Journal of the New Zealand Association of Scrabble® Players No. 119 Winter 2015

John Foster, NZASP’s newest Life Member

Also in this issue Report on Nationals Book review: The fingertips of Duncan Dorfman From AASVOGEL to ZZYZX Advice for U all Scrabbly logic Ask Liz Winning Scrabble and the nature of expertise English assignment on Scrabble Report on Masters NZASP Executive Table of contents

President Val Mills Editorial: Knocked for six? ...... 3 11 Lanark Place President’s report ...... 4 Glen Innes Word famous in New Zealand: Auckland 1072 John Foster ...... 6 Phone 027-248-1701 Email Report on Nationals 2015 ...... 10 [email protected] From Aasvogel to Zzyzx ...... 14

Vice Ruth Groffman Club news ...... 16 President Hall of fame ...... 19 4 Wycolla Ave Scrabbly logic ...... 21 St. Clair A diversion ...... 22 Dunedin 9012 Phone 03 455 1777 A new meaning for “Bonus Block” .... 22 Email [email protected] Winning Scrabble and the nature of expertise ...... 23 Secretary Frances Higham Report on Masters 2015 ...... 26 9 Holden Place Mailbox ...... 30 Papatoetoe Auckland 2025 I've been reading: Phone 09 278 4595 The fingertips of Duncan Dorfman .... 35 Email [email protected] I've been reading: Jim Crace’s Harvest ...... 37 Treasurer Dianne Cole-Baker Twenty years ago in Forwords ...... 38 9/435 Parnell Rd Parnell Advice for U all ...... 40 Auckland 1052 Global titbits ...... 41 Phone 09 309 5865 Email [email protected] Ask Liz ...... 43 On Scrabble ...... 44 Web Master Glenda Foster Puzzle answers ...... 45 1 Walters Street Tournament results ...... 46 Avalon Tournament calendar...... 49 Lower Hutt 5011 Phone 04 567 1590 Rankings list as at 1 June 2015 ...... 50 Email Club contacts ...... 52 [email protected] Scrabble is a registered trademark of JW Spear & Sons, England, under licence in New Zealand to Mattel (NZ) Ltd. Page 3 Editorial KNOCKED for SIX? appropriate for a Scrabbler to yell “HOWZAT!!?”? By the time you are reading this, it’ll be old news, but I am writing this the But throughout the match, the main day after the World Cup Cricket final. way in which it seemed to me that I am one of the least sporty New Scrabble and cricket could overlap Zealanders you will ever meet; I don't thematically was this: at some point in play, I don't watch, and I don't care. a game, it may become apparent to But I once had a crush on a boy who us that we have been completely was a devoted cricket fan, so I have outclassed by our present opposition. watched enough to know roughly how This is often regardless of prior that game works (just don't ask me to performance; we may have beaten make any umpiring decisions!). them hands down in every club game and friendly match in the past six So having ignored almost the entire months, only to fall over when it Cup, I bestirred myself to watch the matters most or when the outcome of final. And it was … disappointing. the tournament depends on us not Chances were taken that did not pay losing this game. But my key question off. Opportunities were missed. We is: how should the player who seems made mistakes and paid heavily for to be doomed to lose respond in that them. ‘Neutral’ adjudication never situation? seemed to rule in our favour. Meanwhile, our opposition could do I have for some time been puzzled by no wrong! They snapped up the Scrabble opponents who will tell me chances that came their way, they “that’s the winning move” when we’re played better cricket all round, and barely beyond the halfway point in the sometimes they were less-than- game. I was especially astonished gracious about it. recently to be informed by an opponent who was experiencing a Inevitably, as the game (and by long losing streak that “I’m not extension, the tournament) dragged targeting you for a win” before our on towards its inexorable and oh-so- game had even commenced. It’s a bitter end, my mind wandered to sure bet that if you tell me I’m going making comparisons with Scrabble. to win, then I’ll take psychological What if Scrabble were a spectator strength and confidence from that and sport? What would the commentators I will win! Or perhaps it’s just that a say? Would we play differently if we player who begins a game with a knew what they were saying about us? losing mindset will lose. I am aware What is the Scrabble equivalent of a that my endgame is not my strongest cricket run, a boundary, a century? feature, but I can still relate myriad What would a Scrabbler have to do to occasions where I have redeemed my receive a standing ovation despite score from a long way behind, simply losing? At what point would it be Page 4 by never just going through the motions but always endeavouring to play the best I could with the tiles I had.

I doubt that, as some commentators would have it, the Black Caps were doomed from the moment the first wicket of the final fell. But regardless, our players still gave everything they had. A One Day International bowler at his best is trying to take a wicket with every ball. A fielder knows that every catch, every grassy slide that prevents a I exhort you to play your Scrabble in a boundary could make the difference to like manner. Sadly, no team or their team’s winning or losing, or at individual player can come out on top least to their morale; and every throw, on every occasion... but there’s no no matter how far, should be aimed to surer way to lose than by simply giving dislodge the bails. up. President’s report Lately there seems to have been a lot enough, as of things happening that have been we didn't even making me think about time. My have that as mother turned 95 in April, and after an option at dropping her back to her unit at my high Hillsborough Heights after lunch, I school, but to immediately went to pick up my one- be in a class year-old grandchild Alice, whom I was where the looking after that night. It struck me Philosophy of Val Mills that I have 94 years between Time was members of my family! That is quite a being discussed in French was very long time! strange indeed.

I clearly remember the first time that I People have always said how fast time realised the concept of Time was flies as you get older and, really, I something that could be studied, and didn't get that at all until I reached that had been studied for ages. I was 17 age bracket myself. It came as a shock and in Tahiti on an exchange, going to me when reading the last edition of to all the classes at the Lycee with my Forwords that I could actually host sister Sylvie. One of her classes remember the article that John had was philosophy, which was reprinted from 20 years ago. Oh no! compulsory for all students from the Had I really been reading that first year at high school. This was odd magazine for 20 years!? Page 5 Seeing the movie about Stephen do – play quicker at the beginning so Hawking reminded me again that Time that I have more time for my endgame. is something that scientists are still very interested in. Looking for an audio An organisation such as ours can only book at the library that I could listen to be successful through members giving on my phone when driving, I saw that their time. Looking through even our his book A brief history of time was current membership, I am amazed and available, so I downloaded it and humbled by the number of people that started listening... Well, although it was have helped in the running of the written for the general public, I was lost Association in all sorts of ways. One of from the first chapter. The words used the ways that the Association thanks were one thing, but also the concepts such members is to award life being discussed were things that I had memberships. I am delighted to say never put my mind to — was there a that, at the recent Nationals held in start to time, time goes faster in some Wellington, I had the honour of places than others, imaginary time... I presenting John Foster with a life made myself listen to the whole book, membership. John is one of those but I can't say I am much the wiser. people who has given huge amounts of his time to the Scrabble scene in New Anyway, we all know that in Scrabble Zealand. He, along with Bob Jackman, time is something not far from us all. founded the Trans-Tasman competition That clock ticks down and we have to between Australia and New Zealand, do our best within our 25 minutes. We which has now been going strong for have all agonised over a rack for 10 over 20 years. He also maintains the minutes only to end up playing Association’s Experts and Grand something for 10 points; we have all Masters database, and is the go-to left ourselves 60 seconds to play our man for anything to do with New last four moves; we have all forgotten Zealand Scrabble history and records. to press the clock. Thank you John on behalf of the Association.

As time passes and people come and go, the mantle of various roles is passed to new people, and we continue to be served by a great group of willing members. A huge thanks to all of you There are good and bad things about who make Scrabble happen in New playing Scrabble online, but one of the Zealand! things you can train yourself to do is to play faster by playing a three- or 10- Val Mills minute game. Sure, you don't have to add up, but you still have to think pretty Editor’s note: John Foster is featured in this issue’s quickly. Having 10 minutes available to ‘Word Famous in New Zealand’ column. See pages 6-9 to find out more about the man behind you at the end of the game is such a the Scrabble. help for all sorts of things, and it is something that I am training myself to Page 6 Word famous in New

Zealand: John Foster

Given John’s newly-minted Life Membership, the editrices thought that our readers might be interested to find out more about our unofficial Scrabble historian and archivist, and the man who provides us with those fascinating glimpses into the past in the regular column, ‘Twenty Years Ago in Forwords’. We have therefore twisted his arm to be profiled in this issue’s Word Famous column. In the interview below, John has again kindly provided us with some fascinating glimpses, this time into his own life.

Name : John Foster quite a novelty in 1962. The mast Birthplace: Christchurch has now been a landmark for over Current residence: Auckland half a century, and I never fail to Club affiliation: currently point it out to my passengers when Independent, formerly Mt. Albert, driving past on the way to Scrabble and East Coast Bays (since dissolved) tournaments. Occupation: Retired I might have stayed with the Ministry Q. Could you please start by telling for the rest of my working life but for our readers some basic facts about OPEC. The oil shocks of the early your life? 1970s had such a severe impact on A. I was born in Christchurch and road construction that budgets were am the youngest of two children; I repeatedly slashed to the point that have one older sister. When I was no new projects were being started. I one year old, our family moved to became increasingly frustrated that Hamilton for my father’s new job. my job had virtually come to a That was where I grew up and went standstill, so I started looking for to school. I have a son and three fresh fields. stepchildren. At the last count, I have five grandchildren and five great- grandchildren.

