A guide for improving Scrabble skills discusses how to maximize scores with bonus squares, more seven-letter plays, tile exchanges, word extensions, and well-planned endgames.

This “marvelously absorbing” book is “a walk on the wild side of words and ventures into the zone where language and mathematics intersect” (San Jose Mercury News). A former Wall Street Journal reporter and NPR regular, Stefan Fatsis recounts his remarkable rise through the ranks of elite Scrabble players while exploring the game’s strange, potent hold over them—and him. At least thirty million American homes have a Scrabble set—but the game’s most talented competitors inhabit a sphere far removed from the masses of “living room players.” Theirs is a surprisingly diverse subculture whose stars include a vitamin-popping standup comic; a former bank teller whose intestinal troubles earned him the nickname “G.I. Joel”; a burly, unemployed African American from Baltimore’s inner city; the three-time national champion who plays according to Zen principles; and the author himself, who over the course of the book is transformed from a curious reporter to a confirmed Scrabble nut. Fatsis begins by haunting the gritty corner of a Greenwich Village park where pickup Scrabble games can be found whenever weather permits. His curiosity soon morphs into compulsion, as he sets about memorizing thousands of obscure words and fills his evenings with solo Scrabble played on his living room floor. Before long he finds himself at tournaments, socializing—and competing—with Scrabble’s elite. But this book is about more than hardcore Scrabblers, for the game yields insights into realms as disparate as linguistics, psychology, and mathematics. Word Freak extends its reach even farther, pondering the light Scrabble throws on such notions as brilliance, memory, competition, failure, and hope. It is a geography of obsession that celebrates the uncanny powers locked in all of us, “a can’t-put-it-down narrative that dances between memoir and reportage” (Los Angeles Times). “Funny, thoughtful, character-rich, unchallengeably winning writing.” —The Atlantic Monthly This edition includes a new afterword by the author.

Newly revised with updated new strategies and words, the classic how-to guide to one of the most popular board games of all time. First introduced to the public in the mid 1950s, Scrabble has gone on to be one of the biggest selling board games in history—and is currently gaining legions of new fans in the online world. Offering relevant game tips for both the beginner and the seasoned pro, Everything Scrabble includes basic board strategies, tips for utilizing the letter "Q" (with and without the letter "U"), the latest in high scoring words, a complete list of two-letter words that can to increase players’ scoring averages by thirty to forty points—and much more. Featuring a complete history of the game, this extensively illustrated guidebook covers all facets of the game and worldwide Scrabble culture—including tournaments, champions, and rules—and is a must have for every serious fan.

Written by one of the best Scrabble players in the world, Breaking the Game delves into Scrabble like you've never seen before. Whether you are a new player who wants to beat your friends and family, an avid word lover who wants to know about Scrabble, an avid game player who wants to pick up the game, or an experienced Scrabble master, Breaking the Game can help anyone become a better Scrabble player. Breaking the Game covers basic Scrabble concepts (such as anagramming and board vision) to more complex concepts such as leaves, fishing, setups, and endgame. While it describes these concepts at a high level, it is written simply, at a level that anyone can understand! This book will become a reference for any Scrabble enthusiast that they can come back to time and time again!

If you want to know how to play scrabble, then get "How To Play Scrabble" guide. Have you ever thought about finding a game that lets you use your brain while still allowing you to have a lot of fun? - Scrabble is the perfect game for you to enjoy with your friends, family, coworkers, social group, church function, or anyone! With this handy guide description, you can learn all about how to play Scrabble, with instructions on setting up the game, word building, scoring, the history of Scrabble, and much more. - Inside this guide you will find chapters for anything Scrabble-related that you can think of, so that you will understand the rules and gameplay. The guide also offers tips and strategies for building high-scoring words and finding other ways to play Scrabble when you cannot play the traditional board game. This includes information on Scrabble for your Kindle, Scrabble's Facebook application, and Scrabble on the iPhone. - The Table of Contents also provides a quick overview of the guide's chapters, with headings and subheadings to make finding what you are looking for even easier. - Colorful pictures feature the process in detail, so you will be ready to play Scrabble by the end of the book. You might not be a professional yet, but you will be well on your way to the highest scoring words and games ever! Click "Buy Now!" to get it now!

Inside this little book one of Britain’s top Scrabble players reveals his top tips for all day, everyday Scrabble success.

Friendship, family, and high-stakes Scrabble come together in this compelling novel from a bestselling author Duncan Dorfman, April Blunt, and Nate Saviano don't seem to have much in common. Duncan is trying to manage his newfound ability to "read" with his fingers. April is striving to be accepted by her family of jocks. And Nate is struggling to meet his father's high expectations. But when a Scrabble Tournament brings them together, their stories intertwine. Driven by competition, drama, and just a touch of magic, the story will have readers flying through the pages, anxious to discover who will be the real winners . . .

A group biography of seven enduring and beloved games, and the story of why—and how—we play them. Checkers, backgammon, chess, and Go. Poker, Scrabble, and bridge. These seven games, ancient and modern, fascinate millions of people worldwide. In Seven Games, Oliver Roeder charts their origins and historical importance, the delightful arcana of their rules, and the ways their design makes them pleasurable. Roeder introduces thrilling competitors, such as evangelical minister Marion Tinsley, who across forty years lost only three games of checkers; Shusai, the Master, the last Go champion of imperial Japan, defending tradition against “modern rationalism”; and an IBM engineer who created a backgammon program so capable at self-learning that NASA used it on the space shuttle. He delves into the history and lore of each game: backgammon boards in ancient Egypt, the Indian origins of chess, how certain shells from a particular beach in Japan make the finest white Go stones. Beyond the cultural and personal stories, Roeder explores why games, seemingly trivial pastimes, speak so deeply to the human soul. He introduces an early philosopher of games, the aptly named Bernard Suits, and visits an Oxford cosmologist who has perfected a computer that can effectively play bridge, a game as complicated as human language itself. Throughout, Roeder tells the compelling story of how humans, pursuing scientific glory and competitive advantage, have invented AI programs better than any human player, and what that means for the games—and for us. Funny, fascinating, and profound, Seven Games is a story of obsession, psychology, history, and how play makes us human.

From the only two-time national champion in Scrabble history comes a challenging and extensive collection of 1,000 Scrabble puzzles. Diagrams throughout.

Based on Collins English Dictionary, Collins Official Scrabble Words is the most comprehensive Scrabble wordlist ever, including World English from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, UK, and USA brought together in a single list. With over 276,000 permissible words, including inflected forms, this is the ideal training and adjudication tool for anyone playing Scrabble. Collins Official Scrabble Words is endorsed by Mattel and WESPA (the World English-Language Scrabble Players Association) and is the essential reference for all Scrabble players.