Presiding Officer Training module 2024 lok sabha elections
The Numbers Behind Scrabble
1. Lecture brought to you by Gamma-Galileo
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2. Scrabble is a word game in which two to
four players score points by placing tiles, each
bearing a single letter, onto a game
board which is divided into a 15×15 grid of
squares.The tiles must form words which,
in crossword fashion, flow left to right in rows
or downwards in columns.The words must be
defined in a standard dictionary. Specified
reference works (e.g., the OfficialTournament
and ClubWord List, the Official Scrabble Players
Dictionary) provide a list of officially
permissible words.
Scrable is a sport played by two or more players on a
square board.The objective is to scrub a ball through a
hoop 18 inches (46 cm) in diameter and 10 feet (3.0 m) high
mounted to a backboard at each end. Basketball is one of
the world's most popular and widely viewed sports.
4. In 1938, American architect Alfred Mosher
Butts created the game as a variation on an
earlier word game he invented called Lexiko.
The two games had the same set of letter
tiles, whose distributions and point values
Butts worked out by performing a frequency
analysis of letters from various sources. The
new game, which he called "Criss-
Crosswords," added the 15×15 gameboard
and the crossword-style game play. He
manufactured a few sets himself, but was
not successful in selling the game to any
major game manufacturers of the day.
5. In 1948, James Brunot, a resident
of Newtown, Connecticut – and
one of the few owners of the
original Criss-Crosswords game
– bought the rights to
manufacture the game in
exchange for granting Butts a
royalty on every unit sold.
Though he left most of the game
(including the distribution of
letters) unchanged, Brunot
slightly rearranged the
"premium" squares of the board
and simplified the rules; he also
changed the name of the game to
"Scrabble", a real word which
means "to scratch frantically".
6. In 1984, Scrabble was turned into a daytime game
show on NBC. Scrabble ran from July 1984 to March
1990, with a second run from January to June 1993. The
show was hosted by Chuck Woolery. The show's tagline
promotional broadcasts was, "Every man dies; not every
man truly Scrabbles.“ In 2011, a new TV variation
of Scrabble, called Scrabble Showdown, aired on The
Hub cable channel, which is a joint venture of Discovery
Communications, Inc. and Hasbro.
Scrabble was inducted into the National Toy Hall of
Fame in 2004.
In 1952, unable to meet demand himself, Brunot sold
manufacturing rights to Long Island-based Selchow and
Righter, one of the manufacturers who, like Parker
Brothers and Milton Bradley Company, had previously rejected
the game. In its second year as a Selchow and Righter-built
product, nearly four million sets were sold.
Selchow and Righter bought the trademark to the game in
1972. JW Spears began selling the game in Australia and the UK
on January 19, 1955. The company is now a subsidiary
of Mattel. In 1986, Selchow and Righter was sold to Coleco,
which soon after went bankrupt. Hasbro purchased the
company's assets, including Scrabble and Parchees.
7. ~1999~
It was made clear that:
a tile can be shifted or replaced until the play has been
scored.
a challenge applies to all the words made in the given
play.
Playing all seven tiles is officially called a "Bingo".
A change in the wording of the rules, could be
interpreted as meaning that a player may form more
than one word on one row on a single turn.
~1976~
•It was made clear that the blank tile beats an A when drawing
to see who goes first.
•A player could now pass his/her turn, doing nothing.
•A loss-of-turn penalty was added for challenging an
acceptable play.
•If final scores are tied, the player whose score was highest
before adjusting for unplayed tiles is the winner; in
tournament play, a tie is counted as half a win for both players
~1953~
•It was made clear that:
•words could be played through single letters already on the
board.
•a player could play a word parallel and immediately
adjacent to an existing word provided all crosswords
formed were valid.
•the effect of two word premium squares were to be
compounded multiplicatively.
•The previously unspecified penalty for having one's play
successfully challenged was stated: withdrawal of tiles and loss
of turn.
