Mar 12, 2012 he also happens to be a competitive scrabble player and he wrote a book about his own deepdive into the game, a book called word freak with the subtitle heartbreak, triumph, genius and obsession. April 30, 2020 nominations for the 2020 advisory board elections will be open from may 1 to may 31, 2020. Word freak is a nonfiction narrative by stefan fatsis published in 2001 isbn 0618015841 the book is subtitled heartbreak, triumph, genius, and obsession in the world of competitive scrabble players. Journalist stefan fatsis dives into the world of competitive scrabble. Naspa has suspended all club and tournament activity because of the covid19 pandemic. Nov 14, 2017 its easy to poke fun at scrabble, but people who play it competitively take it very seriously, stefan fatsis, author of the book word freak, about competitive scrabble, said at the. A player with a good knowledge of basic strategy will have an advantage over a total novice. When you first pursued competitive scrabble, you were considered a decent living room. The official rules of scrabble how to play scrabble learn. Heartbreak, triumph, genius and obsession in the world of competitive scrabble players.
In the case of tisane, any letter except for q, y or j will give a player a bingo opportunity. The book is subtitled heartbreak, triumph, genius, and obsession in the world of competitive scrabble players. This is my fifth nationals, and the first time ive competed in division 2, out of four. This interdisciplinary course is designed to introduce the student to the basic strategies of competitive scrabble in the context of probability theory and to provide a background in the social climate in which the game developed. Ten years of scrabble playing later, word freak author stefan.
Heartbreak, triumph, genius, and obsession in the world of competitive scrabble players by stefan fatsis, the fing. Jun 12, 2014 2001 best seller about competitive scrabble wed 61814 onenamed singer who married heidi klum bindle toters wonderland cake message newport beach isle wednesday, june 18, 2014 constructor. But engaging people and bringing them together in a friendly and competitive way is why scrabble is important to us. But for every group of livingroom players there is someone who is at one with the board. Brendans interest in scrabble started last year, when a professor introduced him to a club in new hartford that met once a week to enjoy the board game in a friendly, competitive atmosphere. The official rules of scrabble how to play scrabble. Fatsis is the 38yearold author of word freak, a new book bearing the frenetic subtitle heartbreak, triumph, genius, and obsession in the world of. Below, he recounts the time he faced the number one player in north america. New scrabble dictionary for a new generation hasbro and merriamwebster have freshened the 70yearold reference book by adding 300 new words to the official scrabble players dictionary. History and strategy of competitive scrabble wikiversity. Why words with friends is embracing abbreviations like. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets.
This book is a real must have for any scrabble fan weve learned lots of new words, and become much more competitive using this book for our practice games, where we allow each other access to this and the official scrabble dictionary. Filled with unique, compulsive, and maybe slightly deranged individuals who are at the top of the heap. The world scrabble championships uses double dictionary. Combining linguistics, psychology, and mathematics. Welcome to history and strategy of competitive scrabble. Scrabble champion banned from professional competition after. Journalist stefan fatsis dives into the world of competitive. Jul 20, 2001 fatsis is the 38yearold author of word freak, a new book bearing the frenetic subtitle heartbreak, triumph, genius, and obsession in the world of competitive scrabble players and. Spell as many words as you can with the provided letters before time runs out. The object when playing is to score more points than other players. Hes taught me pretty much everything i know about the game. In fact, i would go so far as to say this is as good a book as could be written to aid the average player.
Apr, 2018 former wall street journal sports writer stefan fatsis knows the feeling. I like scrabble anyway, but the writing was engaging and fun and showed so many angles of the competitive scrabble. Stefan fatsis is the bestselling author of word freak. This was the book that exposed competitive scrabble to the world. Why words with friends is embracing abbreviations like bff.
