Scrabble/Basic Strategy

Although Scrabble relies somewhat on luck of the draw - whether you receive good tiles - there is nonetheless a good deal of strategy involved in the game. A player with a good knowledge of basic strategy will have an advantage over a total novice. This and following sections concern strategy, and maximising your chances of winning.

Bingos

Playing all seven tiles on your rack will add an additional 50 points to your score. Such plays are so valuable that they have been endowed with their own informal term — Bingos — and they should be one of your primary strategies. It might seem as if doing this would have to be a rare thing, but it does not have to be so. Because it is such an important strategy, this book has an entire chapter dedicated to it.

Using Bonus Squares

High-point tiles played on double- and triple-letter scores, and plays that cover double- and triple-word scores are one of the key ways to rack up a lot of points in Scrabble. This is a more valuable strategy than playing long words (unless they are long enough to use all seven tiles, in which case you have a bingo).

If you have the privilege of making the opening play, and you cannot find a seven-letter word toplay, you should try to land your highest point tile on a double-letter tile (either at D8, L8, H4, or H12). You are required to cover the double-word square at the center of the board, so this will result in at least a five-letter word. These bonus squares will multiply. Suppose your opening rack looked like this:

A1

A1

K5

P3

R1

S1

V4

Following the strategy recommended above, one would play SPARK rather than PARKS, and it would be positioned such that the K covered the double-letter square.

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

1

3× WS

2× LS

3× WS

2× LS

3× WS

2

2× WS

3× LS

3× LS

2× WS

3

2× WS

2× LS

2× LS

2× WS

4

2× LS

2× WS

2× LS

2× WS

2× LS

5

2× WS

2× WS

6

3× LS

3× LS

3× LS

3× LS

7

2× LS

2× LS

2× LS

2× LS

8

3× WS

2× LS

S1

P3

A1

R1

K5

3× WS

9

2× LS

2× LS

2× LS

2× LS

10

3× LS

3× LS

3× LS

3× LS

11

2× WS

2× WS

12

2× LS

2× WS

2× LS

2× WS

2× LS

13

2× WS

2× LS

2× LS

2× WS

14

2× WS

3× LS

3× LS

2× WS

15

3× WS

2× LS

3× WS

2× LS

3× WS

You might have noticed that you could instead play six letters (PARKAS) instead of just the five in SPARK. But if you count them up, you will find that SPARK scores 32 points, while PARKAS scores only 26. The point here is that the bonus squares are more important than the number of tiles played. Another lesson that can be gleaned from this illustration is that you should not immediately play the first combination that you see - even if it's a good play. There may be a better one, so look for it. Further, if you see several plays, calculate the score each will give you. You may be surprised.

However, the pleasure your opponent derives from the game can quickly plummet if you take 20 minutes to make a move. If you wish to convince this person to play you again, don't look for a killer word for too long.

Finding Words

When looking for words on your rack, don't just stare at them and imagine combinations in your head - rearrange the tiles on your rack. Look for common prefixes and suffixes, and group them together. Then look at the remaining tiles and see if you can find a word to which you can add the prefix or suffix.

Opening Doubles and Triples

Most people try to avoid making a play that will allow their opponent to play a triple-word score on the next move. This may be prudent, but you should not forego a good play just to avoid it.

Avoidance of opening a double-word score is probably a bad idea. Because the double-word scores are arranged along the board's diagonal, if you open one for your opponent, you will likely open several more that you may be able to take advantage of yourself on your next move. Your opponent will probably not be able to close all the avenues, and may not even try. After all, you might not be able to use one of the double-word scores on your turn, and then that square will be available for your opponent on his next turn (assuming a two-player game).