Games of Daze/Infomagic - Games of Daze (Summer 1995) (Disc 1 of 2).iso/x2ftp/msdos/rules/scrabble.faq

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From: [e-mail] (Steven Alexander)
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Subject: Scrabble FAQ - General Information
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Summary: Frequently Asked Questions and their answers on the game Scrabble
Keywords: Scrabble, crossword game
URL: http://http.cs.berkeley.edu/~stevena/faq.html
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Last-modified: 11 March 1995
Archive-name: games/scrabble-faq/general


Scrabble Frequently Asked Questions


This article is posted monthly to the Usenet newgroups
rec.games.board, rec.puzzles.crosswords, rec.answers and
news.answers.  Other ways to obtain it are

  ANONYMOUS FTP to rtfm.mit.edu (18.181.0.24) and get the files
    /pub/usenet/news.answers/games/scrabble-faq/general
    /pub/usenet/news.answers/games/scrabble-faq/supplement
  EMAIL (for those without ftp access) send
    To: [e-mail]
    Subject:
    send /pub/usenet/news.answers/games/scrabble-faq/general
    send /pub/usenet/news.answers/games/scrabble-faq/supplement

A hypertext version is available in
http://http.cs.berkeley.edu/~stevena/faq.html.

If you have suggestions or better information on any of these topics,
please mail me at [e-mail] with "FAQ" in the subject.

1.    What this FAQ covers
2.    The trademark Scrabble
3.    Organized Scrabble activity
3.1.     National Scrabble Association and Association of Premier
     Scrabble Players
3.2.     Clubs
3.3.     Tournaments
3.3.1.      North American, UK and world championships
3.3.1.1.       Did the North American 1992 champion really give his
           $10,000 prize away to a literacy charity?
3.3.2.      How club and tournament Scrabble differs from the rules
        in the box
3.3.3.      The Official Scrabble Players Dictionary and Official
        Scrabble Words
3.3.3.1.       Why are all those stupid/non-English/indecent words
           allowed?
3.3.3.2.       Current corrections to the OSPD 2nd ed
3.3.3.3.       Current corrections to the Franklin Electronic OSPD
3.3.3.4.       Expurgation of OSPD
3.3.4.      Tournament pairings
3.3.5.      Tournament ratings
3.3.6.      Upcoming tournaments
3.4.     Organizations conducting Scrabble activity outside North
     America and the UK
3.5.     Scrabble by surface mail
3.6.     Crossword games on the Internet
3.6.1.      Crossword games servers
3.6.2.      Crossword games mailing list
3.6.3.      Crossword games related homepages
4.    Differences between Scrabble in North America and in the UK
5.    Publications on Scrabble
5.1.     Periodicals
5.1.1.      Scrabble News
5.1.2.      Tourney News
5.1.3.      Non-North American periodicals
5.1.3.1.       Onwords
5.1.4.      Defunct periodicals
5.1.4.1.       Letters for Expert Players
5.1.4.2.       Matchups
5.1.4.3.       Medleys
5.1.4.4.       Rack Your Brain
5.2.     Books
5.3.     Word lists
5.4.     Word study software
6.    Basic tactics and methods
7.    Typical games
7.1.     Typical scores
7.2.     Frequency of bingos
8.    Scrabble records
8.1.     Actual
8.2.     Theoretical
8.3.     Blocked games
9.    Scrabble variants
10.   Play-by-mail games
11.   Scrabble paraphernalia
11.1.    Tiles
11.2.    Clocks
11.3.    Miscellaneous
12.   Computer versions of Scrabble
12.1.    CrossWise (IBM PC)
12.2.    Gameboy Super Scrabble (hand-held)
12.3.    Maven (Macintosh)
12.4.    Monty Plays Scrabble (hand-held)
12.5.    Scramble (IBM PC)
12.6.    Tyler (IBM PC, Macintosh)
12.7.    US Gold Scrabble (IBM PC, Amiga, Atari ST)
12.8.    Vic Rice's Game (IBM PC)
12.9.    Virgin Mastertronic (IBM PC, Macintosh)
12.10.   WordsWorth (IBM PC)
12.11.   STrabbler (Atari)
12.12.   Unix Scrabble (Unix)
12.13.   CRAB (Unix, Sun, Vax and Macintosh)
12.14.   Scrabble Door (IBM PC BBS)
13.   Glossary
A0.   Copyright
A1.   Credits

[In the supplement:]
A2.   Roster of clubs in the US and Canada
A3.   Upcoming North American tournaments
A4.   Contacts for major Scrabble organizations worldwide


1.    What this FAQ covers

This article is about English language Scrabble, or more properly,
Scrabble Brand Crossword Game.  It is North American-centric (and to
a lesser extent covers the UK), but information regarding English
language Scrabble played anywhere is welcome.


2.    The trademark Scrabble

Scrabble is a registered trademark owned in the United States and
Canada by Milton Bradley Company, a division of Hasbro, Inc.  In
Great Britain and everywhere else in the world, by J.W. Spear & Sons
PLC.

Selchow & Righter, listed as the US owner on many of your boards, was
bought -- in good health -- by Coleco, which shortly went into
bankruptcy due to the collapse of the market for their Cabbage Patch
dolls.  Coleco also led itself to bankruptcy by losing a fortune on
the Adam home computer flop, and the unexpected (to them) slowdown in
Trivial Pursuit sales.  (Trivial Pursuit was marketed in the US by
Selchow & Righter).  Coleco was bought up by Milton Bradley, which
was in turn gobbled up by Hasbro.

In North America, technically, the term Scrabble refers to any game
or related product Milton Bradley cares to label that way, while the
popular board game is "Scrabble Crossword Game".  Most people --
including Milton Bradley's own publication -- use the term Scrabble
to refer to that game, and so will this FAQ.


3.    Organized Scrabble activity
3.1.     National Scrabble Association and Association of Premier
     Scrabble Players

The National Scrabble Association ("NSA") is the only organization
running Scrabble activity in North America.  It is a subsidiary of
Milton Bradley.  NSA licenses tournament and club directors.  Club
and tournament play, except for the national and world championships,
is sanctioned but not run by NSA.  Non-members are supposed to be
charged an extra $5 at tournaments, but this is not consistently
done.

Membership is $15 per year in the US, $20 (US) in Canada, and $25
elsewhere, by postal money order outside the US.

        National Scrabble Association
        c/o Williams & Company
        120 Front St Garden
        Box 700
        Greenport, NY 11944
        [phone]
        [phone] fax

In the UK, the Association of Premier Scrabble Players ("APSP"),
while not owned by the UK copyright and trademark holder, is bound
to it by a licensing agreement.  The APSP organizes many tournaments.
It may be reached at

        APSP
        c/o Gareth Williams
        209 Fidlas Rd
        Llanishen
        Cardiff
        CF4 5NA
        United Kingdom
        Tel: [phone]

Membership in APSP costs #7.50 per year; members receive a newsletter
six times per year.  Its chairman, Graeme Thomas, may be reached by
e-mail at [e-mail].


3.2.     Clubs

Clubs normally play Scrabble according to tournament rules, although
sometimes accommodation for newcomers includes allowing them to refer
to lists of two- and three-letter words for their first couple of
visits.

The current roster of active North American clubs, according to the
most recent listing from the National Scrabble Association, is an
Appendix to this FAQ.  Some of the listings may be out of date, so
call the person listed before trying to attend.

For clubs in the UK, contact

    Philip Nelkon
    J.W. Spear & Sons PLC
    Richard House
    Enstone Road
    Enfield, Middlesex
    England EN3 7TB
    Tel: [phone]


3.3.     Tournaments
3.3.1.      North American, UK and world championships

"National Scrabble Championships", really for North America, are held
by the National Scrabble Association in even years.  North American
players were eligible for entry in 1994 if they had played in at
least one rated tournament.  Players from elsewhere entered without
condition.

In odd years, an invitational "World [English language] Championship"
is held.  The 1993 World Championship was held in August in New York;
the 1995 Championship is planned for London in November.  North
American entrants qualify by rating or by performance in designated
qualifying tournaments.  Words allowable in North American or British
play are allowed.

In the UK, Spear runs the National Scrabble Championship.  Several
regional events (apparently open only to UK residents) are used as
qualifiers for the national final.

Also in the UK, the APSP organizes a 17-game British Matchplay
Scrabble Championship held each August.  It is open to all.


3.3.1.1.    Winners of the North American championships

   1978, May 19-21, New York City: invitational, 64 contestants
      David Prinz

   1980, November 14-16, Santa Monica: invitational, 32 contestants
      Joe Edley

   1983, August 10-12, Chicago: qualifiers, 32 contestants
      Joel Wapnick

   1985, July 28-31, Boston: open, 302 contestants
      Ron Tiekert

   1987, July 5-7, Las Vegas: open, 300+ contestants
      Rita Norr

   1988, July 31-August 5, Reno: open, 323 contestants
      Robert Watson

   1989, July 29-August 3, New York City: open, 221 contestants
      Peter Morris

   1990, August 5-9: Washington, 300+ contestants
      Robert Felt

   1992, August 9-13, Atlanta: open, 320 contestants
      Joe Edley

   1994, August 14-18, Los Angeles: open, 294 contestants
      David Gibson


3.3.1.2.    Winners of the World (English language) championships

   1991, September 27-30, London: invitational, 48 contestants
      Peter Morris

   1993, August 27-30, New York City: invitational, 64 contestants
      Mark Nyman


3.3.2.      How club and tournament Scrabble differs from the rules
        in the box

NSA and APSP rules for competitive play are available for ftp at
seabass.st.usm.edu in the directory /doc/doom, in the files
rules-apsp.txt and rules-nsa.  (The APSP rules there, from December
1991, are slightly out of date, but still useful.)

Club and tournament Scrabble games are always two-player games.

Both players must keep score.  A bag is used for tiles (not the box
lid).  Chess clocks are used to time the game and each player is
allowed a total of 25 minutes to make all of his or her moves in the
game.  If a player's time limit is exceeded, the game continues but
the player is penalized 10 points for each minute over the time
limit.

The validity of words is determined, in North America (and some other
places, including Israel and Thailand) by the Official Scrabble
Players Dictionary, and in the UK by Official Scrabble Words.  Most
other places use Official Scrabble Words, although some (including
New Zealand and most states of Australia) use both.  (These
references are described in section 3.3.3.)

When a player challenges one or more words in his or her opponent's
move, the clock is stopped while a third party (usually a club or
tournament director) looks up the challenged words (which the
challenger must specify) to determine whether the move is valid.  If
a challenged word is unacceptable, the play is removed and the player
loses that turn.  In North American play, the maker of an erroneous
challenge loses a turn; in the UK, and most of Australia, they do
not.

There are no "house rules" that many social players use, such as free
exchange of four of a kind, or claiming blanks off the board by
substituting for them.

Once there are fewer than seven tiles left in the bag, no exchanging
of tiles is allowed.  Passing is allowed at any time.

At the end of a North American game, when one player uses all his or
her tiles with none remaining in the bag, he or she receives double
the value of the opponent's remaining tiles.  In the UK, as specified
in the box, that value is added to and subtracted from the players'
respective scores.  Both methods result in the same spread.

Ties are not broken.  (The box rules don't mention this possibility.)

If the two players take six consecutive turns without successfully
placing any tiles on the board - due to any combination of
challenges, passes and exchanges -- the game ends, and both players
lose the value of the tiles on their racks.  A game in which neither
player can make a play ends this way, although the players may simply
agree that the game is over without going through all six turns.

The box rules do not mention whether one can make written notes
during the game.  In tournaments and clubs, players are allowed to
write anything they wish on their score sheet.  One use of written
notes is to keep track of which tiles have been played, allowing one
to know which tiles remain to be played.  This is known as tile-
tracking, and players may use preprinted score sheets that show the
tile distribution as an aid to tile-tracking.


3.3.3.      The Official Scrabble Players Dictionary and Official
        Scrabble Words

The Official Scrabble Players Dictionary ("OSPD"), published by
Merriam-Webster, is the official dictionary used for all North
American tournament and club play.  The OSPD first was published in
1978.  It includes all words of eight or fewer letters, and
simplifies the settling of Scrabble word arguments by specifically
showing those words' inflections (plurals of nouns, conjugations of
verbs, comparatives and superlatives of adjectives).  For root words
longer than eight letters, Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary,
Tenth edition, is used.  (The Tenth came out in May 1993 and replaced
the Ninth on May 1, 1994.)  The OSPD does include inflected forms of
up to eight letters whose roots words are longer.

In 1990, a second edition of the OSPD came out in hardcover.  A
paperback of the OSPD2 came out in June 1993, but the paperback OSPD1
still may be on bookstores' shelves and should be avoided.  Matchups
($1 + $1 shipping, see section 12.6) and Cygnus Cybernetics (see
section 12.1) each publish a complete list of the words added (and
the handful removed) in OSPD2.

The OSPD was created because in the 1950s Selchow & Righter sold the
right to put out Scrabble word lists to Jacob Orleans and Edmund
Jacobson, authors of Scrabble Word Guide, a 1953 book based on the
Funk and Wagnalls Dictionary.  The official publication, Scrabble
News, is still circumspect about publishing word lists, tending to
print them in small chunks to conform to some idea of their remaining
rights.

Parallel to the OSPD for North America, the UK has Official Scrabble
Words ("OSW"), which lists all rules-acceptable words in the Chambers
Dictionary ("Chambers") whose uninflected roots have nine or fewer
letters, and words of nine or fewer letters which are inflections of
longer words.  The third edition of OSW, including words from the
1993 edition of Chambers, came out in August, 1994.  Challenges of
longer words are looked up in Chambers.

For trademark reasons, the OSPD is not sold outside North America,
and OSW is not sold in North America.

OSW is a richer lexicon at all lengths.

length     OSW    OSPD  SOWPODS
2          109      94     119
3         1126     961    1224
4         4769    3857    5121
5        10697    8551   11733
6        18435   15055   20815
7        26539   22821   30983
8        30732   28000   37653
9        30456   24550   36517


3.3.3.1.       Why are all those stupid/non-English/indecent words
           allowed?

The OSPD was formed according to the rules of Scrabble, allowing all
non-capitalized words without apostrophes or hyphens which are not
designated as foreign.  In a compromise between the number of words
in a standard college dictionary (such as Funk & Wagnalls, in use
before the OSPD) and an unabridged dictionary, the OSPD includes all
words found in at least one of five major college dictionaries,
including a total of nine editions, which in the judgment of Merriam-
Webster's lexicographers (contracted by the trademark holder to do
this) meet the rules.

The dictionaries used for OSPD2 are: Funk & Wagnalls Standard College
Dictionary (1973 printing), American Heritage Dictionary of the
English Language (First College Edition and Second College Edition),
Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary (Merriam-Webster; Eighth and
Ninth editions), Webster's New World Dictionary (Second College
Edition and Third College Edition), Random House College Dictionary
(Original Edition and Revised Edition).

To some extent, this succeeds at capturing the language, not as some
set of Scrabble players would have it, but as it is -- according to
professional lexicographers.