Q. What did you do during your working life? A. Many things actually. I trained as a civil engineer, and worked for the Ministry of Works for 19 years. One of my more interesting tasks during that period was to determine the feasibility of building a TV mast on top of Mt. Te Aroha. With no road access back then, I was taken to the summit by helicopter, which was Mt. Te Aroha’s mast Page 7 In 1975 I quit, cashed in my could not even visualise. Suffice to superannuation, and bought a dairy say, I have picked up a million on Auckland’s North Shore. I won't dollars with each hand, (yes, it is dwell on that, except to say that it possible, using $100 notes) and have was not the most inspired decision of assisted in unloading a single my life. consignment of large denominations totalling over $2 billion. After the dairy I worked at factory jobs for a while, until I found a job as Several times when I was on night contracts engineer for a large duty at the Bank, I smuggled Patrick earthmoving firm. I spent the next two Carter into the control room and we years travelling most of the central would play Scrabble from around and upper North Island pricing and midnight to 6:30 a.m. This was very directing a wide variety of projects. I naughty as my job was actually to then took on my biggest challenge, keep unauthorised people out. It accepting a post as project manager would have meant instant dismissal if of a multi-million dollar road I had ever been caught. I made sure construction contract in Papua New that Patrick knew exactly what Guinea. Sadly, I did not complete the cupboard he needed to hide in if the contract. My wife became ill and governor of the Reserve Bank (Don returned to NZ for treatment. After Brash at the time) should come learning just how ill she was, I calling, which he often did on New followed a few weeks later, walking Year’s Eve. away from my contract amidst threats of legal action (which never Q. Have you done much travelling? eventuated). She died just three A. Very little. Apart from travelling to weeks after my return, leaving me a PNG, my only ventures outside NZ widower and solo parent at the age have all been Scrabble-related — of 41. four times to Australia for Trans- Tasmans, three times to Norfolk I needed a complete change of Island, and once to London for the direction then. First, I purchased a World Scrabble Championships lawn-mowing round, which I during my stint as president of NZASP maintained in whole or part for 14 when I went along for the ride with years. Then I became involved in the NZ team. security, first as a driver for Armourguard, and later as a security It was in London that I first met Bob guard at the Reserve Bank, where I Jackman and he mooted his ideas for remained for seven years. When a Trans-Tasman competition. We restructuring reared its ugly head quickly agreed on the basic concept again, I took voluntary early and ironed out the details in the next retirement at the age of 57. During few months. Our plan became a both those security jobs, I handled or reality the following year. saw sums of cash that most people Page 8 Q. How were you introduced to Scrabble? A. I first played the game when visiting my father 43 years ago. My wife and I then played regular kitchen table Scrabble, thinking we were playing the game well, but without the slightest notion of how the real game was played. My real introduction happened 10 years later in 1982, when I read an article on the fledgling Mt. Albert Club. I was intrigued and set about joining it. I have been a member of the NZASP for 33 years and there are now only CLAQUERS board reconstruction a handful of players who have been around longer. and scoring a NZ (and possible World) record of 261 for a non- Q. What is/are your most bonus word! That score, and my memorable Scrabble moments? overall game score of 763 for that A. Undoubtedly the serendipitous game, are still NZ club records. moment in 1993 when I played CLAQUERS using six tiles through Also up there would have to be my the L and U, getting a triple-triple win against Nigel Richards in a Hamilton tournament. Nigel was around 50 points ahead with no tiles remaining to be picked up. I had TEOPANS on my rack but there was nowhere to play it. However, there was an O on the board with just enough space for me to go out with TEASPOON.

Q. What other games or sports have you played? A. At various times I have played rugby, cricket, soccer, and basketball but was never more than barely adequate at any of them. However, I had an epiphany in my fourth form year when a new teacher arrived. He Enduring record play: John (twenty-odd came from Cambridge University years younger!) showcases the and had rowed against Oxford. completed board Page 9 He quickly introduced rowing to very start of a volcanic eruption is Hamilton High. I was one of his first one of the most standout events for recruits and, suddenly finding a sport me. This happened at Mt. Ulawun in more fitted to my physical attributes, PNG in 1980, when I was flying out enjoyed it immensely. I sometimes of Rabaul. This was not just a few wonder how good I might have been puffs of smoke and a bit of ash, but a had I chosen a different career path full-monty eruption with a huge which would have permitted me to column of burning gases and a remain in Hamilton and continue mushroom cloud starting to form at training. I was always competing the top. The pilot flew as close as he with, and beating, another boy for dared, close enough for us to see the same seat. That boy was Warren expelled rocks cascading down the Cole, who went on to win an sides. When we landed at Bialla Olympic gold medal for rowing at nearly 60 km away, I looked back Mexico in 1968. In an interesting and the burgeoning mushroom cloud quirk of fate, I discovered decades was dominating the skyline. later that my rowing coach was a Unfortunately the wind was blowing neighbour to June Mackwell, another in our direction so, by noon, the veteran of the NZ Scrabble scene. smoke and ash had blotted out the sunlight and I needed headlights just I played golf on and off for over 30 to drive at walking pace. Strangely, years. I mostly played around a 15 after being in the dark all day, just or 16 handicap, but at times I before sunset it started to get eerily managed as low as 13. I twice broke light again as the sun got low 80 on full-length courses. In all 30 enough to shine up under the dust years I never scored a hole-in-one, cloud. It was indeed one of the but I did once record an eagle while weirdest and most memorable days playing with Jeff Grant on Norfolk of my life. Island. A regular part of my life now is Contract Bridge. I have been playing for 14 years and, while I will never play the game at the exalted level that Patrick Carter plays it, I am still considered a reasonably competent intermediate. Q. Is there one memorable event that stands out for you? A. I think witnessing the Mt. Ulawun, Papua New Guinea Page 10 Report on the Nationals June was always going to be a busy month for both editrices, with an assortment of assignment deadlines, children's birthdays, choir performances, spousal absences, extensive dental treatments, and returning to part-time work between us. It's a wonder we find time to play any Scrabble at all! “Let's get the Winter Forwords out before June!” we said. “No, we need to include the Nationals coverage in this issue,” we said. “Oh well, let’s try to get everything except the Nationals coverage done before June then,” we said. We did not succeed. This is by way of an introduction, to emphasise how grateful we are to Shirley Martin (highest number of wins in the whole tournament) and Scott Chaput (top performer amid the many shining stars from Dunedin) for agreeing, after only minimal coercion, to contribute the following Nationals reports, and for sending them in so promptly. Read on for their two takes on events. Also reproduced here is Murray’s poem, for those who missed his performance at the dinner; and for those who requested to see it in writing, the better to get their heads around the concept.

For those who were unable to attend, the following matters of general interest (presented here in no particular order) were determined at Saturday’s meetings:  Next year’s Nationals will take place in Rotorua (2016).  The following year the Nationals will return to Christchurch (2017).  Thanks again to Clare Wall for her service as Treasurer for the NZASP.  Dianne Cole-Baker will be taking over the role of Treasurer, with the help of her beautiful assistant, Roger.  The new CSW15 resource is not yet readily available to New Zealanders, so this dictionary will not be adopted here in the immediately foreseeable future.  Accordingly, the previous decision to use CSW15 at the Whangarei tournament has been reversed, which means that the only valid adjudication dictionary at Whangarei, and until further notice, will be the current dictionary, CSW12. Nationals 2015 Alex Leckie-Zaharic, third Murray Rogers by Shirley Martin, Kiwi C grade: Winner Shirley Martin, second The National Scrabble Tournament for Shirley Hol, third Hazel Purdie 2015 was held in Wellington at St. D grade: Winner Karl Scherer, second Anne’s Parish Hall, an excellent venue Karen Miller, third Marian Ross within walking distance of a variety of E grade: Winner Annette Coombes, motels, cafes, and restaurants. second Stephanie Pluck, third Tim Henneveld Seventy-three people played 15 games over two days of the long weekend. For full results, see pp 48-49. The presentation dinner was held on Sunday night at the Amora Hotel, with The big surprise for me was being medals and certificates being presented presented with the Georgie trophy for as follows: moving up the most rating points. What an honour! A grade: Winner Howard Warner, second Jeff Grant, third Peter Sinton The highlight of the evening for many B grade: Winner Scott Chaput, second was the naming of the team to Page 11

Shirley and Anderina weren’t the only Shirley Martin receives the Georgie trophy Scrabblers to meet up on their homeward from vice-president Ruth Groffman. journeys. Here are John McNaughton and Alex Leckie-Zaharic squeezing in another represent New Zealand at the match at the bus depot. forthcoming WESPA Championship. It (Photo sent in by Tracie Leckie) was wonderful to see one of our young guns qualifying; congratulations John. is plenty of Scrabble talent (and maybe The confirmed team is as follows: a bit of luck) in the most beautiful part Howard Warner, Jeff Grant, Peter of the country. Sinton, Joanne Craig, Blue Thorogood, and John McNaughton. Led by B Grade's champion Scott Reserves are Cicely Bruce, Lyres Chaput and runner-up Alex Leckie- Freeth, and Anderina McLean. Zaharic, (each with 13 wins and Congratulations all! differing in spread by only 17), and strongly supported by E Grade runner- Coming home on the plane our third up Stephanie Pluck's 11 wins, Dunedin seat was allocated to Anderina. What romped home over second placed Kiwi are the chances? And, surprise (30 wins led by Shirley Martin's surprise, as well as talking to us she awesome 14 wins) and third placed studied words. She is deserving of her Christchurch (29 wins). To my high-flying rank! knowledge this is the first team title for the Southerners. If we could have had Dunedin Wins Team Title a B team, they would have taken by Scott Chaput, Dunedin second place by 99 spread points. The end of autumn proved fruitful for Personally I am most pleased for the Dunedin club at the 2015 Stephanie. Making her maiden Nationals. Six members sallied forth appearance at the Nationals, she from the Deep South and swept aside played really well. A change in how all other clubs in the land. They each the club funds players going to won at least 10 games, showing there Nationals enabled her to make the trip Page 12 first line of each couplet introduces a word, then the second line uses a word that hooks the featured letter to both the front and the end of that introduced word to make another allowable Scrabble word. (Of necessity, some of the "power tiles" have departed somewhat from this form). In addition, the featured letter is often named within the text of the couplet, though it is frequently in disguise.

