I have been an avid Scrabble player since about June last year. Recently, someone told me something about the game… and I realized how a lot of things you learn in Scrabble can be applied to real life. I’m sure that this applies to many games as well… but from a Scrabble player’s perspective, maybe this will be an interesting read. I don’t delve too much into the complexity of the game so hopefully everyone will be able to understand it (:

1. Luck as a factor and being prepared
In a game like chess, the element of luck is hardly a factor in the game. A grandmaster will always beat a rookie, and even when it comes to a battle between two similarly skilled players, the player who wins is the player who can best read the game. In all of these cases, Lady Luck never influences the outcome. For a game like Scrabble, however, this isn’t always the case. While a skilled player will almost always beat a newbie, when it comes to a match between comparable opponents, the luck of the draw (literally, the drawing of good or bad tiles) can sometimes swing favour towards one side. And perhaps this is true of life as well. You may be good, and making all the right moves… but sometimes, something happens out of the blue which can be attributed to nothing but luck. Perhaps a university exam goes awry after a family emergency… or the stock market crashes when no one expects it… The world is governed by so many forces out of control, and sometimes, people find themselves helpless. But this only means one thing. Be prepared for everything. Expect that, when there’s a few tiles left in the bag on an extremely tight board, you might just draw an unplayable Z. And in life, there will be things you have no power over. But being prepared is the first step to avoiding defeat. And that’s not to say there’s nothing you can do against luck…

2. Reducing the effects of luck and maximizing points
A smart Scrabble player knows that drawing more than one I is bad, and more than one C or V is suicide. But rationally thinking, the draw is the one thing in the game that a player cannot influence. Every turn, you’re going to be drawing tiles you have no control of. But a smart player would definitely not see this as a crutch. Rather, as mentioned earlier, prepare yourself before hand. Playing a three letter word and leaving yourself common letters like E, I, T and R is good. Playing just one letter and leaving yourself with six consonants is terrible. Knowing which letters to play to prepare yourself for the next turn is just as important as the value of the present play. The value of preparing yourself for what is out of your hands is unquestionable. When heading into an unexplored caves, explorers bring ropes and torches. When preparing to draw tiles, Scrabble players make sure they have the best equipment possible for the next turn’s job. And even if Luck chooses to screw you over, every single turn… what do you do? Even with a nonstop draw of consonants and terrible vowels, the key is to remain focused on the task and maximize points! In life, similarly, we look for the brightest spark in a dark room… we look for the good when everything around us seems to be bad. As long as you keep maximizing the value of each opportunity… there is always a chance to turn a bad situation around.

3. Knowing your two-letter words
In life, natural talent will only take you that far. There comes a point where employers aren’t going to ask for an IQ test or care all that much about your academic grades. At that point, if you haven’t been putting in the hours to improve yourself beyond what was given you when you were born, don’t expect to get the job. In Scrabble, the same applies. You may have a range of obscure vocabulary, but if you don’t bother to memorize the two-letter words, you aren’t even amateur standard. And as you get higher up, what you need gets even larger comparatively. If you just sit back and think that you just need the two-letter words, you aren’t going to compete with someone who’s memorized the three-letter words or more… The thing is not just about putting in work to improve yourself… but also to know never to be complacent. You may be gifted, but if you don’t have the effort to back up the skill, there isn’t much point in being good at anything.

4. If you can’t use the triple word square, neither should your opponent.
The triple word scores are placed at the edges of the board for a reason (Words with Friends SUCKS). Tripling the value of a word can bridge a fifty-point gap faster than you can say ‘Bingo?’ The value of the tiles are so high that you should not be making it available to your opponent at almost any cost. (There are exceptions but few). So when the opportunity arises for you take that triple word, you jolly well use it to the best you can (again, there are exceptions). But when you can’t… be despicable. Make a word that ends just before the triple word square, a word that can’t be extended in any way. If you don’t have a five letter word, fine, make a four-letter one. Whatever it is, that triple word square is out of the game forever. In life, of course, this is not applicable. I am a big fan of altruism especially when directed my way, so please, keep the triple words open as often as you want. But in a competitive environment (read: most people’s adult lives), this tip may come in useful more often than you expect. I’m not telling you to be a cutthroat corporate guy who only cares about him/herself all the time… but sometimes, yeah, you have to.

5. Watch the clock.
As a game requiring deep thinking, Scrabble eats away at your perception of time. It is not uncommon to see someone look up after brooding over a word, only to find himself five minutes behind his opponent. In a game where you only have twenty-five, you don’t have such a luxury. Time management is everything. Think during your turn, think during your opponent’s turn. Think when you’re drawing new tiles, think all the time. The same applies to everything. If you aren’t making full use of your time, all the time, you simply aren’t getting the best out of whatever you’re doing, Scrabble, school, work, or otherwise. After all, we only have 24 hours in a day… are you using them well?

There’s way more that I could have said, about bingoes, blanks and what not. But to keep it simple, five tips is all I’ve got! I hope I don’t come off as arrogant. I just thought some things in games can be paralleled to life. That’s all!

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