3.3.3.2.       Current corrections to the OSPD 2nd ed.

The cumulative corrections to the OSPD2, all corrected in the most
recent printings, are:

        p16   ALIYAH: -YAHS (not -YAS)
        108   CLAUGHT: -ING (not -INT)
        109   CLEEK: CLAUCHT (not CLAUGHT)
        213   FLANKEN: pl. FLANKEN
        272   HONDLE: -DLED, -DLING, -DLES (not -DLIED or -DLIES)
        273   insert HOOTY adj HOOTIER, HOOTIEST
        321   LEAP: add LEPT as third past
        359   insert MISENROLL v -ED, -ING, -S
        364   MOJO: add MOJOES
        424   PECORINO: -NOS, -NI
        436   PINYIN: delete PINYINS
        451   delete PREFROZE; insert PREFREEZE v -FROZE,
              -FROZEN, -FREEZING, -FREEZES to freeze beforehand
        481   delete REARMICE; insert REARMOUSE n pl. -MICE
              reremouse
        477   REFALL: add REFALLS
        488   delete REREMICE; insert REREMOUSE n pl. -MICE a bat
              (a flying mammal)
        537   SJAMBOK: definition should be "to flog"
        635   UNMESH: -ES (not -S)
        638   UPFRONT adj
        639   URB: pl. URBS
        643   delete VANIR
        675   insert XANTHATE n pl. -S a chemical salt

Some of these "corrections" muddy the rule that all uninflected words
in the OSPD have eight or fewer letters.


3.3.3.3.       Current corrections to the Franklin Electronic OSPD

        additions   deletions
        ---------   ---------
        AMNIA       AMNIONIA
                    BRITISH
        CAUDILLOS   CAUDILLLOS
                    CHEERLEADED
                    CHINESE
                    CHRISTMAS
        CLUBBERS
        CRACKLES    CRACKLEES
        CRIOLLOS    CRIOLLLOS
        EXPIATING
                    GONIONIA
        GRAMS
        HALAZONES
        HIGGLED
        HONDLES     HONDLIES
        HORNBEAMS
                    IRISH
                    ITALIAN
        MACHES
                    MISEATE
        OPALESCING  OPALESCESCING
        OUTDRAGGING
                    OUTEATE
                    OVEREATE
        OVERLIT
        PECORINI
                    PINYINS
        REFALLS
                    S
        SISSIES     SIES
        UNCLOGGING
                    UNDEREATE


3.3.3.4.       Expurgation of OSPD

The NSA intends to reissue OSPD2 in 1995 in what it terms a "family
edition", omitting approximately 150 words labelled as offensive to
specific ethnic, racial or sexual groups, such as the words "dago"
and "jew".  Hasbro, the NSA's parent, gave as major reasons for the
change its desire to promote Scrabble in elementary schools using the
OSPD and complaints by offended ethnic groups.

In effect, adult players will have their playing vocabulary
restricted to those words considered safe for children.  At the same
time some words (e.g. "gyp", "welsh") offend no interest group
recognized by Hasbro, and will not be removed.

This points out the incongruity of a business corporation asserting
control over the set of words acceptable for a game purportedly based
on the set of words in a natural language.  In the UK, where (1) the
source of acceptable words is a dictionary (Chambers) prepared by
professional lexicographers with only lexicographic aims, and (2)
organized play is not under the sole control of the manufacturer,
this could not happen.

In a purported compromise, NSA has stated it intends to allow
competitive play to continue using the unexpurgated OSPD2, and to
supply the need for an in-print copy of the word list by making
All Words (section 5.3) or something similar an official, licensed,
publication.


3.3.4.      Tournament pairings

Most North American tournaments are ranked according to win-loss
record first, followed by the total of point margin in each game.  A
few tournaments score according to a predetermined number of credits
for winning and for each ten points of margin.  Australian
tournaments use total game score as the secondary factor.

In small tournaments or ones in where the field is sufficiently
divided, each player plays every other once.  This is called a round
robin.

In all the other tournament designs, whom one plays depends on where
one stands in the tournament so far.  In the first round, generally
the players' pre-tournament ratings temporarily stand in for the
tournament rank.

The modified form of Swiss pairing used at North American Scrabble
tournaments is best described by example.  Suppose 64 players are at
the tournament.  In round one, the first player plays the 33rd, the
second plays the 34th, etc., and the 32nd plays the 64th.  In round
two, the same top plays middle is used for the top and bottom halves
of the tournament separately: 1 plays 17, 2 plays 18, down to 16
plays 32, and 33 plays 49, down to 48 plays 64.  This continues with
groups shrinking by a factor of two at each round.

Because determining the pairings between rounds can take so long in
this method (computers are fast, but data entry can be slow), often
the field is divided into four groups, instead of two.  So with 64
players, 1 17 33 49 would be grouped together, as would 2 18 34 50,
and 16 32 48 64.  These groups of four then each play a round robin.

Note that this "speed-pairing" method provides the better players an
advantage.  Denote the four quartiles in order as A, B, C, D.  Then
the A player plays a B, C and D, while the D plays an A, B and C;
this tends to reinforce the pre-tournament estimate of the players'
strengths, and thus detracts from the aim of a tournament -- to
recognize performance, not rank.  A simple improvement has rarely
been tried, to have each A player also matched against an A from
another group, etc.  This models the round robin in small, and seems
inherently fairer.  (If anyone has references to scholarly treatments
of the fairness of tournament designs, I would be grateful to be
supplied with them.)

In the UK, most tournaments use a version of the Swiss method in
which at each round players are paired within groups consisting of
those with the same win-loss record.


3.3.5.      Tournament ratings

Using a system based on the Elo system used in chess, North American
tournaments players get a rating in the range 500 to ~2150 which
indirectly represents the probability of winning against other rated
players.  This probability depends only on the difference between the
two players' ratings as follows:

      rating     probability
     difference  of winning
        400       .919
        300       .853
        200       .758
        100       .637
         50       .569
          0       .500
        -50       .431
       -100       .363
       -200       .242
       -300       .147
       -400       .081

This represents the area under the standard bell-shaped curve where
200*sqrt(2) points are taken as one standard deviation.  (The table
shows some sample points on this curve, adequate for good
approximations of rating calculations by interpolation, although
actual calculations use the exact curve.)

To keep current on a player's actual quality of play, the rating is
updated in every tournament played.  First, the number of games one
is expected to win is calculated.  Let's use as an example a two game
tournament, in which player P begins with an 1800 rating, and plays
opponents rated 1900 and 1725.  P's rating is 100 below the 1900
players, so P is expected to win .363 fraction of a game; P's rating
is 75 above the other player's, so P is expected to win .603 of a
game (halfway between .637 and .569).

So in the two games, P is expected to win a total of .966 games.
Let's say P won one game.  That's .034 more than expected.  P's
rating goes up some constant multiple of this number.  Well, actually
it's not a constant, but depends on how many tournament games P has
ever played and how high P's rating is.

                    games played
       Rating       < 50    >=50
       below 1800    30      20
        1800-1999    24      16
        2000 & up    15      10

The UK ratings are somewhat similar but simpler: the probability of
the better player winning is taken as 50% plus the rating difference
as a percent, but no larger than 90%.

The Australian rating system is the same as the North American.


3.3.6.      Upcoming tournaments

For a listing of upcoming North American tournaments, see the
Appendix.


3.4.     Organizations conducting Scrabble activity outside North
     America and the UK

Membership in the Australian Scrabble Players Association, which is
independent of the trademark holder, is $10 per year, $15 overseas.
Its quarterly newsletter, 'Across the Board', has columns on playing,
and tournament listings.  It may be reached at

        The Scrabble Enquiry Centre
        PO Box 405
        Bentleigh Australia 3204
        Tel: [phone]

        John Holgate
        Australian Scrabble Players Association
        14 Moodie Street
        Farrer Australia 2607
        [e-mail]

In Israel, English language Scrabble is played by several clubs.
There is a large one in Jerusalem.  Tournaments are rated under a
copy of the North American system.  There are occasional national
tournaments.  Sam Orbaum, who once wrote a weekly Scrabble column for
the Jerusalem Post, runs the Jerusalem club, which meets at ICCY, 12
Emek-Refaim St, Jerusalem at 7:30pm JST Tuesdays.  He can be reached
at [phone] (H), [phone] (W).

The Thailand National English language Scrabble tournament has drawn
as many as 885 contestants, including some top North Americans.  For
information on the January 26-29, 1995 tournament (OSPD-based, 22
minutes per player, entry fee $100), contact

        Mr. Ravee Joradol
        Thailand Crossword Club
        645/1 Petchburi Rd
        Payathai, Bangkok 10400
        Thailand
        [phone], 252-8147
        [phone] fax

about the tournament and

        Kintetsu International Express (U.S.A.) Inc.
        Attn Jennifer Totte
        Group Travel Dept
        1325 Avenue of the Americas
        Suite 2002
        New York, NY 10019
        [phone]

about travel arrangements.

Nigeria and Japan each have an active English language Scrabble
tournament scene.

For addresses of many English language Scrabble organizations and
contacts, see the Appendix.


3.5.     Scrabble by surface mail

Postal Scrabble for residents of the US and Canada is conducted by
Nick Ballard (former publisher of Medleys), under the name "Letter
Getters".  Letter draws are supplied in advance, but decoded upon
drawing tiles.  For 2/4/6/8 game events, $13/$21/$29/$37 (+ $1 per
event for Canadian entrants).  Players are rated in a system based
on the North American rating system.  See section 5.1.3.3.


3.6.     Crossword games on the Internet
3.6.1.      Crossword games servers

Two servers dedicated to playing crossword games (with boards
configurable by the players) are available by telnet at
next7.cas.muohio.edu, port 8888 (this means to reach it under Unix,
type "telnet next7.cas.muohio.edu 8888") and seabass.st.usm.edu, port
7777.  A FAQ for these servers is available for ftp at
seabass.st.usm.edu in /doc/doom/faq.


3.6.2.      Crossword games mailing list

To be added to the crossword-games mailing list, write to
[e-mail], asking to be placed on [e-mail].
Active tournament players can be on [e-mail].


3.6.3.      Crossword games related homepages

These crossword game entities have WWW homepages:
    the Los Gatos, CA, club:
    http://www.yak.net/kablooey/scrabble.html
    Cygnus Cybernetics:
    http://www.csn.net/~homan/cygcyb.html
    The Australian Scrabble Players Association:
    http://www.ozemail.com.au/~aspa


4.    Differences between Scrabble in North America and in the UK

OSW and Chambers govern Scrabble play in the UK.  Australia is
moving toward "double dictionary" play, where words from either
Chambers or OSPD are accepted.  Some clubs in North America are
considering making this at least optional.  An added impetus for
this trend is the planned expurgation of OSPD.

In the UK, a player erroneously challenging suffers no penalty.

The UK has a second form of Scrabble play that is waning: high-score
tournaments, where only the total of one's own scores matters.  Since
one's "opponents'" scores are irrelevant, play in this system aims
for open boards and encourages elaborate setups often independently
mined by the two players.


5.    Publications on Scrabble
5.1.     Periodicals
5.1.1.      Scrabble News

This is a publication of the National Scrabble Association (see
section 3.1), and comes with the $15 annual membership.

Puzzles, contests, gossip, intermediate and advanced tactics,
official information from NSA and Milton Bradley, tournament listings
and tournament results.


5.1.2.      Tourney News

This provides mostly tournament results listings, with bits of
discussion of tactics, issues and occasional word lists.  $18 per
year in the US, $C24 in Canada, $35 US elsewhere.

        Tourney News
        Box 2013
        Teaticket, MA 02536
        [e-mail]


5.1.3.      Non-North American periodicals
5.1.3.1.       Onwords

Billing itself as the "Scrabble Enthusiasts' Magazine", this is the
only publication substantially written by more than one person.  It
features numerous columns, lists, analyses, letters and tournament
reports.  Subscriptions are #6 for 6 issues in the UK, #10 elsewhere.

        Allan Simmons
        Onwords Magazine
        Shilling House
        1 Woolmer Hill
        Haslemere
        Surrey, GU27 1LT
        United Kingdom

5.1.3.2.       APSP Newsletter

The newsletter of the APSP, section 3.1.


5.1.4.      Defunct periodicals
5.1.4.1.       Letters for Expert Players

This letter-form publication, which ceased in December 1986, still
forms a rich mine of top expert opinion on interesting positions.
Back issues may (possibly) still be available from:

        Albert Weissman
        11 White Rock Road
        Westerly, RI 02891


5.1.4.2.       Matchups

Besides detailed tournament results, Matchups picked up from the
Letters in using a panel of experts to annotate interesting
positions.  Suspended publication in July 1991.  Back issues may be
available.  See section 12.6.


5.1.4.3.       Medleys

Probably the highlight of this well-edited, entertainingly written
monthly were the game annotations.  One game per month was annotated
in full.  Three interesting positions were analyzed by readers, with
quotes.  Word lists, study techniques, anecdotes, humor and opinions
rounded out the publication.  The only drawback was a long-running
two page tournament advertisement in this 12 page newsletter.

For the 12 issues of 1991 and 1992, $34 each; for 1993, $36; plus $2
shipping ($3 US in Canada).

Also, compiled from the pages of Medleys, "The Art and Science of
Anamonics" [a memory-efficient method for studying which letter 6-
and 7-letter sets anagram to make words with; e.g., the letters of
SLANDER make an 8-letter word with those in CALL GOD A PIOUS CHUMP]
and "Complete 7+1 Anamonics #1-2100".

$5 and $29 respectively; plus $0, $2 shipping.

"Expert Analysis -- Consensus Game" #1, #2, #3, #4, and "Expert
Analysis -- Consensus Extras" vol. 1, vol. 2, $29 each; plus $2
shipping.  Available August and September 1994, respectively.

The second and subsequent least expensive items are charged half the
above shipping costs.

        Nick Ballard
        536 Kirkham St
        San Francisco, CA  94122-3611
        (415) LOG-NICK
        [e-mail]


5.1.4.4.       Rack Your Brain

Subtitled "Analysis of your favorite crossword game", Brian
Sheppard's series of booklets deeply analyzed specific positions.
By the author of the program Maven (section 12.3), which is an
important tool for move analysis.  $42 for one year, $5 each.

        Brian Sheppard
        296 Old Marlboro Road
        Concord, MA 01742


5.2.     Books

Everything Scrabble, Joe Edley & John D. Williams, Jr.  1994, Pocket
Books.  In bookstores, $12.00, or from Cygnus Cybernetics, section
12.1.  Practical advice for finding good plays plus practice word
puzzles on and off board.  The first author was the 1980 and 1992
North American champion.

The Champion's Strategy for Winning at Scrabble, Joel Wapnick.  1986,
Stein & Day.  Out of print.  Best for advanced players, with
sophisticated analyses of many positions and good study techniques.
The author was the 1983 North American champion.

How to Win at Scrabble, Jacob Orleans & Edmund Jacobson.  1953,
Grosset & Dunlap.  Out of print.

The Official Scrabble Player's Handbook, Drue K. Conklin.  Harmony
Books.  Out of print.

The Scrabble Book, Derryn Hinch.  1976, Mason/Charter.  Out of print.

The Ultimate Guide to Winning Scrabble, Michael Lawrence & John Ozag.
1987,  Bantam.  Good for beginners to intermediates; covers many of
the basic approaches to analysis.  Out of print, but may be available
>from  Edward R. Hamilton, a mail-order remainder bookseller.

Scrabble Tournament Success, a booklet focusing on the thought
processes which can help intermediate players improve.  Available
>from  the author, an excellent player, for $7 + $1 shipping.

        Darrell Day
        Marketing Concepts
        5 Westglen Place
        Plano, TX 75074

World Championship Scrabble, Gyles Brandreth & Darryl Francis.  1992,
Chambers.  Twenty-two annotated games from the 1991 World
(English language) Scrabble Championship, which was played using
words in OSW or OSPD.  In bookstores, or $7.95 + $3.50 shipping from
Cygnus Cybernetics, section 12.1.

