Scrabble - SpeedyLook encyclopedia

History

The Scrabble was conceived by the architect New Yorkean Alfred Mosher Butts (April 13rd, 1899 - April 4th, 1993). Constrained to unemployment by the crisis of 1929, it launched in 1931 a first version called Lexiko , but it needed much obstinacy to make known and to recognize its play. It had however carefully calculated the distribution of the letters among the 100 tokens on the basis of statistical analysis of a specimen of the NewYork Times .

To develop the rare letters, to polish the plate of play, to change the name - too near to the competitor Lexicon - into Alph , It or CrissCrossWords were not enough yet to decide the editors. The current grid appeared in 1938 and the name Scrabble was deposited in 1948 by James Brunot to which Alfred Butts had yielded the rights in exchange of a royalty. Success goes back only to 1952 when, according to the legend, one of the owners of Macy' S (the department store of New York), which played Scrabble during its holidays entered a violent anger when he realized that this play was absent from its rays. In 1953, Brunot, which could not ensure manufacture any more resold the rights to Selchow and Righter .

Europe will be also slow with engouer. The French-speaking version was created in 1955, but France had to wait until 1965 and one advertizing operation relayed by the Club the Mediterranean to see a significant number followers clashing with blows of expensive letters.

Principles of the play

The plate of play is a square grid of 15 by 15 (either 225 boxes in all), of which certain coloured boxes, said “multiplying boxes”, develop the letter or the word placed above. There is 102 letters in all in the French-speaking version. The letter E is most frequent with 15 occurrences, but is worth only one point, while the “expensive letters” J, K, Q, W, X, Y and Z are single but are worth 8 (J and Q) or 10 points (K, W, X, Y and Z). Each pulling must comprise 7 letters, if however the number of letters remaining allows it. The first word must pass by the central box (often covered with a star) and the following words must be based on words already placed.

The player who manages to place 7 letters by posing a word receives a no-claims bonus of 50 points. This kind of blow is called “scrabble” (in English, one says no-claims bonus or bingo ). The player “scrabblé”. The search for a scrabble must obviously be the priority at the time of each blow.

If a scrabble appears impossible to form (for example, on a pulling such as “BGIOOUV”), the player must pay his attention on the boxes “word counts triple” and “word counts double” if they are accessible, and in the contrary case the player will seek to make bear fruit the expensive letters already placed, or will try “to build” (to place a word by sticking it to another word already placed on the grid).

The boxes “letter counts triple” and “letter counts double” also have their interest, in particular making it possible to place a expensive or semi-expensive letter in “pivot”, thus doubling the score granted by the multiplying box.

Each played word must appear in the edition in force of the Official one of the play Scrabble .

Scrabbles

With the first blow, the most expensive scrabbles are “WHISKEY” and “WHISKEYS”. Each one brings back 144 points while placing W, K or Y on the box letter counts double.

the scrabble of eight letters most expensive is “WHISKEYS” placed on two boxes “word counts triple”, K placed on the box “letter counts double”. Thus, this word brings back 482 points. This is called a nonuple, because the score of the word is multiplied by three twice, i.e. by nine.

It is theoretically possible to place a scrabble of 15 letters while being pressed on 8 letters already posed on the grid. If the letters placed cover the three boxes “word counts triple”, the total is multiplied by 27.

the minimum score of a scrabble is of 56 points. It is obtained by using the two jokers and 5 letters of a point, and while being pressed on a letter already posed on the grid (to the first blow, such a scrabble would bring back 62 points).

the pulling which allows the most “dry” scrabbles (in 7 letters) is “A.E.I.N.R.S.T. ”; it makes it possible to form 19 different words: ARÉTINS, ARISENT, ENTERED, INERTAS, INSERTED, FRIEZES, RENTAIS, RESINED, RETSINA, LAUGHING, TO GLOSS, WILL FEEL, SERIATING, SERINÂT, TO TREAT WITH TANNIN, TARSIEN, DRAGS, STIFF and TSARINA.

It is possible to carry out a null score on a valid blow, while placing a word of two letters made up of two jokers.

Traditional or duplicate

The manner of playing known as “traditional” opposes from 2 to 4 players who in turn pose a mot. In the majority of the countries, the competitions are organized, following the example tournaments of failures, in rounds of singular matches, with against one. Thus the anglophone world proposes every two years a championship of the world. The traditional play did not cause the same passion of competition among French-speaking people because, as of 1970, the lawyer of Brussels Hippolyte Wouters imagines the formula “duplicate” which allows the simultaneous participation several hundreds of players. Each one has its own play, which reproduces the grid common to all, and seeks all the blows on the pullings imposed by a referee. He writes at the end of a determined time, from one to three minutes, a reply coupon comprising his lucky find. The arbitration is based from now on on data processing, of the software providing the optimal solution instantaneously. The best solution is announced by the referee and is placed on the common grid, which is used as starting point for the next turn. General classification is established by addition of the scores obtained.

The generalization of Internet makes it possible from now on simultaneously to propose the same parts in several places. On Internet Scrabble Club, it is possible to play on line, against of other players or against computers.

The French federation asserts approximately 16 000 bachelors of which 2 500 school, in approximately 1000 clubs, which practice Scrabble duplicate quasi exclusively.

Since 2004, under the impulse of some impassioned, one attends a true development of traditional Scrabble in club and competition (payments, competitions and classifications).

Allowed vocabulary

List words of two letters

“/” Announces an invariable word.

All prize lists

Scrabble duplicate : Championships of the French-speaking world of Scrabble in duplicate
traditional Scrabble : traditional Coupe de France of Scrabble
See also : List of tournaments of French-speaking Scrabble and List of players of Scrabble

Various records

The Scrabble lends itself to the research solution extremes. One thus could compose in French, in bulk:

the most expensive part: 4031 points by complying with the rules of the duplicate and 4123 points while freeing itself from this constraint;
the least expensive part: 28 points, outcome with a definitively blocked situation;
the maximum of points in 6 blows: 1639 points;
the blow expensive: 1797 points by posing the 27-uple (word recovering 3 red boxes) “disencumbered”, the grid being already furnished;
the maximum of points by not using the letter E: 2202 points.

These records are in conformity with the Official one of Scrabble (version 4).

Anecdotes

The first manufacturer of the play in French version had forgotten the two white letters.

The Oubapo created in 2004 an alternative in Cartoon entitled Scroubabble .

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