Review of the Scrabble Go App - A Competitive Players Perspective

Thought I'd review the Scrabble Go App from a competitive players mindset. Yes, the ads can be a bit annoying but there's a lot you can do with the app. I am going to review each of the App's features which I have tried many times over:

1) Duels - This is a one on one match up with a random opponent. You usually get 5 turns apiece. Usually, the standard of the competition is low and disconnection by opponents is high. My Rating - 3/5

2) Arena Games:

a) Rush - This is the equivalent of playing duplicate scrabble with all the users on the site. It is quite fun but the time limit of 1.5-3 minutes per round is a bit too short. Useful for testing your strategies within a time constraint. My Rating - 4/5

b) Word Drop - This requires you to reel off words mostly 2, 3, or 4s in a 1.5 minute round format. Very little relevance for us competitive players. My Rating - 1/5

c) Tumbler - Similar to drop where you make mostly 2, 3, or 4s in a 1.5 minute round format. I am not amused. My Rating - 2/5

3) Puzzle Path - I absolutely love this. This is one thing competitive players must try. Does improve your board vision and strategy. The later rounds are particularly challenging. Very good in particular to improve your short game (4-6 letters). My Rating - 4/5

4) Word Search - This basically makes you guess common anagrams and sub-anagrams of an alphagram. Easy to do. My Rating - 3/5

5) Adventures - This is a new word builder game with many twists. Interesting and a bit challenging. My Rating - 4/5

6) Scrabble - The regular game. This is in a void challenge format. So you miss out on the elements of tile tracking and challenging your opponent's moves. My Rating - 3/5

7) Showdown - This requires very quick anagramming skills. Time is a bit short though. My Rating - 3/5

Increasingly the APP has a lot of bugs and customer service has been very poor of late. Hence my overall rating of SCRABBLE GO is a 2/5

My Profile as Profiled by the Scrabble Association of Delhi NCR

Sharing this from the Scrabble Association of Delhi NCR 

Today we profile an academician from Bangalore: 

Rajveer Rawlin

Of Fish, Finance, and Fiendish words:

A long-time aquarist and freshly minted Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D. to the layperson) in finance, Dr. Rawlin has been a competitive scrabbler for the last 15 years. Introduced to competitive scrabble in the UK when studying for his MBA in finance, he quickly realized he had a knack for the game. When he returned to India (Chennai) in 2006, he started playing with the Chennai Scrabble Club and was mentored by Mohan and Ranga, two stalwarts of the game. The time Mohan Chunkath (profiled earlier) spent explaining the finer aspects of strategy contributed immensely to improving his game.

Always lucky with mentors, he even had Akshay and Sherwin give him tips on improving his game while playing against them in the Nationals. After he lost to Akshay at the Nationals (in 2012), despite a 190-points lead he learned the strategy of blocking the board when ahead! He lost narrowly to Sherwin because he challenged a penultimate word (TOOTHS). That 5-point loss for the challenge lost him the game – another valuable lesson!

He moved from Chennai to Bangalore in 2010 and was soon completely immersed in analyzing games, working on strategy and board vision with the Bangalore Scrabble Club - particularly Radhika, Ishika, the Potnis family (Suchindra, Vidya and Yash), Lenny, Rex, Aubrey, and Mr. Syed. Irfan also contributed to his Scrabble training albeit remotely from Dubai). All this work and lots of play made Rajveer “a very bright boy”, and in 2019, he finished 4th in the Nationals and was the runner up in WESPAC A division.

An engineer by training, his natural inclination towards math drew him to the analytical aspect of the game and his academician’s thirst for knowledge through study, got him to focus on learning words. Some of the best advice he says he got (from Ranga) was to focus on the 2,3,4’s and 5’s and leave the 7’s and 8’s for later. Over the years, he mastered learning tools, his favorite being Xerafin. He’s mastered the inner workings of Xerafin and can provide tutorials on how to use the app. Even now, he does about 500 anagrams a day: 300 from his card box and 200 from the quizzes. Of course, now he covers all the word lengths – from 2-letter words to 9-letter words!

