Scrabble tournament a red-letter day for area’s word enthusiasts

After 14 games in less than 48 hours, something to do to relax — more games

By: Marjorie Censer
   After seven intense Scrabble matches, most people would choose to put their feet up and relax. But participants in this weekend’s national Scrabble tournament, the first hosted by the Princeton Scrabble Club, just wanted to play more games.
   Though they competed in 14 Scrabble games in under 48 hours, the players spent time together after hours playing more games, including anagrams, poker and — of course — Scrabble.
   "These are games people," explained Lynda Woods Cleary, founder of the Princeton club.
   More than 60 people — young and old, experienced and novice, dressed in blazers and slacks and in T-shirts and shorts — gathered in the Doral Forrestal Conference Center in Plainsboro to face off in four different divisions, where the first division is expert players and the fourth is beginners, over the course of the three-day tournament.
   These aren’t your average Scrabble games. Participants bring custom boards, bags and letters; the bags holding the letters range from sophisticated black leather to cozy blue-striped canvas. The boards fit into perfectly designed bags, and the winner of the third division sported a gray sweatshirt that said "Addict" spelled out in Scrabble letters.
   The rules are also quite different. In tournament Scrabble, players use a chess clock, and each player has 25 minutes per game. Both players are required to keep score, and the clock is turned off at times to ensure the scores match. Word challenges are checked against a computer that has the official word list, and players use smooth letter tiles, rather than the grooved pieces familiar to the casual participant.
   Though Dominic Grillo of New Brunswick rarely practices and hadn’t played in a tournament in roughly a year, he took home first place in the expert division Sunday. He said much of his strategy includes using words that he knows are correct but that he expects his opponent to challenge. During this tournament, for instance, he used the word "gyoza" — meaning Japanese dumpling — which was recently added to the Scrabble official word list.
   During play, rooms are virtually silent except for the persistent clicking of tiles and the occasional challenges in which players get up to check the word at the computer. Rahn McKeown of Mantua, who finished third in the expert division, said that, for him, tournaments are all about competitive play. He used to play basketball; now he plays Scrabble.
   "It’s the thrill of winning," he said.
   Mr. McKeown said he missed the word "gliadines" — even though he had all the necessary letters — and it cost him a win during a Saturday game. But he was able to nab third place and ribbed his fellow player, Shahid Malik, about his less-than-stellar performance.
   Because many of the same people attend tournaments, players establish rapport with their competitors. They know whom they’ve beaten or lost to in the past and can better plan their strategies against those players. Many participants at the weekend tournament said they enjoy the camaraderie and also find the game very relaxing.
   Linda Wancel of Queens said she uses Scrabble as an outlet from her demanding job as a prosecutor. Only a few years from retirement, Ms. Wancel said she hopes to spend more time studying and playing in the future.
   "When you play very good players, you can’t help but get better," said Ms. Wancel, who was one of the top finishers in the beginner division. "It’s very addictive."
   But that doesn’t mean it’s always easy. Mr. Malik of Burlington, who has won and placed highly in many tournaments, left this one disappointed with his play.
   "I had a bad tournament," he said. "That’s the way Scrabble is."