Scrabble

The playing field consists of 15 × 15, that is, 225 squares, on which the participants of the game spread the letters, thus forming words. At the beginning of the game, each player receives 7 random letters (there are 104 of them in the game, in the Erudite - 131). The first word is laid out horizontally or vertically through the central square of the playing field, then the next player can add the word “to the intersection” of his letters. Words are laid out either from left to right or from top to bottom. Each player seeks to win the game by creating more words based on the available letter chips. ^[one]

Dictionary

• It is allowed to use all words given in the standard language dictionary, except for:
  • capitalization words;
  • abbreviations;
  • words that are written through the apostrophe;
  • words that are written with a hyphen.

• In the Scrabble version, you can use all cases, declensions and times. At the same time, in the game "Erudite", according to the traditions of Russian linguistic games, it is allowed to use only literary nominal nouns in the nominative singular (or plural, if the word does not have the singular form).

• Do not use a dictionary to search for words. The dictionary is allowed only in the case of checking the existence of an already composed word.

Game

• At the beginning of the game, each is given 7 chips. In one move, you can make a few words. Each new word must be in contact or have a common letter (or letters) with previously composed words. Words should be read from left to right (horizontally) and from top to bottom (vertically).
• The first composed word must pass through the central cell.
• If a player does not want or can not make a single word, he has the right to change any number of his letters, having missed the move. In accordance with the changes made to the rules in 1976, “any number” can also mean zero, that is, the player has the right to simply pass without changing a single chip.
• Any sequence of letters horizontally and vertically must be a word. That is, the game does not allow the appearance of random letter combinations on the field that do not represent words that meet the above criteria.
• After each move, you need to get new letters to seven.
• If the player has used all seven bones during the course, then he will receive an additional 50 points (in "Scrabble" - 15 points).
• The game ends in the following cases:
  • when one of the players runs out of chips on his hands, and there are no more chips for finishing (they are all on hands or on the field);
  • when all the players consistently missed two rounds in a row.

Chip Distribution and Letter Cost

In Scrabble ^[2]

In "Scrabble" ^[3]

Scoring and bonuses

Each letter is assigned a number of points from 1 to 10. Some squares on the board are painted in different colors. The number of points received by the player for the word laid out, is calculated as follows:

In Scrabble:

• if the square under the letter is green, the number of points written on the letter is added
• if the square is blue, the number of points of the letter is multiplied by 2
• if the square is pink, the number of points of the whole word is multiplied by 2
• if the square is blue, the number of points letters multiplied by 3
• if the square is red, the number of points of the whole word is multiplied by 3

In "Scrabble"

• if the square under the letter is colorless, the number of points written on the letter is added
• if the square is green, the number of points of the letter is multiplied by 2
• if the square is blue, the number of points of the whole word is multiplied by 2
• if the square is yellow, the number of points of the letter is multiplied by 3
• if the square is red, the number of points of the whole word is multiplied by 3

If a word crosses both red (pink) and blue (blue) cells (in “Scrabble” - both red (blue) and yellow (green) cells), then tripling (doubling) of the points of the letters is taken into account in tripling (doubling) of points) . If a word intersects two points multiplying the whole word of a cell, then both operations are taken into account. For example, if a word has passed through two red cells, then the total score of the word points is multiplied by 9.

Dummy ("joker", "asterisk")

Also in the set of pits there are several empty chips (in the version of “Erudite” - asterisks, in the version of “Word maker” - jokers). Such a chip can be used as any letter of your choice. For example, a player can make the word ТЕ*ЕФОН , where the role of the letter “L” will play a dummy (asterisk, joker).

The rules for scoring and using dummies (asterisks, jokers) may differ and players should agree in advance on the nuances. Below are possible options for the rules.

Scoring points for the dummy (asterisk, joker):

• A dummy always has 0 points (the classic Scrabble rules).
• A dummy (asterisk, joker) brings as many points as a letter, the role of which she plays.

Reuse dummies (stars, jokers):

• After posting on the field, the dummy is considered to be played and remains at that place until the end of the game (the classic Scrabble rules).
• If one player has made the word ТЕ*ЕФОН , then any player with the letter “L” can replace it with a dummy (star, joker) and pick it up. As a rule, an additional rule applies, in which case it is necessary to use (lay out) a dummy taken from the field (asterisk, joker) by the same move, that is, when you cannot take it for yourself.

The game was invented in 1938 by architect Alfred Butts. Regular Scrabble Championships are held in the United States and many European countries.

• “Find the word” is a modification of the game with a slightly modified field (rectangular 12 × 16).
• Math Scrabble

Flavita

Flavita is a game described by Vladimir Nabokov in the novel “Hell”. Analogue of the game "Scrabble" ^[4] . The name comes from the anagram of the word " alphabet " ^[5] .

The essence of the game

"Flavit" is built on the principle of shuffling and shuffling letters. Requires 125 chips with letters. The goal of the game is to build rows and rows of words on a 225-cell board. Of these cells, 24 are brown, 12 are black, 16 are orange, 8 are red, and the rest are golden yellow. Each letter of the Russian alphabet corresponds to a certain number of points. So, a rare "b" gives as many as ten, and the frequently encountered "A" is just one. The brown of the field cage doubles the weight of the letter, black triples. Orange doubles, and red triples the sum of points accumulated by the word. The set includes two chips "J", which can replace any letter of the alphabet.

Game Progress

Starting the game, its participants take seven chips from the box in which they lay face down, and then take turns putting their words on the board. The player who made the first move had only to place on the empty board any two or all seven letters so as to close the central cell marked with a sparkling heptagon. Later on, one of the letters already on the board was used as a germ to form a new word, vertical or horizontal. The player who scored, letter by letter or word by word, won the most points.

• Balda (play)
• Boggle

• Nabokov V. V. “Hell”. Translation S. Ilyin. - AST Moscow, 2005

• 2019 Scrabble (Find the best word combinations for the dictionary in a variety of multilingual dictionaries)