calculated.  Let's use as an example a two
game tournament, in which player P begins with an 1800 rating, and
plays opponents rated 1900 and 1725.  P's rating is 100 below the
1900 player's, so P is expected to win .363 fraction of a game; P's
rating is 75 above the other player's, so P is expected to win .603
of a game (halfway between .637 and .569).

So in the two games, P is expected to win a total of .966 games.
Let's say P won one game.  That's .034 more than expected.  P's
rating goes up some constant multiple of this number.  Well, actually
it's not a constant, but depends on how many tournament games P has
ever played and how high P's rating is.

	                games played
	   Rating       < 50    >=50
	   below 1800    30      20
	    1800-1999    24      16
	    2000 & up    15      10

The UK ratings are somewhat similar but simpler: the probability of
the better player winning is taken as 50% plus the rating difference
as a percent, but no larger than 90%.

The Australian rating system is the same as the North American.

Current North American and UK ratings are available in
<URL:ftp://ftp.teleport.com/users/stevena/scrabble/ratings.html>.


3.3.6.      Upcoming tournaments

For a listing of upcoming North American tournaments, see the
Appendix.


3.4.     Organizations conducting Scrabble activity outside North
	 America and the UK

Spear, which sells Scrabble sets in 31 languages and 120 countries,
is considering organizing Spanish, German and Dutch Scrabble
tournaments, perhaps in 1997.  Contact Philip Nelkon (section 3.2).

The remainder of the information in this section is about English
language Scrabble.

Membership in the Australian Scrabble Players Association, which is
independent of the trademark holder, is $10 per year, $15 overseas.
Its quarterly newsletter, 'Across the Board', has columns on playing,
and tournament listings.  It may be reached at

	    The Scrabble Enquiry Centre
	    PO Box 405
	    Bentleigh Australia 3204
	    Tel: +61 3 578 6767

	    John Holgate
	    Australian Scrabble Players Association
	    14 Moodie Street
	    Farrer Australia 2607
	    <URL:mailto:jholgate@ozemail.com.au>

In Israel, English language Scrabble is played by several clubs.
There is a large one in Jerusalem.  Tournaments are rated under a
copy of the North American system.  There are occasional national
tournaments.  Sam Orbaum, who once wrote a weekly Scrabble column for
the Jerusalem Post, runs the Jerusalem club, which meets at ICCY, 12
Emek-Refaim St, Jerusalem at 7:30pm JST Tuesdays.  He can be reached
at (02)767967 (H), (02)315678 (W).

The Thailand National English language Scrabble tournament has drawn
as many as 885 contestants, including some top North Americans.  For
information on the (OSPD-based) yearly tournament usually held around
the end of January, contact

	    Mr. Ravee Joradol
	    Thailand Crossword Club
	    645/1 Petchburi Rd
	    Payathai, Bangkok 10400
	    Thailand
	    (662) 252-9607, 252-8147
	    (662) 252-8147 fax

In Thailand, sets are sold without regard to Spear's rights (section
2), resulting in its players not being invited to the World [English
Language] Scrabble Championships (section 3.3.1).  Similarly, before
the change in Rumania's regime, unauthorized sets were sold, and in
the ensuing vacuum, Rumania was invited to the 1995 WSC only as an
observer.

Nigeria and Japan each have an active English language Scrabble
tournament scene.

For addresses of many English language Scrabble organizations and
contacts, see the Appendix.


3.6.     Crossword games on the Internet
3.6.1.      Crossword games servers

A MUD-like server dedicated to playing crossword games (with boards
configurable by the players) is available by telnet at
eel.st.usm.edu, port 7777 (this means to reach it under Unix, type
"telnet eel.st.usm.edu 7777").  A FAQ for this server is available
for ftp at sushi.st.usm.edu in /doc/doom/faq, and for MUDS generally
at pit-manager.mit.edu in the directory
pub/usenet/news.answers/games/mud-faq.

Other MUDs having crossword-game play as one of their services
are listed at <URL:http://128.100.68.52:7777/www/dict-clients.html>.


3.6.2.      Crossword games mailing lists

To be added to one of the crossword games mailing lists, write to
<URL:mailto:saint@mit.edu>.  crossword-games is open to anyone,
crossword-games-pro to active tournament players, and
word-game-programmers to anyone interested in design of programs for
crossword games.  See
<URL:http://www.starwave.com/people/foster/cg-list.html>
There is also a
<A HREF="mailto:listserv@isltd.insignia.com">UK-centered list</A>;
to join, send the body &quot;ADD uk-scrabble&quot; (without
quotation marks).


3.6.3.      Crossword games related homepages

These crossword game entities have WWW homepages:
    the Scrabble Championship of Spain:
	<URL:http://www.acoisa.es/scrabble>
    the Los Gatos, CA, club:
	<URL:http://www.yak.net/kablooey/scrabble.html>
    the Sysosset, NY, club:
	<URL:http://www.li.net/~peshkin/>
    Mississippi club #47:
	<URL:http://home.teclink.net/~jtparker/scrab.html>
    Scrabble(r) in North Central Florida:
	<URL:http://www.afn.org/~scrabble/>
    the Romford, England, club
	<URL:http://www.pledgor.demon.co.uk/>
    Cygnus Cybernetics:
	<URL:http://www.csn.net/cygcyb/>
    The Australian Scrabble Players Association:
	<URL:http://www.ozemail.com.au/~aspa>
    The SOWPODS</A>homepage
	<URL:http://www.ozemail.com.au/~rjackman>
    The Scrabble HomePage in Japan:
	<URL:http://www.komaba.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp/~g540179/Scrabble/>
    Kevin Cowtan's Scrabble Challenge, University of York, UK:
	<URL:http://www.yorvic.york.ac.uk/~cowtan/scrabble/wsc.html>
    %9%/%i%V%k$N>R2p - Scrabble HomePage in Japan:
	<URL:http://www.komaba.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp/~g540179/Scrabble/>
    Des mots, toujours des mots:
	<URL:http://www.odyssee.net/~jps/home/scrabble.html>


3.6.4.      Crossword games related newsgroup

No Scrabble-specific Usenet newsgroup exists, and all indications are
that such a group wouldn't generate enough traffic.  The best
newsgroup for discussing crossword games is
<URL:news:rec.games.board>.  The flat-text version of this FAQ is
posted there monthly, and occasional questions are asked and answered
there.


4.    Differences between Scrabble in North America and in the UK

OSW and Chambers govern Scrabble play in the UK.  Australia is
moving toward "double-dictionary" play, where words from either
Chambers or OSPD are accepted.  Some clubs in North America are
considering making this at least optional.  An added impetus for
this trend is the expurgation of OSPD (see section 3.3.3.5).

In the UK, a player erroneously challenging suffers no penalty.

The UK has a second form of Scrabble play that is waning: high-score
tournaments, where only the total of one's own scores matters.  Since
one's "opponents'" scores are irrelevant, play in this system aims
for open boards and encourages elaborate setups often independently
mined by the two players.


5.    Publications on Scrabble
5.1.     Periodicals
5.1.1.      Scrabble News

This is a publication of the National Scrabble Association (see
section 3.1), and comes with membership.

Puzzles, contests, gossip, intermediate and advanced tactics,
official information from NSA and Milton Bradley, tournament listings
and tournament results.


5.1.2.      Tourney News

This provides mostly tournament results listings, with bits of
discussion of tactics, issues and occasional word lists.  $18 per
year in the US, $C24 in Canada, $35 US elsewhere.

	    Tourney News
	    Box 2013
	    Teaticket, MA 02536
	    <URL:mailto:70750.3724@compuserve.com>


5.1.3.      JG Newsletter

This excellent publication follows in the footsteps of Letters for
Expert Players (section 5.1.4.1) and Medleys (section 5.1.4.3) in its
thorough position analyses.  Also includes some puzzles.  $25 for
1996 11-issue subscription.