Having moved fairly easily from engineering in the US to studying finance in the UK and then coming back to (marry) and work in India, Rajveer feels that he sometimes ‘can get ahead of himself’. And unlike investing in the markets where you can ‘unwind a mistake’, once you make a mistake in a game, it’s done. With a Zen take on the game, Rajveer feels Scrabble keeps him grounded as he sees it as a great ‘evener’. Even the best players can lose games if their opponent has sufficient luck. That makes him keep his nose to the grindstone as he tries to minimize the element of luck, relies more on word knowledge, skill, and strategy, and overall, be better than he was yesterday.

Like Scrabble, his 7-year old daughter (pic attached) keeps him grounded and stops him from ‘getting ahead of himself’. Wanting to let her find her own way, he holds himself back to watch her make her own choices.

Apart from Scrabble, his other passions are finance and fish- the only commonality being the first two letters! He is a passionate aquarist (yep, valid scrabble word: it means one who keeps aquariums) and has 7 fish tanks. One really large one with about 70 fish (of 15 different types), 4 medium-sized tanks, and 2 smaller breeding tanks. The breeding tanks have lots of plants for babies to hide so that their carnivorous parents don’t eat them up! He breeds ‘live-bearer fish’ i.e. those that produce small fish (not eggs) such as Guppies, Mollies, Platies, etc. (pictures attached). He’s had aquariums since he was in his early teens, a hobby encouraged by his parents. At one point, to make a little extra pocket money, he bred and sold fish.

He also regularly blogs on Scrabble and on Finance. As blogs require a fair degree of work, he blogs only on the two subjects to which he is most deeply connected. Check out http://rajveersscrabble.blogspot.com/

 for the scrabble stuff and https://rajveersmarketviews.blogspot.com/

 for the finance stuff.

One of the lucky folks who get paid for following their passion, Rajveer is paid to teach (also a passion) finance -his favorite subject. In fact, he has recently combined his passion for teaching with Scrabble and is in the process of opening a Scrabble club at his university. Having been the lucky recipient of mentoring from some outstanding players, he is keen to develop coaching programs for youngsters. While this is just an idea yet, if there are any youngsters out there who would like to be coached, reach out to Rajveer, and, who knows, you might be the catalyst to a youth mentoring program!

Scrabble Word Study Tools

 My colleague Ishika takes you through some useful tools for word study namely Zyzzyva, Aerolith, and Anagram Quizzer. I chip in on my favorite tool for word study Xerafin:

Scrabble Resources

This is repost of an excellent write up by the Scrabble Association of Delhi NCR on scrabble resources you can use to improve your game:

Want to be a better Scrabbler? Read on!

 

There are three routes to traverse towards your destination as a Scrabble champ. You can work on all three simultaneously but if you’re a newbie, then you can start in the order shown.

·         Word Power

·         Strategy

·         Temperament

 

Word Power:

Perhaps MOST critical in learning words, is to ALSO learn their HOOKS (the letters that go at the front (front hook) or at the back (back hooks) to make other words).

Words are learnt as lists: Examples of word lists words that have only 2 letters, only 3 letters (2’s and 3’s), or 4 letter words that take a Z, the most common 7 letter words etc.

 

Most basic word lists: (with hooks)

·         2 letter words

·         3 letter words

·         7 letter words (top 2000)

·         8 letter words (top 2000)

 

There are several other lists that you can move on to as your word power improves:

 

Strategy / Game Play:

In addition to building word power, you also need to develop “board play”. This covers aspects like Board Vision (being able to spot the spaces where you can play bingos etc.), Rack Balancing and Rack Leave (engineering your tiles to get the best combination of letters for a bingo) etc.

 

This is best read about in the SCRABBLE PLAYER’S HANDBOOK:

https://strataji.files.wordpress.com/2020/08/scrabblehandbook.pdf

It’s hosted on the site: http://www.breakingthegame.net/handbook

 

This is a comprehensive guide written with the collaboration of some of the best scrabble players. It provide great insights into how to play the game with little quizzes and examples along the way. Easy to read. Highly recommended.

 

You can also look at the following sites:

·         http://www.youthscrabble.org/index.html Run by Karen Richards, this site explains has very practical “HOW-TOs”  offering tutorials on word play and scoring.

