My Word Games Blog

Jan 7, Just a small New Years gift to you from Word Buff

Mon, 7 Jan 2013 19:25:21 -0500

I thought I'd kick off the New Year with a small gift for you: my latest eBook, Unscrambled: The Ultimate Anagram Solver is now FREE for the next couple of days. To download it right now from Amazon without parting with a cent of your hard-earned cash, just click here. I hope you get the same enjoyment from it I've been hearing back from other word buffs ;-) Cheers Derek McKenzie, aka Word Buff

Dec 7, Weird Little Words that Win Word Games..

Fri, 7 Dec 2012 23:12:13 -0500

At last, Volume 2 in my Totally Unfair Word Game Guides series is finished! Here's a little taster...

And I'm thrilled to announce it is already an AMAZON BESTSELLER in three categories ;-)
Check it out here...

Dec 1, The 8 Letter Words Every Scrabble Player Should Know...

Sat, 1 Dec 2012 15:14:28 -0500

Last week I sent out a little word-study booklet containing the Top 500 Seven Letter Words in Scrabble, and I was blown away by its popularity. Dozens of thankyous and several thousand downloads in just a few days! (If you missed that email, or if you've only just subscribed to Word Buff, the download links are all there in the right hand column.) So this weekend you'll be happy to hear that I have Part 2 ready for you: the Top 500 Eight Letter Words in Scrabble. Like last time, it's all explained in the introduction to the booklet, so just click the link or the image below to download it to your computer right now and get started ;-) CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

You'll now have a total of 1000 high-probability bonus words to study over the Christmas break, and when you're done I'll bet your Scrabble scores increase in leaps and bounds!

Nov 27, The 7 Letter Words Every Scrabble Player Should Know...

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 06:46:47 -0500

Just a quickie to let you know about a new word-study booklet I've put together for Word Buff subscribers. This one is all about seven letter words, and should help you get that 50 bonus points much more often. In the booklet I've collected and organized the 500 most important seven letter words in Scrabble. It is all laid out in a way that makes it nice and easy to practice unscrambling the racks that give rise to these words, and to learn their meanings while you're at it! It's all explained in the introduction, so just click the link or the image below to download it to your computer right now and get started ;-)

Sep 23, Word of the Day Archive is Live!

Sun, 23 Sep 2012 07:24:28 -0400

Good news for readers who've been asking me how to view previous daily words. You can now browse past issues of my Word of the Day online at your own leisure. Or, if you prefer, you can get it by email by subscribing when you get there. Here's the link for when you've got a free minute to take a peek...

Sep 19, Word of the Day is BACK! Do you know what AEOLIAN means?

Wed, 19 Sep 2012 13:38:52 -0400

Howdy all, Well, after a 3-month hiatus I have reinstated my popular Word of the Day, and made it bigger and better than before. If you haven't already subscribed to it (i.e. if you haven't already received the article about AEOLIAN) you can take a peek here. If you think it looks interesting, you can subscribe when you get there. All the best, Derek, aka Word Buff

