Scrabble Fever!

Since I remember, I love board games, especially the ones that mean a mental challenge. Board games are part of me at that point that even we usually play something at my birthday celebration… otherwise it´s not my birthday celebration! ;) Since some years ago, the favorites to play at my birthdays are Taboo and Scene it?.

My very favorite board game is Scrabble. I don´t remember how it came to me, but I know for sure I was already playing it when I was 14. Maybe one of the things that make this game my favorite, is that not ever you can imagine the result of the game. Also that it´s not just a matter of being lucky or to be the one that knows more strange words… it´s a conjunction of both mixed with the ability to resolve anagrams with the letters you have.

In Guatemala I have friends that like to play it, but once in Spain, it was hard to find people to play, especially after I made my husband to get bored of it! (I was asking him to play Scrabble with me every time we had a space to. Our first year together, you know, when husbands still want to impress their wife, he left me to do so… but after that year he just learned to say NO!) ; ) So years later I started to search info about Scrabble at internet and I discovered 2 things that wondered me a lot! 1. People all over the world play Scrabble in championships that are as important and serious as Chess ones. 2. There is a Scrabble Association in Spain!!! :D

Till then, I was playing Scrabble as any other game, just for fun, allowing some times words in English just to take out a Q and other kind of words that usually shouldn´t be allowed in Scrabble, but when I saw that there were people taking it more seriously and playing even with more rules than the ones described at the instructions of the game, a new world had been opened for me!

I started to go to tourneys in 2006. Of course in my first one my results were pathetic, but the experience was incredible! You see, it´s nice to meet people that take a game as serious as you do! :)

It´s hard to explain why I love Scrabble. I can tell different things Scrabble is about for me, like emotion, excitement, challenge, adrenaline, learning, sharing, passion, competitiveness… but I´m afraid this is the kind of things that are so personal, so, or you feel that “click” with something or you don´t.

Sharing with people with my same Scrabble passion was like opening a new world for me. Especially due most of Scrabble people are amazing. Everyone in a different way, but you can find something that makes them extraordinaries. In other posts I´ll talk more about them, so you will understand better what I´m talking about, but just for give you an example, several of them had participated in T.V. game shows like “Saber y Ganar” (we even have one of the “Magníficos”, Josep Abril ), “Cifras y Letras” or “Pasapalabra”. It´s obvious, without Scrabble, no chance at all to meet each other, we have quite different backgrounds, ages and professions.



At the beginning I started to play Scrabble due to my Scrabble fever, but after sharing with AJS people, it became in a great friendship with amazing people from all over Spanish talking countries. Today for me Scrabble is more about sharing the game´s passion with friends that have the same and even more fever than me.

My progression in Scrabble was very good till last year. I´m proud about my development that includes being part of the top ten of important tourneys and even a first place in 2007; and my classification to participate as part of the Spanish delegation at the World Championship in 2007 and 2008 (Yeap, I´ll talk about them in other posts).



Being in Spain it´s special due some of the best world players are here. We have 2 twice World Champions, Joan Ramón Manchado 1997 and 2003




and Enric Hernández 2006 and 2008;




2 world champions: Blai Figueras 1998


and Antonio Álvarez 2005.



And the current “Duplicadas” mode World Champion,
Eufrasio Millán.


So, taking in consideration that there are just limited participants per country to the World Championship and the great level of Spanish players... Yeap! I´m quite proud about had been part of it! :)

In May 2008 I became part of Scrabble Girona, yes, I know, a bit far away from Madrid! But I definitely love that group! They play all Saturday´s morning, of course for me is not possible to go every Saturday, but I try to go as often as I can and every time it´s a Scrabble weekend party, due plus the games we play at the club, with Patxi (the current Spanish Champion) and Montse (his wife and also the best Spanish female player) we just keep on playing till the body allows us, at their home… that usually means other friends to come as well!





Here a video of one SG friendly tourney that by coincidence was the day of my birthday:


Campeonato Rural de Scrabble en Girona "Entre Olivares" from FRANCISCO DE LA TORRE on Vimeo.

I´ll talk more about the great experiences I have with my Scrabble friends in other posts! :)



After the last World Championship in Buenos Aires, my fever decrease a bit. Of course I still love the game and I´ll try to go to all the tourneys I can, just that to try to be part of the best players means a lot of hours studding and I prefer to use it in other kind of activities. I still play a lot, I still try to give my best in each game, I still enjoy so much playing! :)

My last tourney was in Guatemala, on last February. Was a great experience to share that day with my compatriots! :) Special thanks to Emmanuel, Mauricio and Chofo for all their attentions!





Some interesting links (all in Spanish, I´m afraid):

For playing online with all the championship rules: http://www2.redeletras.com/

The one that is named “Spanish Scrabble Heart Point” gathers most of the info that is relevant to the Spanish Scrabble world: http://scrabble-santandreu.com/

Some interesting Scrabble problems done by Enric: http://www.lsi.upc.edu/~enriche/problemas_scrabble.html

Blai Figueras had created a lot of games including interesting Scrabble problems, as well: http://www.xtec.cat/~bfiguera/indexcat.htm