·         John Holgate’s site (5 time Australian Champion): Offers good scrabbling tips http://scrabble.org.au/strategy/index.htm

Temperament is the hardest thing to develop. If you’re the kind who has a live-in-the moment attitude and a positive attitude, you’re half-way there. Developing the right temperament is best learnt from a coach.

Academies / Classes: Ideal to learn strategy and develop the Zen-like temperament required to excel at Scrabble. While classes are typically for beginners or those who are reasonably good but want to improve their game, there are actually coaching sessions for expert players as well!

 

·         Wordaholix: Based out of Mumbai, Wordaholix offers coaching for beginners and experts in either standard modules or customized packages. For more details contact wordaholix@gmail.com or check out http://www.facebook.com/wordaholix

·         Irfan Siddiqui on-line coaching classes: Typically for a few weeks at a time, the coaching sessions are divided into two groups: Group A: for beginners and intermediate scrabblers and Group B: for advanced and expert scrabblers. For more details, email: mohd.irfan.s@gmail.com or WhatsApp +973-333-455-50.

·         Swati Gupta’s Scrabble Training Centre:  Located in Delhi, though originally a brick and mortar centre, the pandemic has moved her online, offering customized coaching, with a lot of interactive games, for beginners and intermediate players. Beginners will require a minimum of 4 sessions. To know more: swati.gupta78@yahoo.co.in.

·         ISC beginners group: Run by Archana Aggarwal and Hema Shah, they offer coaching, tips and practice games on-line. One-to-one coaching sessions are also offered at a nominal cost. For more, reach out to either Archana or Hema

o   Archana: archana.aggarwal70@gmail.com

o   Hema:  kssa.scrabble@gmail.com

·         Listening to Scrabble commentary of the matches taking place from our league matches to international tournaments. You learn a lot about strategy and board play – and a few words along the way. I would recommend this highly. This is the only time you can actually get into the mind of an expert scrabbler – absolutely invaluable. Try not to miss any. To follow the tournaments that are going on, get yourself to the nearest administrator of a scrabble club/ group or a senior scrabbler and you can be added to the whatsapp groups on which the schedules and links are posted.

·         An interesting YouTube channel to watch, particularly for beginners, is David Webb’s channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-8sPGr787Ep8m2JCmkw0tA 

 

And if you want to get in that much needed practice on your own, here are some self-learning tools:

 

·         Zyzzyva:. Offered by Collins https://www.collinsdictionary.com/scrabble/scrabble-tools/, Zyzzyva is an anagramming program typically downloaded on a computer. You can learn not just basic lists but also list of words by probability of occurrence. Provides hooks and meanings of every word. Make sure to use the Cardbox feature to only re-learn those words you don’t know.

·         Anagram Quizzer: An app that allows you to learn on the go. Typically free unless you want to use special features of the program

·         Aerolith: www.aerolith.org Quizzes of 2- 11 words provided daily. Plus word builder puzzles. These are to be completed within a specified time. Helps cement word knowledge. Also provides explanations of the words – with hooks and meanings.

·         Quackle: http://people.csail.mit.edu/jasonkb/quackle/ Helps to simulate games and look at alternative plays (for more experienced players). This site http://www.word-buff.com/free-scrabble-game.html offers an easy ‘how-to-use’ method.

·         Xerafin:  xerafin.net is a website to facilitate learning words for Scrabble or other word games. It features anagramming practice with build-in spaced repetition as well as other mini-games, leader boards, and live chat which make it fun to learn. Visit it at https://www.xerafin.net/ using your google or Facebook login. 

 

Resource People for any of the Word Tools above: If you’re finding it difficult to navigate any of these, you can contact either of the word tool experts:

·         Ishika Shivalingaiah : ishika2k@yahoo.com

·         Rajveer S Rawlin:  Samuelrr@yahoo.com

You can also read Rajveer’s blog at https://rajveersscrabble.blogspot.com (For those who don’t know him, Rajveer was the A division runner up at the 2019 GOA WESPAC tournament.)

 

Practice: Actually playing the game:

In these CoVid times, apps and the internet rule! So the two places you can find other scrabblers are:

 

·       ScrabbleGo: A free app on your phone that you can play on the go. Opponents can either be your friends or random others. There is no time limit on a move or the game. The software doesn’t allow you to make a fake word, so you learn as you play, especially if you experiment with words. It also has a series of other single person games that help with speed and anagramming.