	    Jim Geary
	    31 West Cochise Dr
	    Phoenix, AZ 85021-2484
	    (602) 943-5281
	    <URL:mailto:jaygee@primenet.com>


5.1.4.      Non-North American periodicals
5.1.4.1.       Onwords

Billing itself as the "Scrabble Enthusiasts' Magazine", this is the
only publication substantially written by more than one person.  It
features numerous columns, lists, analyses, letters and tournament
reports.  Subscriptions are #6 for 6 issues in the UK, #10 elsewhere.

	    Allan Simmons
	    Onwords Magazine
	    Shilling House
	    1 Woolmer Hill
	    Haslemere
	    Surrey, GU27 1LT
	    England
	    <URL:mailto:onwordsmag@aol.com>

5.1.4.2.       APSP Newsletter

The newsletter of the APSP, section 3.1.

5.1.4.3.       Forwords

The quarterly official magazine of the New Zealand Association of
Scrabble Players, including news, tournament results, comments and
competitions.

	    Jeff Grant
	    Waipatu Settlement Rd
	    RD2
	    Hastings
	    New Zealand

5.1.4.4.       Scrabble Club News

Published by Spear, #8.00 for 6 issues.  News about clubs in the UK.


5.1.5.      Defunct periodicals
5.1.5.1.       Letters for Expert Players

This letter-form publication, which ceased in December 1986, still
forms a rich mine of top expert opinion on interesting positions.
Back issues may (possibly) still be available from:

	    Albert Weissman
	    11 White Rock Road
	    Westerly, RI 02891


5.1.5.2.       Matchups

Besides detailed tournament results, Matchups picked up from the
Letters in using a panel of experts to annotate interesting
positions.  Published 1984-1991.  Back issues available.  See section
12.6.


5.1.5.3.       Medleys

Probably the highlight of this well-edited, entertainingly written
monthly were the game annotations.  One game per month was annotated
in full.  Three interesting positions were analyzed by readers, with
quotes.  Word lists, study techniques, anecdotes, humor and opinions
rounded out the publication.  The only drawback was a long-running
two-page tournament advertisement in this 12 page newsletter.

For the 12 issues of 1991 and 1992, $34 each; for 1993, $36; plus $2
shipping ($3 US in Canada).

Also, compiled from the pages of Medleys, "The Art and Science of
Anamonics" [a memory-efficient method for studying which letter 6-
and 7-letter sets anagram to make words with; e.g., the letters of
SLANDER make an 8-letter word with those in CALL GOD A PIOUS CHUMP]
and "Complete 7+1 Anamonics #1-2100".

$5 and $29 respectively; plus $0, $2 shipping.

"Expert Analysis -- Consensus Game" #1, #2, #3, #4, and "Expert
Analysis -- Consensus Extras" vol. 1, vol. 2, $29 each; plus $2
shipping.

The second and subsequent least expensive items are charged half the
above shipping costs.

	    Nick Ballard
	    536 Kirkham St
	    San Francisco, CA  94122-3611
	    (415) LOG-NICK
	    <URL:mailto:nack@netcom.com>


5.1.5.4.       Rack Your Brain

Subtitled "Analysis of your favorite crossword game", Brian
Sheppard's series of booklets deeply analyzed specific positions.
By the author of the program Maven (section 12.3), which is an
important tool for move analysis.  $42 for one year, $5 each.

	    Brian Sheppard
	    296 Old Marlboro Road
	    Concord, MA 01742


5.2.     Books

Everything Scrabble, Joe Edley <URL:mailto:deeejloy@aol.com> & John
D. Williams, Jr.  1994, Pocket Books.  In bookstores, $12.00, or from
Cygnus Cybernetics, section 12.1.  Practical advice for finding good
plays plus practice word puzzles on and off board.  The first author
was the 1980 and 1992 North American champion.

The Champion's Strategy for Winning at Scrabble, Joel Wapnick.  1986,
Stein & Day.  Out of print.  Best for advanced players, with
sophisticated analyses of many positions and good study techniques.
The author was the 1983 North American champion.

How to Win at Scrabble, Jacob Orleans & Edmund Jacobson.  1953,
Grosset & Dunlap.  Out of print.

More Fun with Scrabble, Jacob S. Orleans & Edmund Jacobson.  1954,
Grosset & Dunlap.  Out of print.

The Official Scrabble Player's Handbook, Drue K. Conklin.  Harmony
Books.  Out of print.

Scrabble Players Handbook, Selchow & Righter Company.  1974.  Out of
print.

The Scrabble Book, Derryn Hinch.  1976, Mason/Charter.  Out of print.

The Ultimate Guide to Winning Scrabble Brand Crossword Game, Michael
Lawrence & John Ozag.  1987,  Bantam.  Good for beginners to
intermediates; covers many of the basic approaches to analysis.  Out
of print, but may be available from Edward R. Hamilton, a mail-order
remainder bookseller.

Scrabble Tournament Success, a booklet focusing on the thought
processes which can help intermediate players improve.  Available
>from the author, an excellent player, for $7 + $1 shipping.

	    Darrell Day
	    Marketing Concepts
	    5 Westglen Place
	    Plano, TX 75074

World Championship Scrabble, Gyles Brandreth & Darryl Francis.  1992,
Chambers.  Twenty-two annotated games from the 1991 World
(English language) Scrabble Championship, which was played using
words in OSW or OSPD.  In bookstores, or $7.95 + $3.50 shipping from
Cygnus Cybernetics, section 12.1.

The Word Game Power Workout, Rita Norr & Audrey Tumbarello.  1993,
Perigee, Putnam Publ.  Endeavors to teach words "through trivia, word
meanings, riddles, mnemonics, and geography."  This book appears
useful for breaking the reader through to thinking in terms of
anagrams, hooks, prefixes, suffixes and extensions.  Also includes
four pages of well thought out, dense suggestions for better Scrabble
play.  In bookstores, or $10.95 + $3.50 shipping from Cygnus
Cybernetics, section 12.1.

The Literate Puzzler.  Rita Norr & Audrey Tumbarello.  1994.
Sterling Pub. Co.  More puzzles using words from OSPD.  In
bookstores, $4.95.

One Wordy Guy, William R. Webster
  A novel on Scrabble; includes puzzles.  $6 postpaid from WilMar
  Publishing, c/o William R. Webster, Box 5023, Carefree, AZ 85377.

British and Double-Dictionary Scrabble books:

Official Scrabble Words (Chambers)
  Comprehensive listing of 2- to 9-letter words in the official
  Scrabble word reference, the Chambers dictionary.
The Ultimate Scrabble Book, Philip Nelkon
  1995, Stanley Paul, #14.99.
  Tips on tactics illustrated with tournament situations; explanation
  of the British rules.  Quizzes and puzzles.  Credit card orders in
  the UK at 01279 635377.
Play Better Scrabble Video, Darryl Francis
  #10.99 including shipping to the UK, from Spear.
Championship Scrabble, Alan Richter
Play Better Scrabble, Michael Goldman
  Focuses on nearly obsolete high-score version of competition.
How to Play Better Scrabble, Darryl Francis (Chambers)
  Some good strategy tips, reportedly.
The Scrabble Book, Gyles Brandreth
  covers both British & North American Scrabble, available,
  $5.99 + $4 shipping, from Cahill & Co., (800) 755-8531
The Scrabble Puzzle Book, Gyles Brandreth


5.3.     Word lists

Since the list of words from a dictionary has uncertain copyright
status, people having such lists for personal use shy away from
sharing them.  However, a copy of the OSPD2 two to eight letter words
is available for ftp from gatekeeper.dec.com in
/pub/micro/msdos/misc/crossword-archive, in files named words.?.Z,
for ? from 2 to 8.  Another copy, in one file, is at
byrd.math.uga.edu in /pub/win/games/scrabble, file ospd.txt.  Also
available for ftp is a large list of Anamonics (section 6), compiled
by John J. Chew III, at sushi.st.usm.edu:/doc/doom/anamonics.

Numerous lists and other items are available from Cygnus Cybernetics
(see section 12.1).