The Word Game Power Workout, Rita Norr & Audrey Tumbarello.  1993,
Perigee, Putnam Publ.  Endeavors to teach words "through trivia, word
meanings, riddles, mnemonics, and geography."  This book appears
useful for breaking the reader through to thinking in terms of
anagrams, hooks, prefixes, suffixes and extensions.  Also includes
four pages of well thought out, dense suggestions for better Scrabble
play.  In bookstores, or $10.95 + $3.50 shipping from Cygnus
Cybernetics, section 12.1.

The Literate Puzzler.  Rita Norr & Audrey Tumbarello.  1994.
Sterling Pub. Co.  More puzzles using words from OSPD.  In
bookstores, $4.95.

British Scrabble books:

Official Scrabble Words (Chambers)
  Comprehensive listing of 2- to 9-letter words in the official
  Scrabble word reference, the Chambers dictionary.
Championship Scrabble, Alan Richter
Play Better Scrabble, Michael Goldman
Scrabble, Darryl Francis
The Scrabble Book, Gyles Brandreth
  covers both British & North American Scrabble
  available, $5.99 + $4 shipping, from Cahill & Co., [phone]
The Scrabble Puzzle Book, Gyles Brandreth


5.3.     Word lists

Since the list of words from a dictionary has uncertain copyright
status, people having lists of the words from the major dictionaries
for personal use shy away from sharing them.  There is, however, a
copy of the OSPD2 two to eight letter words available for ftp from
gatekeeper.dec.com in /.3/msdos-misc/crossword-archive.  Also
available for ftp is a large list of Anamonics (section 6), compiled
by John J. Chew III, at seabass.st.usm.edu:/doc/doom/anamonics.

Numerous lists and other items are available from Cygnus Cybernetics
(see section 12.1).

Sheppard Company, Inc., maker of Maven (see section 12.3) sells lists
(charging $5 + $1 for each additional list for shipping) including:

    2-, 3- and 4-letter words with hook relationships, $7.95.

    5-letter words by consonant content, $7.95.

    Bingo frequency list, $12.95 each for 7- and 8-letter words.

    Bingos grouped by anahooks (see section 6), $12.95 each for 7-
    and 8-letter words.

    Vowel-heavy words, $7.95.

The Blank Book, 2nd ed., Alan Frank
  Shows all letters with which each set of six and seven letters
  anagrams to make a word.  Also specifies whether more than one word
  can be formed.  Spiral bound.  $20 + $3 shipping from Matchups,
  section 12.6.

The Olde-Fashioned Anagram Book, Alan Frank
  All 2- to 8-letter words anagrammed according to their alphabetized
  letter sets.  Spiral bound.  $15 + $3 shipping (or $32.50 + $4.50
  shipping together with the Blank Book 2nd ed. above) from Matchups,
  section 12.6.

The Weird Book, Alan Frank
  Features such retrograde lists as words with weird trigrams, high
  probability racks forming 7- and 8-letter words with only one low
  probability tile, and words displaying all ways of forming plurals
  (e.g. LIKUTA MAKUTA, ZLOTY ZLOTYCH).  $10 + $2 shipping from
  Matchups, section 12.6.

The Complete Wordbook, Mike Baron & Brian Sheppard
  Contains (1) specialty word lists: the most efficient lists to
  study (vowel heavy words; JQXZ 2..6s; -S and non-S surprise shorts;
  7s & 8s grouped by studying priority; -INGS, -LIKE, -ABLE, -IBLE
  lists); (2) hooks: 2-to-make-3s ... 8-to-make-9s; and (3)
  alphagrams: all 3s ... 8s unscrambled.  In US, $24.00 + $2.50
  shipping.  In Canada, add $5 per address, elsewhere $10.  Wordbooks
  & Listmats, P.O. Box 2848, Corrales NM 87048-2848.

The Complete Blankbook, Mike Baron & Jim Homan
  Lists all 6- and 7-letter sets forming 7- and 8-letter words and
  all bingos formed.   In US, $35.00 + $4.95 shipping ($2.95 shipping
  each for 10 or more).  Includes a copy of The Complete Wordbook.
  In Canada, add $5 per address, elsewhere $10.  Wordbooks &
  Listmats, P.O. Box 2848, Corrales NM 87048-2848.

All Words, Jim Homan
  All 2- thru 9-letter words accepted in North American play.  $12 +
  $3.50 shipping from Cygnus Cybernetics, section 12.1.

Back-Words, Jim Homan
  All 2- thru 9-letter words accepted in North American play
  alphabetized from the back.  $12 + $3.50 shipping from Cygnus
  Cybernetics, section 12.1.

9-Letter Hooks and Anagrams, Jim Homan
  Shows what letters extend 8- to 9-letter words, and letter sets
  forming all 9-letter words.  $10 + $3.50 shipping from Cygnus
  Cybernetics, section 12.1.

High Probability Bingos, Jim Homan
  The 1000 most likely 7- and 8-letter words to draw to an empty
  rack.  Also, the 1000 7- and 8-letter words most often played by
  a computer in a substantial sample of games.  $3.25 + $3.50
  shipping from Cygnus Cybernetics, section 12.1.

JQXZ Bingos, Jim Homan
  7-, 8- and 9-letter words containing the four top tiles.  $3.25 +
  $3.50 shipping from Cygnus Cybernetics, section 12.1.

Various word list books, Sheppard Company, Inc.
  Short words, JQXZ words, 5-letter words, vowel-heavy words,
  7- and 8-letter anamonics, 7s and 8s in frequency order,
  5-vowelled 8s, 5-to-make-8s, front hooks.  Section 12.3.

The Family Bingo Tree
  Similar to the two above, it groups together all 7- and 8-letter
  words formable from each 6-letter set.  $45 from Randy Hersom
  (section 5.4).

hookiesT
  2-to-make-3 thru 7-to-make-8 hooks.  $22 from Randy Hersom
  (section 5.4).

Double List Word Book, Ethel Cannon Sherard
  OSPD1 based, alphabetically by word length and by last letter.  Has
  numerous omissions.  Gwethine Publishing Co, P.O. Box 41344, Los
  Angeles, CA 90041.

The Scrabble Word-building Book, Saleem Ahmed; $5.99
  Inconsistent in inclusion of new OSPD2 words; numerous errors.

The Official Scrabble Word Finder, Robert W Schachner; $7.00
  This is useless for Scrabble.

Official Scrabble Word Guide.  Grosset & Dunlap, Jacob Orleans; $6.95
  This 1953 book, still found in stores, is based roughly on the Funk
  & Wagnalls dictionary then current.

Official Scrabble Lists
  For the UK; lists based on OSW; many useful playing hints.  A
  second edition will come out in 1995, containing the words from
  OSW3.  Available in the same places as OSW.

Griffon Word List 1995
  Based on OSW + OSPD, listing all words up to 8 letters in length.
  Aus $28 includes international air mail, Aus $20 each for ten.
        Geoff Wright
        PO Box 13
        Brunswick Australia 3056

        Barry Harridge
        [e-mail]

Official Scrabble Words on Compact Disk
  This is supplied for Sony's Data Diskman.  Search facilities are
  reportedly poor.

Official Scrabble Players Electronic Dictionary
  Produced by Franklin, this credit-card sized device contains the
  OSPD2.  It does anagram queries and queries with blanks in fixed
  position.  Some proper nouns have crept in as acceptable words,
  apparently from careless scanning of the printed OSPD2.  Available
  for $48.00 + $5.00 shipping from Cygnus Cybernetics (see section
  12.1; this is the only supplier that ships each device with a card
  listing all the current corrections -- for which, see section
  3.3.3.3), or $59.99 from Radio Shack.

  It was rumored in 1993 that the Franklin OSPD might be withdrawn
  because of wrangling between Franklin and Milton Bradley about the
  proceeds, but nothing has been heard about this since.


5.4.     Word study software

Word Study System (IBM PC), $99 at last information, is at least a
bit difficult to configure, but a very effective study system.

  Jeff Widergren
  19397 Zinfandel Ct.
  Saratoga, CA

LexAbility (IBM PC), besides an anagram study system, includes a
feature allowing play of Scrabble by modem.  $50 postpaid in US and
Canada.

  Randy Hersom
  115A Rhyne St
  Morgantown, NC 28655
  [e-mail]

Puzlpack (IBM PC), $25 + $3 shipping; also from Cygnus Cybernetics
(see section 12.1).

  Chuck Fendall
  Recroom Recware
  P.O. Box 307
  Pacific Grove, CA 93950

Anna (IBM PC), $99 + $5 shipping, quizzes on anagrams, emphasizing
words missed over time, allows custom lists as well as functioning
as an anagrammer.

  Mary Rhoades
  2325 Shady Grove Dr
  Bedford, TX 76021
  [phone]

LeXpert (Windows), $59.95 (+ $4.95 shipping), tests on or presents a
timed slide show of various predefined anagram and hook word lists;
lists words containing patterns or letter sets.  Current users will
receive an upgrade soon offering more flexibility, such as random or
alphabetic presentation of letters, and more defined lists (by number
of vowels, by number of anagrams).

  Everything's Possible
  6632 Telegraph Rd, Suite 166
  Bloomfield Hills, MI 48301
  [phone]
  [phone] fax

Word Ear-Obics, $10 for each of three cassettes, which contain high-
frequency seven-letter words from common six-letter stems, eight-
letter words from the stem AEINST, and four and five letter JKQXZ
words with hooks.

  4414 Sparta Way
  N Las Vegas, NV 89030
  [phone]


6.    Basic tactics and methods

Rack Balance

  Some groups of letters combine well, others poorly.  Most
  obviously, racks full of vowels or of consonants are usually hard
  to play.  Also, racks with duplicate letters -- even "good" letters
  (except most often S and sometimes E) -- reduce flexibility.
  Therefore, give weight in evaluating possible plays to how well the
  leave combines.

  As a corollary, also consider what replacement tiles you're likely
  to draw.  For example, if the choice between playing FARM and FORM
  is otherwise indifferent, and there are many "A"s unplayed but few
  "O"s, use the A to minimize the likelihood of duplication on the
  next rack.

  The simplest application of attending to leave is attempting to
  keep good tiles.  On average, S, E, R, and so on form words most
  flexibly, and are particularly conducive to bingos.  Choices
  between letters lower down also matter: P is better than B.  But
  racks with Z or X tend to score high without playing long words.
  Which type of "good" letter is best to keep varies.

  In applying all these ideas, consider the board situation.  If
  there is a prime spot for a T, not used by the candidate plays, but
  none for an S, prefer to play off the S.  If the letters available
  to be played through are mostly consonants, lean further toward
  keeping vowels.

Tile-tracking

  Since the set of tiles in a game is always the same, knowing what
  is left is as useful to the Scrabble player as to the card-counting
  blackjack player -- only easier.  While some find tracking hurts
  their concentration, after practice, most do it without disruption.
  Others count only when they see a specific need.

  Tracking allows better rack balancing: knowing there are many more
  "A"s than "O"s outstanding allows one to lean toward playing an A.
  It keeps one aware of whether the Q is outstanding, and of the risk
  and opportunity in other tiles which fit particularly well or
  poorly with the board.

  Finally, once no tiles remain in the bag, tracking determines what
  exactly is on the opponent's rack.  Just before the bag is empty,
  it allows fairly confident guessing what the opponent has.  These
  allow all kinds of end-game play: set-ups, plays to assure the
  opponent cannot go out and enable one to throw out all rules of
  thumb and simply analyze cases for how to win.

Challenging

  One of the tactical considerations for challenging is not special
  to Scrabble.  If the only way you can lose is to challenge your
  opponent's word, refrain.  If winning requires a successful
  challenge (plus perhaps some further luck) and there is any chance
  the word is phony, challenge.

  It is generally best not to challenge a bingo if an alternative
  bingo was playable.  I once played (P)SCHENT for several fewer
  points than CH(A)STEN because I knew my opponent would be outraged
  that I'd try such a stupid word on him.  He should have calmed his
  emotions and considered my alternatives.  Of course, had he found
  the over ten point better play, he might have inferred I had missed
  it, and challenged.

  Consider the possibility that you are better off with the
  (possibly) phony word on the board.  If it creates a lucrative
  opening for you, makes especially good use of your rack, or wastes
  your opponent's blank, offset the point benefit to you against the
  benefit to opponent of not losing this turn.  Weight this
  calculation using your degree of certainty as to whether the word
  is good.

  Use your right to challenge all words formed.  Since the director
  gives only one ruling on the acceptability of all challenged words,
  your opponent may be uncertain which word was phony and try the bad
  word again.

Study

  The great variety in learning styles prevents any definitive
  recommendation of study methods, but there are some principles.

  Study the words most likely to occur.  Know the two-letter words
  cold, since they are essential to common parallel plays.  On the
  way to learning the three-letter words solidly, learn all front and
  back extensions for the twos.  Learning the part of speech and the
  meaning of the two-letter words helps many people assimilate this;
  it is a technique that allows many to derive dual benefit from all
  kinds of study.

  Also extra likely to occur because of the reward, as well as worthy
  of special study simply because of the reward, are the seven- and
  eight-letter words.  Many techniques are possible.

  One top player has memorized an ordered list of these words each of
  which is the first element of one of a set of subsidiary lists
  which encompass the entire set of bingos.  That method is only for
  the very dedicated.  Practice anagramming by matching the remaining
  letters to a common suffix or prefix.  Some claim success in
  extending this technique to allow recognition of words which, for
  example, contain the letters ING but form only a non-"-ING" word,
  such as LINGOES.

  Unless you have a photographic memory, try to learn words in small
  enough sets that you can master them to the point that you
  recognize both when you can and cannot anagram to one of them.  For
  example, learn the list of all eight letter words containing
  exactly the vowels EEIIO (EOLIPILE and others).  Then the phony
  OLEINIZE will not get by you, nor will you try it yourself.

  Try Anamonics, an efficient technique for learning, positively and
  negatively, whether a letter set anagrams to a word.  For example,
  the letters of SLANDER make an 8-letter word with each of those in
  CALL GOD A PIOUS CHUMP.  For this and other very effective
  techniques, see back issues of Medleys (section 5.1.5.3).

  Practice anagramming at any time there are words around you whose
  meaning you do not need to concentrate on.  This will soon take
  over your life so that even reading the newspaper, SENATOR will
  translate to TREASON and ATONERS, deeply affecting your world-view.


7.    Typical games
7.1.     Typical scores

In a 27 game, 194 participant tournament in 1988, the average score
was 368.6, standard deviation 60.6 and the distribution of scores:

        180       2            420     214
        190       1            430     165
        200       2            440     141
        210       5            450     101
        220      26            460     100
        230      27            470      58
        240      19            480      63
        250      56            490      53
        260      78            500      34
        270     101            510      24
        280     137            520      19
        290     185            530      12
        300     205            540       6
        310     257            550       6
        320     309            560       4
        330     325            570       7
        340     336            580       1
        350     345            590       1
        360     325            600       2
        370     331            610       0
        380     325            620       0
        390     328            630       0
        400     276            640       0
        410     225            650       1


7.2.     Frequency of bingos

In the 1983 national championship among 32 selected players, players
got 2.9 bingos per game between them in games that happened to be
annotated.


8.    Scrabble records
8.1.     Actual

The following records are for sanctioned (that is, in an official
club or tournament) North American play.

