Rules synopsis
Every Scrabble® club operates differently. Some act as a social outlet where people just get together and have fun, others are very competitive and each session is essentially a mini-tournament. Ours is a healthy mix of these two extremes. We enjoy ourselves but play our games seriously (usually), and since we give prizes to the top finishers and award club rating points, we follow established tournament rules in our sessions.
The same game you've always loved
The basic rules of regular Scrabble® apply in the tournament environment and in our club. Players have seven tiles with letters available on racks in front of them. The players take turns making words on a standard board from these tiles, scoring the plays in the usual fashion (including the fifty-point bonus for using all seven tiles in a single turn). After a play is completed, the player replenishes his or her rack from the tiles remaining. When a player has no more tiles left and there are none left to draw from, he or she is "out" and the game is over. The player with the highest score is the winner.
A player may also exchange any or all of the seven tiles, pass a turn, or challenge the previous play.
A few differences
However, tournament and club Scrabble® varies somewhat from the standard rules. The important differences are:
- Only two players compete in a single game.
- Games are timed. Each player receives 25 minutes to complete all plays, and 10 points are subtracted for each minute (or fraction thereof) of overtime.
- In North America, there are two valid word sources for challenged plays: the Official Tournament and Club Word List Second Edition (OWL2) for words from two to nine letters in length, and the Long List for words from ten to fifteen letters in length. Please note that the OWL2 incorporates the contents of The Official Scrabble® Players Dictionary Fourth Edition (OSPD4) and has some additional material (primarily offensive terms and trademarked words which have been accepted into the English language), however, the OSPD4 by itself is not a valid word source.
- The player who goes out receives double the point count of the tiles remaining on the rack of the player who does not go out.
In addition to these, there are various minor differences for irregularities in play and the proper protocol to follow during a game. The NSA provides an updated copy of the complete rules. It is a good idea to at least be familiar with them. Of course, sometimes the best way to learn is to participate and learn as you go along.
New players, take note
New players at our club are allowed certain rules exceptions for their first ten club games as described below. You will be considered a new player if you have never played in a tournament and have not yet played ten games at any Scrabble® club (ours or others').
No fees
Play your first ten games free of charge. If you happen to win a prize, all the better!
No overtime penalties
Since you may not have played Scrabble® with a clock before, during your first ten games at our club, there will be no penalty if you exceed your allotted 25 minutes. However, please use the clock so you can grow accustomed to the rhythm of playing this way. Once you get used to it - and it won't take very long - you'll never want to play without it.
Free challenges
During your first ten games with us, you may challenge your opponent's play without fear of any penalty. However, if you play a fake word yourself, your opponent has every right to challenge it - and you can lose your turn in this situation. Basically, if you're going to be courageous enough to play a questionable word, please be prepared to stand behind it.