On-the-fly list-making: telnet to MarlDOoM at eel.st.usm.edu 7777
and give the command "help acbot-words1" for how to summon the
multitalented robot ACBot and get it to generate lists to your
specifications.  See
<URL:http://www.doe.carleton.ca/~jac/acdir/words.html>

List-making tools: Pageize is a set of tools for making anagram and
other word lists for Scrabble study.  From the author of Video
Flashcards (see section 5.4).

Sheppard Company, Inc., maker of Maven (see section 12.3) sells lists
(charging $5 + $1 for each additional list for shipping the lists;
the book is separate) including:

    The Tournament Study Book: various lists, with duplicates
    removed, for studying all the major areas a tournament player
    must know, emphasizing efficiency, mnemonics and self-tests.
    Anamonics (see section 6) included.  $19.95 + $4/5/7 shipping to
    US/Canadian/other addresses, + $2 shipping each additional book,
    to any address.

    2-, 3- and 4-letter words with hook relationships, $7.95.

    5-letter words by consonant content, $7.95.

    Bingo frequency list, $12.95 each for 7- and 8-letter words.

    Bingos grouped by anahooks (see section 6), $12.95 each for 7-
    and 8-letter words.

    Vowel-heavy words, $7.95.

    Tournament Study Book (new for OSPD3), $19.95 plus $4 for
    U.S. shipping, $5 Canada, $7 elsewhere.

The Blank Book, 2nd ed., Alan Frank
  Shows all letters with which each set of six and seven letters
  anagrams to make a word.  Also specifies whether more than one word
  can be formed.  Spiral bound.  $20 + $3 shipping from Matchups,
  section 12.6.

The Old-Fashioned Anagram Book, Alan Frank
  All 2- to 8-letter words anagrammed according to their alphabetized
  letter sets.  Spiral bound.  $15 + $3 shipping (or $32.50 + $4.50
  shipping together with the Blank Book 2nd ed. above) from Matchups,
  section 12.6.

The Weird Book, Alan Frank
  Features such retrograde lists as words with weird trigrams, high
  probability racks forming 7- and 8-letter words with only one low
  probability tile, and words displaying all ways of forming plurals
  (e.g. LIKUTA MAKUTA, ZLOTY ZLOTYCH).  $10 + $2 shipping from
  Matchups, section 12.6.

The Complete Wordbook, Mike Baron & Brian Sheppard
  Contains (1) specialty word lists: the most efficient lists to
  study (vowel heavy words; JQXZ 2..6s; -S and non-S surprise shorts;
  7s & 8s grouped by studying priority; -INGS, -LIKE, -ABLE, -IBLE
  lists); (2) hooks: 2-to-make-3s ... 8-to-make-9s; and (3)
  alphagrams: all 3s ... 8s unscrambled.  $20.00 including The
  Complete Blankbook and shipping.  Outside the US and Canada, add $5
  per address.  Wordbooks & Listmats, P.O. Box 2848, Corrales NM
  87048-2848.

The Complete Blankbook, Mike Baron & Jim Homan
  Lists all 6- and 7-letter sets forming 7- and 8-letter words and
  all bingos formed.   $20.00 including The Complete Wordbook and
  shipping.  Outside the US and Canada, add $5 per address.
  Wordbooks & Listmats, P.O. Box 2848, Corrales NM 87048-2848.

All Words, Jim Homan
  All 2- thru 9-letter words accepted in North American play, updated
  for OSPD3.  $12 + $3.50 shipping from Cygnus Cybernetics, section
  12.1.

Back-Words, Jim Homan
  All 2- thru 9-letter words accepted in North American play
  alphabetized from the back.  $12 + $3.50 shipping from Cygnus
  Cybernetics, section 12.1.

9-Letter Hooks and Anagrams, Jim Homan
  Shows what letters extend 8- to 9-letter words, and letter sets
  forming all 9-letter words.  $10 + $3.50 shipping from Cygnus
  Cybernetics, section 12.1.

High Probability Bingos, Jim Homan
  The 1000 most likely 7- and 8-letter words to draw to an empty
  rack.  Also, the 1000 7- and 8-letter words most often played by
  a computer in a substantial sample of games.  $3.25 + $3.50
  shipping from Cygnus Cybernetics, section 12.1.

JQXZ Bingos, Jim Homan
  7-, 8- and 9-letter words containing the four top tiles.  $3.25 +
  $3.50 shipping from Cygnus Cybernetics, section 12.1.

Various word list books, Sheppard Company, Inc.
  Short words, JQXZ words, 5-letter words, vowel-heavy words,
  7- and 8-letter anamonics, 7s and 8s in frequency order,
  5-vowelled 8s, 5-to-make-8s, front hooks.  Section 12.3.

The Family Bingo Tree
  Similar to the two above, it groups together all 7- and 8-letter
  words formable from each 6-letter set.  $45 from Randy Hersom
  (section 5.4).

hookiesT
  2-to-make-3 thru 7-to-make-8 hooks.  $22 from Randy Hersom
  (section 5.4).

Hooklets
  Traces chains of words each hooking the one before.  Also
  has lists of non-hook words and prefix and suffix lists.  $12
  plus $3 shipping, at Northeast tournaments or by arrangement
  for postal mail, from John Babina,
  <URL:mailto:babina@cs.sunysb.edu>.

New Words Study Guide and Definitions, Pat Cole
  Lists words added due to OSPD3, with inflections and brief
  definitions, plus some important lists of new words and hooks,
  study hints, variant spelling and anagrams.  $10 plus $2 postage
  from Pat Cole, 5816 Eastpines Dr, Riverdale, MD, (301) 927-5537,
  fax 249-2609, <URL:mailto:vickilyn@clark.net>.  Note that the
  definitions are offered on line.
  <URL:http://www.yak.net/kablooey/scrabble/newwords.html>

Double List Word Book, Ethel Cannon Sherard
  OSPD1 based, alphabetically by word length and by last letter.  Has
  numerous omissions.  Gwethine Publishing Co, P.O. Box 41344, Los
  Angeles, CA 90041.

The Scrabble Word-building Book, Saleem Ahmed; $5.99
  Inconsistent in inclusion of new OSPD2 words; numerous errors.

The Official Scrabble Word Finder, Robert W Schachner; $7.00
  This is useless for Scrabble.

Official Scrabble Word Guide.  Grosset & Dunlap, Jacob Orleans; $6.95
  This 1953 book, still found in stores, is based roughly on the Funk
  & Wagnalls dictionary then current.

Official Scrabble Lists, 2nd ed.
  Numerous lists based on OSW3; useful playing hints.  Available in
  the same places as OSW.

Griffon Word List 1995
  Based on OSW + OSPD, listing all words up to 8 letters in length.
  #15, US $24, Aus $28 includes international air mail, Aus $20 each
  for ten.
	    Geoff Wright
	    PO Box 13
	    Brunswick Australia 3056

	    Barry Harridge
	    <URL:mailto:barry@break.com.au>

Celebrity Scrabble, Lois Kahan
  Proper names acceptable under OSPD.
	    Lois Kahan
	    392 Central Park West
	    New York, NY 10025

English Jus Ain Twat Tizwas, Arlene Fine
  Humorous and, the goal is, memorable mispronunciations of many
  double-dictionary words in short narratives and lists.  Real
  definitions are given in a glossary.
	    Arlene Fine
	    87 Sandler Rd
	    Percelia Estate
	    Johannesberg
	    2192
	    South Africa

Four-Letter Words Allowable in Scrabble, 2nd ed., Bob Jackman
  Unusual double-dictionary fours defined and organized by common
  characteristics as an aid to learning.  Five-letter version
  forthcoming.  #10, $10 US CAN or Aus, $15 NZ in bank notes, postage
  paid.
	    Bob Jackman
	    P.O. Box 28
	    Lindfield NSW 2070
	    Australia
	    <URL:mailto:rjackman@ozemail.com.au>
	    <URL:http://www.ozemail.com.au/~rjackman/publicns.html>

Official Scrabble Words on Compact Disk
  This is supplied for Sony's Data Diskman.  Search facilities are
  reportedly poor.