The high combined score and the high individual score were both
obtained in a 1993 California tournament by Mark Landsberg, who
scored 770 against his opponent's 335.

The high margin of victory including phonies was by Ken Lambe of
Michigan, who scored 716 versus his opponent's 147, using a single
phony.

The high single turn, 302 points, has been achieved by both Jeff
Clark of Michigan and Ron Manson of Ontario.

Longest consecutive opening sequence of bingos by one player:
Jeremiah Mead of Massachusetts played five in a 1989 North American
championship tournament game.


8.2.     Theoretical

These records allow words only from the OSPD (1st ed.) and
Merriam-Webster (9th ed.).

The highest single scoring play, found by Kyle Corbin of North
Carolina, shown with the hooked words:

    A1  OXYPHENBUTAZONE  1458
    1A  OPACIFYING         63
    2A  XIS                10
    4A  PREINTERVIEWED     26
    8A  BLADDERLIKE        57
    11A AFORETHOUGHT       18
    12A ZONETIME           29
    15A EJACULATING        63
       +bonus              50

The highest combined score, found by Steven Root of Massachusetts:

    H2  LANKEST            74
    8F  METRICAL           60
    8A  GRAVIMETRI(C)ALLY 293
    2F  SULTANA(S)         61
    1E  HE, ES              7
    1E  HEN, NU             8
    1I  UT, UT, TA          6
    1I  UTA, AN             5
    1M  ON OS               3
    L2  AR                  2
    L2  ARF                12
    1A  OXYPHENBUTAZONE,
         BLANKEST, ZARF  1576
    5E  GINKGOES, ZARFS   123
    B1  XI                 18
    O7  PYRUVATE           67
    N14 WE, WE             20
    D8  VERDITER           76
    13B DIT                 8
    B13 DE                  6
    B13 DEI                 4
    15D ROT                 3
    G14 OE, ROTE            6
    13G JOE, JO            35
    I13 BA, JOB            22
    I13 BAH                 8
    14I AI                  4
    K14 LI, AIL             5
    11D DEADWOOD          106
    15A MICROTECHNIQUES,
         IN, PYRUVATES   1264
      +2 times "F"          8
                 ----
                 3642


8.3.     Blocked games

The position from which no play is possible no matter what tiles are
held, which is reached with the fewest plays and tiles (found by Jim
Geary of Arizona) is:

         (K)
        K E V
          V O X
           (X)U

Without using blanks, the smallest, found by Rick Wong of California,
is:

          F
         HUP
        FUCI
         PIU


9.    Scrabble variants

In Anagram Scrabble (Clabbers, to some), where in the usual game, a
word in the dictionary may be used, the adjacent tiles need only
anagram to such a word.  If there is a challenge, the challengee must
come up with a single word to which the challenged set of letters
anagrams.  Tiles are still fixed in position once placed.

In an idea discussed in Medleys, called New Scrabble, the role of
luck in the draw of blanks is reduced in that both players have one
blank, not in the bag, which they may use to replenish their rack
once during the game.

Ecology Scrabble allows recycling blanks, in accordance with a common
"house rule".  See section 3.3.2.

In Duplicate Scrabble, players all play the same board, competing for
high score on each move.  Duplicate tournaments are held in France.


10.   Play-by-mail games

Open-book Scrabble by snail mail is run by Medleys.  (See section
5.1.5.3 for its address.)  Medleys charges $5 for a round, plus $3
per game in a round; players participate in from 2 to 8 simultaneous
games.

In the UK, the Postal Scrabble Club is very active.  See the Appendix
for a contact.


11.   Scrabble paraphernalia
11.1.    Tiles

Milton Bradley will replace without charge individual lost tiles from
in-print sets sold in North America.  Write to

        Milton Bradley Co
        Attn Customer Service Dept
        443 Shaker Rd
        East Longmeadow, MA 01028

specifying the tiles, set type, and item number of the set.

Standard-issue tiles are "braillable", that is, particular letters
(and especially blanks) can be distinguished inside the bag by feel,
and "false blanks" may be played, since the back of all tiles is the
same as the front of a blank.  Protiles, which are preferred
according to tournament rules, prevent this.  They are long-lasting,
and the seller replaces lost tiles without charge.  Available for $18
+ $3.50 shipping from Cygnus Cybernetics, section 12.1, or for $18
per set (10% off for 10 or more) from

        Robert Schoenman
        Box 408
        Lake Oswego, OR 97034

For $8.50 per set, Nate Kates will imprint the back of plastic
Protiles with a name of up to 4 or 5 letters.

        Nate Kates
        8170 Reche Canyon Rd
        Colton, CA 92324

In the UK, Spear makes Tournament Tiles, which besides having
thinner, harder to braille ink than the regular Spear tiles, do not
wear as quickly, nor smudge when wet.  Available from Philip Nelkon
(section 3.2) for #6.


11.2.    Clocks

Chess clocks, used to time games at clubs and tournaments, are
available where chess paraphernalia is sold, but avoid those analog
models on whose faces the individual minutes past zero are not
marked.

Analog quartz clocks are sold by Cygnus Cybernetics, section 12.1,
for $45 (or $52 for a see-through case) + $5 shipping, and also by
Matchups, $67.50 + $5 shipping, section 12.6.  Wind-up clocks are
sold by Matchups for $42.50 + $5 shipping.

A digital model well suited to Scrabble, called the "SamTimer",
having very large (1 inch) numbers and a slanted face, is sold for
$135 (+$10 for padded bag) + $3 shipping by

        Sam Kantimathi
        Box 5236
        El Dorado Hills, CA 95762-5236

In the UK, the APSP sells wind-up clocks for #19.


11.3.    Miscellaneous

Braille Scrabble is sold in North America by Milton Bradley.  Blind
players do play in tournaments, bringing their own braille sets,
which have visible printed letters.

The Franklin Mint sells a Scrabble set (complete with a copy of the
OSPD2) for $495.  No serious tournament player I know owns one,
except for the winner of a Franklin-sponsored tournament set up to
promote this garish item and the 1993 World (English language)
Champion.  This set is also available in the UK at an even higher
price.

Mary Lou Thurman sells several things, including: a cover of light
plastic mesh for the Deluxe edition of Scrabble allowing collecting
tiles from the board all at once, $2.50; tote bags, $12-$15; tile
bags, $6; chess clock bags, $7; OSPD book covers, $4-$6; Wordbook
covers, $7; all optionally decorated or embroidered with names.

        Mary Lou Thurman
        2627 24th St
        Lubbock, TX 79410
        [phone]

Cygnus Cybernetics supplies a device called TopSpin to make your
supposedly freely turning deluxe Scrabble set turn better.  It is
really just a pair of ball-bearinged metal plates stuck to the base
and top of the board with two-sided thick tape, available at hardware
stores.  From Cygnus (see section 12.1), it is $7.50 + $3.50
shipping.

Punch bound books of 100 scoresheets in various colors and tracking
orders, with or without board diagrams, are available for $5.00 each
plus $3.00 shipping for up to 3 books from

        Danny Gatlin
        191 Lakeshore Rd
        Jackson, MS  39212


12.   Computer versions of Scrabble

There are (1) Scrabble-playing programs licensed in the US and UK;
(2) "crossword game" programs which can be configured to play
Scrabble; and (3) programs which ignore the trademark and copyright
issues.  All are represented below.

For a citation to a publication on efficient Scrabble move finding,
see section 12.13.  An improvement on the method described there
appears in:

        A Faster Scrabble Move Generation Algorithm
        Steven Gordon
        Software Practice and Experience, 24:2, Feb 1994, pp.
          219-232

The following paper compares approaches for move selection:

        A Comparison Between Probabilistic Search And Weighted
          Heuristics in a Game with Incomplete Information
        Steven Gordon
        AAAI Fall 1993 Symposium on Games: Playing and Learning,
          AAI Press Technical Report FS9302, Menlo Park, CA


12.1.    CrossWise (IBM PC)

A ridiculously fast player which plays at the highest level, twice
having won the international Computer Olympiad at Scrabble.  Highly
configurable, with a professionally programmed interface.  Contains
all OSPD2 words, but no others over eight letters.   (An augmentation
of the dictionary to cover all words up to 15 letters is $12.50.)  No
setup capability; hinting ability is "limited" to showing all moves
in score order.  $35 + $4.50 shipping.

        Cygnus Cybernetics Corporation
        2013 Weathertop
        Fort Collins, CO 80526
        [phone]
        [phone] fax
        [e-mail]
        http://www.csn.net/~homan/cygcyb.html

A UK variant of CrossWise is described in section 12.7.

Note that the shipping charge for orders of multiple items is $3.50
for the first $29.99 of merchandise, plus $.50 for each $10.00 up to
a maximum of $6.00.


12.2.    Gameboy Super Scrabble (Nintendo)

Based on American Heritage Dictionary, not OSPD.


12.3.    Maven (Macintosh)

An extremely strong and intelligent player.  Never having entered the
International Computer Olympiad, its strength can't reliably be
compared to CrossWise's.  It includes excellent facilities for
position analysis.  The program keeps track of various statistics
about the registered player, so orders must include the name of the
player, and (if available) their current rating.  $75 (+ $5 for non-
US shipment).

        Sheppard Company, Inc.
        60 Thoreau St #187
        Concord MA 01742-9116
        [phone]
        [phone] fax
        [e-mail]

An IBM PC version was supposed to have been out during 1994; its
issue date is uncertain.


12.4.    Monty Plays Scrabble (hand-held)

Ritam Corporation.  Originally available for the IBM PC and Apple II,
since 1987 only as a hand-held unit.  Comes with 20,000 words from
OSPD1, upgradable to about 40,000, which is still incomplete.
Deplorable strategy.  The hand-held version requires scrolling around
a small screen to find the board area of interest.  Reportedly
sometimes changes the letter represented by a played blank.
Apparently no longer licensed by Milton Bradley, its current
availability is unknown.


12.5.    Scramble (IBM PC)

This is a very pretty game.  But note this from the documentation:
"Q.  How come I can see my opponent's rack?  Shouldn't it be hidden?
A.  You must be thinking of some other crossword game.  This is
Scramble.  In Scramble, you get to see your opponent's rack."  The
machine player plays for high score on each turn.  While substitution
of a user-provided dictionary for the quite incomplete one supplied
is provided for, this slows down an already slow game.

        Ted Gruber Software
        P.O. Box 13408
        Las Vegas, NV 89112


12.6.    Tyler (IBM PC, Macintosh)

Written for the IBM PC and ported to the Macintosh (not very
smoothly, I am told), this version is distinguished by a complete
OSPD2 and Merriam-Webster dictionary up to 15 letters, with a UK
dictionary also available, by good strategy and by good setup and
hint facilities.  (I regularly use it to automatically critique my
tournament games.)  Unfortunately, the latest version, 3.04 is flaky,
and the author has not been upgrading as frequently as he had been.
$50 + $2 shipping.

        Matchups
        35 Gardner St
        Arlington, MA 02174
        [phone]
        [e-mail]


12.7.    US Gold Scrabble (IBM PC, Amiga, Atari ST)

Licensed for sale in the UK, this is essentially similar to CrossWise
(section 12.1), but comes with the complete contents of the OSW.
Reviews in the APSP newsletter say "a splendid opponent ... speed is
quite astonishing ... graphics and facilities are excellent."  Cost
is around #30.


12.8.    Vic Rice's Game (IBM PC)

This goes under the name "Scrabble" but for clarity, I'm denominating
it according to its author's name.  Available from

       Vic Rice
       4026 Bayou Grove Dr.
       Seabrook, TX 77586

and from the bulletin board system (BBS) where the author resides:

       Ed Hopper's PC Board
       [phone]


12.9.    Virgin Mastertronic (IBM PC, Macintosh)

Licensed for sale in the US.  Sold in three versions, about $15, $25
and $35.  The standard version has about 20,000 words from the OSPD1.
The two deluxe versions have the complete OSPD1 with some errors.  In
the IBM PC program, the deluxe version adds VGA graphics.  The $35
version is the deluxe for Windows, which stops running when in the
background.  Reportedly plays at the level of a middling tournament
player, but with no discernible strategy.  Also reportedly very slow,
with the deluxe versions, holding the full OSPD1, taking two to three
minutes per move on a 386/33.  Windows deluxe version is available
for now at $18.95 from Surplus Software, [phone].


12.10.   WordsWorth (IBM PC)

Shareware version, available for ftp from ftp.aztec.co.za in
/pub/gram/wwdem.zip, uses the OSPD2 restricted to words of up to six
letters.  Registration brings the complete OSPD2 and Merriam-Webster,
and costs 75 S. African Rand, $25 US or #20.  Currently in version
1.3.

        Graham Wheeler
        P.O. Box 6680
        Roggebaai
        Cape Town 8012
        South Africa
        [e-mail]


12.11.   STrabbler (Atari)

Shareware, it is available for ftp from atari.archive.umich.edu in
the directory /atari/Games.  It requires at least 1MB of memory.
Words are played by click-and-drag using the mouse.  The program
plays solely for high score.  It contains a 45,000 word editable and
browsable dictionary.


12.12.   Unix Scrabble (Unix)

Available by ftp from ftp.doe.carleton.ca in the directory
/pub/scrabble.  This program, by James A. Cherry, has to be compiled
for the target machine.  It comes with an American Scrabble
dictionary, for which a single word file in simple ASCII may be
substituted.  Currently in version 1.31.  The player faces from one
to three computer opponents which play for highest score at each
move.


12.13.   CRAB (Unix, Sun, Vax and Macintosh)

Based on their article in a research journal:

        The World's Fastest Scrabble Program
        Andrew Appel and Guy Jacobson
        Communications of the A.C.M. v.31 no.5, May 1988

this product from Jacoppel Enterprises (the Unix, Sun, Vax version of
which is currently in version 1.3) appears primarily designed to
demonstrate the speed of their move-finding method, but does permit a
real, player-versus-machine game to be played.  Their method is no
longer the fastest (their timings on more sophisticated machines are
far outdone by CrossWise on a lowly IBM PC), but illuminating
nonetheless.  The Mac version is available at any mirror of the
Info-Mac archive, including mrcnext.cso.uiuc.edu, directory
/pub/info-mac/game, in the file crab.hqx.


12.14.   Scrabble Door (IBM PC BBS)

When installed by the system operator, allows playing others on an
IBM-PC based BBS.  Player, logged on to the BBS, need not be using a
PC.  Shareware, $25 payable by sysop.  Registered version includes
built-in dictionary based on OSPD2, and allows sysop-supplied ASCII
dictionary.  Rather than challenges, plays with phonies are rejected,
costing a player's turn only after 3 bad attempts.

        Christopher Hall
        P.O. Box 165507
        Irving, TX  75016-5507
        [e-mail]


13.   Glossary

Bingo:  A play that uses all seven of a player's tiles, earning a
50-point bonus.  Good tournament players average one to two such
plays per game.  The unlovely term "bingo" is used by North American
players.  British players say "bonus play" or just "bonus".

Double-Double, Triple-Triple:  A play that covers two double word
scores, or triple word scores, respectively, scoring quadruple or
nonuple ("hey, it's in Chambers") the raw score of the word.  In the
UK, "4-timer" and "9-timer".

Exchange:  A turn in which a player trades letters rather than
playing on the board.  This is allowed only when at least 7 tiles
remain in the bag.  In the UK, "change".

Hook:  A play adding one letter to one end of of a word already
played, while creating a main word perpendicular to the extended
word.

Leave: The tiles remaining on a player's rack after their play.