Aug 7, A New Release of the Free Zyzzyva Program

Tue, 7 Aug 2012 04:25:47 -0400

I've released a new version of Zyzzyva, 2.2.0. Zyzzyva is a program for studying words, practicing anagramming, and adjudicating challenges. It runs on Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7; Linux 32-bit and 64-bit systems; and Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later. You can get the latest version here: http://zyzzyva.net/download.shtml The main new features are Part of Speech and Definition search, and a password on the Word Judge feature. This version does NOT update the saved quiz format to be able to sync with the iPhone app. But that feature is the very next feature I plan to implement. For Part of Speech and Definition searches to work, you'll need to rebuild your lexicon databases by using the Tools > Rebuild Databases menu option. For now, you can't do anything fancy like pattern matching in definitions. You can only search for literal matches. For the Part of Speech search, simply type the part of speech as it appears in the definition, e.g. "n" for nouns, "v" for verbs. To specify a password when starting the Word Judge, type a password of your choosing into both input areas. When a password is set, hitting ESC in the Word Judge will prompt for the password instead of exiting. The Word Judge will only exit if you enter the correct password. Also, when you start the Word Judge, the lexicon is displayed in a very large font to help you avoid accidentally using the wrong lexicon. Here is the complete list of changes in 2.2.0: * Word Judge password function * ESC to exit Word Judge instead of Shift-ESC * Part of Speech search * Definition search * Shift cardbox contents by number of days * Reverse sort word lists by clicking header * Remove cycles in word definitions * No prompt to save Cardbox quizzes * WWF word list update * Many other minor improvements Please give me feedback about how you think Zyzzyva could be improved! I'm always trying to make it the best word study program it can be. If you would like more information about Zyzzyva, please join the Zyzzyva Users list here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/zyzzyva-users/ I hope you enjoy using Zyzzyva, and have fun with it! Michael Thelen

May 20, SWIBBISH®, New Word Game Beta

Sun, 20 May 2012 21:09:36 -0400

SWIBBISH® is a bold change to your traditional word games. Most word games force you into static game boards, and monotonous letter values. Swibbish employs

Apr 1, Daily Scrabble Words For March 2012

Sun, 1 Apr 2012 06:40:08 -0400

Here are all of Word Buff's Daily Scrabble Words for March 2012

Mar 16, Ultimate Vocabulary Discount Offer

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 07:44:32 -0400

Ultimate Vocabulary discount offer for Word Buff members only...

Mar 6, Word Buff's Word of the Day Now On Email!

Tue, 6 Mar 2012 23:42:19 -0500

Ok folks, just a quickie to let you know that the first email Word of the Day is due out tomorrow (for most of you, that's March 7). If you haven't signed up yet, here's the link!

Mar 5, Do You Prefer Words With Friends Or Scrabble?

Mon, 5 Mar 2012 16:58:38 -0500

I'm trying to find out who is playing Words With Friends (WWF) and why people do or don't enjoy the game. I'm especially interested in whether you prefer it to Scrabble for any reason, or if you just enjoy either game. Please join in the conversation right here and tell me what *you* think...

Feb 26, Word Buff's Word of the Day (NEW!)

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 06:47:12 -0500

I've wanted to do a word of the day for you all for a long time now, and I'm pleased to announce that the time is finally here! You see, even though there are loads of daily word services out there, they aren't usually tailored to word gamers and puzzle solvers like us. As a result, the words are only interesting and useful to us every now and then. But imagine if every single word was useful in word games and puzzles?! Now that I've got the hang of Twitter -- yes I know, it's not rocket science, but I'm a slow learner! -- I've decided that it's the perfect place to host my daily word. Each month I'll have a different theme. The words will always be allowed in Scrabble, but the themes won't necessarily relate to Scrabble. One theme I'll be using, for example, is Crosswordese; those strange little words that turn up in crosswords all the time but never in the real world. Other themes will be oriented towards anagrams (of course!), spelling and vocabulary. (And yes, if you didn't hear me the first time, all my words will be allowed in Scrabble.) So, how do you get my daily word? If you have a Twitter account, the quickest way is to just click the following link... Follow @Word_Buff Alternatively, you can Click Here to visit my Twitter page and then click the big blue Follow button when you get there. Not a Twitter User? Now might be as good a time as any to start. It takes just a few seconds to sign up here, and as soon as you start following people you'll start receiving their tweets. If you don't find them interesting or helpful, you can unfollow them with a single click! My first Word of the Day will be published on March 1. That's just a few days away, so join up now so you don't miss any ;-) See you on Twitter!

Feb 23, The Last Word - February Issue Is Ready

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 11:03:05 -0500

The February issue of The Last Word e-newsletter for Scrabblers is now out at www.thelastwordnewsletter.com For those who prefer going directly to the PDF, use the following link: http://tinyurl.com/tlwfeb-12 I hope you enjoy it! Thanks to the many who contributed! Cornelia Guest, Editor

Feb 16, Vocabulary Word List - Particle Physics for Word Buffs

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 07:35:56 -0500

Learn how to really master vocabulary word lists. This time we're going to learn some physics. It's not as hard as it sounds.