Team trophy winners Alex Leckie- Letters from Both Sides Now Zaharic, Stephanie Pluck and Scott Chaput by Murray Rogers, Independent Challenging disciplines known as to Wellington. I must thank Ruth calculi Groffman for proposing this change, Eh? Eh? Mathematical inability, and Stephanie's successful contribution acalculia, I do not lie towards our team title makes a strong argument in favour of retaining the Oo, don’t look closely new policy for the future. To be...a boob, yes to be

I had an inkling we were looking good Ode to the instrument you for the team prize, but was focussed on sometimes see holding off Alex's challenge (and Transformed into codec so tournament-leading 44 bonus words beautifully and 462 average) for the B Grade title. The skin of an apple spotted I knew as long as I (and other with ‘d’s’ Dunedinites) kept winning, we had a Dappled, still warrants a bite, good chance. Only in the last few yes please rounds did someone point out that we would likely win the title. A former coin, the ducat I seize More currency knowledge, For the next 371 days until Queen's educate me with ease Birthday weekend next year, the Dunedin Club will bask in the glory of The miner’s delight, ore hoo, the team title. With the Masters taking effuse place in sunny and warm Dunedin next One foot forward, forehoof you Easter, we plan to challenge for the choose New Zealand Challenge Shield. Like the Ranfurly Shield, it doesn’t come to An organic base known as amin Otago very often. Gee, I can make this a gaming win The following poem was delivered by the Murray at the Nationals prize-giving dinner. The 26 The referee, or the ump, usually couplets proceed in alphabetical order, each an adult highlighting a different letter of the alphabet. The To aitch their own, humph, this one is difficult Page 13 To mar but only with both eyes A single ‘a’ is what we have Imari, Japanese porcelain in With Hebrew magic wedge out a disguise vav

You, it’s you Ho, no wawa we will not stop Let’s wrestle, jujitsu Whow, wawa we will get to the top Aia, the female servant when okay Ero with an ‘s’ is such a lusty Stretches out in the kaiak word everyday Cross it out, xerox it too, this is absurd The eve is all still and well The cup with wine fulfilled and The bristle of grasses, awn, you level ask why? why? Getting tired, yawny? to you ask I Ala, winged part of a bone, mm Malam, Koran master will teach To finish I present the single ‘z’ them A triple letter zzz, ’tis now time for bed. Aa, we’re red hot now, watch us flow Rising heat give naan a go [Note that the only words in the poem longer than Vol, a shortened version of two letters that you are NOT allowed to play in volume, oh Scrabble are KORAN* and ERO* (EROS is Mould me carefully into an ovolo allowable). –Ed]

In Te Reo there is no ‘p’ Try delicate surgery so the preop can be

In Turkey I’m a...am An officer, the qaimaqam

To elate each other this we are Pleased the relater is a star

One letter at a time, keep the pace this Es good, so watch these spaces

To be able to play Scrabble well is an ability Equal to decoding glyphs on a tablet historically

Rub it long enough you do A Grade winner Howard Warner is Voila, a vulture, urubu congratulated by Ruth Groffman Page 14 From Aasvogel to Zzyzx by Jeff Grant, Hastings I really enjoyed Olivia’s excellent article place on the board to ‘In the beginning was WHAT??’ in the play them! last Forwords. It’s great to see oddities like DVANDVA, PHTHISIS and AOUDAD: a wild ZWIEBACK on show, because they sheep of North Africa. rarely make it onto a Scrabble board. Two near-anagram eights starting with AO- In the plate final of the first world are AORISTIC champs (London, 1991), Kwaku and AORTITIS. Jeff Grant Sapong of Ghana played CTENOID (comb-shaped) against me - far more BWAZI: variant of BUAZE, an African impressive than its anagrams fibre-yielding polygalaceous shrub NOTICED and DEONTIC. I once saw (milkwort genus). 1993 world champ Mark Nyman of CSARDAS: also CZARDAS, a England playing Thailand’s Pakorn Hungarian dance in two movements, Nemitrmansuk, and Mark played one slow and the other fast. TJANTING (a batik tool). Unfortunately for him, this superb find probably cost DZIGGETAI: a central Asian wild ass. him the game, because it put a T in the The DZO (or DZHO) and DZEREN are triple-triple row and Pakorn played also Asian animals. EQUISETA through it for 203 points. Sometimes there’s no justice.

Glenda Foster has been helping me with a project titled ‘From Aasvogel to Zzyzx, a Dictionary of Initial Bigrams*’. An AASVOGEL is a South African vulture, Zzyzx* is a settlement in California, and a bigram* in recreational linguistics (word-play) is a pair of letters considered as a single unit. The dictionary contains entries for words (including proper nouns) starting with all 676 possible 2-letter dziggetai combinations, from aa- to zz-. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Scrabble words account EKPWELE: variant of EKUELE, a former for over 300 of them. Many of Olivia’s unit of currency in Equatorial Guinea. unusual terms are listed in this (-s plural for EKPWELE only) dictionary, but it was not difficult to gather 26 interesting new examples. I FYNBOS: an area of low shrubs, in hope some of these will find their way southern Africa. (plural FYNBOSES) onto your racks and that there is a Page 15 GMELINITE: a sodium aluminium SVEDBERG: a unit of time amounting to zeolite, useful as a front hook one ten-trillionth of a second. for MELINITE (anagrams ILMENITE, MENILITE, TIMELINE) TCHOTCHKE: a knickknack or trinket. If you get a rack of CCHHKTT, be sure HWYL: divine inspiration in oratory; or to check for the separated O and E. emotional fervour, such as that exhibited by Welsh rugby fans at UJAMAA: a sort of Tanzanian kibbutz. Cardiff Arms Park. An uncommon ending to go with a unique start. IOPANOIC: as in IOPANOIC acid, a compound used in x-ray examination VULSELLA: also VULSELLUM, a forceps of the gall bladder. with toothed or clawed blades.

JNANA: in Hinduism, spiritual WUXIA: a Chinese genre of films knowledge acquired through featuring martial arts and fantasy meditation and study. (A good front sequences. hook but don’t forget ANANA!) XRAY: radio communication code word KWANZA: the standard monetary unit for the letter X. JULIET, NOVEMBER, of Angola, divided into 100 LWEIS. and QUEBEC all have similar definitions. LLANERO: an inhabitant of a LLANO, one of the vast plains in northern South YTTRIFEROUS: containing the metallic America. element YTTRIUM. Imagine your rack is ORSTTUY. You make a great find: MWALIMU: in East Africa, a teacher, TRYOUTS, but it won’t go down. who is sometimes a MZUNGU (white Suddenly you spot RIFE on the board person). and use it to play YTTRIFEROUS - on a triple-triple. Move over, Nigel! NGARARA: a lizard-like monster in Māori mythology; a tuatara, or lizard ZLOTYCH: also ZLOTE, ZLOTYS and generally. ZLOTIES; plural of ZLOTY, a monetary unit of Poland equal to 100 GROSZY. OQUASSA: a small dark-blue lake trout found in western Maine, US. Erratum PZAZZ: a combination of flamboyance, From Forwords issue 118: The quiz on panache and vigour, needing both p. 31 asks about three women who blanks to play. have won major titles, and the answers on p. 42 name Glennis Hale, Joanne QAWWAL: a male singer of Craig, and Lynne Butler. Jeff Grant has QAWWALI, devotional Sufi music, been kind enough to correct this usually sung in Persian or Turkish. information: Sue Marrow won the first RYOTWARI: in India, a system of land Nationals in 1980 and Glenyss tenure in which each peasant deals Buchanan won the same event two directly with the state. years later. The editors hope Sue and Glenyss can accept our apologies for Howard's omissions. Page 16 Club news Kaimai Challenge by Carole Coates, Kiwi In February, the Tauranga and Kiwi Clubs resurrected the Kaimai Challenge, a friendly tournament that, for one reason or another, we hadn't played since 2011. So on Valentine’s Day, eight Kiwi Club members travelled to Tauranga where we received a very hospitable greeting at Barbara Dunn’s place. Barbara had transformed her lounge into a very pleasant competition Scrabblers enjoying the Kaimai Challenge venue with eight tables, and the Tauranga members were already seated ready to play. At the end of the day, both clubs were equal on 32 wins, so it came down to The format we chose was a round spread. Based on that, Tauranga won robin, where each person played the the trophy. Congratulations to eight members of the other club. It was Tauranga! great to play against people we don’t often (or ever!) get to challenge, in an Many thanks to the Tauranga Club for unofficial tournament where the results the lovely morning and afternoon teas, weren’t going to affect our ratings. It to Barbara for her relaxed and warm was particularly nice for those of us hospitality, and to Heather for the from Kiwi to be able to catch up with ex thorough recording of results. -Kiwi members Ruth Lilian (who was playing), and Elaine Moltzen (who was helping with the catering).

Jennifer Smith, Yoon Kim Fong, and Shirley Pearce from Kiwi Club won the most games with six games apiece. Ruth Lilian from Tauranga also won six, while Chris Day and Stan Skinner (also from Tauranga) both won five. Others taking part were Carole and Roger Coates, Jillian Greening, Fay Wright, and Because the Kaimai Challenge between the Kiwi Sharron Nelley (Kiwi); and Barbara and the Tauranga Clubs was being held on Dunn, Heather Landon, Margaret Valentine’s Day, Jennifer Smith made a special Bullen, Rosalind Phillips, and Shirley card for the host club. Bonthron (Tauranga). This is the front of the card. Page 17 couple of games before bedtime. Paul's Riverhead guesthouse is an historic colonial kauri homestead set in idyllic surroundings with stunning views over the Hokianga Harbour; a perfect spot for some relaxing Scrabble.

The tournament began at 9.00am each morning, preceded by a lavish continental breakfast, which our hosts provided on both days. Cicely This is the inside of the card. had spent weeks making up personalised record sheets (love Whangarei's Horeke Weekend mine with the Q on it), score sheets, charts, and numerous other extras. by Bev Edwards, Whangarei She also took on the role of chief Recently, the Whangarei Scrabble Club organiser and record keeper for the members were privileged to receive an two days. Thank you Cicely from all of invitation from Val Mills and her us for the fantastic job you did. partner Paul to join them in Paul's magnificent villa in Horeke for a two-day unrated tournament to take place over 21 and 22 March. Twelve members gladly accepted their offer, and we immediately began to formulate plans for our journey into the Mid North.