Parallel Play:  A play making several words perpendicular to the main
word by extending existing words or inserting letters between
existing tiles.

Pass:  A turn in which a player does nothing.  Compare with exchange.

Phony:  A word played that is not in the official dictionary or
dictionaries.


A0.    Copyright

This article is copyright 1994 Steven Alexander.  It may be copied
and distributed for non-commercial purposes only, provided that this
notice and the instructions for retrieving a current copy are
included.  Archives should offer a current copy, and to that end,
I will e-mail updates to public archive sites which need that.


A1.   Credits

Many thanks to John J. Chew III, Jim Homan and Graeme Thomas for
numerous corrections and improvements.  Also to Barry Harridge and
Philip F.X.  Ryan for information on Australia.  Thanks also to Edith
Berman, Gary Dismukes, Steven Gordon, Adam Logan, Maggie Morley,
Larry Sherman and Harriet Strasberg for helpful comments.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Steven Alexander
[e-mail]
Path: bloom-beacon.mit.edu!hookup!uwm.edu!lll-winken.llnl.gov!overload.lbl.gov!agate!stevena
From: [e-mail] (Steven Alexander)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board,rec.puzzles.crosswords,rec.answers,news.answers
Subject: Scrabble FAQ - Club and Tournament Supplement
Supersedes: <3htqpp$[e-mail]>
Followup-To: rec.games.board
Date: 16 Mar 1995 02:53:57 GMT
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
Lines: 2026
Sender: [e-mail] (Steven Alexander)
Approved: [e-mail]
Expires: Fri, 17 Apr 1995 00:00:00 GMT
Message-ID: <3k8985$[e-mail]>
References: <3k88qr$[e-mail]>
Reply-To: [e-mail] (Steven Alexander)
NNTP-Posting-Host: qin.cs.berkeley.edu
Summary: This supplement to the Frequently Asked Questions concerning
     Scrabble lists clubs and upcoming tournaments within North
     America, and contacts for outside.
Keywords: Scrabble, crossword game
URL: http://http.cs.berkeley.edu/~stevena/faq.html
Originator: [e-mail]
Xref: bloom-beacon.mit.edu rec.games.board:39909 rec.puzzles.crosswords:2570 rec.answers:10754 news.answers:37127

Last-modified: 11 March 1995
Archive-name: games/scrabble-faq/supplement


This and the companion article are available by
  ANONYMOUS FTP to rtfm.mit.edu (18.181.0.24) and get the files
    /pub/usenet/news.answers/games/scrabble-faq/general
    /pub/usenet/news.answers/games/scrabble-faq/supplement
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    send /pub/usenet/news.answers/games/scrabble-faq/general
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A hypertext version is available in
"http://http.cs.berkeley.edu/~stevena/faq.html".

A2.   Roster of clubs in the US and Canada

ALABAMA

No. 9    MOBILE, AL
    Call for information
    Sarah Fields [phone]
    453 W Creek Circle Dr
    Mobile, AL 36617
    Eliza Cooper [phone]

No. 362    BIRMINGHAM, AL
    1st & 3rd Tuesdays @ 6:00 PM
    Sharpsburg Manor Clubhouse
    Call for information
    Jim Pate [phone], 226-3644 (W)
    701 Bluff Park Rd
    Birmingham, AL 35266
    Becky Hoffman [phone]

No. 410    MOBILE, AL
    Thursdays @ 7:00 PM
    Quincy's Family Steak House
    3871 Airport Blvd
    Mobile, AL 36617
    Sarah Fields [phone]
    Ervin Byrd [phone]

ARIZONA

No. 100    MESA, AZ
    Saturdays @ 5:00 PM
    Call or write for information
    May Haney [phone]
    1608 E Main St #104
    Mesa, AZ 85203

No. 110    MESA, AZ
    Saturdays @ 1:00 PM
    Call or write for information
    May Haney [phone]
    1608 E Main St #104
    Mesa, AZ 85203

No. 123    PHOENIX, AZ
    Wednesdays @ 6:30 PM
    Washington Adult Ctr
    2240 W Citrus Way
    Call for information
    Barbara Van Alen [phone]
    Jerry D'Angelo [phone]

No. 231    SUN LAKES, AZ
    Mondays @ 1:00 PM
    Club House
    25601 N Sun Lakes Blvd
    Call for information
    Ruth Sturrus [phone]
    9316 N Cactus Ln
    Sun Lakes, AZ 85248

No. 303    TUCSON, AZ
    Call for information
    Naurlene Canterman [phone]

No. 390    TUCSON, AZ
    Call for information
    Lewis Saul [phone]
    1263 S Bison Dr
    Tucson, AZ 85713

No. 405    SCOTTSDALE, AZ
    Tuesdays @ 6:00 PM
    Scottsdale Pima Motel
    7330 N Pima Rd
    Bonnie Rudolph [phone]
    Lillian Goldfine [phone]
    Florence Ziegler [phone]

ARKANSAS

No. 249    JONESBORO, AR
    1st & 3rd Tuesdays @ 1:30 PM
    Mercantile Bank
    300 S Church St
    Jonesboro, AR
    Billie P Garver [phone]
    Rte #2 Box 256
    Leachville, AR 72438
    Naomi Wallace [phone]
    Eunice Czapla [phone]

No. 336    NORTH CENTRAL ARKANSAS, AR
    Mondays @ 10:30 AM
    Nettie's Cafeteria
    College Plaza
    Mountain Home, AR
    Marie Moore [phone]
    1008 E Locust
    Mountain Home, AR 72653

CALIFORNIA

No. 21    LOS GATOS, CA
    Saturdays @ 11:00 AM
    Pollard Round Table Pizza
    1472 Pollard Rd
    Los Gatos, CA
    Rick Wong [phone]
    454 Porter Ln
    San Jose, CA 95127-2553
    [e-mail]
    http://www.yak.net/kablooey/scrabble.html

No. 34    HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA
    Tuesdays @ 6:15 PM
    The Huntington Terrace
    18800 Florida St
    Call for information
    Penny Baker [phone]
    Terry Lee [phone]

No. 40    OAKLAND, CA
    Saturdays @ 12:15 PM
    Montclair Park Clubhouse
    6300 Moraga Av
    Mountain Blvd betw. that & Moraga, near Thornhill
    Victor Havens [phone]
    1517 MacArthur Blvd #5
    Oakland, CA 94602
    Cynthia Pughsley [phone]

No. 44    LOS ANGELES, CA
    Wednesdays @ 6:30 PM
    Westside Jewish Comm Ctr Solarium
    5870 W Olympic Blvd
    Los Angeles, CA 90036
    Alan & Ruth Stern [phone]
    10000 La Canada Way
    Sunland, CA 91040
    Bruce D'Ambrosio [phone]

No. 69    SAN FERNANDO VALLEY, CA
    Mondays @ 6:45 PM
    N Valley Jewish Comm Ctr
    16601 Rinaldi St (at Hayvenhurst)
    Granada Hills, CA
    Deborah Sapot [phone] (H)
    22814 Av San Luis
    Woodland Hills, CA 91364

No. 76    SAN DIEGO, CA
    Mondays @ 6:15 PM
    Doyle Park Rec Ctr
    8175 Regents Rd
    [phone]
    Carol Kaplan [phone]
    Betty Schulman [phone] (H), 238-0303 (W)

No. 85    LAGUNA HILLS, CA
    Mondays @ 1:00 PM
    Leisure World Clubhouse #5
    Call for information
    Geraldine Wenk [phone]
    3459-A Bahia Blance
    Laguna Hills, CA 92653
    Sylvi Gruzen [phone]
    2302 E Via Puerta
    Laguna Hills, CA 92653

No. 95    SAN FRANCISCO, CA
    Tuesdays @ 6:00 PM
    Carl's Jr. Restaurant
    4 Embarcadero Ctr
    Robin Levin [phone]
    623 Campbell
    San Francisco, CA 9134?
    Stu Goldman [phone]
    [e-mail]

No. 176    LAGUNA HILLS, CA
    Wednesdays @ 6:30 PM
    California Federal S & L Bldg
    Moulton Pkwy & El Toro Rd
    Laguna Hills, CA
    Call for information
    Gina du Mez [phone]
    23216 Orange Av #5
    Lake Forest, CA
    Tom Singleton [phone]

No. 183    RIVERSIDE, CA
    Saturdays @ 12:15 PM
    Olive Grove Senior Resort
    7898 California Av
    Penny Baker [phone]
    1235 Via Pintada
    Riverside, CA 92507
    Pat Reed [phone]

No. 195    LOS ANGELES, CA
    Saturdays @ 9:45 AM
    Felicia Mahood Senior Ctr
    11338 Santa Monica Blvd
    Don Knutzen [phone]
    3822 Prospect Av
    Bruce D'Ambrosio [phone]
    Beth Fleischer [phone]
    Lou Block [phone]

No. 235    SANTA ROSA, CA
    Call for information
    Fred Holden [phone]
    1342 Rivera Ct
    Santa Rosa, CA 95409

No. 242    SEAL BEACH/LONG BEACH, CA
    4th Sunday @ 12:30 PM
    Fidelity Federal Bank
    13820 Seal Beach Blvd
    Seal Beach, CA 90740
    Deborah Sapot [phone]
    Esther Kisich [phone]

No. 244    SAN JOSE, CA
    Sundays @ 1:00 PM
    Schotsky Deli
    Westgate Shopping Mall, Saratoga Av
    Call for information
    Johnny R Nevarez [phone]
    4804 Bannock Circle
    San Jose, CA 95130
    Jeff Widergren [phone]

No. 271    SANTA BARBARA, CA
    Call for information
    Jason Sommer & Sherry Schaff [phone]
    1493 Aarhus Dr #16
    Solvang, CA 93463
    Marian Koonce [phone]

No. 329    EAGLE ROCK (LOS ANGELES), CA
    2nd, 4th & 5th Wednesdays @ 6:45 PM
    Yosemite Rec Ctr
    1840 Yosemite Dr
    George Heussenstamm [phone]
    5013 Lowell Av
    La Crescenta, CA 91214
    Gwen Bishop [phone]

No. 357    CARLSBAD, CA
    Saturdays @ 10:30 AM
    Stagecoach Park Rec Ctr
    3420 Camino De Los Coches
    Carlsbad, CA 92009
    Sue Kaye [phone]

No. 377    FRESNO, CA
    Thursdays @ 6:30 PM
    Round Table Pizza
    5763 N First St @ Bullard Av
    Carlynn Moreno [phone] (H), [phone] (W)

No. 383    SANTEE, CA
    1st & 3rd Thursdays @ 6:30 PM
    Santee Fire Station
    8950 Cottonwood Av
    Santee, CA
    Sandee Reynoldson [phone]
    P.O. Box 712262
    Santee, CA 92072

No. 393    MILL VALLEY, CA
    Thursdays @ 6:00 PM
    Round Table Pizza
    Belvedere Dr
    Norma Fisher [phone]

No. 406    HAYWARD, CA
    Sundays @ 11:00 AM
    Hayward Senior Ctr
    22325 N Third St
    [phone]
    Kate Mendell [phone]

No. 423    LONG BEACH, CA
    Fridays @ 6:00 PM
    Bixby Knolls Towers
    3737 Atlantic Av
    Esther Kisich [phone]

No. 433    SACRAMENTO, CA
    Sundays @ 11:30 AM
    Sacramento Senior Citizen Ctr
    16th & Jay St
    Sam Kantimathi [phone]

COLORADO

No. 185    DENVER, CO
    1st, 3rd & 5th Tuesdays @ 6:30 PM
    Kirk of the Bonnie Brae
    1300 Steele St
    Laura Scheimberg [phone]

No. 351    BOULDER, CO
    2nd & 4th Thursdays @ 6:30 PM
    St Aldan's Episcopal Church
    2425 Colorado Av
    Call for information
    Dennis Kaiser [phone], [phone]
    P.O. Box 28
    Jamestown, CO 80455
    Bill Palmer [phone]

CONNECTICUT

No. 112    MANCHESTER, CT
    1st Thursdays @ 7:00 PM
    Community Baptist Church
    585 East Center St
    Ann D McClain [phone]
    64 Holl St
    Manchester, CT 06040

No. 134    WEST HARTFORD, CT
    Thursdays (except 1st & Jewish holidays) @ 7:00 PM
    Emanuel Synagogue
    160 Mohegan Dr
    Dave Carlson [phone]
    Harry F Leonard [phone]

FLORIDA

No. 18    MIAMI, FL
    Mondays @ 7:00 PM
    Stephen Clark Comm Bldg
    1650 NW 37th
    Robert Mulet [phone]
    1025 Michigan Av
    Miami Beach, FL 33139

No. 131    BOCA RATON, FL
    Thursdays @ 6:45 PM
    Patch Reef Park Comm Ctr
    2000 NW 51 St
    [phone]
    Florence Behl [phone]

No. 197    ORLANDO, FL
    Wednesdays @ 6:30 PM
    Call for information
    George & Linda Lennox [phone]

No. 276    LAUDERHILL, FL
    Wednesdays @ 6:30 PM
    Veteran's Park
    7600 NW 50 St
    Sandee Bloom [phone]
    Ann Robin [phone]

No. 314    JACKSONVILLE, FL
    Wednesdays @ 1:00 PM
    Quincy's Restaurant
    3814 University Blvd W
    Call for information
    Jean Goodman [phone]

No. 330    VENICE, FL
    Call for information
    Elspeth Abbate [phone]

No. 335    MARGATE, FL
    Fridays @ 7:15 PM
    Call for information
    Larry Gradus [phone]
    609 S State Rd 7 #2G
    Margate, FL 33068
    [e-mail]

No. 353    FT PIERCE, FL
    Tuesdays @ 7:00 PM
    Call for information
    Doris Ripp [phone]
    2430 Harbour Cove Dr
    Ft Pierce, FL 34949

No. 369    GAINESVILLE, FL
    Mondays @ 6:30 PM
    Books, Inc
    505 NW 13 St
    Phil Haisley [phone]
    817 NW 21 Terr
    Gainesville FL 32603

No. 372    VERO BEACH, FL
    Call for information
    Bob Lipton [phone]
    760 23rd Pl, SW
    Vero Beach, FL 32962

No. 381    MELROSE, FL
    Tuesdays @ 1:00 PM
    Friendship Bible Church (W Wing)
    Corner of Orchard St & S.R. 21 S
    Keystone Heights, FL 32656
    Call for information
    Lorayne Pate [phone]
    Rte #3 Box 1212
    Melrose, FL 32666

No. 384    FORT LAUDERDALE, FL
    Thursdays @ 6:30 PM
    Tiffany House
    2900 Rio Mar St
    Tim Wise [phone]
    Claire Ullman [phone] x250

No. 388    INDIAN HARBOR BEACH, FL
    Tuesdays @ 5:30 PM
    Friendly's Restaurant
    A1A Hw & Eau Galle Blvd

    Mondays @ 12:00 noon
    Mady Garner [phone]
    170 Allan Ln
    Melbourne Beach, FL 32951

No. 407    PALM HARBOR, FL
    Sundays @ 2:00 PM
    Palm Harbor Rec Ctr
    1631 9 St
    [phone]
    Jan Fisher [phone]
    Jane Welch [phone]

No. 424    JACKSONVILLE, FL
    Thursdays @ 1:00 PM
    Regency Sq Library
    Call for information
    Anita Coan [phone]