An innocent in the world of hardcore word play chicago tribune. If you want to win against all of your friends, whether on facebook or with the actual scrabble board game, you need to be a master. Stefan fatsis wrote a bestselling book about his personal experience entering the world of scrabble tournaments, but lets see if we can cover the key points in a brief webpage. When asked if they learn word meanings when studying word lists, only 6. Every letter counts in the original crossword game. For more information about scrabble brand products or naspa, or to comment on or correct the contents of this page, or to report technical difficulties in reading this page, please email us. More than a book about hardcore scrabble players, word freak is also an examination of notions of brilliance, memory, language, competition, and the mind that celebrates the uncanny creative powers in us all. When news of emma watsons feminist book club, our shared shelf, broke earlier this year, readers everywhere couldnt wait to snag a. He also happens to be a competitive scrabble player and he wrote a book about his own deepdive into the game, a book called word freak with the subtitle heartbreak, triumph, genius and obsession.
This book paints the theories that have forever changed the world of competitive scrabbleif you want to delve into the strategies of one of americas favorite board games, and quite frankly, have a lot of fun in your quest, i would be doing you a disservice if i told you to read any other book. Organized, competitive, tournament scrabble differs from the game played at home, fatsis explains at the outset. Some countries continue to use the individual dictionaries. But the author has a section on when to challenge your opponent when you think theyve played a phoney, and. Not including the new update, collins, when combined for competitive play with the north american words in a book called collins scrabble words, yields a. Maybe you get together for a regular game with some friends, or spend a few hours a day playing. The main strategy is to play words that have the highest. One of the resources i found and by far the best was scrabble strategy. And word freak is filled with the kind of players i met in baltimore. Heartbreak, triumph, genius, and obsession in the world of competitive scrabble players ebook written by stefan fatsis. May 12, 2011 not including the new update, collins, when combined for competitive play with the north american words in a book called collins scrabble words, yields a total of 267,751 words. Fatsis, a sports reporter for the wall street journal, introduces the reader to the world of competitive scrabble through a narrative of his slow transformation from a good living room. Heartbreak, triumph, genius, and obsession in the world of competitive scrabble players.
Anytime a twoletter word is added to the game, it definitely changes the strategy and the dynamics of playing, said stefan fatsis, a competitive scrabble player and the. Scrabble bingo stems include words such as retina, satire, and tisane. In his book word freak, he recounts his rise through the world of competitive scrabble. Maybe you get together for a regular game with some friends, or spend a few hours. Alums documentary puts spotlight on competitive scrabble. Although scrabble relies somewhat on luck of the draw whether you receive good tiles there is nonetheless a good deal of strategy involved in the game. Its easy to poke fun at scrabble, but people who play it competitively take it very seriously, stefan fatsis, author of the book word freak, about competitive scrabble, said at. In the book, williams recalls an incident in the early 90s when a competitive player challenged a slur against jews and was appalled to find that it was listed in the scrabble dictionary. As a highlevel scrabble player, chaikin had met stefan fatsis, a wall street journal writer and author of the book word freak, which follows several competitive scrabble players some of whom appear also in word wars. As stefan fatsis, the author of the book word freak about the competitive scrabble world, has noted, when the game was first marketed in 1948, the rules were spelled out right inside the box. Word freak tells the story of the competitive scrabble subculture and the colorful contestants who travel the country to enter these tournaments. The 17 weirdest new words added to the scrabble dictionary. Heartbreak, triumph, genius, and obsession in the world of competitive scrabble players and wild and outside. Well, by the books end i had an expertlevel rating.
Heartbreak, triumph, genius, and obsession in the world of competitive scrabble players kindle edition by fatsis, stefan. Stefan fatsis wrote a bestselling book about his personal experience entering the world of scrabble tournaments, but lets see if we can cover the key points in a brief webpage so youve been a scrabble player for fun for a while. So i looked around for some resources to up my game. What is competitive scrabble play and what draws people to it. As words are placed on the game board, points are collected and each letter that is used in the game will have a different point value. Jul 22, 2001 of course, competitive scrabble isnt just about the rules. This book paints the theories that have forever changed the world of competitive scrabbleif you want to delve into the strategies of one of americas. Word freak is a nonfiction narrative by stefan fatsis published in 2001 isbn 0618015841. So youve been a scrabble player for fun for a while. In competitive scrabble, do players intentionally play phoneys invalid words if they can get away with it. Fatsis, a sports reporter for the wall street journal, introduces the reader to the world of competitive scrabble through a narrative of his slow transformation from a good. Of course, competitive scrabble isnt just about the rules.