Four cars loaded with Scrabble paraphernalia, food, wine, bedding, and bodies headed north on the Friday, arriving at our destination before dark. Major unpacking followed, Anne Munro, Lynn Thompson, Margaret Toso, Margaret Peters; sleeping spaces were Allie Quinn, Jenny Litchfield, Rebecca Pullman, Anne allocated, and there Scatchard, Suzanne Harding; was even time for a Margy Hurly, Val Mills, Paul Jepsen, Bev Edwards. Page 18 Warm, witty, wordy weekend — we ate, laughed, played. Awesome weekend, wonderful hosts, venue, company, and scrabble. Riverhead — fabulous house, great scrabble, friends, and food. Historic Horeke's harbourside homestead held heartwarming, harmonious hospitality. Margaret Peters, Jenny Litchfield, Hokianga harbour hilarity, gluttony, Margy Hurly games galore, wanting more. Good company, great food, lovely We used a handicap system courtesy of hosts, wonderful weekend. Patrick Carter, which evened the Horrendous handicaps, hilarious playing field a little. It ranged between happy hours, hampered high 0 and 160; some players were very hopes. happy with it, some not so much, but everyone enjoyed the Scrabble. It was SCRABBLE HOKIANGA a real surprise for Bev when she found Scintillating Horeke that she had topped the first day's play, Competitive Overate but Allie was the overall champion as Rumbustious Koreros she won 11 out of 13 games. Amicable Inaugural Brainboxes Accommodating Our lunches on Saturday and Sunday, Brainfood Nonrated and the special dinner on Saturday Laudable Games evening were all banquets. Everybody Exciting Amazing contributed, and the selection was amazing. What an absolute treat to be part of this. Our sincere thanks to Val for hosting us, and to Paul for agreeing to share such a wonderful space with us.

I asked our members who attended the weekend in Horeke to write me a line of eight words about their experience. Here are their thoughts:

Stunning views over the Hokianga Harbour Page 19 Hall of Fame by Jennifer Smith, Kiwi Ciao!

My name is Tiziano Vecelli (or Vecellio).

I was born in Pieve di Cadore, Italy, probably around 1477.

The exact date of my birth is uncertain. When I was an old man I claimed in a letter to Philip II, King of Spain, to have been born in 1474, but experts think this date is unlikely. However, nobody disputes the date of my death in 1576, and they all agree that I was probably close to 100 when I died – certainly a very ripe old age for that time. Detail from ‘Self-portrait’ by Titian I began painting when I was only four There I became superintendent of years old, and didn’t stop painting until government works. This “La Sanseria” the day I died. I trained under the great was a privilege much coveted by rising masters Gentile and Giovanni Bellini, or risen artists, and my patent yielded and even they say I surpassed them in me a good annuity of 20 crowns, as the use of colour. well as exempting me from certain taxes. I was bound in return to paint My contemporaries reckon I was one of likenesses of the successive Doges of the most versatile of Italian painters, my time at the fixed price of eight being equally adept with portraits, crowns each. (Actually, I only ended up landscape backgrounds, and painting five!) mythological and religious subjects. My painting methods, particularly in the application and use of colour, would exercise a profound influence not only on painters of the Italian Renaissance, but on future generations of Western art. I’m generally recognised as the most important member of the 16th century Venetian school of art.

In 1513, I went to Venice, to obtain a broker’s patent. Venice Page 20 During the last 26 years of my life I Art historians attribute approximately worked mainly for Philip II, and as a 400 works to me, of which about 300 portrait-painter. I also finished off survive. many copies my pupils made of earlier works of mine, which has created But I have left a legacy other than my headaches for art experts, collectors, paintings. As I said, I was noted for my critics and dealers ever since. My works mastery of colour. I often depicted my were also very widely copied and faked models with hair in shades of a lustrous outside my studio, during my lifetime bronze. The colour was so rich, so and afterwards. magnificent, that my name came to be accepted for the brownish yellow My last painting, the Pietà (which was colour, which some have described as finished by Palma il Giovane after my a sort of red-yellow, and others reddish death), is a dramatic scene of suffering, -brown or auburn. The English called of myself and my favourite son and me “Titian”, and this has become the assistant, Orazio, before the Saviour. word for my trademark colour.

I died of a fever on 27 August 1576 Remember me when you play TITIAN while the plague raged in Venice. or TITIANS. You redheads out there Orazio also died of the plague shortly might like to use this elegant word. It’s afterwards, and my opulent mansion much more useful and dignified than was plundered by thieves during the the modern – and bogus – GINGA*. epidemic.

Detail from Sacred and Profane Love, by Titian, oil on canvas, c. 1514. The nude character on the right, supposedly a personification of Aphrodite, is one example of the colour hair for which the artist became renowned. Page 21 Scrabbly Logic Five lucky women are about to jet off coincidentally, on overseas holidays of a lifetime. They Sharon likes a are all keen Scrabblers so they'll be food beginning taking along their CSW15 initiation with the initial kits, which will enable them to bone up letter of her on the new words during their long- surname too. ‘malarias’ haul flights. Each of them has already 4. Miss Brownfield is flying to chosen a favourite new word. Using Michigan, but she must remember the 12 clues below, can you work out to warn the airline that she has a each woman’s first and surname, severe nut allergy. where she’s going, what her favourite 5. Moira is looking forward to her trip ethnic food is, and what word she likes to Berlin and, as a lawyer, she’s best from the CSW15 lexicon? Note always pleased that all words in the clues (including to see new legal the women’s names, and holiday terms like destinations) are allowable Scrabble LIENEES added words, though you'll have to wait for a to the word list. few more months before you can play 6. The woman any of the CSW15 words favoured by gravlaks whose surname our travelling Scrabblers. is Brownfield Clues: wonders why anyone would enjoy a food if it’s the anagram of 1. The woman MALARIAS, but that’s precisely why who’s travelling the woman going to Berlin loves to Florence that dish. doesn’t have a 7. The woman who enjoys souvlaki sweet tooth, but rather than baklava is delighted to Ms. Blackthorn see GRR finally enter the Scrabble loves her baklava lexicon, but Mrs. Whitehead doesn’t desserts. think that word should be allowed. 2. Diane is hoping that the missionary 8. Miss Goldstone had a terrible time work she’s going to be doing in in Berlin when she visited it 10 Tripoli will be satisfying, but CSW years ago so she vowed she would 15 has given her the word AIYEE to never go back. express her extreme alarm if things

go wrong. 3. Miss Greenwood’s favourite ethnic food begins with the same letter as her bobotie souvlaki surname and, Page 22 9. Miss Brownfield has tasted bobotie before but she can take it or leave A new meaning it. 10. The woman whose favourite new for “Bonus word is XED (but who thinks IXNAY is ridiculous), likes a food Block” containing three A’s in its spelling. by Jennifer Smith, Kiwi 11. The woman who could eat It started in a friendly game between gravlaks all day long loves the fact Su Walker and me. Su played that her first name has three ALLEGED, first turn, and I followed with anagrams, including BREATH. RIOTISE immediately underneath to 12. Connie has a son living in Lima make eight complete words. but she’s not going there on this trip. The two-word block looked so fantastic on the board, I wanted to try to find a A diversion further extension. by Lyn Toka, Kiwi Months later, I explored the self- Here are some fairly nonsensical imposed challenge to find a third word sentences. to go underneath those two, and was Delete exactly half the letters from each pretty pleased with myself for finding sentence. Do not change the order of MEGASSE. I never dreamed that there the remaining letters. could be a fourth word, but it did not What do you find? take me long to find SNOTTED 1. Vi and Rex were bread lovers, yes. (SNOTTER would also work). No 2. Jo and Merlin ate mice, kale and further words are possible with this tea. block. 3. All prizes for a general fund. 4. Jodi and new schoolmate's black gear. 5. Rob luged the Moro gorge boldly. 6. Gail went down a frosted ramp. 7. Oh, living that good life, really. 8. Al always moans, upset. 9. Put rouged lips onto a loud singer. 10. Relays are safer even then. I’m sure a seven-word block would be 11. Who was red warrior’s new rave? well-nigh impossible, but I’d be thrilled 12. Just mend knife, rust mitt helps. to create a five-word block. Have a go 13. I love ale: prime, mild, old ales. yourself! 14. Juice of a fig or can it.

15. I call a red cow a llama. (Hint: Finding two words to start with is

NZ Scrabblers’ names. Scrabblers’ NZ the hardest part. After that, it gets Hint: What you should be finding are are finding be should you What Hint: much quicker to either find a word or realise another word is impossible.) Answers to all puzzles on p. 45 Page 23 Winning Scrabble and the Nature of Expertise Studying a game yields insights into what it takes to be great at something by David Z. Hambrick After my recent editorial questioning why it seems that male Scrabblers dominate the top of the New Zealand Scrabble rankings even though three times as many females play competitively, I was extremely interested to read the following article on the types of skills and expertise displayed by elite Scrabble players. It seems that there might be a genetic component to at least one of those skills after all. It would be fascinating if research could determine whether that genetic component may also be sex-linked. Thank you to Chris Handley, Dunedin, for bringing this article to our attention. This article was sourced from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/winning-scrabble-and- the-nature-of-expertise/ and was accessed on 23 May 2015.