Official Scrabble Players Electronic Dictionary
  Produced by Franklin, this credit-card sized device contains the
  OSPD2.  It does anagram queries and queries with blanks in fixed
  position.  Some proper nouns have crept in as acceptable words,
  apparently from careless scanning of the printed OSPD2.  Available
  for $36.00 + $5.00 shipping from Cygnus Cybernetics (see section
  12.1), for $35.00 in person, or in quantities of 4 at $29.00
  including shipping from
	    Bob Smith
	    1785 O'Farrell St #7
	    San Francisco, CA 94115
	    (415) 931-0141
	    (415) 968-7297 fax
	    <URL:mailto:bobsmith@gamewareco.com>
	    <URL:http://www.gamewareco.com/>
  or from Radio Shack, when in stock, at varying sale prices below
  their original $59.99.  Cygnus and Smith ship each device with a
  card listing all the current corrections -- for which, see section
  3.3.3.4.

  It was rumored in 1993 that the Franklin OSPD might be withdrawn
  because of wrangling between Franklin and Milton Bradley about the
  proceeds, but nothing has been heard about this since.  There are
  no plans to manufacture a version for OSPD3.

The Official Scrabble Page-a-Day Calendar, John D. Williams, Jr.
Workman Publishing.
  One word per day from OSPD in a 1997 calendar.  $8.95, $10.95 CAN.


5.4.     Word study/lookup software

LexAbility (IBM PC), besides an anagram study system, includes a
feature allowing play of Scrabble by modem.  $50 postpaid in US and
Canada.

  Randy Hersom
  115A Rhyne St
  Morganton, NC 28655
  (704) 437-6841
  <URL:mailto:randyhersom@hci.net>

Puzlpack (IBM PC), $25 + $3 shipping; also from Cygnus Cybernetics
(see section 12.1).

  Chuck Fendall
  Recroom Recware
  P.O. Box 307
  Pacific Grove, CA 93950

Anna (IBM PC), $99 + $5 shipping, quizzes on anagrams without
requiring typing words.  It emphasizes words missed over time, and
allows custom lists as well as functioning as an anagrammer.

  Mary Rhoades
  2325 Shady Grove Dr
  Bedford, TX 76021
  (817) 545-3216

LeXpert (Windows), $59.95 (+ $4.95 shipping), updated for OSPD3,
tests on or presents a timed slide show of many predefined anagram
and hook word lists; lists words containing patterns or letter sets.
OSPD, OSW and SOWPODS versions.  Demo version available for $2.00 by
mail or by ftp from ftp.netcom.com, /pub/sm/smartsoft.

  Everything's Possible
  28930 Monterey Dr
  Southfield, MI 48076
  (810) 353-9241
  <URL:mailto:carolrav@ix.netcom.com>
  <URL:http://vvv.com/scrab/lexpert.html>

Wordy (IBM PC), $2 registration fee.  More useful for its set of
list construction tools than its word-formation game.

  Mendel Cooper
  P.O. Box 237
  St. David, AZ 85630-0237
  <URL:mailto:thegrendel@gcc.cc.md.us>
  <URL:http://personal.riverusers.com/~thegrendel/>

qz (Unix, Mac, DOS), free.  Tests on questions and answers supplied
by the user individually or inserted from a file.  By John J. Chew
III, <URL:mailto:jjchew@math.toronto.edu>.  By ftp from
sushi.st.usm.edu:/doc/doom/qz.

Word Ear-Obics, $10 for each of three cassettes, which contain high-
frequency seven-letter words from common six-letter stems, eight-
letter words from the stem AEINST, and four and five letter JKQXZ
words with hooks.

  4414 Sparta Way
  N Las Vegas, NV 89030
  (702) 656-7570

Video Flashcards 96 (IBM PC), $60 (+ $3 shipping).  Tests on anagrams
and hooks.  The flashcards of this well done program's paradigm can
be chosen, sorted, filtered and saved straightforwardly.  Words
solved needn't be typed.  Shows definitions from a user-supplied
file.  Excellent visual reinforcement, including slide show mode.
Functional demo available limited to 100 uses and 45 days, $3
shipping.  Mac version due out soon.

  Robert Parker's Video Flashcards
  P.O. Box 3365
  Albuquerque, NM 87190-3365
  (505) 837-1611
  <URL:mailto:vidflash@aol.com>
  <URL:http://members.aol.com/vidflash/vfhome.html>

Flash (IBM PC), #18.50 in the UK.  For studying OSW bonus (bingo)
word lists starting from the top 99 6-letter racks.  (The program is
licensed to use OSW; its author is considering an OSPD or double
dictionary edition.)

  Ian Burn
  8 Cromer Close
  Reading, Berks
  England RG31 5NR


6.    Basic tactics and methods

Rack Balance

  Some groups of letters combine well, others poorly.  Most
  obviously, racks full of vowels or of consonants are usually hard
  to play.  Also, racks with duplicate letters -- even "good" letters
  (except most often S and sometimes E) -- reduce flexibility.
  Therefore, give weight in evaluating possible plays to how well the
  leave combines.

  As a corollary, also consider what replacement tiles you're likely
  to draw.  For example, if the choice between playing FARM and FORM
  is otherwise indifferent, and there are many "A"s unplayed but few
  "O"s, use the A to minimize the likelihood of duplication on the
  next rack.

  The simplest application of attending to leave is attempting to
  keep good tiles.  On average, S, E, R, and so on form words most
  flexibly, and are particularly conducive to bingos.  Choices
  between letters lower down also matter: P is better than B.  But
  racks with Z or X tend to score high without playing long words.
  Which type of "good" letter is best to keep varies.

  In applying all these ideas, consider the board situation.  If
  there is a prime spot for a T, not used by the candidate plays, but
  none for an S, prefer to play off the S.  If the letters available
  to be played through are mostly consonants, lean further toward
  keeping vowels.

Tile-tracking

  Since the set of tiles in a game is always the same, knowing what
  is left is as useful to the Scrabble player as to the card-counting
  blackjack player -- only easier.  While some find tracking hurts
  their concentration, after practice, most do it without disruption.
  Others count only when they see a specific need.

  Tracking allows better rack balancing: knowing there are many more
  "A"s than "O"s outstanding allows one to lean toward playing an A.
  It keeps one aware of whether the Q is outstanding, and of the risk
  and opportunity in other tiles which fit particularly well or
  poorly with the board.

  Finally, once no tiles remain in the bag, tracking determines what
  exactly is on the opponent's rack.  Just before the bag is empty,
  it allows fairly confident guessing what the opponent has.  These
  allow all kinds of end-game play: set-ups, plays to assure the
  opponent cannot go out and enable one to throw out all rules of
  thumb and simply analyze cases for how to win.

Challenging

  One of the tactical considerations for challenging is not special
  to Scrabble.  If the only way you can lose is to challenge your
  opponent's word, refrain.  If winning requires a successful
  challenge (plus perhaps some further luck) and there is any chance
  the word is phony, challenge.

  It is generally best not to challenge a bingo if an alternative
  bingo was playable.  I once played (P)SCHENT for several fewer
  points than CH(A)STEN because I knew my opponent would be outraged
  that I'd try such a stupid word on him.  He should have calmed his
  emotions and considered my alternatives.  Of course, had he found
  the over ten point better play, he might have inferred I had missed
  it, and challenged.

  Consider the possibility that you are better off with the
  (possibly) phony word on the board.  If it creates a lucrative
  opening for you, makes especially good use of your rack, or wastes
  your opponent's blank, offset the point benefit to you against the
  benefit to opponent of not losing this turn.  Weight this
  calculation using your degree of certainty as to whether the word
  is good.

  Use your right to challenge all words formed.  Since the director
  gives only one ruling on the acceptability of all challenged words,
  your opponent may be uncertain which word was phony and try the bad
  word again.

Study

  The great variety in learning styles prevents any definitive
  recommendation of study methods, but there are some principles.

  Study the words most likely to occur.  Know the two-letter words
  cold, since they are essential to common parallel plays.  On the
  way to learning the three-letter words solidly, learn all front and
  back extensions for the twos.  Learning the part of speech and the
  meaning of the two-letter words helps many people assimilate this;
  it is a technique that allows many to derive dual benefit from all
  kinds of study.

