The Boston Globe has a nice feature on the Lexington Scrabble Club. I haven't gone in well over a year, but it's nice to see that "the regulars" are still there. I know that I've played against Trix before:
This is ''Competitive" Scrabble, where players are penalized for excessive pondering. Twenty-five minutes are allotted to make their moves for the entire game; for each additional minute used, they lose 10 points.Trix Kout, an ''over 50" Scrabbler from Watertown, said she likes using the timers ''because the games don't drag on."
A flutist and teacher at the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, Kout has been playing at the Lexington club for three years. She likes the eclectic crowd -- from marketing executives to contractors to physicians -- and the good balance of males and females.
''During the tournaments, the guys are very intense," she says.
More useful stuff for Scrabble fans: Mike Wolfberg's Word Lists, including all the new two-letter words and threes (first half, second half).
Posted by rv at February 21, 2006 11:43 AM to gameAt the risk of repeating my blog, I think you'd enjoy reading Crossworld (or is it Cross World) by Marc Romano about the competitive world of crossword puzzling.
Posted by: jay at February 21, 2006 01:25 PMIt's funny that you mention that— I was listening to the Sunday Puzzle segment on NPR's Weekend Edition. Will Shortz was plugging the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, and mentioned that Ken Jennings will be there this year. I've been talking about going for ages, and I think this may be the necessary added incentive. Judging by the sample puzzles, I think I'm going to get my ass handed to me.
And thanks for the recommendation; I'll see if the local library has Crossworld: One Man's Journey into America's Crossword Obsession.
Posted by: rv at February 21, 2006 03:25 PM