Clearly, expert Scrabble players are to decades. And, now, as an increasingly some degree “made.” But there is popular domain for scientific research evidence that basic cognitive abilities on expertise, it is giving psychologists a play a role, too. better understanding of the underpinnings of complex skill and a In case you didn’t hear the news, there clearer picture of the origins of was a major shake-up in the greatness. The overarching goal of this competitive Scrabble world last summer research is to better understand the in Buffalo. Conrad Bassett-Bouchard, a interplay between “software” and 24-year old graduate student from “hardware” aspects of the cognitive Portland, Oregon, won the $10,000 system. Software factors include first prize at the National Scrabble knowledge and skills that are acquired Championship, making him the through experience, whereas hardware youngest American to ever win the factors include genetically-influenced tournament. But the big news was that abilities and capacities. Scrabble is the win ended Nigel Richards’ run of ideal for research on how these factors four titles. Richards, a reclusive New interact not only because it is relatively Zealander, is widely regarded as the easy to find research participants from a best Scrabble player of all-time—the wide range of skill, but because it can “Michael Jordan of the game,” as one be imported into the lab. co-competitor put it. Along with five U.S. National titles, Richards has won the The basic goal of Scrabble is to create World Scrabble Championship three intersecting words by placing lettered times, and the Thailand International— tiles on a board containing a 15 x 15 the largest Scrabble tournament in the grid. Knowledge is, of course, critical for world—eleven times. success in this task. If you want to become a great Scrabble player, first Scrabble has been one of the most and foremost, you have to know a lot of popular board games in the world for words. A top player will know most of Page 24 the two hundred thousand or so words things like studying word lists, analyzing in the Scrabble dictionary (not their previous Scrabble games, and definitions, just the words themselves). anagramming—and not by a little. Among the plays in the final game at Overall, the elite group had spent an the National Scrabble Championship in average of over 5,000 hours on Buffalo: WAB, TROOZE, HOURI, AA, Scrabble study, compared to only about KIBI, and QUA (all real words, 1,300 hours for the average group. apparently). You also need to be adept Another study found that competitive at identifying potential plays. Expert Scrabble players devoted an average of players can rattle off dozens of possible nearly 5 hours a week to memorizing plays for any given rack—for, say, words from the Scrabble dictionary. GINOPRS, words like SPORING, GIPONS, PIROG, PINGO, OS, and Clearly, expert Scrabble players are to SORN. Many serious Scrabble players some degree “made.” But there is “cross-train” by playing anagramming evidence that basic cognitive abilities games like Boggle, or by just solving play a role, too. In a study recently anagrams, which Conrad Bassett- published in Applied Cognitive Bouchard compares to a basketball Psychology, Michael Toma and his player practising free throws. Finally, colleagues found that elite Scrabble you have to know Scrabble strategy—or players outperformed college students what aficionados call “rack from a highly selective university on tests management”—such as how to keep a of two cognitive abilities: working good mix of consonant and vowels (the memory and visuospatial reasoning. key, according to reigning World Working memory is the ability to hold in Scrabble Champion Craig Beevers, is to mind information while using it to solve “score and leave”—go for points but be a problem, as when iterating through mindful of what any play will leave you possible moves in a Scrabble game. on your rack). Visuospatial reasoning is the ability to visualize things and to detect patterns, People aren’t born with this type of as when imagining how tiles on a specialized knowledge. Research Scrabble board would intersect after a indicates that we may come into the certain play. Both abilities are world equipped with the building blocks influenced by genetic factors. for complex skills such as math, but certainly nothing as specific as Further evidence pointing to a role of knowledge of words in a particular these abilities in Scrabble expertise language. Thus, experience is necessary comes from a recent brain imaging to become an expert in Scrabble. And, study by Andrea Protzner and her in fact, Scrabble skill has been found to colleagues at the University of Calgary. correlate positively with the amount of Using functional magnetic resonance time people spend engaging in imaging (fMRI), these researchers Scrabble-related activities. In one study, recorded the brain activity of Scrabble using official Scrabble rating as an players and control subjects as they objective measure of skill, researchers performed a task in which they were found that groups of “elite” and shown groups of letters and judged “average” Scrabble players differed in whether they formed words. (fMRI the amount of time they had devoted to measures brain activity by detecting Page 25 changes in blood flow within different precise information about their abilities, regions of the brain.) The major finding and of the likelihood of achieving of this study was that competitive success in particular domains given Scrabble players recruited brain regions those abilities. It may also be possible to associated with working memory and design approaches to training complex visual perception to perform this task to skills that accelerate the acquisition of a greater degree than the control expertise. subjects did. About the author What might explain Scrabble experts’ superiority in working memory and David Z. Hambrick is a professor in the visuospatial reasoning? One possibility is Department of Psychology at Michigan that playing Scrabble improves these State University. His research focuses on cognitive abilities, like a work-out at the individual differences in intelligence and gym makes you stronger. However, this skill. He is an associate editor of the seems unlikely based on over a century Journal of Experimental Psychology: of research on the issue of “transfer” of General, and has written for the New training. When people train on a task, York Times, Huffington Post, and Slate. they sometimes get better on similar tasks, but they usually do not get better on other tasks. They show “near” transfer, but not “far” transfer. (Practise Scrabble and you’ll get better at Scrabble, and maybe Boggle, but don’t count on it making you smarter.) For the same basic reason that basketball players tend to be tall, a more likely explanation is that people high in working memory and visuospatial reasoning abilities are people who tend to get into, and persist at, playing Scrabble: because it gives them an advantage in the game. This explanation fits with what behavioral geneticists call gene-environment correlation, which is the idea that our genetic makeup influences our experiences.

These findings challenge the dogma that anyone can become anything they want to become—like the best Scrabble player in the world—with enough hard work. At the same time, they add to an emerging understanding of complex skill that may ultimately bring expertise within reach of a larger number of people than is currently the case. For example, it may one day be possible to give people Page 26 Masters 2015 This year, the Masters tournament was held at had taken out the top spots. Judging by the results, the Kairangi Bridge Club in Wellington from 3rd it was a rather close affair though. Jeff Grant took to 6th April. There was a slight change in format out the top spot on 19 wins, followed by Howard this year in that, instead of the games being played Warner on 18.5, and Peter Sinton on 17.5 (see p. on the Saturday, Sunday, and Monday of Easter 47 for the full results). weekend as had always been the case previously, As neither of the coeditors attended the Masters they were played instead on Friday, Saturday and this year, we had to interrogate a few players who Sunday. Reaction to this change was mixed; the did attend to provide us with relevant information. early start meant that everything was over by We would like to thank Liz Fagerlund, Mt. Sunday afternoon, so people could start wending Albert, and Lyres Freeth, Independent, for giving their way home earlier than usual. However, play us the lowdown on things like the new timetable, began at 1:00 p.m. on the Friday. Consequently, a the venue, etc. They have both helped us to sound few games had to be played late into the evening much more knowledgeable than we actually are on the first day, with dinner being provided at the about this tournament. We have also twisted the venue. There was no rest for the wicked, as play arms of a couple of other players to provide us with began again at 9:00 a.m. the next morning, with reports on their experiences. Read on to find out nine games being played that day. how Denise Gordon from Wanganui and John Unsurprisingly, some players found that this McNaughton from Wellington fared at the 2015 schedule was rather hectic. Masters. By the end of the tournament, the usual suspects

My Scrabble Masters 2015 spot on the board! To add insult to injury, three of my games that day were by Denise Gordon, Wanganui against the Mt. Albertians with whom There were two clear Wanganui was competing to retain the champions at this year’s Championship Shield (we had only just Masters: Jeff and his wife, won it off Mt. Albert the previous year). Pat. Jeff, congratulations Needless to say, my losses that first day on yet another well- did not help in this endeavour. deserved win at the board; Congratulations Mt. Albert for wresting and Pat, what wonderful Denise Gordon the Shield from Wanganui’s limp grasp catering was provided and so reinforcing your dominance through your culinary ideas and hard over this piece of wood. work. Many thanks must also go to Lynn Wood for her organising of the My best game that first day was against venue, and those many others from the Howard Warner. Unfortunately, my Wellington Club who supported her. team of SURGEONS, while giving me 78 points, was still unable to wheedle When Olivia asked me to write about any mercy from the lionlike Howard, my personal experiences at this year’s who played LEONINE for 69, Masters, she would not have predicted CUITTLED for 95, DEVISAL for 85, and what would turn out to be a dismal COTYLES for 70. COTYLES are performance on my part! The first day’s apparently cuplike cavities and, after play saw me as the only player with no his barrage of bonuses, I certainly felt Page 27

The Masters players as if my brain had been left full of and I played JAMBOREE instead for them. The final score was Howard 543 116, thereby snatching back the lead I to my 451. Congrats Howard on a had just lost. close second in the Masters this year and the highest average of 454. Day three saw me with another three spots. One of my highlights that day On day two I fared a bit better, finally was a move I played in my game getting four spots up on the board. My against Peter who was making best game that day was against mincemeat of me. I’m sure he would Glenyss Buchanan. I managed to get agree that there was an imbalance of two early bonuses down, (EROSION vowels and consonants in our game; as and GAITERS) but Glenyss was scoring he bemoaned the fact that we would very well with the letters she had. run out of vowels soon, I was Towards the later stages of the game, bemoaning the fact that we would run she overtook me with her J word (JEW out of consonants. I searched the if I remember correctly) but leaving the board desperately for available vowels J on the top left triple. I think the and was able to play PLUMBERS over a COTYLES were still in my brain as I U (I needed the help of two blanks to surveyed my rack of ABEEMOR. I could achieve this). Looking at Peter and play JAMBO off the J, I mused, leaving knowing his profession must have me with ERE. Luckily the penny dropped inspired me. Despite losing that game, Page 28 Finally, I just want to make special mention of four players, Lyres Freeth, Cicely Bruce, Vicky Robertson, and John McNaughton. Lyres was the highest placed woman in the tournament, achieving fifth, closely followed by Cicely who got sixth. Vicky achieved the greatest rating change of any player, piling on 151 ratings points during the tournament. John, as our youngest player, came eighth and continues to climb the rankings. Congrats to you all!

My first Masters Masters winner Jeff Grant by John McNaughton, Wellington (he got 547 to my 386), I felt satisfied My first Masters that Peter had not been able to experience actually respond with either RETIRED or started a whole year TEACHER. Well done Peter for third ago at the place in the tournament and a very Nationals held in healthy average of 450. Hamilton. With a bit of luck, I managed Another highlight of my third day was to scale my way up a very close win that I managed to pull B grade, and out against John McNaughton. somehow ended up John McNaughton Towards the end of a low-scoring over 30 ranking game with only one bonus on the places above where I started. It was at board so far (John’s DETRAIN for 85), the prize-giving after that tournament there was but one spot left for a seven- that I learned my new ranking was letter word, and it had to end with an I 20th, giving me entrance into the 2015 to fit next to the Q. Fortunately for me, Masters. I was overjoyed! The I had the blank and, better still, I found (hopefully not ultimate) dream had ZINGARI for 81. However, I could still come true. see that there was a beautiful spot for John to play JOSH over the S in the Anyway, back to the future and the bottom right triple. There was nothing I Masters 2015... could do to block it and, sure enough, John picked up the H to make it Day one — seven games: four wins possible, thereby scoring 73, which put and three losses him just ahead. With two unsuccessful Looking at the draw it was crazy to challenges from John during the think about rankings and ratings. endgame, and his leave, I managed to Everyone was so experienced, and scrape in 422 to his 407. Phew! most had been playing in A grades for Page 29 quite some time. Bizarrely, with this Given the calibre of my opponent, I thought in the front of my mind, I was was thrilled to be able to finish my able to relax because I felt that I could tournament on such a high note. With treat each game as a challenge, no 12 wins in total I finished eighth, a game would be a “should win”, and result that I didn't expect but was every game won would be a bonus. I delighted to achieve. was therefore extremely happy about my wins and losses in equal measure. I really enjoyed the atmosphere of the tournament. It was very relaxed and Day two — nine games: four wins and there was a great deal of friendliness five losses in between the serious Scrabble-play. The day started with a match against Personally, I very much enjoyed the Howard Warner and finished with a lack of pressure because of my disappointing loss against Blue realisation that, in this environment, Thorogood. Sadly, I made two major any win was a plus, and a loss was mistakes that second day. First, in my merely a formality. I could simply sit game against Lawson Sue, I managed back and enjoy my Scrabble ride. to talk myself out of an out-play, which would have given me a bingo and a win; instead I lost by 50. In the final washup, that mistake also cost NZ Challenge Shield me a placing in the final result. The At the Masters the Wanganui and Mt. second mistake was at the end of the Albert Clubs vied for the NZ long day and so I will use tiredness as Challenge Shield. Mt. Albert scored an my excuse. Playing Blue, he had emphatic victory. absolute dross and I had a “senior” moment, losing the turn and my self- confidence in one fell swoop.