  Also extra likely to occur because of the reward, as well as worthy
  of special study simply because of the reward, are the seven- and
  eight-letter words.  Many techniques are possible.

  One top player has memorized an ordered list of these words each of
  which is the first element of one of a set of subsidiary lists
  which encompass the entire set of bingos.  That method is only for
  the very dedicated.  Practice anagramming by matching the remaining
  letters to a common suffix or prefix.  Some claim success in
  extending this technique to allow recognition of words which, for
  example, contain the letters ING but form only a non-"-ING" word,
  such as LINGOES.

  Unless you have a photographic memory, try to learn words in small
  enough sets that you can master them to the point that you
  recognize both when you can and cannot anagram to one of them.  For
  example, learn the list of all eight letter words containing
  exactly the vowels EEIIO (EOLIPILE and others).  Then the phony
  OLEINIZE will not get by you, nor will you try it yourself.

  Try Anamonics, an efficient technique for learning, positively and
  negatively, whether a letter set anagrams to a word.  For example,
  the letters of SLANDER make an 8-letter word with each of those in
  CALL GOD A PIOUS CHUMP.  For this and other very effective
  techniques, see back issues of Medleys (section 5.1.5.3).

  Practice anagramming at any time there are words around you whose
  meaning you do not need to concentrate on.  This will soon take
  over your life so that even reading the newspaper, SENATOR will
  translate to TREASON and ATONERS, deeply affecting your world-view.


7.    Typical games
7.1.     Typical scores

In a 27 game, 194 participant tournament in 1988, the average score
was 368.6, standard deviation 60.6 and the distribution of scores:

	    180       2            420     214
	    190       1            430     165
	    200       2            440     141
	    210       5            450     101
	    220      26            460     100
	    230      27            470      58
	    240      19            480      63
	    250      56            490      53
	    260      78            500      34
	    270     101            510      24
	    280     137            520      19
	    290     185            530      12
	    300     205            540       6
	    310     257            550       6
	    320     309            560       4
	    330     325            570       7
	    340     336            580       1
	    350     345            590       1
	    360     325            600       2
	    370     331            610       0
	    380     325            620       0
	    390     328            630       0
	    400     276            640       0
	    410     225            650       1


7.2.     Frequency of bingos

In the 1983 national championship among 32 selected players, players
got 2.9 bingos per game between them in games that happened to be
annotated.  Graeme Thomas has calculated the probability of having a
playable bingo on the first rack as 12.63% for OSPD2 plus the new
words in ESPD, and 13.65% for OSW.


8.    Scrabble records
8.1.     Actual

The following records are for sanctioned (that is, in an official
club or tournament) North American play.  Some UK records are
mentioned, but not those occurring under high-score rules.  (See
section 4.)

The high combined score and the high individual score were both
obtained in a 1993 California tournament by Mark Landsberg, who
scored 770 against his opponent's 338.  (Graeme Thomas has scored 789
in the UK, using OSW.)

The high margin of victory including phonies was by Ken Lambe of
Michigan, who scored 716 versus his opponent's 147, using a single
phony.

The high single turn, 338 points, was achieved in a club game by Jeff
Widergren of California.

Longest consecutive opening sequence of bingos by one player:
Jeremiah Mead of Massachusetts played five in a 1989 North American
championship tournament game; Joseph Levine of California did the
same in a 1996 club game.


8.2.     Theoretical

These records allow words only from the OSPD (1st ed.) and
Merriam-Webster (9th ed.).

The highest single scoring play, found by Kyle Corbin of North
Carolina, shown with the hooked words:

	A1  OXYPHENBUTAZONE  1458
	1A  OPACIFYING         63
	3A  YELKS              12
	4A  PREInTERVIEWED     25
	h1  BRAINWASHING       63
	k1  AMELIORATIVE       17
	l1  ZARFS              27
	15A EJACULATING        63
	   +bonus              50
	                     ----
	                     1778

The highest combined score, found by Steven Root of Massachusetts:

	H2  LANKEST            74
	8F  METRICAL           60
	8A  GRAVIMETRI(C)ALLY 293
	2F  SULTANA(S)         61
	1E  HE, ES              7
	1E  HEN, NU             8
	1I  UT, UT, TA          6
	1I  UTA, AN             5
	1M  ON OS               3
	L2  AR                  2
	L2  ARF                12
	1A  OXYPHENBUTAZONE,
	     BLANKEST, ZARF  1576
	5E  GINKGOES, ZARFS   123
	B1  XI                 18
	O7  PYRUVATE           67
	N14 WE, WE             20
	D8  VERDITER           76
	13B DIT                 8
	B13 DE                  6
	B13 DEI                 4
	15D ROT                 3
	G14 OE, ROTE            6
	13G JOE, JO            35
	I13 BA, JOB            22
	I13 BAH                 8
	14I AI                  4
	K14 LI, AIL             5
	11D DEADWOOD          106
	15A MICROTECHNIQUES,
	     IN, PYRUVATES   1264
	  +2 times "F"          8
			     ----
			     3642


8.3.     Blocked games

The positions from which no play is possible no matter what tiles are
held, which are reached with the fewest plays and tiles (found by Jim
Geary of Arizona and Kyle Corbin of North Carolina, respectively)
are:

	     (K)            (J)
	    K E V          J U S
	      V O X          S O X
	       (X)U           (X)U

Without using blanks, the smallest, found by Rick Wong of California,
is:

	      F
	     HUP
	    FUCI
	     PIU


9.    Scrabble variants

In Anagram Scrabble (Clabbers, to some), where in the usual game, a
word in the dictionary may be used, the adjacent tiles need only
anagram to such a word.  A player when challenged must come up with a
single word to which the challenged set of letters anagrams.  Tiles
are still fixed in position once placed.

In an idea discussed in Medleys, called New Scrabble, the role of
luck in the draw of blanks is reduced in that both players have one
blank, not in the bag, which they may use to replenish their rack
once during the game.

Ecology Scrabble allows recycling blanks, in accordance with a common
"house rule".  See section 3.3.2.

In Duplicate Scrabble, players all play the same board, competing for
high score on each move.  Duplicate tournaments are held in France.

Open Sequence Scrabble, which has been used as the basis for English
language duplicate competition, is easy to play by e-mail.  Two
players have an ongoing game on the Web,
<URL:http://www.netrover.com/~eyevet/emailscr.html>.

10.   Play-by-mail games

Open-book Scrabble by snail mail is run by Medleys.  (See section
5.1.5.3 for its address.)  Medleys charges $5 for a round, plus $3
per game in a round; players participate in from 2 to 8 simultaneous
games.

In the UK, the Postal Scrabble Club is very active.  See the Appendix
for a contact.


11.   Scrabble paraphernalia
11.1.    Tiles

Milton Bradley will replace without charge individual lost tiles from
in-print sets sold in North America.  Write to

	    Milton Bradley Co
	    Attn Consumer Affairs
	    443 Shaker Rd
	    East Longmeadow, MA 01028
	    (413) 525-6411
	    <URL:mailto:cmeredith@scrabble.com>

specifying the tiles, set type, and item number of the set.

Standard-issue tiles are "braillable", that is, particular letters
(and especially blanks) can be distinguished inside the bag by feel,
and "false blanks" may be played, since the back of all tiles is the
same as the front of a blank.  Protiles, which are preferred
according to tournament rules, prevent this.  They are long-lasting,
and the seller replaces lost tiles without charge.  Available for $18
+ $3.50 shipping from Cygnus Cybernetics, section 12.1, or for $18
per set (10% off for 10 or more) from

	    Robert Schoenman
	    Box 408
	    Lake Oswego, OR 97034
	    <URL:mailto:schoenman@aol.com>

Protiles in a 3-piece design (front and back encasing a paper letter)
are supplied by Roy Peshkin, section 11.3.

For $8.50 per set, Nate Kates will imprint the back of plastic
Protiles with a name of up to 4 or 5 letters.