·         Classic Words: An app for Android phones. Helps with practicing game play.

·        Internet Scrabble Club (ISC): www.isc.ro. This is where scrabblers converge for friendly matches and tornaments. You can select the timing of your game, the type (whether you want to play VOID – where you can only make correct words (like ScrabbleGo) – or challenge games with penalties for making a fake word. Explore and choose the setting that suits you. Every player has a “handle” that may or may not indicate their names. Some of our favourite Delhi players are Rudish (actually super polite), Armpit (not smelly!), Zephyr 19(very pleasant indeed) and Vandanag (that’s really her!)..

Once upon a time we used to have Scrabble meet-ups, where we would meet to play games across a board. This differs from playing on-line in several ways:

o   You have to tile-track: you can’t see the remaining tiles in the bag at the click of a button. If you’ve made a mistake in tracking the tiles played, you might lose a game!

o   Board vision: Many top-rated players have been making two-letter phoneys on ISC, purely because of the difference being able to see the spots on the board.

o   Timing: You have to press a clock and watch your time: not automatic as it is on-line. If you forget to press the clock, you will be losing time.

 

So while it’s good to get on-line practice, try to play across a board too. Hopefully, we will start our scrabble meet-ups soon.

Global GO KO Scrabble Tournament - Round1

Here are my game boards from the ongoing Global GO KO Scrabble Tournament:
Round 1 Game 1:
Was pleased with my high probable 9 letter find in a loosing effort:

Round 1 Game 2:
Hit a bingo early and maintained a lead throughout:

Scrabble Training Workshop

A scrabble training workshop is being organised by my very good friend and a top scrabble player in the world Irfan Siddiqui. Details from him are below:

The best way to deal with today's situation is through positive energy, thoughts and actions.

Some people are staying positive by utilizing the lockdown 🔒🔒period to enhance their skills  or by learning a new hobby/activity

I would like to help you learn and excel at a new hobby and am excited to launch my *ONLINE  SCRABBLE WORKSHOPS*  for *adults and children*  

A little about me:

*Irfan Siddiqui* based in Bahrain; pro Scrabble player for 2 years

6 time World Scrabble Championship 🌐🏆 participant, ranked 4 in *India*  & 169 in the world

Learning & Development professional with nearly 10 years of teaching experience.

For more details regarding the workshops, please refer to the attachment below or contact me on

+973 33345550 (WhatsApp) or email me on mohd.irfan.s@gmail.com

You can register for any of the workshops using the following link: https://forms.gle/3TKZoR5LWftfPZAE6