However, on a positive note, I did have an amazing game against Val Mills in which I got absolutely everything! I played four bingoes: NAILERS, IDOLATER, SILAGED, and TIMIDER. I was especially proud of TIMIDER because it made seven words altogether, including six hooks running parallel to SILAGED, for 91 points. My final score was precisely double the spread, a first for me!

Day three — seven games: four wins Mt. Albert team Liz Fagerlund, Lawson and three losses Sue and Andrew Bradley. My best match of the tournament came on this day, and it was against Peter Sinton. I won by 132 points. Page 30 Mailbox The Autumn issue of Forwords generated got placed in every plenty of feedback from our readers. Thanks to event I ran in… [but] everybody who has taken the time to tell us what I feel like I’m relying on men’s dogs they liked, what they thought, and what it looked making mistakes to give the likes of like. We’re always keen to hear your opinions even fast women like me a chance of about Forwords, so please feel free to email winning! (and who doesn’t want to either editrix at any time! win?)”

As with Olivia’s editorial about the In response to Olivia’s editorial, “Why New Zealand Scrabble scene, Liz was are men always on top?”, Liz unable to conclusively state why, in this Fagerlund from Mt. Albert shared with completely different arena, the us a piece she had written for the New significant majority of highest Zealand Kennel Gazette in May 1992, achievers would be men. Again, the entitled “Will men ever be stereotype of male competitiveness overtaken?”. In her article, Liz seems to be a factor. Liz did, however, recounted a newspaper feature about have some constructive advice to offer the improvement in the speed of about redressing the imbalance: women in athletic track events “Perhaps for good measure I, and my compared to the improvement in the fellow female competitors, need to tie speed of men, but observed that “none together a few of the men’s of the current women’s world record shoelaces!” Probably that would prove holders could even meet the men’s a more effective strategy in dog agility qualifying standards for the events than in Scrabble! Olympics”.

She then investigated some figures comparing the performance of male In the further adventures of Liz and and female competitors in dog agility Olivia, they have responded to our events. In Liz’s words, “The results… challenge on page 35 of Forwords startled me. I didn’t expect the issue 118 to capture words with similar percentage of male handlers being thematic content on the same board. placed to be quite as great as it was”. The picture on the next page shows She found that men were placing first, what happened in their game during second or third in Senior events (where the most recent Christchurch qualifying wins in lower classes are tournament. required to gain entry) approximately 70% of the time, even though usually Please continue to photograph these two to three times as many women kinds of plays and send them in to were competing. She also wrote, “I Forwords. It is possible that a certain assure you, this article isn’t written by a game in the A Grade in the Nationals disgruntled female competitor who included the word PUSSY hooked onto never gets in the lineup – last year I the word (S)CREW, but probably those Page 31 But do you know AZERTY? It’s an alternative or unconventional keyboard layout, used in France, Belgium, and some African countries. [See also Jeff Grant’s response to the ‘beginnings’ article, p. 14]

Chris Handley, Dunedin, writes:

I do feel obliged to point out that in Howard Warner’s quiz on page 31, the word in question four should have two words are completely unrelated. been spelt AIBOHPHOBIA (otherwise it Or if not, such a photograph would is not a palindrome). probably be unsuitable for this magazine. After the previous issue was ready to print, we received this photo of Kiwi Club members (L-R) Lyn Toka, Jillian Jennifer Smith, Kiwi, writes: Greening, and Shirley Pearce Loved your list of beginnings. My experiencing Rotorua’s lakefront favourite new word from the list was Scrabble sculpture. RHYTHMI.

Joan Thomas taught me IJTIHAD years ago. She remembers it as “I, Joan, Thought I HAD a word” – and so do I remember it the Joan way, even though Jennifer would work as well. Never played it, though!

I’ve played UINTAITE a couple of times, and OUISTITI also twice. Didn’t know any of the others except Julia Schiller, Mt. Albert, managed an QWERTY, of course… improbable nine-letter word (with no blanks) against Joanna Fox from The QWERTY keyboard layout was Christchurch during game nine of the developed by Christopher Sholes in the Otago Open: early 1870s. He placed common two- letter combinations on opposite sides I opened by offering a TIKI, while she of the keyboard so mechanical played COAL, I countered with JUDO, keyboards of the time wouldn’t jam. she had a VUG, which made me feel The standard PC keyboard layout was some brain FAG. I think she played invented by Mark Tiddens in 1982. under TIKI next, which left me in a state of JADEDNESS. Page 32 Frances Higham, Papatoetoe, drew our attention to the following item featuring Kaite Hansen from the Little River Informer published 13 March 2015. For those new readers who did not have the privilege of knowing Kaite, she was a beloved member of the Christchurch Club right up until her death from cancer last year: I went on to win 443-242, which was the largest margin of the tournament “One of Kaite Hansen's final projects for B Grade. before her death last July was to create a Trust to help other people fulfill their Quite a different result from when creative dreams. She got the basics Joanna beat me 388-324 earlier in the underway to set up the Creative day! Dreaming Trust, to help creative dreams become a reality. Now the CDT is a registered charitable trust and Lynn Wood, Wellington, reported the it is open to consider applications from following doubly surprising scenario Banks Peninsula residents for funding from the Christchurch tournament: to help further their participation in A Grade. Last game of the tournament. their chosen field. Lynn Wood vs. Alex Leckie-Zaharic. Kaite herself was not only an extremely Lynn is having a really good game and creative person, she was also an has built up a sizable lead. Lynn plays advocate for… helping other people OILY. Alex plays O, I, L to spell OILY realising their creative potential. Kaite's again using the same Y. Fast forward passion for the arts lead her down to Lynn’s final play of the tournament: many paths. In addition to her career STAINER, picking up all seven in journalism, Kaite was also a talented remaining tiles in the bag. Alex goes potter, bone carver, weaver and singer. out with a bingo of his own to finish the Whatever craft she undertook she did game; incredibly, it’s STAINER again! with flair and imagination, and she Lynn says, “Thank goodness I had a always encouraged others to listen to real buffer… I won by a smaller margin their hearts and follow their dreams. than would otherwise have been the But Kaite also knew that sometimes life case.” Why is that? Those final seven circumstances can tiles on Lynn’s last rack were interrupt the creative DFLQVWY, adding a further 58 points flow, and that one to Alex’s score! of those interrupting Final score for the game: Lynn 467 – circumstances was Alex 396. lack of resources. That's where the Trust can help.”

Kaite Hansen Page 33 Glenda Foster, Wellington, asked the Even though he was using both blanks, New Zealand Scrabble News email list, it still scored 57 and turned out to be “Has anyone seen a 12-letter word on enough to win the game. the board lately?” Glenda subsequently sent this screenshot from her online My own best play in this genre is not game: quite in the same class. It was a situation where I had STONERS or NESTORS or TENSORS, but there was no place to fit the seven-letter words. Fortunately the word MINE was in the bottom left hand corner and I was able to extend it along the bottom to make MINESTRONES.

100 beautiful words from the English language that you need to use more And speaking of longer words, Vicky Robertson, Wellington, sent us the following link: Vicky Robertson, Wellington, responded that she had recently http:// managed the 11-letter FORCEPSLIKE, sobadsogood. and Patrick Carter, Mt. Albert, shared com/2015/03/19 Vicky Robertson the following anecdotes: /100-beautiful- words-english-language-you-need-use- A few years ago I was desperately more/ trying to hold onto a 50-point lead in an endgame against Jeff Grant. We have included only half the words here, interested parties are encouraged He had two blanks, but I had shut the to read the remainder of the list online. board down so tight that he couldn’t All of these words, however play a bingo. improbable, are allowable plays in Scrabble. However I had made a fatal mistake earlier in the game when I had played How many of these have you dropped the word OLOGIES instead of into conversation recently? GOOLIES. It meant that Jeff could play AILUROPHILE: A cat-lover. six of his tiles to extend the word back BELEAGUER: To exhaust with attacks. to the corner triple word square and BUCOLIC: In a lovely rural setting make the 13-letter word CHATOYANT: Like a cat’s eye. CRIMINOLOGIES. Page 34 CYNOSURE: A focal point of INGLENOOK: A cozy nook by the admiration. hearth. DEMESNE: Dominion, territory. INSOUCIANCE: Blithe nonchalance. DENOUEMENT: The resolution of a LABYRINTHINE: Twisting and turning. mystery. DESUETUDE: Disuse. DIAPHANOUS: Filmy. EBULLIENCE: Bubbling enthusiasm. EFFERVESCENT: Bubbly.