No. 426    DAVIE, FL
    Sundays @ 1:00 PM
    David Posnack Jewish Comm Ctr
    5850 Pine Island Rd
    [phone]
    Ruthie Levitts [phone]
    7610 Stirling Rd
    Hollywood, FL 33024

No. 432    MIAMI, FL
    Wednesdays @ 7:00 PM
    Temple Beth Shira
    7500 SW 120 St
    Carl Stocker [phone]
    Natalie Liebman [phone]

No. 438    ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, FL
    Call for information
    Judith Segall [phone]

GEORGIA

No. 84    ATLANTA, GA
    Call for information
    Barbara Jordan [phone]
    1627 Van Vleck Av SE
    Atlanta GA 30316
    Gloria Blackwell [phone]
    2426 Glenwood, SE
    Atlanta, GA 30317

No. 237    ATLANTA, GA
    Call for information
    Jerri Bergeron [phone]
    989 Fairburn Rd, NW
    Atlanta, GA 30331

No. 392    DECATUR, GA
    Thursdays @ 10:00 AM
    Mason Mill Ctr
    1340-B McConnell Dr
    Toni Douglas [phone]
    Betty Camp [phone]

HAWAII

No. 145    PAHOA, BIG ISLAND, HI
    Thursdays @ 1:00 PM
    Pahoa Comm Ctr

    2nd & last Sunday @ 1:00 PM
    Ken's Pancake House
    1730 Kam Av
    Mark Pistolese [phone]
    P.O. Box 672
    Pahoa, Big Island, HI 96778
    Lee Nigro [phone]

No. 341    HONOLULU, HI
    Mondays @ 9:15 AM
    Call for information
    Peg Chesley [phone]
    2937 Kalakaua Av #37
    Honolulu, HI 96815
    Mary Ellen Lester [phone]

No. 439    HAILULU, HI
    Fridays @ 6:00 PM
    Maui Comm Coll
    310 Kaahumanu Av Rm L02
    Dane Jay Barnhard [phone]
    627 Pio Dr
    Wailulu, HI 96793

IDAHO

No. 386    Meridian, ID
    Call for information
    Evelyn Mull [phone]
    401 E Washington Av
    Meridian, ID 83642
    Ron Barker [phone]

ILLINOIS

No. 259    CHICAGO, IL
    Fridays @ 6:00 PM
    Community Rm, 1st fl
    170 West Oak
    Call for information
    George G Stone [phone]
    170 West Oak, #3-D
    Chicago, IL 60610

No. 340    SKOKIE/NORTHBROOK, IL
    Thursdays at 11:30 AM
    Smith Activities Ctr
    5120 Galitz
    Skokie, IL 60077
    [phone]

    NORTHBROOK, IL
    Sundays @ 12:00 noon
    Olive Garden Restaurant
    755 Skokie Blvd
    [phone]

    Call for information
    Robert Denn [phone]

INDIANA

No. 275    INDIANAPOLIS, IN
    Tuesdays @ 5:45 PM
    Christian Park Rec Ctr
    4200 English Av
    Jerry Miller [phone]
    719 S Home Av
    Franklin, IN 46131

No. 360    NEW ALBANY, IN
    1st Saturdays @ 1:00 PM
    Floyd County Public Library
    180 Spring
    New Albany, IN
    Call for information
    Daniel & Therese Bibb [phone]
    5885 Sand Hill Rd SE
    Elizabeth, IN 47117

No. 376    HAMMOND, IN
    Thursdays @ 6:30 PM
    Woodmar Methodist Church
    173rd SE Av
    Hammond, IL 46324
    Sylvia Strong [phone]

IOWA

No. 385    CEDAR RAPIDS, IA
    Wednesdays @ 7:00 PM
    Call for information
    Janet Schallau [phone], 365-7501(W)
    4747 F Av NE
    Cedar Rapids, IA 52402

KANSAS

No. 186    WICHITA, KS
    Saturdays @ 1:00 PM
    Indian Hills Clubhouse
    2740 W 13 St N
    Call for information
    Ruby O'Connor [phone]
    Connie Servis [phone]

KENTUCKY

No. 256    LEXINGTON, KY
    Call for information
    Charles Faber [phone]
    3569 Cornwall Dr
    Lexington, KY 40503

No. 302    DANVILLE, KY
    2nd Thursdays @ 6:30 PM
    4th Sundays @ 1:30 PM
    Call for information
    Elaine Jacobus [phone]
    835 Boyd Av
    Danville, KY 40422
    Virginia Porter [phone]

No. 342    ELIZABETHTOWN, KY
    4th Saturday @ 12:00 noon
    Nolin RECC
    Call for information
    Ted Blevins [phone]
    Joe Galloway [phone]

LOUISIANA

No. 90    LAFAYETTE, LA
    Thursdays @ 6:30 PM
    Call for information
    David Johnson [phone]
    404 Guilbeau Rd #E128
    Lafayette, LA 70506

No. 188    GONZALES, LA
    Thursdays @ 7:00 PM
    Call for information
    Gloria Simoneaux [phone]
    42226 Bayou Narcisse Rd
    Gonzales, LA 70737
    Josephine Hatchell [phone]

No. 322    ALEXANDRIA, LA
    Call for information
    Dorothy Hathorn [phone]

MAINE

No. 254    N YARMOUTH, ME
    Call for information
    Gay Hoyt [phone]
    85 Sligo Rd
    N Yarmouth, ME 04097

MARYLAND

No. 7    BALTIMORE, MD
    Tuesdays @ 6:00 PM
    Foster's Restuarant
    606 S Broadway
    Fells Point, MD
    Jonnathon Jensen [phone]

No. 50    BALTIMORE, MD
    Thursdays @ 7:00 PM
    Call for information
    Joanne Cohen [phone]
    24 Romney Ct
    Owings Mills, MD 21117
    Diana Grosman [phone]
    4 Pleasant Brook Ct
    Reisterstown, MD 21136

No. 172    COLUMBIA, MD
    Mondays @ 7:30 PM
    Call for information
    Janice Beck [phone]
    10105 Windstream Dr, #5
    Columbia, MD 21044

No. 378    DAVIDSONVILLE/BOWIE, MD
    2nd Friday @ 7:30 PM
    Holy Familiy Church
    Central Av & Rte 24
    Davidsonville, MD

    4th Friday @ 7:30 PM
    Bowie Comm Ctr
    Rte 450
    Bowie, MD

    Call for information
    Mary Lou Goetz [phone]
    1548 Patuxent Manor Rd
    Davidsonville, MD 21035

MASSACHUSETTS

No. 59    BOSTON, MA
    Mondays @ 7:00 PM
    Allston-Brighton Police Station
    301 Washington St
    Brighton, MA
    Call for information
    Hilda Siegel [phone]
    123 Kittredge St
    Roslindale, MA 02131
    Michel Cohen [phone]

No. 108    LEXINGTON, MA
    Thursdays @ 7:00 PM
    First Parish Church
    Harrington St
    Judy Swank [phone]
    4 Louisburg Sq Apt 3
    Nashua, NH 03060
    [e-mail]
    Ellen Miller [phone]

No. 194    HYANNIS, MA
    Wednesdays @ 11:45 AM
    New World Bank Comm Rm
    Hyannis Airport Rotary
    Cliff McGauley [phone]
    P.O. Box 426
    Cummaquid, MA 02637
    Verna Appleby [phone]

    FALMOUTH, MA
    Mondays @ 7:00
    Stop & Shop Comm Rm
    Jones Rd & Rte 28
    Lee Cooper [phone]
    4 Crown Av
    Falmouth MA 02540
    [e-mail]

    YARMOUTH, MA
    1st Wednesdays @ 10:45 AM
    Yarmouth Senior Ctr
    528 Forest Rd
    [phone]
    Call for information
    Cliff McGauley [phone]
    Verna Appleby [phone]

    BOURNE VILLAGE, MA
    Alternate Tuesdays @ 7:00 PM
    Call for reservations
    Edie Miller Berman [phone]
    [e-mail]

    ORLEANS MA
    Thursdays @12:30 PM
    Orleans Senior Ctr
    Rock Harbor Rd
    Edie Miller Berman [phone]
    [e-mail]
    Irving Samuels [phone]

No. 221    SPRINGFIELD, MA
    Mondays @ 7:00 PM
    Foster Memorial Church
    1234 Parker St
    Avalon Newell [phone]
    32 Spikenard Circle
    Springfield, MA 01129

No. 226    FRAMINGHAM, MA
    Tuesdays (except last) @ 6:30 PM
    St Andrews Episcopal Church
    Buckminster Sq
    3 Maple St @ Union
    Jeanne Hedberg [phone]
    129 Locust St
    E Holliston, MA 01746-1337

MICHIGAN

No. 49    SAGINAW, MI
    Tuesdays @ 7:00 PM
    Saginaw Villas Club House
    2759 Samuel Dr
    Teresa Maynard [phone]
    2832 Gemini St
    Saginaw, MI 48601
    Irene Garrison [phone]

No. 104    PORT HURON, MI
    Thursdays @ 7:00 PM
    St Claire County Comm Coll
    323 Erie St
    Joyce Spalding [phone]
    3250 Garlick Rd
    Ruby, MI 48049

No. 115    LIVONIA, MI
    Tuesdays @ 6:45 PM
    Sheldon Ctr
    10800 Farmington Rd
    Livonia, MI
    Florence Laatz [phone]

No. 178    WEST OLIVE, MI
    Call for information
    Chet Bartels [phone]

No. 192    BAY CITY, MI
    Mondays @ 7:00 PM
    Texan Restaurant
    3000 Center Avenue Rd
    Essexville, MI 48732
    Peggy LeMay [phone]
    212 S Warner
    Bay City, MI 48706
    Marthe St Laurent [phone]

No. 213    LANSING, MI
    1st & 3rd Saturdays @ 11:00 AM
    Friendship Manor
    200 Friendship Circle
    Doris Munro [phone]
    Vince Houston [phone]

No. 222    SOUTHFIELD, MI
    Mondays @ 7:00 PM
    Whitehall Apts Clubhouse
    16176 Cumberland
    Esther Norber [phone]
    23237 Providence Dr
    Southfield, MI 48075
    Pat Pilling [phone]

No. 317    FLINT, MI
    Sundays (except holiday weekends) @ 2:00 PM
    Ramada Inn
    I-75 @ Peirson Rd
    Flint, MI
    Mary Ellen Raleigh [phone]
    3605 W Gary Rd
    Montrose, WI 48457
    Pat Badgley [phone]

No. 350    WEST BLOOMFIELD, MI
    Wednesdays @ 7:00 PM
    Greater Detroit Jewish Comm Ctr
    6600 W Maple Rd @ Drake
    [phone]
    Gary Moss [phone]

No. 371    GRAND RAPIDS, MI
    Call for information
    Sandra Peters [phone]

No. 412    STERLING HEIGHTS, MI
    Kingsley Apts Clubhouse
    Call for information
    Keith Cejmer [phone]
    Erica Norris [phone]

No. 437    HAZEL PARK, MI
    Call for information
    Rosemarie Geci & Keith Cejmer [phone]

MINNESOTA

No. 42    MINNEAPOLIS/ST PAUL, MN
    Tuesdays @ 7:00 PM
    Friend's Meeting
    1725 Grand Ave
    Carol Dustin [phone]

No. 327    MINNETONKA, MN
    1st & 3rd Fridays @ 6:30 PM
    Minneapolis Bridge Ctr
    6020 Nicollet Av S
    Jeff & Colleen Prentiss [phone]
    Bob Prentiss [phone]

MISSISSIPPI

No. 427    JACKSON, MS
    1st Saturday @ 11:00 AM
    Southside Church
    665 Raymond Rd
    Jackson, MS 39204
    Danny Gatlin [phone]
    191 Lakeshore Rd
    Jackson, MS 39212

MISSOURI

No. 198    ST LOUIS, MO
    Mondays @ 6:30 PM (except holidays)
    St Louis County Library
    1640 S Lindbergh Blvd (at Clayton)
    [phone]
    Call for information
    James Barrow [phone]
    6627 Alamo
    Clayton, MO 63105
    Virginia Wood [phone]

NEVADA

No. 328    LAS VEGAS, NV
    Tuesdays @ 4:00 PM
    Call for information
    Gerry Greenside [phone]
    3047 Zane Circle
    Las Vegas, NV 89121

No. 349    LAS VEGAS, NV
    Sundays @ 1:00 PM
    Wednesdays @ 11:00 AM
    Gay Burch [phone]
    4517 Del Oro Dr
    Las Vegas, NV 89102

No. 391    LAS VEGAS, NV
    Sundays @ 1:00 PM
    Call for information
    Dorothy Halprin [phone]
    2805 High Range Dr
    Las Vegas, NV 89109

No. 413    NORTH LAS VEGAS, NV
    Mondays @ 6:00 PM (except holidays)
    4414 Sparta Way
    Paul Terry [phone]


NEW HAMPSHIRE

No. 108    NASHUA, NH
    See Lexington, MA

No. 331    MERRIMACK, NH
    Thursdays @ 1:00 PM
    Merrimack Meadows Clubhouse
    Rte 3a
    Merrimack, NH
    Call for information
    Stella Russell [phone]

NEW JERSEY

No. 67    PARK RIDGE, NJ
    Call for information
    Ted Von Zwehl [phone]
    13 Inwood Dr
    Bardonia, NY 10954

No. 251    TEANECK, NJ
    Thursdays @ 7:30 PM
    Teaneck Town House
    Forest Av & Teaneck Rd
    Selig O Wassner [phone]
    P.O. Box 2157
    Teaneck, NJ 07665
    Maurice DeCanio [phone], [phone]

No. 398    SOUTH JERSEY/BERLIN, NJ
    Thursdays @ 6:00 PM
    Saturdays @ 1:00 PM
    Berlin Baptist Church
    90 E Broad Av
    Betty C McDaniel [phone]
    11 Pinewood Ln
    Sicklerville, NJ 08081
    [phone]

No. 411    MILLBURN, NJ
    Mondays @ 7:00 PM
    Millburn Library
    Glenn Av
    Call for information
    Herb Greenberg [phone]
    Marjorie Bash (2012) 376-0625

NEW MEXICO

No. 129    ALBUQUERQUE, NM
    Tuesdays @ 7:00 PM
    Village Inn Pancake House
    5505 Central Av NE
    Patty Wayne [phone]
    Gertrude Savadge [phone]

No. 397    ALBUQUERQUE, NM
    Sundays @ 2:00 PM
    Call for information
    Stanley Luz Miranda [phone]
    1109 Georgia St NE
    Albuquerque, NM 87110

NEW YORK

No. 23    PITTSFORD, NY
    Mondays @ 6:30 PM
    Spiegel Comm Ctr
    35 Lincoln Av
    [phone]
    Ted Rosen [phone]
    517 University Av #203
    Rochester, NY 14607

No. 28    BROOKLYN, NY
    Call for information
    Alan B Hecht [phone]

No. 32    MASSAPEQUA, NY
    Wednesdays @ 12:00 noon
    Call for information
    Ed Ugarte [phone]
    63 Autumn Ln
    Hicksville, NY 11801

No. 56    NEW YORK, NY
    Thursdays @ 7:15 PM
    Beverly Bridge Club
    130 E 57 St, 3rd fl
    New York, NY 10021
    Call for information
    Ron & Susi Tiekert [phone]
    Michael Martin [phone] x322

No. 67    PARK RIDGE, NJ-NY
    Call for information
    Ted Von Zwehl [phone]
    13 Inwood Dr
    Bardonia, NY 10954