Jan 30, 21st Century Crossword Puzzle Dictionary

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 06:39:38 -0500

Here's my review of the best crossword puzzle dictionary on the market today.

Jan 27, Memory Techniques & Tips

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 21:19:48 -0500

Here is a collection of the best memory techniques and tips I've come across over the years.

Jan 26, New Official Scrabble Words

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:37:31 -0500

Everything you need to know about the NEW Scrabble words added to the official Scrabble dictionary from New Years Day, 2012..

Jan 25, Word Buff Stuff! Issue #5 is waiting for you!

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 10:22:20 -0500

If you're a Word Buff member (i.e. you've subscribed using the free 'Join Word Buff' form on my site) you should have a link to the latest issue of Word Buff Stuff! in your inbox by now! This issue tells you everything you need to know about all the weird and wonderful new Scrabble words that came in with the latest change to the official Collins Scrabble word list. I hope you enjoy the read, and join in the discussion at the end of the newsletter. All the best, Derek, aka Word Buff

Jan 23, Do You Remember Crossword Butler?

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:15:05 -0500

If you're a crossword buff, you might remember the great little app called Crossword Butler I used to talk about. You could tell this little servant to run out into the rain, hail, or shine each morning to deliver all your favorite crossword puzzles to your inbox ;-) Well, that app has been out of commission for a while, so I was pleased to see a post in the word games forums recently by its creator, Alex Boisvert, who has revamped the app and put it online. Here's his post with all the details... --------------------- Hi all. I am pleased to announce the launch of Crossword Butler v. 2.0. Those of you who remember the original Crossword Butler will notice some differences from the old version, namely: 1. It is now an online interface, accessible at http://crosswordbutler.com 2. It doesn't blindly get all available crosswords; only the ones from providers who have given their permission. 3. Most importantly for cruciverbs, it gives independent crossword constructors a site to host their puzzles and distribute them easily for free or for profit. Right now the site is essentially a souped-up puzzle pointers page, that in addition to most of the standard links, also links to puzzles like Matt Gaffney's weekly contest and Andrew Ries's weekly Rows Garden puzzle. But the fun part will begin when independent constructors start using the site to host their puzzles. Right now there isn't a one-stop shopping destination for independent puzzle-makers, so constructors have to set up Paypal accounts, websites, e-mail lists, etc. to be able to distribute their work. Crossword Butler will take care of all of that; all a constructor has to do is upload the puzzles to the site (through a simple interface). If the puzzle is paid, I would take a (small) cut; if the puzzle is free I'll happily host it free of charge. You might have questions about how this would work, and I hope you do! If you e-mail me... boisvert42 (at) gmail.com I'm happy to answer any questions you might have, and I'll answer important questions with another e-mail to everyone in a few days. For now, feel free to become a member of the site and poke around. If you have suggestions feel free to bring them up to me. Thanks for reading, Alex

Jan 16, Cool New Crossword Games Scoresheet App

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 18:22:18 -0500

Below are the details for a new Crossword Games Scoresheet app for iPhone/iPad. The app keeps track of scoring in crossword games such as Scrabble. You enter the word played and location on the board, and the app will take care of the rest. No more keeping track of score manually! At the end of the game, you can send the completed scoresheet to Facebook, Twitter or email.

Adds up scores automatically for each turn -- just enter the word and touch the location on the board
Calculates tile premiums such double and triple letters and words, and calculates adjacent words created
Keeps track of tiles played with NSA standard frequency list
Counts tiles remaining in bag
Send final scores (includes both scoresheet and board view) to Facebook, Twitter or email

You'll find more details here. The first 25 people to email feedback@ericdsouza.com can get a free promo code for the app!

Jan 9, Scrabble Help Glossary

Mon, 9 Jan 2012 20:14:57 -0500

Here's a quick, slightly tongue-in-cheek, summary of all the unusual terms you'll hear serious Scrabble players use...