BEGINNER WORKSHOP	Date & Timings	Sat, 25th April 2.15 - 3.45 pm	Sun, 26th April 4 pm - 5.30 pm	Mon, 27th April 2.15 - 3.45 pm	Tue, 28th April 2.15 - 3.45 pm	Wed, 29th April 2.15 - 3.45 pm	Fri, 1st May 5.30 - 6.15 pm
	SESSION ITINERARY	1. Introduction to Scrabble   2. Board & Premium squares   3. Tile distribution & tile values   4. How to play: Rules   5. Introduction to 2-letter words   6. Summary   7. Q & A	1. Review quiz of previous session   2. Scoring tutorial   3. Word exercises        a. Sub-anagrams        b. Hooks        c. Bingos   4. Summary   5. Q & A	1. Review quiz of previous sessions   2. 2-letter words exercises   3. Scrabble study:      a. Why? What? Where? When?How?     4. Mini Scrabble game   5. Summary   6. Q & A	1. Review quiz of previous sessions   2. Basics of strategy        a. Rack balancing        b. How to spot words        c. Exchanging tiles        d. Elements of Luck & Skill   3. Mini Scrabble game   4. Summary   5. Q & A	1. Review quiz of previous sessions  2. Consensus game 1 with analysis  3. Consensus game 2 with analysis  4. Summary  5. Q & A	FREE BONUS SURPRISE SESSION DON'T MISS IT!!
	Target audience	a. Children & adults who have no/minimal experience of playing Scrabble face-to-face or online  b. Children & adults who have never played Scrabble at a club or at a competitive level
	Registration fee	Rs 3,000 per participant for the entire workshop (5 sessions)
	Requirements	1. You do not need to have a Scrabble set for the sessions. However, if you have a set then please keep it ready during the session  2. Notebook/Paper  3. Session notes/presentation will be emailed to all participants after each session
INTERMEDIATE WORKSHOP	Date & Timings	Sat, 25th April 4 pm - 5.30 pm	Sun, 26th April 6 - 7.30 pm	Mon, 27th April 4 pm - 5.30 pm	Tue, 28th April 4 pm - 5.30 pm	Wed, 29th April 4 pm - 5.30 pm	Fri, 1st May 5.30 - 6.15 pm
	SESSION ITINERARY	1. Introduction Quiz   2. Skills & Knowledge gap analysis   3. Scrabble study:        a. Order of study        b. Word study tools        c. How to examine a game   4. Summary   5. Q & A	1. Review quiz of previous session   2. Strategy modules       a. Rack Balancing       b. How to spot words       c. Board vision & hotspots       d. Luck vs Risk   3. Mini Scrabble game   4. Summary   5. Q & A	1. Review quiz of previous sessions   2. Basics of strategy        a. Opening move        b. End game        c. Exchanging tiles   3. Mini Scrabble game   4. Summary   5. Q & A	1. Review quiz of previous sessions   2. Tournament Scrabble:        a. Tips for preparation        b. Common mistakes        c. Playing the rack vs player        c. Challenging words        d. Phony plays        e. Time Management        f. Scoring & tile tracking tips   3. Summary   4. Q & A	1. Review quiz of previous sessions  2. Consensus game 1 with analysis  3. Consensus game 2 with analysis  4. Summary  5. Q & A	FREE BONUS SURPRISE SESSION DON'T MISS IT!!
	Target audience	a. Children & Adults who have played Scrabble face-to-face or online but not at a serious/club/competitive level  b. Unrated (SAI/WESPA) players  c. SAI/WESPA rated players with rating less than 1000
	Registration fee	Rs 4,000 per participant for the entire workshop (5 sessions)
	Requirements	1. You do not need to have a Scrabble set for the sessions. However, if you have a set then please keep it ready during the session  2. Notebook/Paper   3. Session notes/presentation will be emailed to all participants after each session
DECATHLON ADVANCED WEBINARS	Date & Timings	Sat, 25th April 6 - 7.30 pm	Mon, 27th April 6 - 7.30 pm	Tue, 28th April 6 - 7.30 pm	Wed, 29th April 6 - 7.30 pm	Thu, 30th April 6 - 7.30 pm	Fri, 1st May 5.30 - 6.15 pm
	SESSION ITINERARY	1. Introduction Quiz   2. Webinar 1: Luck vs Skill   3. Webinar 2: Scrabble study:        a. Order of study        b. Word study tools        c. How to examine a game   4. Summary   5. Q & A	1. Review quiz of previous session   2. Webinar 3: Opening move   3. Webinar 4: Exchanging tiles   4. Consensus game with analysis   5. Summary   6. Q & A	1. Review quiz of previous sessions   2. Webinar 5: Board vision &        hotspots   3. Webinar 6: Time Management   4. Consensus game with analysis   5. Summary   6. Q & A	1. Review quiz of previous sessions   2. Webinar 7: End Game   3. Webinar 8: Tournament Scrabble   4. Summary   5. Q & A	1. Review quiz of previous sessions   2. Webinar 9: Risk vs Reward   3. Consensus game with analysis   4. Summary   5. Q & A	FREE BONUS SURPRISE SESSION DON'T MISS IT!!
	Target audience	a. Children & adults with competitive Scrabble experience  b. SAI/WESPA rated players with rating more than 1000
	Registration fee	Rs 1,500	Rs 1,500	Rs 1,500	Rs 1,500	Rs 1,500
		Rs 6,000 for the entire DECATHLON package (all 5 sessions)
	Requirements	1. You do not need to have a Scrabble set for the sessions. However, if you have a set then please keep it ready during the session  2. Notebook/Paper  3. Session notes/presentation will be emailed to all participants after each session