	    Nate Kates
	    8170 Reche Canyon Rd
	    Colton, CA 92324

In the UK, Spear makes Tournament Tiles, which besides having
thinner, harder to braille ink than the regular Spear tiles, do not
wear as quickly, nor smudge when wet.  Available from Philip Nelkon
(section 3.2) for #6.


11.2.    Clocks

Chess clocks, used to time games at clubs and tournaments, are
available where chess paraphernalia is sold, but avoid those analog
models on whose faces the individual minutes past zero are not
marked.

Analog quartz clocks are sold by Cygnus Cybernetics, section 12.1,
for $45 (or $52 for a see-through case) + $5 shipping, and also by
Matchups, section 12.6, $67.50 + $5 shipping, section 12.6.  Wind-up
clocks are sold by Matchups for $41.00 + $5 shipping.

A precision analog clock, well suited to Scrabble, is sold for $125
with padded case.  It features a second hand which stops at discrete
positions to assure rulings as precise as those using a digital
clock.

	    Richard Buck
	    10 Gilkey Ct
	    Watertown, MA 02172
	    (617) 923-8909

A digital model also well suited to Scrabble, called the "SamTimer",
is the only choice for large (one inch) numbers showing seconds of
overtime (in part because its maker caused that ability to be removed
>from a competing model), and a slanted face, is sold for $135 (+ $10
for padded bag) + $3 shipping by

	    Sam Kantimathi
	    Box 5236
	    El Dorado Hills, CA 95762-5236
	    (916) 933-3360
	    <URL:mailto:samk@netcom.com>
	    <URL:http://www.yak.net/kablooey/SamTimer.html>

In the UK, the APSP sells wind-up clocks for #20.


11.3.    Playing equipment

In addition to various plain, deluxe (rotating) and travel editions
sold by the trademark holders, a few types of circular rotating
boards are sold.  These generally incorporate paper markings taken
>from an authorized board.  For information, write to any of

	    Phil Rosenberg
	    864 Colonial Av
	    Union, NJ 07083

	    John Cornelius
	    20 Henry St
	    Dayton, OH 45402-2239
	    (513) 223-4536

	    Mike Connally
	    12488 Hwy 181 S
	    San Antonio, TX 78223
	    (210) 633-3308

to Mary Lou Thurman (below),

	    Roy Peshkin
	    85 Rodeo Dr
	    Syosset, NY 11791
	    (516) 364-1476
	    <URL:mailto:peshkin@li.net>
	    <URL:http://www.li.net/~peshkin>

or to

	    Eileen Willis
	    3664 Danielle Ct NE
	    North Liberty, IA 52317
	    (319) 626-6391

Braille and Low-Vision Scrabble, a variant of the deluxe, turntable
edition, is sold in North America by Lighthouse, Inc., (800)
829-0500.  Blind players do play in tournaments, bringing their own
braille sets, which have visible printed letters.

The Franklin Mint sells a Scrabble set (complete with a copy of the
OSPD2), with wooden board and shiny metal tiles, for $495, even
higher in the UK.  No serious player I know owns one except a few who
have won this garish item as a Franklin-donated tournament prize.

Mary Lou Thurman sells several things, including: a cover of light
plastic mesh for the deluxe edition of Scrabble allowing collecting
tiles from the board all at once, $2.50 square, $3.50 round; tote
bags, $15-$20; tile bags, $6-$10; chess clock bags, $7; OSPD book
covers, $6-$7; Wordbook covers, $7; all optionally decorated or
embroidered with names.  7.5% tax and $1.50-$4.00 shipping up for
$10-$40 of merchandise.

	    Mary Lou Thurman
	    2627 24th St
	    Lubbock, TX 79410
	    (806) 744-7702

Luise Shafritz sells lined tile bags with the aid of a spring device
to prevent tiles from falling out, as well as clock protectors and
other items.  Bags are $10 or $8, plus $2 shipping ($3 for more than
one).

	    2740 Meadowcrest Ct
	    Wexford, PA 15090
	    (412) 935-5896, 935-6048 fax
	    <URL:mailto:luise@pgh.nauticom.net>

Peter and Trudy Olson sell silk tile bags with rounded corners for
$21, by money order, including postage.  P.O. Box 236, McKenna, WA
98558, (360) 894-1340.

Punch bound books of 100 scoresheets in various colors and tracking
orders, with or without board diagrams, are available for $5.00 each
plus $3.00 shipping for up to 3 books from

	    Danny Gatlin
	    191 Lakeshore Rd
	    Jackson, MS  39212


11.4.    Miscellaneous

    Spear (section 3.2) (shipping is to UK and Ireland only)

      T-shirts, standard #5.99, deluxe #7.99; baseball caps, #5.99;
      pins #1.25; tournament tiles #6.00; pens #.30 each, plus #1
      shipping

    Magnificent Mouchoirs

      Boxer shorts, #12.95; handkerchief, #6.95; silk tie, #19.95;
      braces (suspenders) #24.95; bow tie, #14.95; cuff links,
      #14.95.  Shipping #1.95 within UK, #4.00 within Europe, #6.00
      outside Europe.

      The cuff links are of individual Scrabble tiles; Q, U, V, X, Y
      and Z are not available.  The others depict the board from the
      deciding game of the 1993 World [English Language] Scrabble
      Championship; on the handkerchief, the board is exact, on the
      others, it is taken from a continuous fabric of that board,
      resulting in distortions.  The players (and authors?) of that
      game (Mark Nyman and Joel Wapnick) are not credited and are not
      being compensated.

	Magnificent Mouchoirs
	Quayside Lodge
	William Morris Way
	London SW6 2SY
	0171 371 7017, fax 0171 371 7115

    Novel-Tees

      Authorized Scrabble t-shirts, with such sayings as "Scrabble
      Is My Life" spelled out, at least in part, in tiles.

	Novel-Tees
	PO Box 4043
	Lindenwold NJ 08021-4043
	<URL:mailto:novltees@erols.com>
	<URL:http://vvv.com/scrab/shoppe.html>


12.   Computer versions of Scrabble

There are (1) Scrabble-playing programs licensed in the US and UK;
(2) "crossword game" programs which can be configured to play
Scrabble; and (3) programs which ignore the trademark and copyright
issues.  All are represented below.

For a citation to a publication on efficient Scrabble move finding,
see section 12.13.  An improvement on the method described there
appears in:

	    A Faster Scrabble Move Generation Algorithm
	    Steven Gordon <URL:mailto:magordon@ecuvax.cis.ecu.edu>
	    Software Practice and Experience, 24:2, Feb 1994, pp.
	      219-232

The following paper compares approaches for move selection:

	    A Comparison Between Probabilistic Search and Weighted
	      Heuristics in a Game with Incomplete Information
	    Steven Gordon <URL:mailto:magordon@ecuvax.cis.ecu.edu>
	    AAAI Fall 1993 Symposium on Games: Playing and Learning,
	      AAI Press Technical Report FS9302, Menlo Park, CA

James A. Cherry (<URL:mailto:jac@doe.carleton.ca>) will mail back
computerized critiques of played games, after being supplied properly
formatted game logs.
<URL:http://www.doe.carleton.ca/~jac/acdir/log2.html>



12.1.    CrossWise (IBM PC, Windows)

A ridiculously fast player which plays at the highest level, twice
having won the international Computer Olympiad at Scrabble.  Highly
configurable, with a professionally programmed interface.  Contains
all OSPD3 words, but no others over eight letters.   (An augmentation
of the dictionary to cover 9 letter words is $12.50.)  No setup
capability; hinting ability is "limited" to showing all moves in
score order.  $35 + $4.50 shipping for DOS, $45 + $5.00 shipping for
Windows.

	    Cygnus Cybernetics Corporation
	    2013 Weathertop
	    Fort Collins, CO 80526
	    (800) 357-8168
	    (970) 490-1288, 493-5370 fax
	    <URL:mailto:info@cygcyb.com>
	    <URL:http://www.csn.net/cygcyb/>

A UK variant of CrossWise is described in section 12.7.

