Scrabble might truly be called America’s game. More than two million sets are sold every year and at least thirty million American homes have one. But the game’s most talented competitors inhabit a sphere far removed from the masses of the “living room players”. Theirs is a surprisingly diverse subculture whose stars include a vitamin-popping standup comic; a former bank teller whose intestinal troubles earn him the name “G.I. Joel”; a burly, unemployed African American from Baltimore’s inner city; the three-time national champion who plays according to Zen principles; and Fatsis himself, whom we see transformed from a curious reporter to a confirmed Scrabble nut.

He begins by haunting the gritty corner of a Greenwich Village park where pickup Scrabble can be found whenever weather permits. His curiosity soon morphs into compulsion, as he sets about memorizing thousands of obscure words and fills his evenings with solo Scrabble played on his living room floor. Before long he finds himself at tournaments socializing…and competing... with Scrabble’s elite.

But this book is about more than hardcore Scrabblers, for the game yields insights into realms as disparate as linguistics, psychology, and mathematics. Word Freak extends its reach even further, pondering the light Scrabble throws on such notions as brilliance, memory, competition, failure and hope. It is a geography of obsession that celebrates the uncanny powers locked in all of us.

Above excerpt taken from flyleaf of Word Freak



Stefan Fatsis, a Wall Street Journal reporter and National Public Radio regular on All Things Considered, recounts his remarkable rise through the ranks of elite Scrabble players while exploring the game’s strange, potent hold over them…and him. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Scrabble®, Speed Scrabble and Word-Sport™... A Comparison

Scrabble® determines who’s the best at word formation... now Word-Sport™ determines who is the fastest! The original game Scrabble® is played on a game board where players may take time to make their play. A variation of play, referred to as Speed Scrabble, may use a count down timer clock having a pre-determined amount of time to make ones play (eg. one minute). This speeds up play considerably, however the basics of Scrabble® remain the same. The game board is still used in this format. Scoring is determined by adding up the numeric values on the letter tiles.

The Origins of Word-Sport™
In the FAQS section, you can read about how I discovered the speed way to play the Scrabble game without the game board. Bill Sokol referred to this method of play as “Speed Scrabble”. The first one who finished their individual word grid was the winner. No timer clock was used. There were no place finishes (2nd or 3rd). Each player then calculated their score by adding up the numeric values on their letter tiles.

You can enter the word Speed-Scrabble on the search engines (Google, Yahoo, ect.) and see other variations on how to play Scrabble in a speed style, with or without a game board. Now let’s take a look at why Word-Sport™ is unique.

What’s the Difference
In Word-sport™, timing is everything. A unique count up/count down touch-top timer clock is used. This registers win time, followed up by a one minute countdown which speeds up the conclusion of the game. There are no numeric values on the letter tiles as scoring is done by place finishes. Word-sport is the politically correct way to play as there are no losers, just place finishers. There are also other ways to score points which is unique to Word-Sport® format. There is no game board as each player makes their own word grid. Our new designed, large print easy handle letter tiles have no numeric values. We also have a unique tournament format which can handle many contestants quickly.

There are many other aspects about Word-Sport® which are covered in depth on our website www.word-sport.com. Take your time exploring all the areas of Word-Sport™. We’ll keep you posted on the latest developments if you subscribe to our E-News publication.

Paul Mellerowicz
Creative Director
Word-Sport™