LAGNIAPPE: A special kind of gift. LANGUOR: Listlessness, inactivity LASSITUDE: Weariness, listlessness. LISSOME: Slender and graceful. MELLIFLUOUS: Sweet sounding. MONDEGREEN: A slip of the ear. MURMUROUS: Murmuring. ONOMATOPOEIA: A word that sounds like its meaning. PALIMPSEST: A manuscript written over earlier ones. EMBROCATION: Rubbing on a lotion. PANOPLY: A complete set. EMOLLIENT: A softener. PENUMBRA: A half-shadow. EPHEMERAL: Short-lived. PROPINQUITY: An inclination. ERSTWHILE: At one time; for a time. PYRRHIC: Successful with heavy losses. EVANESCENT: Vanishing quickly; REDOLENT: Fragrant. lasting a very short time RIPARIAN: By the bank of a stream. FELICITY: Pleasantness. SCINTILLA: A spark or very small thing. FUGACIOUS: Fleeting. SEMPITERNAL: Eternal. GOSSAMER: The finest piece of thread; SERAGLIO: Rich, luxurious oriental a spider’s silk. palace or harem. HALCYON: Happy, sunny, care-free. SUSURROUS: Whispering, hissing. HARBINGER: Messenger with news of UMBRATILOUS: Shadowy; shaded or the future. secluded. IMBRICATION: Overlapping and UNTOWARD: Unseemly, inappropriate. forming a regular pattern. VESTIGIAL: In trace amounts. IMBROGLIO: An altercation or WAFTURE: Waving. complicated situation. WOEBEGONE: Sorrowful or downcast. Page 35 I’ve been reading … The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman

Meg Wolitzer

Dutton Children’s Books, USA (2011)

I know I picked this title up somewhere in connection with my Forwords work, I didn’t just stumble across it by good fortune as I perused the children’s section of the public library. Try as I might, however, I can neither recall the referee nor locate the original reference that prompted me to reserve one of Auckland Libraries’ two copies, but if you happen to be reading this, I thank you.

I am employed as a school librarian, so it’s little wonder that I enjoy reading children’s books. A children’s book about a Scrabble tournament was anagrams – which are listed in the text obviously something I would want to – whereas we could play an eleventh, look at more closely. Although I did not TARSEL. Also, some slang words, which recognise the author’s name, she has the players lament as being absent, published many other novels, more have been included in our dictionary often for adults than for younger since this novel was published. But readers. It is not clear what prompted there are still some observations that I her to write about the Youth Scrabble found poignantly relevant. For instance, Tournament, but her novel this passage struck a particular chord demonstrates that she knows more with me: about our game and our lifestyle than many other authors who have decided Whoever came up with the words to include Scrabble scenes in their that were acceptable in the works of fiction. Scrabble dictionary seemed to have a warped view of life, April It’s an American book: the story thought. Why was ZA good, but, revolves around a tournament that say, GA wasn’t? More babies takes place in Florida. This means that probably said GA than all the not all the dictionary information people combined who called included is accurate for us Collins pizza ZA, but those were the players. For example, a major rules. character’s name is Carl Slater, and he boasts that his surname has 10 Page 36 I was also privately amused by the a character development device (will disclaimer included in the fine print of Duncan use his “power” to win the the publisher information: “…Hasbro, tournament, or is personal integrity Inc. has not authorized or endorsed the more important?) and is surprisingly use of the SCRABBLE name and any insignificant to the book as a whole. other intellectual property owned by Hasbro, Inc. on or in connection with It’s hard to say who the target audience publication of this book”, and the way for this book is. I’m sure it can’t really the lettering on the cover coincidentally have been written just for me: resembles but definitely does not competitive Scrabble players who are represent Scrabble tiles. There are also also children’s librarians are several references to a software presumably rather few and far program named “SYZYGY”, which between. I expect I would have enjoyed bears a striking resemblance to our reading it even in my childhood, but it familiar software with Z’s and Y’s in its seems a bit too Scrabble-heavy for name. most youngsters who don’t already have an interest in the game. And for Besides the setting of a Scrabble those that do have such an interest, tournament, it’s a fairly typical book for what then is the point of reproducing older children. The plot includes word lists within the text (such as the troubled family relationships; school anagrams of RETINAS, or the entire list cafeteria bullying; many predictable of allowable two-letter words)? coincidences; a crush or two; and a climactic scene where the youngsters One further extract to whet your must prove their mettle in a curiously appetite for this easy read: in the adult-free environment. The climactic course of a conversation between two scene takes place in the unlikely setting of the schoolboy characters, the word of a dilapidated amusement park: LANGERHANS* comes up:

The coaster plunged down so LANGERHANS, Duncan fast that neither of them had a thought… he moved the letters chance to say another word. around slowly in his mind, as Their mouths opened into two Carl had taught him to do. He letter O’s, perfectly round and saw that you could make worth one point apiece, and they HANGERS from LANGERHANS. both screamed … Or, he saw, you could make LASAGNE. You’d still have As many of we obsessive players leftover letters, of course, but experience daily, Scrabble is never far hey, Duncan joked to himself, removed from the other goings-on: for you always have leftovers when example the title character has a major you make lasagne. epiphany about his personal life as he mulls over the anagrams of PARENTAL. The sole element of magic in the story, alluded to in the title, serves mainly as Page 37 I’ve been reading… by Howard Warner, Independent Jim Crace’s Harvest, a novel set in a feudal farming community. Scrabble-friendly words include: BELDAM — an ugly old woman; hag, IMPING — the process of grafting witch (ironically, it comes from the LAYSTALL — a place for depositing French ‘belle dame’, meaning dung ‘beautiful lady’) LOGGETS (sing.) — a throwing game CAMLET — a durable fabric MERESTONE — a boundary-marking CODLING — an unripe apple (also: stone CODLIN, QUODLIN) MOIETY — a half (also: MOYITY) DUNNOCK — the hedge-sparrow MOPSY — a dowdy woman ERINGO — a medicinal herb (also: MUNIMENT — a means of defence ERYNGO) (also: MINIMENT) ERLKING — an evil spirit in folklore MURRAIN — a disease of cattle (also: FILBERT — a hazelnut (also: FILBERD) MURREN, MURRIN, MURRION) FLEER — to deride by making a face at PANNAGE — the right to pasture swine FUSTIAN — a cotton fabric in a forest belonging to the lord’s HEDDLE — a thread drawn through the manor eyes of a loom QUICKSET —a plant suitable for hedges REASTY — smelling rancid or rank RUDDOCK — the robin redbreast (also: RADDOCKE) SEEDLIP — a sower’s basket SMALT — a blue pigment SOUROCK — a reddish-brown plant (also: SORREL, SOREL) STOVER — a coarse food for cattle SUCKET — a candied fruit or vegetable (also: SUCCADE) TILTH — cultivated or tilled land (also: TILLAGE) TURBARY — a place where peat is dug TURVES — an old plural of ‘turf’ WAUKER — one whose job is to shrink and thicken cloth (also: WAULKER) Page 38 How to get a WESPA Rating

For many Kiwis, the open tournaments  Your current (or past) NZ rating in Perth alongside the World Scrabble has no impact on your WESPA Championships will be the first time rating; the ratings systems are they will have competed in an entirely independent of each other. overseas Scrabble tournament. For However it is expected that, after those (like myself) who have been 30+ games, your New Zealand wondering, here are some key points and WESPA ratings should be about international (WESPA) ratings similar to each other. and rankings:  You will not be allocated a world  Your WESPA rating is provisional ranking until you have played 50 until you have played 30 games in games in WESPA-rated WESPA-rated tournaments. For tournaments overall. provisionally rated players, results are aggregated to avoid  To appear in the world rankings anomalous increases or decreases. list, you need to have played in at least one internationally-rated  For players without WESPA ratings tournament in the previous two at the beginning of the tournament, years. no starting rating is used, and each individual’s rating is calculated at Thanks to NZASP’s ratings officer, the end of the tournament based Steven Brown, and WESPA’s ratings on the ratings of their opponents officer, Bob Jackman, for their prompt and their performance against and thorough replies to my enquiries those players. on this topic.

Twenty years ago in Forwords by John Foster, Independent Following the recent 32nd NZ Masters from table to table with a Griffon word Tournament, readers may find this list and making decisions on article on adjudication at the 12th allowability. I still have a copy of the Masters interesting. Such an article Griffon and, as it is dated 1995, it must could not be written nowadays because have been very new at the time. This the introduction of self-adjudication was probably the first time that a single means that no records of challenges is reference was used for adjudication kept. instead of having to leaf through two separate dictionaries for longer words, At that time the first use of computer- or the Official NZASP Word List for adjudication was still some years away, words of four letters or less. and Sue McRae adjudicated by going Page 39 Page 40 Advice for U all by Jennifer Smith, Kiwi

An easy way to learn all 40 three-letter and 21 four But there’s another, more pleasant, way -letter words that take an end hook of U. to lose weight.

A FONDu hug and a BUSSu to you, Just get out of BEDu, put on some old MASu and MENu (including my own clothing (of BATTu, or some old RAGu MUMu and brother PATu). you made when you were learning to TATu), put a BALu on each foot, JAMBu on a sunhat, and make for your favourite outdoor spot, be it a BUNDu, an AITu or the RIMu of a canyon. If you’re an Arab, don your HAIKu, and get out to a savannah edged with BITOu trees. Patu Walk, run, or throw some PILAu. You Are you in a FUGu because you’re can do that, HUHu? overweight? You’ll not This is my advice to every overweight only PAREu person, whether you’re a LASSu, BUBu, off excess EMEu, FRAu, or MUNTu: weight, you’ll get much I wouldn’t spend one CENTu to BANTu. fitter. Keep a If you’re living in Latvia, Albania, Huhu grub TABu on your Lithuania or Afghanistan, my advice to progress, and you may even become a you is the same – don’t waste a LATu, VERTu to a fitness regime! LEKu, LITu or PULu on practising Bantingism. Is walking, running or javelin throwing too energetic for you? TUTu, TUTu! At It’s a high protein, low fat and least get cracking and DEGu the thirsty carbohydrate diet. BAHu! I won’t LIEu pot-plants on your patio! As the MOTu to you – that means no CORNu, BAPu, says, “use it or lose it”. Don’t PENDu PUDu, NAMu bread or GURu to any longer – make up your mind and sweeten your tea. Instead, you TENDu just do it. to get your protein by eating animals like BUCKu, PIKAu, PUPu, RATu or But be sure to keep well hydrated. Keep TEGu. a KORu or two of water in a VATu on TAPu. If you HAPu to like such outlandish meals, THOu, go for it. SUSu it out, get Then, the next time someone texts you all the GENu, and if you’re Māori, don’t “WUDu? (What U doing?)”, you can forget to check KAWAu before bringing QUIPu, “Losing weight without dieting”. such food onto the marae. Page 41 Global titbits by Howard Warner, Independent