Note that the shipping charge for orders of multiple items is $3.50
for the first $29.99 of merchandise, plus $.50 for each $10.00 up to
a maximum of $6.00.


12.2.    Gameboy Super Scrabble (Nintendo)

Based on American Heritage Dictionary, not OSPD.


12.3.    Maven (Macintosh, Windows)

An extremely strong and intelligent player.  Never having entered the
International Computer Olympiad, its strength can't reliably be
compared to CrossWise's.  It includes excellent facilities for
position analysis.  The program keeps track of various statistics
about the registered player, so orders must include the name of the
player, and (if available) their current rating.  All rights to Maven
have been sold to Hasbro, so it won't be available until Hasbro comes
out with its own, official, version (section 12.18).

	    Sheppard Company, Inc.
	    60 Thoreau St #187
	    Concord MA 01742-9116
	    (508) 287-0055
	    (508) 287-4583 fax
	    <URL:mailto:SheppardCo@aol.com>


12.4.    Monty Plays Scrabble (hand-held)

Ritam Corporation.  Originally available for the IBM PC and Apple II,
since 1987 only as a hand-held unit.  Comes with 20,000 words from
OSPD1, upgradable to about 40,000, which is still incomplete.
Deplorable strategy.  The hand-held version requires scrolling around
a small screen to find the board area of interest.  Reportedly
sometimes changes the letter represented by a played blank.
Apparently no longer licensed by Milton Bradley, its current
availability is unknown.


12.5.    Scramble/Literati (IBM PC/Windows)

These are very pretty games.  But note this from the documentation of
Scramble, available for ftp at ftp.accessnv.com\fg\games\scram12.zip,
(which applies as well to Literati, the Windows port): "Q.
How come I can see my opponent's rack?  Shouldn't it be hidden? A.
You must be thinking of some other crossword game.  This is Scramble.
In Scramble, you get to see your opponent's rack."  The machine
player plays for high score on each turn.  While substitution of a
user-provided dictionary for the quite incomplete one supplied is
provided for, this slows down an already slow game.

	    Ted Gruber Software
	    P.O. Box 13408
	    Las Vegas, NV 89112

The unregistered version of Literati v1.15, available for ftp at
<URL:http://theyellowpages.com/shareware/mvp.htm> or
<URL:http://wcl-rs.bham.ac.uk/GamesDomain/lordsoth/windows/literati.html>,
is limited to using the provided small dictionary and a non-Scrabble
board; registering at $24.95 plus shipping ($4 in the US) brings a
full dictionary but still not a standard board.

	    MVP Software
	    1035 Dallas S.E.
	    Grand Rapids, MI 49507-1407


12.6.    Tyler (IBM PC, Macintosh)

Written for the IBM PC and ported to the Macintosh (not very
smoothly, I am told), this version is distinguished by a complete
OSPD2 and Merriam-Webster dictionary up to 15 letters, with a UK
dictionary also available, by good strategy and by good setup and
hint facilities.  (I regularly use it to automatically critique my
tournament games.)  Unfortunately, the latest version, 3.04 is flaky,
and the author has not been upgrading as frequently as he had been.
$50 + $2 shipping.  OSPD3 version due out soon.

	    Matchups
	    35 Gardner St
	    Arlington, MA 02174
	    (617) 641-1007
	    <URL:mailto:alf@world.std.com>
	    <URL:http://world.std.com/~alf/matchups.htm>


12.7.    US Gold Scrabble (IBM PC, Amiga, Atari ST)

Licensed for sale in the UK, this is essentially similar to CrossWise
(section 12.1), but comes with the complete contents of the OSW.
Reviews in the APSP newsletter say "a splendid opponent ... speed is
quite astonishing ... graphics and facilities are excellent."  Cost
is around #30.

	    US Gold
	    Units 2/3 Holford Way
	    Holford
	    Birmingham B6 7AX
	    Tel: +44 1213 563388
	    <URL:http://www.digisport.com/usgold.htm>
	    <URL:http://www.segaoa.com/products/third/usgold/>


12.8.    Vic Rice's Game (IBM PC)

This goes under the name "Scrabble" but for clarity, I'm denominating
it according to its author's name.  Available from

	   Vic Rice
	   4026 Bayou Grove Dr.
	   Seabrook, TX 77586

and from the bulletin board system (BBS) where the author resides:

	   Ed Hopper's PC Board
	   (713) 782-5454


12.9.    Virgin Mastertronic (IBM PC, Macintosh)

Licensed for sale in the US.  Sold in three versions, about $15, $25
and $35.  The standard version has about 20,000 words from the OSPD1.
The two deluxe versions have the complete OSPD1 with some errors.  In
the IBM PC program, the deluxe version adds VGA graphics.  The $35
version is the deluxe for Windows, which stops running when in the
background.  Reportedly plays at the level of a middling tournament
player, but with no discernible strategy.  Also reportedly very slow,
with the deluxe versions, holding the full OSPD1, taking two to three
minutes per move on a 386/33.  Windows deluxe version was available
at $18.95 from Surplus Software, (800) 753-7877.  Mac version may be
available from MacPlay.


12.10.   WordsWorth (IBM PC)

Shareware version, available for ftp from ftp.aztec.co.za in
/pub/gram/wwdem.zip, uses the OSPD2 restricted to words of up to six
letters.  Registration brings the complete OSPD2 and Merriam-Webster,
and costs 75 S. African Rand, $25 US or #20.  Currently in version
1.3; version 2.0, out soon, will be for Windows and X11.

	    Graham Wheeler
	    P.O. Box 6680
	    Roggebaai
	    Cape Town 8012
	    South Africa
	    <URL:mailto:gram@oms.co.za>


12.11.   STrabbler (Atari)

Shareware, it is available for ftp from atari.archive.umich.edu in
the directory /atari/Games.  It requires at least 1MB of memory.
Words are played by click-and-drag using the mouse.  The program
plays solely for high score.  It contains a 45,000 word editable and
browsable dictionary.


12.12.   Unix Scrabble (Unix)

Available by ftp from ftp.doe.carleton.ca in the directory
/pub/scrabble.  This program, by James A. Cherry, has to be compiled
for the target machine.  It comes with an American Scrabble
dictionary, for which a single word file in simple ASCII may be
substituted.  Currently in version 1.31.  The player faces from one
to three computer opponents which play for highest score at each
move.


12.13.   CRAB (Unix, Sun, Vax and Macintosh)

Based on their article in a research journal:

	    The World's Fastest Scrabble Program
	    Andrew W. Appel and Guy J. Jacobson
	    Communications of the A.C.M. v.31 no.5, May 1988, pp.
	      572-578,585
	    abstract:
<URL:http://www.acm.org:82/pubs/toc/Abstracts/0001-0782/42420.html>

	    <URL:mailto:appel@cs.princeton.edu>
	    <URL:mailto:guy@research.att.com>

this product from Jacoppel Enterprises (the Unix, Sun, Vax version of
which is currently in version 1.3) appears primarily designed to
demonstrate the speed of their move-finding method, but does permit a
real, player-versus-machine game to be played.  Their method is no
longer the fastest (their timings on more sophisticated machines are
far outdone by CrossWise on a lowly IBM PC), but illuminating
nonetheless.  The Mac version is available at any mirror of the
Info-Mac archive, including mirrors.aol.com, directory
/pub/info-mac/game/word, in the file x-words-10.hqx; the Unix source
code is available by anonymous ftp from the Crossword Archives,
gatekeeper.dec.com, /pub/micro/msdos/misc/crossword-archive/crab.sh.


12.14.   Scrabble Door (IBM PC BBS)

When installed by the system operator, allows playing others on an
IBM-PC based BBS.  Player, logged on to the BBS, need not be using a
PC.  Shareware, $25 payable by sysop.  Registered version includes
built-in dictionary based on OSPD2, and allows sysop-supplied ASCII
dictionary.  Rather than challenges, plays with phonies are rejected,
costing a player's turn only after 3 bad attempts.

