# Word Addict: secrets of a world SCRABBLE champion

Craig Beevers

Britain’s World Scrabble Champion reveals the secrets for mastering the world of competitive Scrabble.If you play at home, online, in a club or in competitive tournaments this is the ideal insight into the mind of a Scrabble World Champion. Craig analyses opening positions, middle game scenarios and of course the end game.Walk through common rack and board problems encountered by Craig and other top players so you are ideally prepared for your next match.With grids and diagrams throughout, this is an invaluable reference for all keen Scrabble™ players.Contains complete lists of all the latest valid two and three letter words and their definitions from Collins Scrabble Words 2015.

Copyright

Published by Collins

An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers

Westerhill Road

Bishopbriggs

Glasgow G64 2QT

First Edition 2015

© Craig Beevers 2015

eBook Edition © September 2015 ISBN 978-0-00-814648-1

Version: 2015-09-24

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SCRABBLE™ and associated trademarks and trade dress are owned by, and used under licence from, J. W. Spear & Sons Limited, a subsidiary of Mattel, Inc. © 2014 Mattel, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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Contents

Title Page

Copyright

Introduction by Craig Beevers

About Me

My World

Scrabble™ Terminology

Playing Scrabble™

Overview

Tile Tracking

Rack Leave

Opening Play

Moving On

Inference

General Play

Other Strategies

Late-Game

Playthroughs

Study

Words & Definitions

Two-Letter Words

Three-Letter Words

Resources

About the Publisher

Introduction

by Craig Beevers

One of the most popular games on our colourful little planet. Most have heard of it, many have played it, and few master it. Scrabble™ is everywhere, whether it be played over a kitchen table, on the latest mobile gadget, or part of a national curriculum.

Scrabble is the toughest all-round game I have ever encountered. There are so many dimensions to it that other games seem linear and boring in comparison. It requires knowledge, an abundance of skill, strategy, risk and reward, luck, and a strong temperament. It is a complete test and a game I’m glad to be associated with. I became World Scrabble Champion in 2014 and I’m immensely proud of being etched in the game’s history.

When first playing Scrabble I never really considered just how enriching it is. The words played showcase culture worldwide. A regular player will use the names of Greek letters, currency from every continent, a surprising wealth of old Scottish dialect words, lots of helpful Q-without-U words from Arabic, and a whole host of other weird and wonderful snippets of everything you can think of or has ever been. Not to mention the enjoyment of playing the game and meeting hundreds of different people from all over the globe.

In this book, I want to discuss all of the aspects of the game, as well as explaining the thought processes for a number of real-life game positions. Whilst it generally takes years to develop the word knowledge required to become a top player, anyone can understand the steps that lead to playing a particular move. So I hope that everyone reading can develop an understanding for the game and learn to play like a World Champion.

About Me

One of my earliest memories of Scrabble™ is loading up the cassette on the ZX Sinclair Spectrum 48K and playing against the computer with its gaudy eight-colour display. Before long it would come up with a prompt asking me if I was sure about that word I’d just played. Because it couldn’t hold all of the words in its puny memory, it politely enquired quite often. At five years old my vocabulary was a bit shaky but I used to give myself the benefit of the doubt. If it wasn’t a word it should be anyway, right?

That was back in 1986. According to my partner Karen I still spend too much time on the computer. The instruments may have evolved, but I still love my games. Having spent a lot of my youth with pith-helmeted sabremen, blue hedgehogs, and dark elves whizzing across the screen, I eventually graduated to more cerebral distractions. I got attached to the internet at college and university before wandering to my first Scrabble Club in 2003.

In truth I had been hooked by word games for a while, playing all sorts of them on the web. Scrabble was just the best one. I played my first tournament later that year and made it my goal to win a local one-day event, then a weekend tourney, and so on. Countdown (a words and numbers TV show in the UK) came along four years later. I took time out from Scrabble to concentrate on it and was fortunate enough to win the series.

Recently I’ve become increasingly involved with Scrabble associations, their websites, and running or organizing tournaments. I particularly enjoy being part of big events, even when I’m not playing. It also feels good contributing to such a wonderful community.

More personally I’m a mathematical, scientific sort of guy. I like my technology, but I also like to be outdoors and travel. I enjoy characterful villages and towns over big bustling cities. I grew up in Norton, near Stockton-on-Tees in the northeast of England, with a stint at university in Sheffield. In 2014 I moved to Guisborough, a lovely little town on the outskirts of the North York Moors with my partner Karen and three soppy little dogs, Molly, Benny, and Charlie.