REPORTERS: RESEARCHERS AND PPT:

BAUTISTA, Rhaelen ABELEDA, Patricia

BITUDIO, Denielle Mary Mae ALMOZARA, Sheila

CAÑETE, Joycelyn ASOK, Jasmine

BAUTISTA, Altricia

CARMELO, Sheira Allene

CO, Haryl

DEL ROSARIO, Ashley Joyce

History and background of Scrabble:

Scrabble is a board-and-tile game that is why it can be enjoyed outside or indoors. It can be

played by two to four players competing to form words on a lettered tile on a 225-square board.

Scrabble is a crossword game where the players use lettered tiles to build words by placing them

on the grid. It is a game that uses both of the player’s skill, good knowledge of words, and

intellectual ability. This enhanced the cognitive ability and overall sense of the body.

Originally it was called Criss Cross which was based on the crossword puzzle and anagrams. The

Scrabble was invented by an architect Alfred Mosher Butts in the year 1931. He is inspired by a

newspaper as he analyzed the front page of the New York times and he counted the usage of each

letter in the alphabet. Few years after coming up with Criss Cross Words, he met an entrepreneur

named James Brunot who showed great interest in his game and he saw a great potential in

crisscross. That is why he and Alfred both agreed to change the rules, the gameplay, and the

name they both call Scrabble for it to be enjoyable and attractive to board game enthusiasts. It

was marketed in 1954. Until today it has morphed into a competitive sport and complete with its
own association. The National Scrabble Association helps players improve their games and hosts

an annual tournament in the United States. Other countries and regions around the world also put

on national tournaments. The best players on earth gather every two years to compete in the

World Scrabble Championships.

RULES AND GAMEPLAY:

There are only two to four players in a game. Each match consists of two games, one for each

player.

In the beginning, each player draws 7 tiles, which they then place on their rack.

The first player forms a word out of at least two of their letters and writes it on the board, with

one letter on the center square, so it can be read across or down. (Diagonal words are not

permitted.) After playing a word, the player receives replacement letters, one for each letter

played.

The players switch places after the first turn. Each player takes turns drawing new tiles after

playing a series of tiles that form a word (potentially more than one word, as seen below). If

there are still enough tiles, keep 7 tiles on each rack at all times.

Every letter that is placed during a turn must be in a single horizontal row or vertical column,

and every letter that is placed, along with any letters that are already on the board, must make a
single word from the dictionary with no gaps. In one of the following ways, all new words must

relate to the ones already in use:

● Adding one or more letters to a word or letters already on the board.

● Placing a word at right angles to a word already on the board. The new word must use

one of the letters already on the board or must add a letter to one of the words on the

board.

● Placing a complete word parallel to a word already played so that adjacent letters also

form complete words.

Any new words created by these connections must also be included in the dictionary.

Each of the two empty tiles can be used to represent any letter. When you play a blank, you must

identify the letter it represents. It will remain that letter for the duration of the game.

You may use a turn to exchange all, some, or none of the letters. To do this, place your discarded

letter(s) facedown. Draw the same number of letters from the pool of remaining letters, and then

mix your discarded letter(s) into the pool. This ends your turn. You may not exchange more tiles

from your rack than are in the pool (or are in your rack, of course), but there is no other limit on

how many tiles you may exchange.

The game ends when:

● all of the letters are either in the player's racks or on the board, and one player uses his or

her last letter or

 ● both players exchange some number of tiles twice in a row (for a total of four

exchanges).

TERMINOLOGIES

Bingo

A bingo is what happens when a player uses all of the letter tiles on their rack in one turn. Using

all seven letter tiles can be done by luck.

Blocking

When you’re blocking your opponent, you’re keeping them from playing a word that would net

them a lot of points. You block by playing a word of your own.

Challenge

You can challenge a word in Scrabble whenever you believe your opponent has played an invalid

word. If you challenge your opponent’s word before playing your next word, a word judge will

determine whether the word is valid or not.

Fishing

Another term for this is “dumping.” Do this when you see a chance for a big play with the

majority of the tiles on your letter rack. You “go fishing” by playing one or two tiles from your

rack that aren’t as valuable to you at the moment. The hope is you’ll draw and replace those tiles

with something better.

Hook

These are similar to extensions. The only difference is that a hook uses only one letter to create a

new word. Pluralizing a word by adding an S to the end is the most common hook in Scrabble.

Spread

This is another term that you likely won’t hear outside of your Scrabble club. The spread refers

to the difference between each player’s score after a game. It is calculated by subtracting the

loser’s score from the winner’s score.

Turnover

A turnover is usually when you play five or six tiles: It’s not so few tiles to be a normal play, but

it's also not enough to score a bingo. Going for a turnover also gives you a better chance of

drawing the power tiles.

References:

Jaracz, J. (2023). How Scrabble Works. HowStuffWorks.

https://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/leisure/brain-games/scrabble.html

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2023, October 5). Scrabble | Game, History, &

Facts. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/sports/Scrabble

What is the History of the Board Game Scrabble? (2023b). Sports & Nobbies.

https://www.sportsnhobbies.org/what-is-the-history-of-the-board-game-scrabble.htm?exp

and_article=1

Scrabble rules. (n.d.).

https://users.cs.northwestern.edu/~robby/uc-courses/22001-2008-winter/scrabble.html#:~

:text=Always%20keep%207%20tiles%20on,the%20dictionary%2C%20with%20no%20g

aps.