	    Christopher Hall
	    P.O. Box 165507
	    Irving, TX  75016-5507
	    <URL:mailto:chall@computek.net>
	    <URL:http://www.computek.net/public/chall/>


12.15.   ScrabOut/Networdz (Windows)

User-installable dictionary.  ScrabOut played merely for high score
and didn't see parallel plays.  Networdz, the successor, is more
sophisticated in strategy and configurability, and allows play over
the Internet.  In both versions, having to drag tiles to the board is
annoying.  Registration at $12 brings support.

<PRE>	    Lance Frohman
	    2035 Filbert Street #102
	    San Francisco, CA 94123
	    Lance Frohman
	    2035 Filbert Street #102
	    San Francisco, CA 94123
	    <URL:mailto:lfrohman@sirius.com>
	    <URL:http://www.sirius.com/~lfrohman/shareware.html>


12.16.   X-Words (Macintosh)

Registration of this shareware product by Andrew Trevorrow is $20.
Available by anonymous ftp at ftp.kagi.com, directory downloads/akt,
in the file xwords.hqx.  Handsome interface, easy to set to common
board configuration.  Lexicon is OSPD1, but editable.  Will kibitz
high scoring and best play; has setup (a bit laborious) but not
simulation capability.  Reportedly fast, with strategy somewhat
weaker than Maven's (section 12.3), still leaving it fairly strong.

	    Andrew Trevorrow
	    <URL:mailto:akt@kagi.com>
	    <URL:http://www.kagi.com/authors/akt/xwords.html>


12.17.   Amiga Scrabble (Amiga)

Scrabble for the Amiga.  Available by anonymous ftp from
plaza.aarnet.edu.au in the directory /pub/aminet/game/2play,
file scrabble.lha.  Author and features unknown so far.


12.18.   Scrabble CD-ROM (Windows, Mac)

Although based on Maven (section 12.3), this Hasbro product on CD-ROM
falls far short of it.  The ability to alter the position has been
removed, the board is seen only from a non-perpendicular perspective
<URL:http://www.tiac.net/users/skyworld/acm/e3/phtscrab.jpg>, the
human always goes first, it sometimes deals 3 blanks, doesn't show a
clock in tournament mode, and requires 25MB of disk although 5MB is
claimed.  Priced at $48.55, it plays in English, French, German or
Spanish, but features the ESPD (section 3.3.3.5), not the full OSPD.


12.19.   XScrabble (X Windows)

This program, by Matt Chapman and Matthew Badham, has to be compiled
for the target machine.  It allows saving and restoring games, and
comes with OSPD2.  Available at
<URL:http://www.csv.warwick.ac.uk/~csuoq/programs/xscrabble.tar.gz>.


12.20.   Gary's Computer Scrabble (Unix)

Distributed in source form, it requires python, Tkinter, gcc and
shared libraries.  If this means something to you, you can try it.
<URL:http://www.cs.su.oz.au/~gary/hobby/scrabble.html>


12.21.   Ortograf (Macintosh)

Plays in duplicate or match-play modes, in French or English.
Shareware, $25.  <URL:http://207.134.168.2/ortograf/>


13.   Glossary

Bingo:  A play that uses all seven of a player's tiles, earning a
50-point bonus.  Good tournament players average one to two such
plays per game.  The unlovely term "bingo" is used by North American
players.  British players say "bonus play" or just "bonus".

Double-Double, Triple-Triple:  A play that covers two double word
scores, or triple word scores, respectively, scoring quadruple or
nonuple ("hey, it's in Chambers") the raw score of the word.  In the
UK, "4-timer" and "9-timer".

Exchange:  A turn in which a player trades letters rather than
playing on the board.  This is allowed only when at least 7 tiles
remain in the bag.  In the UK, "change".

Hook:  A play adding one letter to one end of of a word already
played, while creating a main word perpendicular to the extended
word.

Leave: The tiles remaining on a player's rack after their play.

Parallel Play:  A play making several words perpendicular to the main
word by extending existing words or inserting letters between
existing tiles.

Pass:  A turn in which a player does nothing.  Compare with exchange.

Phony:  A word played that is not in the official dictionary or
dictionaries.


14.   Litigation


Scrabble's trademark and copyright protections and its owners have
been involved in several lawsuits in the USA.  This section (in
draft) describes some of those.  (None of this is to be taken as
legal advice -- anyone needing to know how the law applies to their
situation will have to consult an attorney willing to take them on a
client.)

	Landsberg v. Scrabble Crossword Game Players, Inc., 736 F.2d
	485 (9th Cir.) (holding that defendant's "Scrabble Players
	Handbook" did not infringe the copyright on plaintiff's
	draft book "Championship Scrabble Strategy", submitted by
	plaintiff to defendant, because, although the lower court
	found defendant surreptitiously retained copies of and copied
	from plaintiff's work, what was taken was at most
	uncopyrightable ideas; for example, defendant "had taken" its
	"notational system"; but remanding on whether its conduct
	violated an implied-in-fact contract to compensate him if it
	used his ideas, and for possible attorneys' fees for
	"vexatious, oppressive, obdurate and bad faith conduct of
	[the] litigation," 736 F.2d at 491), cert. denied, 469 U.S.
	1037 (1984).

	Worth v. Selchow & Righter Co., 827 F.2d 569 (9th Cir. 1987).

	Selchow & Righter Co. v. Decipher, Inc., 598 F. Supp. 1489
	(E.D. Va. 1984) (defendant's "Real Questions For Your
	Trivial Pursuit Game" infringed the trademark licensed to
	plaintiff by imitating the trademarked product's appearance,
	or "trade dress" and by overuse of the term "Trivial
	Pursuit," where these were not functional).

	Horn Abbott Ltd. v. Sarsaparilla Ltd., 601 F. Supp. 360 (N.D.
	Ill. 1984) (temporarily enjoining sale of a book "In Further
	Pursuit of Trivial Pursuit", which reproduced all 6000
	questions and answers in plaintiff's game (plus explanations)
	and imitated its "trade dress").

	Production and Marketing Co v. E.S. Lowe Co, Inc., 390 F.2d
	1013 (Ct. of Cust. & Pat. App 1968) (denying defendant use of
	the name "Scribbage" for a crossword game, as infringing on
	"Scrabble").

	Selchow & Righter Co. v. McGraw-Hill Book Co., 580 F.2d 25
	(2d Cir. 1978) (preliminarily enjoining publication of
	defendant's "The Complete Scrabble Dictionary" as tending to
	render plaintiff's trademark generic; noting however, that
	"[t]he extent to which it has come into general use to
	describe a game or games rather than their origin or source
	of supply is fairly open to proof."  580 F.2d at 28).

	Selchow & Righter Co. v. Book-of-the-Month Club, Inc., 192
	USPQ 530 (S.D.N.Y. 1976) (denying a preliminary injunction
	against defendant's "The Scrabble Book" based on plaintiff's
	failure to show irreparable harm from its publication).


A0.    Copyright

This article is copyright 1994-1996 Steven Alexander.  Except as
follows, all rights are reserved.  Copies may be made in propagating
any of the entire Usenet newsgroups on which this is posted by the
copyright holder.  Archives accessible by anonymous ftp which collect
FAQs or entire Usenet newsgroups may maintain a copy.  Individuals
may make single copies for personal, non-commercial purposes.  Each
copy permitted must be complete.  Other than the above, no permission
is granted to copy or distribute.  No permission is granted to
prepare derivative works.


A1.   Credits

Many thanks to John J. Chew III, Jim Homan and Graeme Thomas for
numerous corrections and improvements.  Also to Barry Harridge and
Philip F.X. Ryan for information on Australia.  Thanks also to Edith
Berman, Gary Dismukes, Steven Gordon, Adam Logan, Maggie Morley,
Larry Sherman and Harriet Strasberg for helpful comments, and to the
members of the mailing list crossword-games-pro (section 3.6.2), who
ferret out and share much useful information.

If you have suggestions or better information on anything here,
please mail me at <URL:mailto:stevena@teleport.com> with "FAQ" in the
subject.


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Steven Alexander
<URL:mailto:stevena@teleport.com>
<URL:http://www.teleport.com/~stevena/scrabble/faq.html>