Jan 7, Another Zyzzyva update

Sat, 7 Jan 2012 16:05:02 -0500

I've released a new version of Zyzzyva, 2.1.6. Zyzzyva is a program for studying words, practicing anagramming, and adjudicating challenges. It runs on Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, NT, 2000, 98, and Me; Linux 32-bit and 64-bit systems; and Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later. You can get the latest version here. This is a bug-fix update. The main change in this version is to fix the Limit By Playability search condition, which was very messed up for the CSW12 lexicon. Many word definitions have also been improved thanks to feedback from several users. I hope for this to be the last update for several months as I will be working on Zyzzyva 3, which will include many significant improvements. I also recently submitted the initial version of the Zyzzyva iPhone app to the App Store. If all goes well, it should be available within 1-2 weeks. I will send more details when it is available. Please give me feedback about how you think Zyzzyva could be improved! I'm always trying to make it the best word study program it can be. If you would like more information about Zyzzyva, please join the Zyzzyva Users list here. I hope you enjoy using Zyzzyva, and have fun with it! -- Michael W. Thelen mthelen@gmail.com

Jan 5, Promising New Scrabble Website

Thu, 5 Jan 2012 22:03:33 -0500

Check out a new website called Scrabble Matters from Mark Nyman, which intends to give a quirky view of the Scrabble world. Any light-hearted short (300 words) articles on anything Scrabble will be included - please get in touch with Mark at nnymans@aol.com if you are interested in contributing. --Ed Martin (from the Scrabble forums)

Dec 31, Update for Zyzzyva fans

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 18:46:31 -0500

Just a note with a few pieces of Zyzzyva news, sneaking in under the wire in December because one of the pieces is an ad. :-) 1. I've submitted the initial release of the Zyzzyva iPhone app to Apple. If all goes well, it will be available in the App Store in 2-3 weeks. It will run on all iPhones, iPads, and iPods touch that are running iOS 3.1.3 or later. I know there will be a lot of questions about the app, so I'm currently building a Frequently Asked Questions page that will (hopefully) answer most of your questions. 2. I'll be creating a bug-fix version of Zyzzyva in the next day or two, called Zyzzyva 2.1.6. Playability numbers for CSW12 are completely messed up in Zyzzyva 2.1.5, and the 2.1.6 release will fix them. 3. I still have some Zyzzyva T-shirts ($15), Scrabble tile sets with Zyzzyva blanks ($10), and Zyzzyva lapel pins ($2) available for sale on my web site. Supplies have become very limited, and it's first come first served. If you're interested, please visit here. Thanks and have a very happy New Year! -- Michael W. Thelen mthelen@gmail.com

Dec 16, Unique Gifts for Serious Word Buffs

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 19:43:18 -0500

Classy and original gift ideas for lovers of word puzzles and games.

Nov 27, It's About Time!

Sun, 27 Nov 2011 03:23:48 -0500

I can't wait to show this informative interview with Merl to my passionate cruciverbalist husband, David Blackwell. This dear brilliant man while unemployed

Nov 23, List of Single Word Palindromes

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 21:16:50 -0500

Here is a list of all the single word palindromes I've been able to locate so far. Let me know if you have any more!

Oct 27, Great news for Zyzzyva fans. It's now on the iPhone!