No. 125    SCHENECTADY, NY
    Call for information
    Norma Shelly [phone]
    1639 Eastern Pkwy
    Schenectady, NY 12309

No. 157    RIVERDALE, NY
    Fridays @ 7:30 PM
    Call for information
    Carol & Ed Halper [phone]
    81 Gallows Hill Rd
    Cortlandt, NY 10566
    Maris Brody-Greenwald [phone]

No. 174    SHIRLEY, NY
    Thursdays @ 7:30 PM
    Call for information
    Jerry & Ginger White [phone]
    10 Huron Rd
    Shirley, NY 11967

No. 284    BROOKLYN, NY
    Sundays @ 3:00 PM
    Call for information
    Shirley Zacot [phone]
    c/o Tenzer
    8301 Bay Pkwy, #304
    Brooklyn, NY 11214
    Gary Hurzer [phone]

No. 324    NEW HARTFORD, NY
    Mondays @ 7:00 PM
    First United Methodist Church
    105 Genesee St
    New Hartford, NY
    Call for information
    Don & Heather Drumm [phone]
    P.O. Box 151
    Clinton, NY 13323

No. 338    HAMBURG/BUFFALO, NY
    Mondays @ 6:30 PM
    Frontier Middle School Cafeteria
    2751 Amsdell Rd
    Hamburg, NY
    Wannell Kelsey [phone]

    Wednesdays @ 6:30 PM
    Polonia Hall
    385 Paderewski St
    Buffalo, NY
    Jerry Scheiten [phone]
    84 Albany St
    Buffalo, NY 14213
    Mark Przbyszewski [phone]
    Joan Tondra [phone]

No. 355    MASSAPEQUA, NY
    Thursdays @ 12:00 noon
    John Burns Park
    Call for information
    Ed Ugarte [phone]
    63 Autumn Ln
    Hicksville, NY 11801

No. 356    MASSAPEQUA, NY
    Tuesdays @ 12:00 noon
    Plainedge Public Library
    Call for information
    Violet Ditommasso [phone]
    88 Boston Av
    Massapequa, NY 11758
    Ed Ugarte [phone], 798-8181
    63 Autumn Ln
    Hicksville, NY 11801

No. 389    MANHATTAN, NY
    Newcomers' club
    1st & 3rd Sundays @ 5:30 PM
    Beverly Club
    130 E 57 St, 3rd fl
    New York, NY 10021
    Susi Tiekert [phone]

No. 404    ALBANY, NY
    Mondays @ 7:00 PM
    Jewish Comm Ctr
    340 Whitehall Rd
    Albany, NY
    David Goodman [phone]
    Kurt Kopitz [phone]
    John Morse [phone]

No. 428    PLATTSBURG, NY
    Wednesdays @ 7:00 PM
    St Peter's Upper Rm
    5171 N Catherine St
    David Abolafia [phone]
    102 Sailly Av #11
    Plattsburg, NY 12901

OHIO

No. 62    FREMONT, OH
    1st & 3rd Mondays @ 7:00 PM
    Call for information
    Flossie Swint [phone]
    Jackie Lease [phone]

No. 154    INDEPENDENCE, OH
    Saturdays @ 12:00 noon
    Angie's Restaurant
    6932 Hillside Rd
    Independence, OH
    Walter Konicki [phone] (W) 526-4677 (H)
    381 E Sprague Rd
    Seven Hills, OH 44131

No. 294    DAYTON, OH
    Mondays @ 6:00 PM
    2nd & 4th Monday Evenings
    Main Dayton Public Library
    215 E 3 St
    Dayton, OH 45402
    [phone]
    Nancy Mills [phone]

No. 313    CINCINNATI, OH
    Call for information
    Julie Wilson [phone]

No. 364    CINCINNATI, OH
    Write for information
    Altha Stewart
    P.O. Box 36026
    Cincinnati, OH 45236

No. 379    CINCINNATI, OH
    Call for information
    Phyllis Prather [phone]

OKLAHOMA

No. 243    OKLAHOMA CITY, OK
    Call for information
    Glenda Short [phone]
    2301 Westchester
    Oklahoma City, OK 73120

OREGON

No. 308    PORTLAND, OR
    Tuesdays @ 6:45 PM
    Lakewood Ctr
    368 S State St
    Lake Oswego, OR 97034
    Ruth Hamilton [phone]
    Karen Merrill [phone]
    T Vail Palmer [phone]

No. 370    PORTLAND, OR
    Thursdays @ 6:30 PM
    My Father's Place
    523 SE Grand Av
    Portland, OR
    [phone]
    Ruth Hamilton [phone]
    T Vail Palmer [phone]

No. 419    FLORENCE, OR
    Thursdays @ 6:30 PM
    New Life Lutheran Church
    21st & Spruce St
    Vy Johnson [phone]

PENNSYLVANIA

No. 55    READING, PA
    Call for information
    Doris Carney [phone]
    918 N 12 St
    Reading, PA 19604

No. 141    WARMINSTER, PA
    Call for information
    Raymond Rauanheimo [phone]
    189 Newtown Rd
    Warminster, PA 18974-5219

No. 333    EXTON, PA
    Mondays @ 6:00 PM
    Comfort Inn
    Rte 100 & Rte 113
    Call for information
    Phyllis Patukas [phone]
    Teri Gillstrom [phone]

No. 352    PITTSBURGH, PA
    Saturdays @ 12:00 noon
    Northland Library
    300 Cumberland Rd
    Pittsburgh, PA
    Luise Shafritz [phone]
    2740 Meadowcrest Ct
    Wexford, PA 15090
    [e-mail]

No. 358    DELAWARE COUNTY/PHILADELPHIA, PA
    Call for information
    Marilyn Everett [phone]
    620 Felton Av
    Sharon Hill, PA 19079

SOUTH CAROLINA

No. 431    MYRTLE BEACH, SC
    Call for information
    Wendell Smith [phone]
    P.O. Box 617
    Myrtle Beach, SC 29578

SOUTH DAKOTA

No. 361    SIOUX FALLS, SD
    2nd & 4th Wednesdays
    Call for information
    Mark Oppenheimer [phone] PM only
    4704 Pasque Circle
    Sioux Falls, SD 57105

TENNESSEE

No. 238    MEMPHIS, TN
    Mondays @ 6:30 PM
    Call for information
    Dave Leifer [phone] (H), 922-5557 (W)
    1785 Candle Ridge Dr
    Cordova, TN 38018

TEXAS

No. 71    ABILENE, TX
    Mondays @ 6:00 PM
    First Methodist Church
    1318 S 2nd St & Butternut St
    Mary Lee Couey [phone]
    1958 S 20 St
    Abilene, TX 79602
    Hildagard Powell [phone]

No. 124    LUBBOCK, TX
    Tuesdays @ 7:00 PM
    Caprock Home Health Services Bldg
    3411 Knoxville St
    Mary L Thurman [phone]
    2727 24 St
    Lubbock, TX 79410
    Marion Wooten [phone]
    Dennis Major [phone]

No. 234    AUSTIN, TX
    Fridays @ 6:30 PM
    Austin Rec Ctr
    1301 Shoal Creek Blvd
    [phone]
    Caesar Jaramillo [phone] (H), 891-2564 (W)
    4004 Victory Dr
    Austin, TX 78704

No. 248    BEDFORD, TX
    Thursdays @ 6:30 PM
    Barnes & Noble Bookstore
    8025 Airport Fwy
    North Richland Hills, TX
    [phone]
    Mary Rhoades [phone], 545-3216
    2325 Shady grove
    Bedford, TX 76021
    Charlie Bond [phone]

No. 270    SAN ANTONIO, TX
    Mondays @ 7:00 PM
    Jason's Deli
    25 NE Loop 410
    T A Sanders [phone]
    P.O. Box 669
    La Verna, TX 78121
    Nancy Scott [phone]

No. 319    DALLAS, TX
    Wednesdays @ 7:00 PM
    Shoney's Restaurant
    2310 Stemmons Trail
    Dallas, TX
    Call for information
    Mike Willis [phone]

No. 359    HOUSTON, TX
    Sundays @ 2:00 PM
    Kettle Restaurant
    Hwy 290 & Hwy 6
    13280 W FM 1960
    James Bodenstedt [phone]
    2427 Creek Meadow Dr
    Houston, TX 77084
    Kris Tabrizi [phone]

No. 436    DALLAS, TX
    Tuesdays @ 6:30 PM
    Barnes & Noble
    14999 N Preston Rd
    Call for information
    Michael Chitwood [phone]

UTAH

No. 173    SALT LAKE CITY, UT
    Wednesdays @ 6:30 PM
    Sandy Rec Ctr
    440 E 8680 South St
    Sandy, UT
    Call for information
    Jim Fischer & Jane Larkin [phone]
    Mike W Howlett [phone]

VIRGINIA

No. 299    WOODBRIDGE, VA
    Call for information
    Dennis Rowe [phone] (W), 680-1408 (H),
    [phone] (W)
    4924 Kirkdale Dr
    Woodbridge, VA 22193

WASHINGTON

No. 253    SEATTLE, WA
    Tuesdays @ 6:15 PM
    Josephinum Hotel Dining Rm
    1902 2nd Ave & Stewart
    Ann Ferguson [phone]
    Ken & Starlite Clark [phone]

WASHINGTON, DC

No. 143    WASHINGTON, DC
    Thursdays @ 6:00 PM
    Langdon Park Rec Ctr
    20 St & Rhode Island Av NE
    Call for information
    Robert Kilpatrick [phone], 401-3580 (W)
    4314 Bowen Rd, SE
    Washington, DC 20019
    Rose Noel [phone]

No. 171    WASHINGTON, DC
    Tuesdays @ 6:00 PM
    Chevy Chase Comm Ctr
    5601 Connecticut Av, NW
    Call for information
    Robert Linn [phone] (W), [phone] (W)

WISCONSIN

No. 247    MADISON, WI
    Wednesdays @ 6:30 PM
    Call for information
    Richard Lauder [phone]
    Barb Besadny [phone]

No. 265    MILWAUKEE, WI
    1st & 3rd Saturdays @ 1:00 PM
    Y-NOT II
    706 E Lyon St
    Charlotte Morris [phone]

No. 318    NEW BERLIN, WI
    Call for information
    Warren Kaminsky [phone]

No. 363    MILWAUKEE, WI
    Tuesdays @ 6:30 PM
    Gas Lite on North
    60th & North Av
    Call for information
    Pat Krohn [phone]
    Ed Meyer [phone]
    Warren Kaminsky [phone]

U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS

No. 190    CHARLOTTE AMALIE, USVI
    Thursdays @ 6:00 PM
    Taco Maker at Nisky Ctr
    St Thomas, USVI
    Call for information
    Virginia Monsanto [phone]
    5143 Dronninges Gade, Ste 3
    St Thomas 00802

MEXICO

No. 396    CABO SAN LUCAS
    Thursdays @ 6:45 PM
    Caffee Todos Santos
    Carle Centenario
    Todos Santos
    Write for information
    Lee Moore 52-114-50718
    A.P. #1
    23300 Todos Santos
    B.C.S. Mexico

CANADA

No. 3    TORONTO, ONTARIO
    Wednesdays @ 7:30 PM
    Earl Bales Park Comm Ctr
    Bathurst St (S of Sheppard Av W)
    Call for information
    Mike & Lynda Wise [phone]
    37 Rockland Dr
    Willowdale ON  M2M 2Y8

No. 83    MONTREAL, QUEBEC
    Mondays @ 7:15 PM
    Centennial Park Chalet #3
    6975 Mackle Rd
    C(^)ote St Luc, Montreal
    [phone]
    Bernard Gotlieb [phone], [phone]
    5770 Hudson Av
    C(^)ote-St-Luc QC  H4W 2K6
    Fran Silver [phone]

No. 177    VANCOUVER, B.C.
    Call for information
    Robert Fancett [phone]

No. 193    BRANTFORD, ONTARIO
    Mondays @ 7:00 PM
    St Mark's Anglican Church
    155 Memorial Dr off Dunsdon
    Glenn Dunlop [phone]
    55 Brunswick St
    Brantford ON  N3T 1E9
    Pat Tolhurst [phone]

No. 252    HAMILTON/DUNDAS, ONTARIO
    Thursdays @ 7:00 PM
    Carnegie Gallery Library
    Ogilvie & King St
    Barry Spinner [phone]
    Vivian Minden [phone]

No. 263    OSHAWA, ONTARIO
    Mondays @ 7:30 PM
    Woodview Comm Ctr
    Cadillac Av
    Oshawa ON
    Linda Gomes [phone]
    Trevor Sealy [phone]

No. 264    MOOSE JAW, SASKATCHEWAN
    Mondays @ 7:00 PM
    Fridays @ 1:30 PM
    Cosmo Senior Citizen Ctr
    235 3rd St NE
    [phone]
    Dorothy L Evans [phone]
    971 Coteau St W, #5
    Moose Jaw SA  S6H 5G1
    Muriel Allcock [phone]

No. 307    COURTENAY, B.C.
    Thursdays @ 7:00 PM
    16-1440 13th St
    Call for information
    Winnie & Ed Skalazub [phone]

No. 374    CALGARY, ALBERTA
    Wednesdays @ 7:00 PM
    Riverview United Church
    824 Imperial Way SW
    Siri Tillekeratne [phone]
    16 Cedarwood Pl SW
    Calgary AB  T2W 3G6
    Marjorie Gross [phone]

No. 402    VICTORIA, B.C.
    Thursdays @ 6:30 PM
    Call for information
    Helga Williams [phone]
    [e-mail]
    Don Malcolm [phone]

No. 422    MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO
    Thursdays @ 7:30 PM
    Presbyterian Church
    353 S Common Ct
    Shaun Goatcher [phone]
    6953 Pamplona Mews
    Mississauga, ON  L5N 1S5
    Dan Fuller [phone]


A3.   Upcoming North American tournaments

Feb 24-26, Atlanta, GA
    Friday 6:00 pm
    15 gm, 4 div DA ~1750/1350/1000
    EF $40/35/30/25 + $5 commuters, by 2/10, no walk-ins
    Holiday Inn Airport S, 5010 Old National Hwy, Atlanta, GA
          30349, [phone], (800) HOL-IDAY
    HR $62/rm by 2/3, code "SCRABBLE"
    Info: Jerri Bergeron, 989 Fairburn Rd NW, Atlanta, GA,
          30331, [phone]

Feb 26, West Bloomfield, MI
    Sunday 9:00 am
    7 gm RR
    EF $20 + $5 after 22nd of month
    Jewish Comm Ctr, 6600 W Maple Rd
    Info: Gary Moss, 32240, 12 Mile Rd, Farmington Hills, MI
          48334, [phone]

Mar 4-5, New Orleans, LA
    Saturday 12:30 pm
    10 gm, 3 div DA 1600/1300
    EF $30/25/20 + $5 after 2/25, must register by 2/27
    Comfort Inn New Orleans Airport, 1700 I10 Service Rd,
          Kenner, LA 70065, [phone]
    HR $46/rm
    Info: Pam Holzenthal or Aline Jeansonne, 4501 Turnbull Dr,
          Metairie, LA 70002, [phone]

Mar 10-12, Long Island, NY
    Friday 8:30 pm
    12 gm, 3 div DA top 12/1250
    EF $45/35/30 + $15 commuters, by 2/24
    Danfords Inn, LIE exit 62N/64N, Port Jefferson, NY
    HR $165/ppdo, $144/ppto, $265/single
    Info: Ginger White, 10 Huron Rd, Shirley, NY 11967, (516)
          399-2579