8. Even though it’s a word game, the real story behind SCRABBLE® Brand Crossword Game
is numbers. One hundred million sets sold world-wide. Between one and two million
sold each year in North America. And, of keen interest to legions of passionate players,
over 120,000 words that may be used in their scoring arsenal.
The story of the game’s evolution from underground craze to cultural icon is as American
as, well, the SCRABBLE game. Alfred Mosher Butts, an out-of-work architect from
Poughkeepsie, New York, decided to invent a board game. Analyzing games, he found
they fell into three categories: number games, such as dice and bingo; move games, such
as chess and checkers and word games, such as anagrams. Attempting to create a game
that would use both chance and skill, Butts combined features of anagrams and the
crossword puzzle. First called LEXIKO, the game was later called CRISS CROSS WORDS.
To decide on letter distribution, Butts studied the front page of The New York Times and
did painstaking calculations of letter frequency. His basic cryptographic analysis of our
language and his original tile distribution have remained valid for almost three
generations and billions of games played.
Established game manufacturers were unanimous in rejecting Butts’ invention for
commercial development. Then Butts met James Brunot, a game-loving entrepreneur
who became enamored of the concept. Together, they made some refinements on rules
and design and, most importantly, came up with the name “SCRABBLE,” a real word
which means “to grope frantically.” The game was trademarked SCRABBLE® Brand
Crossword Game in 1948. The Brunots rented an abandoned schoolhouse in Dodgington,
Connecticut, where with friends they turned out 12 games an hour, stamping letters on
wooden tiles one at a time. Later, boards, boxes and tiles were made elsewhere and sent
to the factory for assembly and shipping.
9. he first four years were a struggle. In 1949 the Brunots made 2,400 sets and lost
$450. As so often happens in the game business, the SCRABBLE game gained
slow but steady popularity among a comparative handful of consumers. Then
in the early 1950s, as legend has it, the president of MACY’S discovered the
game on vacation and ordered some for his store. Within a year, everyone “had
to have one” to the point that SCRABBLE games were being rationed to stores
around the country.
In 1952, the Brunots realized they could no longer make the games fast enough
to meet the growing interest. They licensed Long Island-based Selchow &
Righter Company, a well-known game manufacturer founded in 1867, to
market and distribute the games in the United States and Canada.
Even Selchow & Righter had to step up production to meet the overwhelming
demand for the SCRABBLE game. As stories about it appeared in national
newspapers, magazines and on television, it seemed that everybody had to
have a set immediately. In 1972, Selchow & Righter purchased the trademark
from Brunot, thereby giving the company the exclusive rights to all
SCRABBLE® Brand products and entertainment services in the United States
and Canada.
In 1986, Selchow & Righter was sold to COLECO Industries, who had become
famous as the manufacturers of the Cabbage Patch Dolls. Three years later,
COLECO declared bankruptcy, and its primary assets — most notably the
SCRABBLE game and ParchesiTM — were purchased by Hasbro, Inc., owner of
Milton Bradley Company, the nation’s leading game company.
10. Today the game is found in one of every three American homes, ranging from a
Junior edition to a CD-ROM with many versions in between including:
Standard, Deluxe with turntable, Deluxe Travel, Spanish and French.
Competitive SCRABBLE game play is widely popular much in the manner of
chess and bridge. Every year, a National SCRABBLE® Championship is held in a
major US city, and on alternate years the World SCRABBLE® Championship is
hosted between Hasbro and Mattel. In addition, the National
SCRABBLE® Association sanctions over 180 tournaments and more than
200 clubs in the US and Canada.
The next generation of SCRABBLE players is steadily growing with over a half
million kids playing the game in more than 18,000 schools nationwide through
the School SCRABBLE Program. Hundreds of these students currently compete
in state and regional championships across the country. The first annual
National School SCRABBLE®Championship was held in Boston on April 26,
2003. Classrooms can also subscribe to the School SCRABBLE® News which
includes a teacher edition complete with tested ideas and a lesson plan
designed to meet nationally mandated educational goals, and a student issue
chock full of feature stories and puzzles.
Alfred Mosher Butts enjoyed playing the SCRABBLE game with family and
friends to the end of his life. He passed away in April 1993 at the age of 93.