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 16:06:14 -0400

Zyzzyva Lite version 1.0.0 is now available in the App Store! This free "lite" version of the app only includes word judge and search functions. Quiz functionality will be available in the full Zyzzyva app by the end of this year. You can get Zyzzyva Lite here: Zyzzyva Lite The app comes with several word lists, including OWL2 for North American club and tournament Scrabble, OSPD4 for school Scrabble, and WWF for playing Words With Friends. It also allows you to download your own custom word lists, and create special display symbols to denote words that are specific to a particular word list. If your favorite word list is not included with the app, you can add it as a custom word list by downloading it from a plain-text file. To add a custom lexicon, go to Settings, then Lexicon, then Add a Custom Lexicon. I've placed downloadable versions of all the existing Zyzzyva lexicons in this directory for your convenience: Zyzzyva Lexicons To celebrate the Zyzzyva Lite release, I've also discounted all the Zyzzyva merchandise that I currently have in stock. I have lapel pins, Scrabble tiles, and T shirts in a few different colors and sizes. Check the link below to see what I have available. Once I run out, the deals will be gone. Zyzzyva merchandise To discuss the app, or if you have comments or questions, please email me or join the Zyzzyva Users mailing list: Zyzzyva mailing list Thank you to everyone who has made this possible. I appreciate the support more than I can say. There will be more where this came from! -- Michael W. Thelen

Oct 7, How to Memorize a Speech Without Notes

Fri, 7 Oct 2011 22:37:40 -0400

Memory Champion Ron White explains in detail how he memorizes speeches and presentations so that he can talk for hours on end without notes.

Sep 26, Crazy NEW Collins Scrabble Words Are Almost Here

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 01:13:13 -0400

From 1 January 2012 a hefty list of new Scrabble words will be legally playable in World English Scrabble. This lexicon is usually referred to as Collins Scrabble Words.

I've put together a list of all the new Collins words to give you a sneaky head-start over your opponents. It's in the Members Area. (Not a member? No worries. Just sign up when you get there. It's free and easy!) Even if you don't intend to play to this dictionary, you'll just love browsing some of these crazy new Scrabble words, like ERHU (a Chinese stringed instrument), TAIKO (a large Japanese drum), and RAKIJA (a type of fruit brandy). So pop on over to the members area and download it right now! Forgotten your password? Just search your emails for "word buff". It'll be there somewhere! If all else fails, just drop me a line.

Sep 20, Launch of Word Buff TV

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 16:33:42 -0400

Take a peek at Word Buff's new YouTube channel. Thought I'd start with number 1 in my Grandma & Arachna series. Hope you like it. If you do, make sure you subscribe to Word Buff TV -- then you'll be notified when I add more videos soon!

Sep 10, A Chuckleworthy Misspelling Story

Sat, 10 Sep 2011 10:51:46 -0400

After questioning a denial of payment on a Medicaid claim, I received this cheery reply earlier yesterday morning, followed with my note of (empathic) appreciation. Days like yesterday make dealing with insurance programs worthwhile. Mike Baron Good Morning Mr. Baron, My name is ___ and I am a Claims Funding Specialist I believe I've helped you in the past. I did look at the claim you submitted to us for ___ for DOS 07/25/2011 in which we did deny for the reasons you stated in your email. I did pull up ___'s eligibility in the NM Medicaid Portal and she does in fact have full Medicaid benefits. I have submitted an eligibility request so that our system will reflect her current eligibility and also send her claim #___ in the amount of $____ to be reprocessed. I'm sorry for the incontinence. Sincerely, ____ Dear Ms. ____, Thank you for your quick reply, and to ____ who routed my concern with lightning speed to you. BTW, I appreciate your heartfelt apology, though I believe and certainly hope, if only for your sake, you really meant "inconvenience." :) Hang in there, Mike Michael Baron, Ph.D. www.michaelbaronphd.com Author of SCRABBLE Wordbook

Sep 3, Research Shows Scrabble Players Are Actually Good At Something!

Sat, 3 Sep 2011 18:28:06 -0400

It's always nice to hear something positive about the zillions of hours some of us have devoted to the somewhat questionable task of memorizing and rearranging meaningless letter sequences ;-) Have a read

Aug 30, Your Word Games Community Noticeboard

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 20:35:29 -0400

Get connected with other word buffs, just like you. Or tell us about an event or club you've organized for us die-hard word-lovers...