Mar 11, Lansing, MI
    Saturday 10:00 am
    7 gm, RR of 8
    EF $15 ($18 at door)
    Gier Comm Ctr, 2400 Hall St, Lansing, MI 48906
    Info: Gary Jacob, [phone]

Mar 12, Oakland, CA
    Sun 1 pm
    6 gm, RR of 6-8
    EF $15 cash at door
    Village Restaurant, 273 E 18 St, Oakland
    Info: Cynthia Pughsley, [phone], Stu Goldman, (415)
          864-2463, [e-mail]

Mar [middle], San Antonio, TX
    Info: T A Sanders, P.O. Box 669, La Verna, TX 78121, (210)
          303-5731

Mar 25, Calgary, AB
    Saturday 9:00 am
    7 gm, 2 div DA 1100
    EF $10 (CAN) $8 (US)
    Riverview United Church, 824 Imperial Way SW
    Info: Siri Tillekeratne, 16 Cedarwood Pl SW, Calgary AB  T2W
          3G6, [phone]

Mar 25-26, Twin Cities, MN
    Saturday 9:00 am
    12/10/10/10 gm, 4 div DA 1700/1350/1000
    EF $30/25/20/15
    Har Mar Mall Auditorium, N Snelling & Co Rd B, Roseville,
          MN
    Info: Tim Adamson, 1703 Laurel #4, St Paul, MN 55104, (612)
          649-1649

Mar 26, West Bloomfield, MI
    same as above

Mar 31-Apr 2, Waltham, MA
    Friday 8 pm
    13/12/12 gm, 3 div DA at top 14/1750/1400; RR/Swiss/Swiss;
          also 6-gm Saturday-only <1100 newcomers' tournament
          9:45 am, credit system
    EF $27/27/22 [$10 newcomers] + $10 nonresidents not staying
          at hotel
    Guest Quarters Suite Hotel, 550 Winter St, Waltham
    HR $145/ppdo, $256/single, $122/ppto
    Info: Edie Miller Berman, 26 Ships Way, Bourne Village, MA,
          02532, [phone], [e-mail], Alan
          Frank, (617) NIT-TLED, [e-mail]

Apr 1-2, Moose Jaw, SK
    Saturday 9:30 am
    10 gm, 3 div
    EF $20
    Cosmo Senior Citizens Ctr, 235 3rd Av NE, [phone]
    Info: Jean Button, 201-250 Atha St E, Moose Jaw, SK  S6H 0L5,
          [phone], Dorothy L Evans, 971 Coteau St W, #5,
          Moose Jaw SA  S6H 5G1, [phone]

Apr 1-2, Kalamazoo, MI
    Saturday 10:00 am
    12 gm
    EF $25
    John Bernhard Ctr, West Michigan Univ
    Info: Sandy Peters, 612 Vries SW, Grand Rapids, MI 49509,
          [phone]

Apr 8, Mississauga, ON
    Saturday 9:00 am
     7 gm, RR of 8
    EF $25 CAN/$20 US, no walk-ins
    Eden United Church, 3051 Battleford Rd, Mississauga ON
    Info: Shaun Goatcher, 6953 Pamplona Mews, Mississauga ON L5N
          1S5, [phone], c/o John Chew,
          [e-mail], Dana Fuller [phone]

Apr 8-10, Gatlinburg, TN
    Saturday 9:30 am
    18 gm, RR of 20-22
    EF $65 by 3/25
    Gatlinburg Holiday Inn, 520 Airport Rd, P.O. 1130,
          Gatlinburg, TN 37738, [phone]
    HR $68/rm
    Info: Mady Garner, 170 Allan Ln, Melbourne Beach, FL 32951,
          [phone]

Apr 9, Oakland, CA
    same as above

Apr 22-23, Alexandria, LA
    Saturday 12:30 pm
    10 gm, 3 div DA 1600/1300
    EF $30, $25 postmarked by 4/15
    Best Western Motel, 2720 W MacArthur Dr, Alexandria, LA (318)
          445-5530
    HR $46/rm
    Info: Dorothy Hathorn, 307 Sweetbriar Dr, Alexandria, LA
          71303, [phone]

Apr 22-23, Estes Park, CO
    Saturday 12:00 noon
    11 gm, 2 or 3 div
    EF $30 + $10 at door
    YMCA of the Rockies, Estes Park Ctr, 2515 Tunnel Rd near
           Hwy 66
    HR $86.52/ppdo 2 nights
    Info: Laura Scheimberg, 8001 S Yarrow St, Littleton, CO
          80123, [phone]

Apr 22-23, Irvine, CA
    Saturday 9:00 am
    13 gm, 3 div DA 1700/1300
    EF $60/50/50 + $5 after 4/14, + $10 at door
    Atrium Marquis Hotel, 18700 MacArthur Blvd, Irvine, CA, (800)
          854-3012
    HR $59/rm, code "SCRA"
    Info: Gina du Mez, 23216 Orange Av #5, Lake Forest, CA, (714)
          586-2378

Apr 28-30, Whitehaven, PA
    Friday 8:30 pm
    11 gm, 3 div
    EF $25, $35 commuters, by 3/26, no same-day entries
    Mountain Laurel Resort, Rte 940, Whitehaven, PA
    HR $149/ppdo, $125/ppto, $112/ppqo, $192/single
    Info: Margaret Maneth, 8 Livingston Av, Kearny, NJ 07032,
          [phone] (12-6 pm), [phone] (10-6 pm)

Apr 29, Flint MI
    Saturday 10:00 am
    6 gm, RR
    EF $25 to Mary Ellen Raleigh by 4/18, no walk-ins
    Ramada Inn, I75 at Pierson Rd, Flint, MI
    HR $54 ppdo
    Info: Mary Ellen Raleigh, 3605 W Gary Rd, Montrose MI 48457,
          [phone], Pat Badgley, 3343 Walton Av, Flint MI
          48504, [phone]

May 6-7, Jonesboro, AR
    Saturday 10:00 am
    10 gm RR of 10
    EF $25 top, $20 others
    Wyatt's Cafeteria at Indian Mall, Caraway & Highland,
          Jonesboro, AR
    Info: Billie P Garver, Rte #2 Box 256, Leachville, AR 72438,
          [phone]

May 6-7, New Hartford, NY
    Saturday 10:00 am
    10 gm, 2 div
    EF $36 + $4 at door
    Ramada Inn, 141 Campion Rd, New Hartford, NY, [phone]
    Don or Heather Drumm, P.O. Box 151, Clinton, NY 13323, (315)
          853-3192

May 6-7, Sioux Falls, SD
    Saturday 9:00 am
    12 gm, 3 div DA 1600/1200
    EF $35/35/25 by 4/20
    Best Western Townhouse Motel, 4000 S Main Av, [phone]
    HR $48/ppdo, $38/single
    Info: Mark Oppenheimer, 4704 Pasque Circle, Sioux Fallx, SD
          57105, [phone]

May 7, Oakland, CA
    same as above

May 13, Berlin, NJ
    Saturday 9:00 am
    7 gm, RR of 8
    EF $35
    Berlin Baptist Church, 90 E Broad Av, Berlin, NJ
    Info: Betty C McDaniel, 11 Pinewood Ln, Sicklerville, NJ
          08081, [phone]

May 13, Lansing, MI
    Saturday 10:00 am
    7 gm, RR of 8
    EF $15 ($18 at door)
    Gier Comm Ctr, 2400 Hall St, Lansing, MI 48906
    Info: Gary Jacob, [phone]

May 18-25, Alaskan Cruise, Vancouver, B.C. to Sitka, AK
    11-15 gm
    EF $50
    HR $879+
    Info: Cruises Cruises Cruises, 29202 Agoura Rd, Suite A2,
          Agoura Hills, CA 91301, [phone], Penny
          Baker, 1235 Via Pintada, Riverside, CA 92597, (909)
          983-0909

May 20-21, Durango, CO
    Saturday 12:00 noon
    10 gm, 3 div
    EF $35/25/20 -$5 before 5/10
    Tamarron Resort, 40292 US 55 N, [phone]
    HR $75/rm
    Info: Bobby Sageser, 2609 N College Dr, Durango, CO 81301

May 27, Minneapolis, MN

May 27-29, Santa Clara, CA
    Saturday 9:30 am
    16 gm, 3 div DA 1700/1300
    EF $65/60/60
    Howard Johnson's Motor Lodge, 5405 Stevens Creek Blvd, Santa
          Clara, CA, [phone]
    HR $50/rm
    Info: Johnny R Nevarez, 4804 Bannock Circle, San Jose, CA
          95130, [phone]

Jun 3-4, Mid-Cities, TX

Jun 9-11, Stamford, CT
    Friday 7:15 pm
    14 gm RR/Swiss DA 1800 and remaining div of 24
    EF $60 top div, others $45, + $25 not using hotel package +
          $10 postmarked after 5/15, after 5/22 may be refused,
          no walk-ins
    PR estimated <66%
    Stamford Marriott, 2 Stamford Forum, I95 exit 8
    HR $122 ppdo, $197 single
    Entry: Paul Avrin, 325 W 77 St #9D, New York, NY 10024, (212)
          799-6092, [e-mail]
    Info: Paul Avrin, 325 W 77 St #9D, New York, NY 10024, (212)
          799-6092, [e-mail], Susi or Ron Tiekert, 152 E
          35 St #4E, New York, NY 10016, [phone]

Jun 10-11, Buffalo, NY
    Saturday 9 am
    12 gm RR of 12
    EF $25 ($33 CAN) by 6/7, no walk-ins
    Chief Petty Officers' Club, 5 Porter Av, Buffalo, NY 14201
    Hotel Lenox, 140 North St at Delaware Av, Buffalo, NY, (800)
          82LENOX
    HR $59/room single/double, $60/room triple/quad by 5/5
    Info: Mark Przybyszewski, 56 Lathrop St, Buffalo, NY 14212,
          [phone], Jerry Scheiten, [phone]

Jun 11, Eagle Rock, CA
    Sunday 9:30 am
    10 gm, 4 div DA 1700, remainder equally
    EF $32 by 5/31
    Yosemite Rec Ctr, 1840 Yosemite Dr, Eagle Rock, CA
    Info: George Heussenstamm, 5013 Lowell Av, La Crescenta, CA
          91214, [phone], Gwen Bishop, [phone]

Jun 17-18, Milwaukee, WI

Jun 24, Long Island, NY

Jul 4, Reno NV
    Tuesday 8:00 a.m.
    8 gm
    EF $25 cash at door
    Sands Regency Hotel/Casino, 345 N Arlington Av, Reno, NV
          89501, [phone] code "SCR702"
    HR $42, by 6/24
    Info: Johnny R Nevarez, 4804 Bannock Circle, San Jose, CA
          95130, [phone]

Jul 5-9, Reno NV
    Wednesday 8:00 am
    31 gm, RR4, RR6, RR4, RR6, RR4, RR4, 3*KOTH, 4 div DA
          1700/1400/1100
    EF $100 >=1700, $75 <1700 sent to Darlene Nevarez by June 28,
          no walk-ins
    Sands Regency Hotel/Casino, 345 N Arlington Av, Reno, NV
          89501, [phone] code "SCR702"
    HR $42 Sun-Thu, $59 Fri-Sat, by 6/24
    Info: Johnny R Nevarez, 4804 Bannock Circle, San Jose, CA
          95130, [phone]

Jul 22-23, Houston, TX
    Saturday 11:30 am
    10 gm, 3 div DA 1600/1300
    EF $30/25/20 + $5 after 7/14
    Holiday Inn-Intercontinental Airport, 15222 John F Kennedy
          Blvd, Houston, TX 77032, [phone]
    HR $49, code "4WHS"
    Info: Jim Bodenstedt, 2427 Creek Meadow, Houston, TX 77084,
          [phone]

Jul 29-31, Holtsville, NY
    Saturday 9 am
    18 gm RR
    EF $65 + $15 not hotel guests, by 7/14
    PR <66%
    Best Western Hotel, 1730 N Ocean Av, Holtsville, NY
    HR $130/ppdo, $105/ppto, $215/single by 7/14
    Info: Ginger White, 10 Huron Rd, Shirley, NY 11967, (516)
          399-2579

Aug 4, Baltimore
    Info: Tim Maneth, 116 Bourbon Ct, Baltimore, MD 21234 (410)
          529-4053 after 10 am

Sep 1-4, Bossier City, LA
    Friday 7:30 pm
    21 gm RR, 3 div DA 1700/1400, plus Scholastic division (8 gm
          on 9/2)
    EF $60 ($10 Scholastic), recd by 8/7
    PR estimated ~100%
    Grande Isle Hotel, Bossier City, LA, [phone]
    HR $78/rm up to 4 people
    Info: Michael Chitwood, 3131 Turtle Creek, Suite 303, Dallas,
          TX 75219, [phone]

Sep 2-3, Albuquerque, NM


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Key to abbreviations:
    EF=entry fee, DA=divided at, div=divisions, gm=game(s),
    HR=hotel rate, ppdo=per person double occupancy, PR=prizes
    returned, RR=round robin


A4.   Contacts for major Scrabble organizations worldwide

    English Language

    John Holgate
        Australian Scrabble Players Association
        14 Moodie St
        Farrer Australia 2607
        [e-mail]

    Shiraz Amith
    Bahrain Scrabble League
    P.O. Box 20725
    Bahrain

    Lorton Graham
    Claybury
    St John
    Barbados

    National Scrabble Association of Liberia
    James Flomo, President
    c/o West African Exam Council
    Box 2883
    Monrovia
    Liberia

    Jeff Grant
    Waipatu Settlement Rd
    RD2
    Hastings
    New Zealand

    Femi Awowade
    P.O. Box 20307, U.I.
    Post Office
    Ibadan, Nigeria

    National Scrabble Association of Phillippines, Inc
    Rosario B Lambino
    2-H Gatdula Bldg
    2 Katarungan St
    Mandaluyong
    1500 Metro Manila
    Phillippines

    Candido Filio
    4 Matimtiman St
    Teacher's Village
    Diliman, Quezon City
    Philippines 1101

    Larry Benjamin
    P.O. Box 891189
    Lyndhurst Tvl. 2106
    Republic of South Africa

    Trevor Duke
    405 Majestic Gate
    38 Empire Rd
    Parktown, Johannesburg
    Republic of South Africa

    Tony Sim
    Block 27 Marine Crescent
    #09-07 Singapore 1544
    Singapore

    Missaka Warusawitharana
    11 De Silva Rd
    Kaluboloila
    Sri Lanka

    Amnuay Ploysangngam
    Director, Thailand Crossword Club
    645/1 Petchburi Rd
    Phayathai
    Bangkok 10400
    Thailand
    [phone], 252-8147, fax [phone]

    Robin John
    23 Schneider Gardens
    Petit Valley
    Trinidad and Tobago

    Diane Pratesi
    Postal Scrabble Club
    33 Amberley Rd
    Leyton
    London, E10 7ER
    United Kingdom

    Other Languages

    Franck Manniquant, Secretary
    Fe'de'ration Franc5aise de Scrabble
    96 Boulevard Pereire
    75017 Paris
    France
    Tel [phone]
    Fax [phone]

    Fe'de'ration Internationale de Scrabble Francophone
    Boulevard Saint-Lazare, 4
    Boi^te 16-1210
    Bruxelles
    Belgium
    Tel [phone]
    Fax [phone]

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Steven Alexander
[e-mail]