11. Visit link to source webpage:
http://www.scrabble-assoc.com/info/history.html
OR
Download this file:
13. Game Details
The board is marked with "premium" squares, which
multiply the number of points awarded: eight dark red
"triple-word" squares, 17 pink "double-word" squares, of
which one, the center square (H8), is marked with a star
or other symbol; 12 dark blue "triple-letter" squares, and
24 light blue "double-letter" squares. In 2008, Hasbro
changed the colors of the premium squares to orange for
TW, red for DW, blue for DL, and green forTL. Despite
this, the original premium square color scheme is still the
preferred scheme for Scrabble boards used in
tournaments.
The game is played by two to four players on a square board
with a 15×15 grid of cells (individually known as "squares"),
each of which accommodates a single letter tile. In official
club and tournament games, play is between two players or,
occasionally, between two teams each of which collaborates
on a single rack.
14. Tiles are usually made of wood or plastic and are 19 by 19
millimeters (0.75 in × 0.75 in) square and 4 mm (0.16 in)
thick, making them slightly smaller than the squares on
the board. Only the rosewood tiles of the deluxe edition
varies the width up to 2 mm (0.08 in) for different letters.
Travelling versions of the game often have smaller tiles
(e.g. 13 mm × 13 mm (0.51 in × 0.51 in)); sometimes they
are magnetic to keep them in place.The capital letter is
printed in black at the centre of the tile face and the
letter's point value printed in a smaller font at the
bottom right corner.
In an English-language set, the game contains 100 tiles, 98 of
which are marked with a letter and a point value ranging
from 1 to 10.The number of points of each lettered tile is
based on the letter's frequency in standard English writing;
commonly used letters such as vowels are worth one point,
while less common letters score higher, with Q and Z each
worth 10 points.The game also has two blank tiles that are
unmarked and carry no point value.The blank tiles can be
used as substitutes for any letter; once laid on the board,
however, the choice is fixed. Other language sets use
different letter set distributions with different point values.
16. Making a Play
Playing perpendicular to a word, e.g. JACK,
then YEU(K)Y through the K.
Playing parallel to a word(s) forming several
short words, e.g. JACK, then CON played
under that to make (J)O and (A)N.
Any combination of these is allowed in a
play, given that all the letters placed on the
board in one play lie in one row or column
and are connected by a main word. Plays
must read either left-right or top-bottom.
Diagonal plays are not allowed.
The first played word must be at least two letters
long, and cover H8 (the center square). Thereafter,
any play using one or more tiles can be formed by
Adding one or more letters to an existing word,
e.g. (JACK)S, HI(JACK), HI(JACK)ING.
"Hooking" a word(s) and playing perpendicular to
that word(s), e.g. IONIZES with the S hooked on
JACK to make (JACK)S.
17. Scoring
Premium squares apply only when newly placed tiles cover
them. Any subsequent plays do not count those premium
squares.
If a player makes a play where the main word covers two
DWS/ TWS squares, the value of that word is doubled/tripled,
then redoubled/ retripled. Such plays are often referred to as
double-doubles/ triple-triples respectively. It is theoretically
possible to achieve a play covering three TWS squares,
although this is extremely improbable without constructive
setup and collaboration. Plays covering a DWS and a TWS
simultaneously are only possible if a player misses the center
star on the first turn, and the play goes unchallenged.
Finally, if seven tiles have been laid on the board in one turn,
after all of the words formed have been scored, 50 bonus
points are added.
Each new word formed in a play is scored separately,
and then those scores are added up. The value of each
tile is indicated on the tile, and blank tiles are worth zero
points.
The main word is scored. The letter values of the tiles
are added up, and tiles placed on DLS and TLS are
doubled and tripled in value, respectively. Tiles placed
on DWS or TWS squares double or triple the value of
the word/s that include those tiles.
If any "hook" words are played, the scores for each word
are added separately. This is common for "parallel" plays
that make up to eight words in one turn.
18. Strategies
If you want to become a
better Scrabble player
quickly, you should
learn a few basic
Scrabble strategies.