Aug 30, The National Brain Game Challenge

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 18:25:58 -0400

From the desk of Merl Reagle... First Prize, $5,000 / Second Prize, $1,000 / Third Prize, $500. Fifteen $100 prizes for various placement winners (such as 10th place, 20th place, 50th place, etc.) It's a game of skill involving four unusual crosswords (by me) that each lead to Key Answers and a Secret Link that connects all the puzzles together. Players must send in just the Key Answers and the Secret Link, not the completed puzzles, to a secret email address that will be revealed in one of the puzzles. The puzzles are of medium difficulty and the key to winning is seeing the connections rather than knowing a lot of esoterica. (You can try a sample puzzle, which is available free at the AFA site listed below. I recommend reading the answer page after you've solved it.) The order in which the emails come in will determine the winners. Entry fee is $25 and absolutely all proceeds go to the Alzheimer's Foundation of America. If you'd like to play, mark that time and date on your calendars! For more information, you can visit my web site or AFA's web site. All I can say is that I think you'll have fun -- crazy, under-pressure word-game fun, but still fun -- and that it's for a really worthy cause!

Aug 28, Against Jobs

Sun, 28 Aug 2011 02:59:22 -0400

10 Reasons You Should Never Get a Job

Aug 27, Scrabble Rules That Cause The Most Arguments

Sat, 27 Aug 2011 07:49:03 -0400

Ever wondered what the 'official' Scrabble rules say about the way you play at home?

Aug 24, End of Causeway era

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 17:09:11 -0400

Not long after announcing his grand plan for a global Causeway circuit, Michael Tang stunned the Scrabble world with a new announcement - that the circuit would not go ahead, and the upcoming Causeway 2011, in Johor Bahru, would be the last. His exact wording was: "Due to personal reasons, it is with deep regrets that I hereby announce the cancellation of the proposed Causeway Grand Slam 2012. I would like to sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused. I would also like to announce that Causeway 2011 shall be the 10th and FINAL edition of Causeway Scrabble Challenge. I would like to thank players from all over the world for making Causeway such a memorable experience for me." You can read more at the link below...

Aug 13, Why Balderdash is my Favorite Party Game

Sat, 13 Aug 2011 19:05:28 -0400

Here's why pulling out your Balderdash game at a party always works...

Aug 11, Nigel Richards is the National Scrabble Champion (Again!)

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 19:07:56 -0400

Once again Nigel Richards has wowed the Scrabble world by winning the 2011 National Scrabble Championship, thereby keeping the crown. The North American's play to a different Scrabble dictionary to Nigel (who plays to the international dictionary), but it never seems to stop him. The link will take you to Nigel's final scorecard where you can see what happened game by game...

Aug 6, The Last Word Scrabble Newsletter

Sat, 6 Aug 2011 14:42:43 -0400

The August edition of the cool Scrabble newsletter "The Last Word" is now out, and definitely worth a peek when you've got a few minutes to spare.

Aug 1, Words With Friends coming to Facebook?

Mon, 1 Aug 2011 16:32:04 -0400

The new owners of Words With Friends (Zynga) have announced that they'll soon be launching a Facebook version of the hit game. Read the full article for more details...

Aug 1, Fun Interview with New York Times Crossword Editor Will Shortz

Mon, 1 Aug 2011 15:36:33 -0400

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Jul 28, Is Scrabble Just Luck?

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 23:13:46 -0400

Thanks to Scrabble champion Andrew Fisher for pointing out this cool article analyzing the value of certain Scrabble tiles.

Jul 25, The US Presidents For Crossword Fanatics

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 14:58:28 -0400

Here is a list of all the US Presidents with likely crossword clues to help you find them...

