Posts Tagged blank tile
Scrabble: Tips for Intermediates
Posted by oscar in Board Games, Scrabble on August 7th, 2009
Scrabble is one of those games that’s exciting from the word go. It’s always different as no two games will have the same words or letters used repeatedly. When it’s played for the first time, it’s really addictive and the desire to become a better player motivates people to play regularly.
But, where do you go once you’ve reached a particular level. You can’t just play and expect to win every game. Here are some hints that can help you improve your game to a great extent.
Be thorough with the two-ers and three-ers
The two and three letter words are extremely useful tools in setting up some great words or bonus squares. There are loads of them, but if you persevere and learn them all, you’re one step closer to becoming a better player.
Be stingy with the bonus squares
At no point should you willingly give up a bonus square to your opponent. A high-level consonant could dramatically shift the tide against you. Allowing your opponent to take the bonus square is tantamount to digging your own grave. A fifty-point lead could easily become a 25-point trail to you if you make any major faux pas.
Trade letters
If you feel your letters aren’t too great and there are a lot of great ones in the bag, trade them in for new ones or make a word that will get rid of most of the bad ones even if the points are low. It’s better play to dispose of non-moving letters in low-scoring words than keeping them and biting your nails in the latter stages of the game. Don’t trade in any Ss or blanks though.
Think Twice Before Playing Any Move
Most players will look at the letters they have on their rack and play the move that fetches them the most points. Then, after a while, when they land up with bad letters, they hit a roadblock which they mostly don’t recover from. The truth is that every move shapes the following move. So, after a play, it’s more important what’s left on your rack than what’s on the board. The number of vowels and consonants should be roughly equal. Using most of them on one move leaving nothing for the next is a big mistake. It’s always better to plan your rack and change it according to your move, not the other way around.
Have a Sportive Attitude
Whenever you enter a game, it should be on a positive note – not over-confident, not pessimistic. If you start a game thinking you’re going to lose, you probably will. You should never give up half-way through the game. Losing your self-confidence is equivalent to letting go of opportunities that you would have otherwise converted in your favor. Keep the enthusiasm and spirit strong till the end of the game. You may end up finding a winner if you stay positive and think calmly.
Similarly, you shouldn’t play a game in a haughty manner taking it for granted that you’ll over. It’s not over till it’s over. Don’t fool around in the middle of the game. It could cost you the game. You may let go of an opportunity that you would have easily spotted had you been alert.
Scrabble can be mastered by anyone if they keep in mind the basics and are willing to do the hard work required to get to the top. Follow these tips and you’re one step closer to becoming a pro.
Scrabble: Tips for Beginners
Posted by oscar in Board Games, Scrabble on August 7th, 2009
Scrabble is a game which has enthralled millions of people across the world because it has been able to bring together English vocabulary and logical thinking in a single game. It presents lots of challenges to the players at any point of the game – which tends to confuse the inexperienced players a bit.
To all those that are new to this interesting game, here are a bunch of tips that can help you unravel the mystery of scrabble and crack this game with ease :-
Don’t Gift Points:
Try to avoid placing vowels next to double-letter or –word squares. Your opponent can easily take advantage of that and gain double or triple the points if he has a high-letter consonant like Q,K,X,Z etc.
Open and Close Wisely
Be careful while choosing whether to open or close the board because a bad decision could cost you the game. If you’re ahead, it’s always better to keep the board closed and wait for your opponent to falter. If you’re behind, it’s advisable to open the board as you can get more scoring opportunities that way.
Don’t Throw in the Towel
Don’t keep the points in your mind. Remember that no lead is unassailable If your keep your wits together and maintain a never-say-die spirit, you can always bounce back.
Be Stingy with Blanks
Blanks are sacred possessions. Use them only if there is an extremely special occasion or urgency. Otherwise, use it for nothing less than 50 points. It is better to save your blank for a rainy day than use it to garner an additional five or ten points.
S = Special
S’s are one of the most valuable letters available as they can squeeze into the tightest of gaps with ease. Like a blank, an S can be saved if its use brings only a couple of more points to your tally.
Tempt your opponent
If your opponent opens up a double or triple-letter or word box and you feel you can’t utilize it properly at that time, you can open up a different box and lure him away from the one you’re targeting. It’s a gamble but offers good dividends. You can use the one your opponent opened up then. Not opening it would be a loss for you.
Play against Top Players
You’ve got to choose between winning against people of your skill level and losing and learning from a more skilled player. You’ll never be able to master this game without playing the best. You’ll keep on improving, learn new techniques and words and eventually climb up the ranks.
Practice Makes Perfect
You can’t become skilled at Scrabble without some extra work. Try anagramming with some random letters and see what you can come up with up. Go through a list of popularly used scrabble words. Keep doing this for a couple of weeks and you’ll have more finishes on the winning side.
Get Hints from Players
Your fellow players can help you out a lot if you listen to their advice. Get tips on how to use special squares to your advantage, making the most points out of the least words, etc. You can also play scrabble against the computer and click the “Hints” button. It will display a list of words you can use. See which one suits your purpose best and incorporate that into your own games.
Scrabble isn’t microbiology or quantum mechanics. You don’t need to know a huge bunch of stuff about it to understand it. All it takes is some application of your grey matter and lots of practice to make you a champ.
Oscar
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