Be the Word master
For 22-year-old Sherwin Rodrigues, words are like his best friends. The four-time national Scrabble champion, who started playing the game at the age of ten is one of the many Scrabble players who are battling it out at the Bayer National Scrabble championship in Mumbai.
For guys like Sherwin, Scrabble besides being a good way to pass time, is a test of your word power. “Anybody with a powerful vocabulary can do well in the game. But besides your word power, it’s also a test of your analytical thinking and how good you are in strategy making. It’s a lot like a mind game,” he says.
The gamers are usually also very good in mathematical skills. A lot of calculation goes on in the game. You get to play just 25 minutes and have to score as many points as possible within that time. “The game also tests your time management skills and ability to spot a word. Within the allotted time not only do you have to score as many points as possible, you also have to be able to guess your opponent’s next move. This ability comes very handy during End Games,” adds Sherwin, who is currently ranked number two in India.
Since the first All India Open Scrabble championship organised in 1998, the word game, which was developed by American architect Alfred Mosher Butts in 1938, has risen in popularity in the world. In fact India hosted the World Scrabble championship in Mumbai in 2007, where Scrabble players from 30 countries participated in the tournament.
The game is played on a square board with 15-by-15 grid of cells, and is marked with premium squares like eight “triple-word”, 17 “double-word”; 12 “triple-letter”, and 24 “double-letter” squares that multiplies your scores.
While analytical thinking, vocabulary, anagramy skills, spotting ability, grip in jumbled words are the must-haves, there are a few tips that every player can use to increase his scoring ability. One of them being a good knowledge of words starting with the five letters Q, J, X, Z and K. “The highest score for a word on Scrabble is 64 (not counting the bonus), also called Bingo, which you can earn by placing Q strategically on the triple letter score. Also you must keep a balance rack. Three vowels and four consonants greatly increase your scoring chances,” he adds.
While all these skills could be acquired by playing the game or using online resources and Scrabble books, what is also important is to keep one’s cool. “This way you can think better and stay focussed,” he adds.
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