Jul 22, Causeway Scrabble Challenge 2011

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 22:40:41 -0400

Dear Scrabblers, I am pleased to inform you of the new prize structure for the 10th and Final Causeway Scrabble Challenge which will be held in Johor Bahru, Malaysia from 30th November till 4th December, 2011. The venue will be the same as previous years at Zon Regency Hotel. * A) Premier Division***** ** ** Champion: US$10,000**** 1st Runner Up: US$5,000**** 2nd Runner Up: US$2,500**** 4th Position: US$1,000**** 5th position: US$800**** 6th position: US$700**** 7th position: US$600**** 8th position: US$500**** 9th position: US$400**** 10th position: US$300** ** ** Registration Fees: US$250**** Criteria: Above Wespa 1800 ratings point**** Dictionary: Collins 2007**** Challenge Rules: 5 points per word**** No. of Games: 45** ** ** * B) Masters Division***** ** ** Champion: US$3,000**** 1st-Runner Up: US$1,500**** 2nd-Runner Up: US$1,000**** 4th position: US$700**** 5th position: US$600**** 6th position: US$500**** 7th position: US$400**** 8th position: US$300**** 9th position: US$200**** 10th position: US$200** ** ** Registration Fees: US$150**** Criteria: Between Wespa Ratings 1500 and 1800**** Dictionary: Collins 2007**** Challenge Rules: 5 points per word**** No Of Games: 45** ** ** * C) Open Division***** ** ** Champion: US$1,000**** 1st-Runner Up: US$700**** 2nd-Runner Up: US$600**** 4th position: US$500**** 5th position: US$400**** 6th position: US$300**** 7th position: US$200**** 8th position: US$200**** 9th position: US$150**** 10th position: US$150** ** ** Registration Fees: US$100**** Criteria: Below Wespa Ratings 1500**** Dictionary: Collins 2007**** Challenge Rules: 5 points per word**** No. of Games: 45 Closing Date: 30th September 2011 *Zon Regency Package:* 5 nights Full Meals package: Single room : RM1,550 Nett per person Double room: RM1,050 Nett per person Room + Breakfast only: Single room: RM250 Nett per person per night Double room: RM150 Nett per person per night I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the Scrabblers who have made Causeway such a memorable experience for the last 10 years. I look forward to welcoming as many of you to the Final Causeway Scrabble Challenge. Michael Tang Organising Chairman

Jul 15, Words that are part of a phrase

Fri, 15 Jul 2011 15:30:02 -0400

This was a close game where ZOO was completed with a T formed from a word crosswise, ELITE (on a double word score tile). When challenged, my opponent

Jul 7, Where do I start learning?

Thu, 7 Jul 2011 19:05:13 -0400

There is a ton of places to start learning about Scrabble- two letter words, Q without U, three letter words, common eight letter words, common seven letter

Jul 3, Merl sneaks in an extra general

Sun, 3 Jul 2011 02:32:37 -0400

In the July 3, 2011 Washington Post, in addition to the 14 U.S. Civil War generals found in the horizontal answers (7 northern/7 southern), Merl tucked

Jul 1, New Zyzzyva Release (2.1.5)

Fri, 1 Jul 2011 18:49:53 -0400

A message from the creator of Zyzzyva... I've released a new version of Zyzzyva, 2.1.5. Zyzzyva is a program for studying words, practicing anagramming, and adjudicating challenges. It runs on Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, NT, 2000, 98, and Me; Linux; and Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later. You can get the latest version here: http://zyzzyva.net/download.shtml This is a bug-fix update. I would especially like to thank Leighton 'Sandy' Gelling for going far beyond what could reasonably be expected in helping me track down and fix a number of irksome issues on 64-bit Linux. Thank you! Here is the full list of changes in this version: - Account for screen size when displaying Word Judge - Add user preference for hyphens to denote inner hooks - Enlarge CSW copyright notice - Fix a bug when loading saved searches and quizzes containing umlauts - Fix a bug that caused blank lexicon names to appear in lexicon list - Fix multiple bugs that caused failures on 64-bit Linux - Word definition fixes This will probably be the last update for a few months as I'm trying to focus my efforts on the Zyzzyva iPhone project. However, if any critical bugs are found, I will fix them. Please give me feedback about how you think Zyzzyva could be improved! I'm always trying to make it the best word study program it can be. If you would like more information about Zyzzyva, please join the Zyzzyva Users list here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/zyzzyva-users/ I hope you enjoy using Zyzzyva, and most of all, have fun with it! -- Michael W. Thelen mthelen@gmail.com