When playing scrabble, anywhere from two to four players will enjoy the game. Former wall street journal sports writer stefan fatsis knows the feeling. He has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide and is known for his numerous international hits, including kiss from a rose, which appeared on the soundtrack to the 1995 film batman forever. Discovering the world of competitive scrabble news. This book was a fun look into the quirky world of scrabble competitors. More than a book about hardcore scrabble players, word freak is also an examination of notions of brilliance, memory, language, competition, and the mind that. Sep 24, 2018 anytime a twoletter word is added to the game, it definitely changes the strategy and the dynamics of playing, said stefan fatsis, a competitive scrabble player and the author of word. Id like to share some of my knowledge, along with a few cheats, tricks and strategies to all of you, so you can conquer your enemies okay friends, and eventually, perhaps, beat me. Combining linguistics, psychology, and mathematics, fatsis was instantly drawn into the sport. A bingo in scrabble means creating a word that clears your rack of all tiles. Along the way, fatsis chronicles his own obsession with the game and his development as a player from novice to expert.
Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read word freak. Nov 10, 2017 as stefan fatsis, the author of the book word freak about the competitive scrabble world, has noted, when the game was first marketed in 1948, the rules were spelled out right inside the box. The following records were achieved during international competitive club or tournament play, according to authoritative sources, including the book everything scrabble by joe edley and john d. Scrabble is also praised as a good game for kids looking to work on their vocabulary and spelling, increase social skills, and practice thinking critically. Sep 24, 2018 new scrabble dictionary for a new generation hasbro and merriamwebster have freshened the 70yearold reference book by adding 300 new words to the official scrabble players dictionary. Find over 23 competitive scrabble groups with 3052 members near you and meet people in your local community who share your interests. She set out to remove offensive language from the books, and ultimately succeeded in scrubbing slurs without alternate meanings. Scrabblebasic strategy wikibooks, open books for an. Jan 01, 2001 word freak tells the story of the competitive scrabble subculture and the colorful contestants who travel the country to enter these tournaments. In competitive scrabble, do players intentionally play.
Chaikin said he has found there is no market for nonpolitical. This and following sections concern strategy, and maximising your chances of winning. He reported on sports for more than a decade for the wall street journal and talks about sports every week. Nov 23, 2005 brendans interest in scrabble started last year, when a professor introduced him to a club in new hartford that met once a week to enjoy the board game in a friendly, competitive atmosphere. An innocent in the world of hardcore word play chicago. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading word freak. How a renegade minor league revived the spirit of baseball in americas heartland. I got into scrabble because of my dad, who wrote a book about the subculture of competitive scrabble, called word freak. But the author has a section on when to challenge your opponent when you think theyve played a phoney, and another section on when to play a phoney yourself, if you think you can get away with it. Scrabble champion banned from professional competition.
Im reading a book on competitive scrabble breaking the game just for fun, i actually havent played scrabble for years. He then read the book word freak by wall street journal sports writer and scrabble expert, stefan fatsis, which gave him the idea for his project. How to win at scrabble, according to former director of. Heartbreak, triumph, genius, and obsession in the world of competitive. More than a book about hardcore scrabble players, word freak is also an examination of notions of brilliance, memory, language, competition. And word freak is filled with the kind of players i. Then we hear about the authors scrabble issues and insecurities. In word freak, stefan fatsis introduces readers to those few, exploring the underground world of colorful characters for which the scrabble game is lifeplaying competitively in tournaments across the country. Fatsis looks at several aspects of the scrabble world, including the history of the game and its competitions and profiles of the top players. This gives an award of 50 bonus points in addition to the value of the created word. Many countries now use a combination of the collins it used to be chambersdictionary and websters as a reference for competitive scrabble.