TOURNAMENT SCRABBLE RULES MADE SIMPLE

 RULES MADE SIMPLE FOR DUMMIES

 Is he making a sarcastic hint to his Victorian opponent?

a)    Bag handling (Rule 5.1).The poor wording of this rule states, “You must hold the tile bag above the level of the table and so that no tiles in the bag can be seen”. Nonetheless, the poor wording still automatically puts the closed rim of the vertical bag above eye level, unless you were a giant or tables were extremely low. If a player has any medical problem, they should discuss an alternative method with the TD. This task should not be left to players. Otherwise, unpleasant scenes are likely to develop in the case of persistent habitual offenders. The ultimate aim of this rule is to keep the tiles inside the bag unexposed. Averting eyes from exposed tiles is a cosmetic measure. It is not an effective solution.

examine the correct positioning of the red bag

(b) Tile handling (Rule 5.2) 

The rule states, “ You must show an empty hand both before drawing tiles, and after you have placed the drawn tiles onto the rack or table. 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.” This means an open palm must be shown before and after drawing tiles. Tiles drawn must be placed on the rack or table before proceeding to draw any more tiles. Some players tend to keep tiles in one hand and proceed to get more tiles with the other. This is forbidden by the rule.

The bag is too heavy for some much older players 

(c) Challenges (Rule 10.3)

      Both players must walk together to the checking station. This rule can be varied only if warranted by health reasons or maybe by mutual agreement, but certainly not casually by certain Victorian players who make you wonder why you always tend to be running out of time when you play them at your usual pace.

Adherence to the above rules makes tournament play more pleasant. It takes the doubt out of the game. I would like to enjoy every tournament game the same way I enjoy being beaten by skillful honest players, rather than win a game against habitual rules’ offenders.