WHAT HAS ALLUDULLA GOT TO DO WITH THE PRICE OF FISH?

While my past observation on cheating in scrabble was based on my own personal experience with cheating opponents, my present assessment will be extended to ask the question: Why are the rules of the Australian Scrabble Players Association (ASPA) out of tune with the international rules devised by the World English-Language Scrabble Players' Association (WESPA)?

After careful analytical examination of the results of the Ulladulla tournament held in September 2010, I came to the conclusion that ASPA rules are inferior to WESPA rules. Consider the following comparison:

ASPA RULES:

Selecting Tiles

5.1 You must hold the tile bag above the level of the table and so that no tiles in the bag can be seen. Remove tiles in full view of your opponent.

5.2 You may not put your hand back into the tile bag whilst you still have tiles in that hand. All drawn tiles must be placed on the rack or the table before drawing any more.

Compare the above to WESPA rules:

3.9.1 Bag Position

When drawing from the bag, a player must:

(a) hold the bag so that the rim of the bag is at or above eye level;

(b) avert his or her eyes from the bag; and

(c) keep the bag in full view of the opponent.

3.9.2 Drawing Protocols

(a) While doing so may be helpful to avoid overdrawing, players need not draw tiles individually.

(b) A player must not put a hand into the tile bag if that hand contains tiles. All drawn tiles must be placed on the rack or the table before further tiles are drawn.

(c) It is mandatory to show an empty hand both before and after drawing replacement tiles.

(d) Replacement tiles must be drawn with reasonable speed.

WESPA Rule 3.9.1(a) is succinct and precise. It certainly keeps the tiles out of sight, while ASPA Rule 5.1 is poorly worded and assumes the existence of a hypothetical standard-height table.

While both ASPA and WESPA rules do emphasise the importance of having an empty hand, only WESPA’s rules have a built-in guarantee, in clauses 3.9.2(c) and 3.9.2(d), that such dishonesty would not occur. Rule 3.9.2(c) eliminates the ugly sight of that fist returning unwanted tiles to the bag. Rule 3.9.2(d) prevents cheating players from examining withdrawn tiles with an eye on slipping unwanted tiles back into the bag. The place where honest players examine their tiles is their rack. It has been my experience with dishonest players that withdrawn tiles lurk unnecessarily in the vicinity of the top of the bag, often requiring the assistance of the other hand.

players with vested interest in maintaining the status quo, would be quick to suggest that WESPA’s anti-cheating measures are unbecoming because cheating does not exist.

Cheers!