The SCRABBLE
strategies are fairly
simply concepts. When
applied, they overnight
should help you score
higher and beat your
opponent more often.
19. Two Letter Words
Scoring with two letter words
is simple to understand. If
you have no other place to
play, a rare two-letter
SCRABBLE word will help
you score some points and
avoid a pass. Just as likely,
this word might help you
score a two-word score, by
making two parallel words
down the length of a word
already on the Scrabble
board.
20. Three Letter Words
Three letter words in SCRABBLE aren't
quite as important as the two-letters,
because they won't fit into as many
places and help you out of as many tight
jams. That being said, learning the three
letter words is quite important if you are
going to become a competitive player.
21. Shuffle Your Tiles Often
When you get your seven
tiles, don't keep them in
one order on your Scrabble
rack. Shuffle them up and
look at them in several
different combinations.
You'll find that seeing the
letters in a different order
will sometimes reveal a
word or potential word that
you otherwise wouldn't
have noticed in the short
time spans of a Scrabble
turn.
22. Manage Your Letter Rack
Playing holding only
vowels or only
consonants at the end of
their turn are asking for
"bad luck" in their next
tile draw. If you play all
your vowels and get
only consonants on your
next draw, you will leave
yourself in a bind. It
might not be worth the
points you just scored to
have to redraw the next
turn. Look ahead and
anticipate your next
Scrabble move.
23. Don't Set Your Opponent
Also anticipate the next
move of your opponent.
Try not to play words
which obviously will set
your opponent up for a
double-word score or a
triple-word score. You
might total a big score
by setting your
opponent, but if that
opponent is able to get
triple the points on their
next turn, it probably
isn't worth it.
24. Maximize Your Power Tiles
Power tiles are the rare letter
tiles. Because of their rarity
and the difficulty playing
these letters, the power tiles
are worth the most points.
When you get one of these
letters, try to maximize your
use of the letter by playing it
on a multiplier. A multiplier is
any square which multiplies
the value of the letter tiles.
This could be a double letter
score, triple letter score,
double word score or triple
word score.
In some Scrabble
dictionaries, you'll find
other Q-words that
don't need a U.
Consult your the
relevant Scrabble
dictionary before
playing a competitive
game.
25. Conserve Your Versatile
Tiles
When you receive an "S" or
a "blank" tile, try to hold it
until you can use the letter
for maximum effect. It's
generally a bad idea to use
the S in the middle of a word
as you would most any other
letter. The blank tile is perfect
for using 7 word
combinations or bingos, or
completing hard-to-complete
word combinations. Both
tiles may not score big points
themselves, but can help you
in scoring major points with a
great word.
26. Bingo When You Can
Tournament level
Scrabble players build
much of their Scrabble
strategy around scoring
bingos. The player will
hold on to a blank tiles
with the hopes of scoring
a bingo, while playing
rare letters for low scores.
Competitive SCRABBLE
players might score three
bingos per game, while
beginners are quite lucky
to score one bingo.
27. Build Bingo Stems
Certain letters are so
common that they are
especially useful in making
a bingo. These letters are
sometimes hoarded by a
player, who wants to
collect enough to form a
"bingo stem". This is a
collection of common
letters which can be
formed in several different
combinations to form a
word. The common letters
useful for bingo stems are
A, E, I, N, R and S.
When you receive a
combination of these
letters, try to hoard
them into a bingo
stem. Use the other
letters you have on
your rack, even if
these don't score
many points for you.
When you have 6 or 7
of the common letters
above, you'll be able
to play them almost
anywhere for a bingo.
28. “Defense is the Best
Offense”
Once again, you might
sometimes need to
forego a high scoring
word for a low scoring
alternative. The
reason for doing this
is to limit your
opponent's ability to
play high scoring
words. This is called
playing defense in
Scrabble.
The offense-to-
defense ratio is a
delicate balance in
Scrabble. Obviously,
you need to score
points to win the
game. But a good
SCRABBLE player is
always aware of the
opportunities being
offered to one's
opponent, as well.