A Scrabble strategy story -- the double hook set-up

November 27, 1:21 PMDes Moines Gaming Industry ExaminerDaniel Heck

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The Tuesday night before Thanksgiving, only a few folks showed up at the Des Moines Scrabble Club, but those that did were in for some seriously exciting gameplay.  Yours truly had a good feeling when in an early match, the opening draw easily spelled out 'PAINTER' and the opponent played an 'S' on the middle square.  But that good fortune was nothing compared to an almost uninentional move executed during a match against Matthew Ridout, the club's coordinator and carrier of an impressive .800-plus winning percentage, according to official NASPA stats.

The photo here shows the approximate situation.  Except for 'RAVE,' none of the words here are exactly what were played, but their positioning is what's important.  I saw the possibility of setting myself up on the bottom side by playing 'RAVE' on an existing 'V.'  The play created a lucrative 'hook,' where a common letter (in this case, any of 'R', 'S', or 'D') can be added at the end of a word, as part of another word.  On this board, the hook would incorporate a valuable Triple Word Score.

What Matthew later pointed out was that I'd simultaneously set up a play on the left side of the board, namely, via a possible hook on the 'R' in 'RAVE.'  Many two-letter words, including 'OR' but also 'ER' and 'AR,' are quite legal in Scrabble, and once again, it wouldn't take much to use the Triple Word Score (a short word ending in a compatible vowel.)  Combined, the two set-ups reduce the overall risk that one's opponent will 'steal your spot,' since there is always another to play on, and the difference between the hooked letters ('R' versus 'E') grants all that many more options for the next turn.

As it turned out, Matthew chose (insofar as his rack would let him choose) to play on neither opening.  This writer then got his second lucky draw of the night and spelled a bingo, which occurs when one uses all seven letters in the rack within a single play.  Specifically, 'DIVINES' extended 'RAVE' into 'RAVED,' scoring both words and a triple-doubled 'V' in the process, for a cool total of 101 points.

The next time you play Scrabble, look for ways to open up big scores in two places at once.  It may not be easy, but no matter what your opponent does in response, you will be left with an easy counter-score, hopefully keeping him or her against the ropes.

Have fun, and never lose that competitive spirit!