The playingest* player He is currently on 2303, having been over 2300 several times. A few years The Philippines’ Scrabblers have a back, players used to say no one would delightful turn of phrase: they talk of ever pass 2200 – that was the the ‘winningest*’ player, the ‘losingest*’ impossible magic mark. Currently, the player and (for Lynn Wood/Betty joint No 2-ranked players in the world, Eriksen types) the ‘playingest*’ player. Northern Ireland's Paul Gallen and On the world stage, that last accolade American Conrad Bassett-Bouchard, would belong to our Nigel. According have a rating of 2187 – 163 points to the WESPA website, he has now (as below that of Nigel. at time of writing) played exactly 2500 You can view the complete international games. To put that into international ranking list at context, the next most international http://www.wespa.org/aardvark/cgi- (WESPA-rated) games is 1974, played bin/rating.cgi by Singaporean veteran Tony Sim. Only 16 other players (out of a total Lovely logo lass current ranking list of 924 players) have played more than 1000 Talking of the WESPA website, take a international games. look at the lovely logo and graphic strip across the top of all pages (pictured Interestingly, those 16 break down below). The international Scrabble thus: Australia 4, Malaysia 3, community has Auckland Scrabbler Singapore 3, UK 2, Thailand 2, and (and designer) Katy Yiakmis to thank one each for Malta and US. The for that. preponderance of South-East Asian players in this list is presumably Tao-ism and bingo bonanza because their domestic tournaments I recently visited the lovely city of tend to be international. And both Adelaide, and played (not very Australia and the UK have a number of successfully) in the South Australian their major domestic tournaments Champs. I met some very interesting WESPA-rated. people, including some very fine It’s also worth noting that, for all the players, both established and up-and- international tournaments Nigel plays, coming. his WESPA rating never seems to suffer. Page 42 One of the latter was a young man I’ve since heard other Americans echo called Trevor Tao, who, I discovered, this view. So it was interesting to come had some rare qualities. For one, he across a page in NASPA’s wiki, written seemed to appreciate my scatological by former Englishman and now US sense of humour. Top man! Even more resident Nick Ball, under the heading: impressive, he can play Satie on the ‘Are All Collins Words Obscure, piano while solving a Rubik’s Cube Obsolete, Foreign Etc?’ puzzle. If you don’t believe me, then (www.scrabbleplayers.org/w/ check it out for yourself at Obscure_Collins_words). He has done https://www.youtube.com/watch? an interesting exercise with the 30,000- v=JkeK8ssI5qA plus words in the CSW lexicon that are not in TWL (the American competition While I was there, Alastair Richards word source). He breaks them down (our 2014 into a number of lexical categories. Nationals winner) These include: broke a long- standing record for animals 523 words; archaic 164; the most bonus Australian 112; chemicals/mineral words in a game 141; clothing/fashion 95; dialect by one person: 177; food/drink 200; France 112; EIGHT!!! It equals India 132; irregular inflections 345; our record for the medical/anatomical 153; New highest number by Zealand 122; obsolete 388; other both players. You adjectives or adjectival forms 537; can read about it at Alastair Richards other nouns 1269; other verbs 573; http:// plants 321; religion 160; Scots 573; www.scrabbleplayers.org/w/ Shakespearean 207, Spenserian Records#Most_bingos_by_one_player_i 307. n_a_game This shows how small a component of Those aren’t real words! the list old words and Maori words are. And how arbitrary a decision it would As we approach the time when the new be to cut out a couple of (relatively CSW word list – containing a few small) categories that Americans don’t thousand new entries – comes into like. play, the Americans seem to be as reluctant as ever to join the world, in a One last little dig at the Americans: lexical sense. I remember, at the World isn’t it quaint how they label the Champs in Prague two years ago, language of England ‘British English’ North American Scrabble Players and their own more recent version Association (NASPA) boss Chris Cree ‘English’? A strange kind of inverted holding forth about why CSW would linguistic imperialism, don’t you think? never be adopted wholesale by North Americans. Just maybe they would if we got rid of archaic words and Maori words, since they’re not real English, he suggested. Page 43 Ask Liz A reader asks: My advice would be, if both players knew Is there a rule dealing with a situation exactly how much where a player, not involved in the time they had left game in question, interferes with game (perhaps to the equipment while that game is still in nearest whole minute Liz Fagerlund progress? rounded up), the clock could be reset to Both my opponent and I were low on the agreed number of minutes for each time. We were into a nail-biting finish player. If it is too difficult to do this on a with perhaps three minutes between us. digital clock, then an analogue clock My opponent had just spent a long could be used for the remainder of the time deliberating over a move, in game as it would be simple to set that particular making calculations to to nonstandard times. This would be determine whether a challenge could preferable to playing without a clock at affect the outcome of the game. When all since, otherwise, it would be we did walk away from our board to possible for one player to gain an conduct the self-adjudication, another unfair advantage by deliberately taking player reset our clock, even though it more time than they knew they had left. was neither their clock nor their board. However, both players would have to The tiles were still all over the board; be in agreement as to the time each of our racks were covered but still had them had remaining prior to the tiles on them; so all evidence pointed to unfortunate interference. the fact that we were still playing. In relation to the external player who There was nothing whatsoever that we interfered with the game equipment, a could do except finish the game without reprimand from the tournament a clock. My opponent took back his director would have been in order. disallowed turn, and I played my final Beyond that, however, there is no way move to go out and win the game. to penalise that player for the However, I am sure that I would have interference, unless it was felt that the acted differently if my clock was still actions were deliberately taken in order running; taken a little longer to find the to advantage one of the players. highest possible score perhaps, or The tournament director could also give taken more than one turn to go out. a general reminder to all players to However, because my time was not refrain from interfering with any tiles, ticking, I felt obliged to play as quickly racks, board, or clock that may still be as possible because I didn't want to in use during an active game. If players make my opponent wait and wonder think that the game may have been whether I might have gone over time. completed but the equipment has not been readied for the next game, the Liz replies: best thing to do is to find the players This is one of those situations where that were at that table and get them to there is no rule to cover the scenario. remedy the situation themselves. Page 44 On Scrabble by Ruth Groffman, Dunedin NZASP Vice President Ruth Groffman is working towards a Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in Linguistics, at Otago University. An early assignment for her English paper on Essay and Feature Writing required members of Ruth’s class to write about “something we thought might provoke interest”. Unsurprisingly, Ruth decided Scrabble would fit into that category, and she has decided to share her (slightly adapted) assignment with Forwords readers.

Is this a board game only for little old meanings, I also got caught up in this ladies to guard against dementia? When game. Mind you, there are other word you were a kid and visited Grandma did games like Boggle, Bananagrams and she entertain you with this game and Upwords which I fancied in passing but beat you? This is the impression I get nothing grabbed me as much as from the wide populace. When you ask Scrabble. I would even play by myself to someone about Scrabble, they have to get the highest score way after everyone look into the depths of their experience else had gone to bed. I was hooked!! and drag out a memory of having played once or twice. All of the above occurred when I lived in Brisbane. My husband, Michael, and I When my kids were aged between 8 and played Scrabble on our travels. We 12, I introduced Scrabble as both a bought a travel set in London and played family game and a way to improve their on planes, trains and in hotels. After vocabulary. Almost every night after losing a piece along the way, we bought dinner the board game would come out another set in Vancouver. The purpose of together with a trusted dictionary. To our travel was to find out where we make it more interesting, I proposed that would live next as our kids had all left every time someone scored 20 points the home so there was no reason to stay in reward would be a chocolate. My middle Brisbane. At the end of our travels, we son chirped up with “If I score 40 points chose to live in Dunedin, New Zealand. can I have two chocolates?” Needless to say, chocolates like Smarties, M&M’s, Believe it or not, it was here that I and Cadbury’s blocks were consumed discovered a Scrabble club!! There were during the course of the evening. When Scrabble clubs all over and there was we got sick of chocolate we used fruit like one just down the road from where I cherries or grapes. Even when I went to lived in Brisbane. What had I missed out the supermarket, my kids would say “Hey on? I have since played in Adelaide, Mum we’re shopping for Scrabble!” Sydney, Vancouver and Vancouver Island. In the last two places they did not Of course, each kid wanted to win but penalise for playing QI. I was able to alongside this there was the satisfaction take it off the board and have another of knowing that they were gaining go. knowledge and having fun. Also it was a great improvement on immediately going So now I’m well and truly settled in New to watch television after dinner. Zealand and it has been a joy to meet and play with so many of you. Happy Since I was an avid reader and had a Scrabbling everyone. fascination for words and their Page 45 Puzzle Answers: Scrabbly Logic First name Last name Destination Ethnic food Bertha Greenwood Florence Gravlaks Connie Brownfield Michigan Souvlaki Diane Goldstone Tripoli Bobotie Moira Whitehead Berlin Rasmalai Sharon Blackthorn Lima Baklava

A Diversion 1) Andrew Bradley 2) Anderina McLean 3) Liz Fagerlund 4) Dianne Cole-Baker 5) Blue Thorogood 6) Glenda Foster 7) Olivia Godfrey 8) Lawson Sue 9) Rogelio Talosig 10) Lyres Freeth 11) Howard Warner 12) Jennifer Smith 13) Valerie Mills 14) Jeff Grant 15) Clare Wall

Sent in by Rosemary Cleary, Wanganui

Sent in by Vicky Robertson, Wellington Page 46 Tournament results Mt. Albert Memorial 15-16 March 2015 Page 47 Dunedin 28-29 March 2015

Kapiti 18-19 April 2015

Masters Championship 4-6 April 2015 Page 48

Christchurch 9-10 May 2015

National Championship 30-31 May 2015 Page 49

Tournament Calendar 2015 Tournament Dates Whangarei 4-5 July Kiwi 8-9 August Tauranga 23-24 August Christchurch 5-6 September Wellington Swiss 19 & 20 September Mt. Albert 3-4 October Wanganui 24-25 October Rodney 7 November Otago 14-15 November # restricted entry Page 50 Rankings list as at 1 June 2015

Faye Cronhelm Page 51

Anne-Louise Milne Page 52

www.scrabble.org.nz