German championship
Master wordsmiths: “Scrabble should be a school subject”
In Scrabble, there are approximately 670,000 ways to form words between 2 and 15 letters long. photo
© Friso Gentsch/dpa
Scrabble is one of the classic board games – and still has fans today. A puzzle expert explains what Germany’s best Scrabble players bring to the table and what makes the game so educational.
“If Germany wants to improve in the PISA study, then we should introduce Scrabble as a school subject nationwide – or at least implement it in lessons,” says Sebastian Herzog, president of the Scrabble Germany association, which organized the word game competition. “Scrabble enables a playful approach to the German language and grammar, expanding the vocabulary with every game,” explains the puzzle author from Hanover. “And when you calculate the points, you also deepen basic arithmetic.”
Around 670,000 possibilities
Sebastian Herzog has been scrabbling since he was a child and was eventually able to turn his hobby into a living as a puzzle author. The association he heads was founded in 2005 as the only Germany-wide association of Scrabble enthusiasts, with the aim, among other things, of getting young people excited about board and letter games and of networking game lovers. One of the scene’s annual highlights is the German Championship, which has been running in Minden since Thursday.
The game has been played for over 70 years with largely the same rules: players have to score as many points as possible from randomly assigned letter tiles by placing words on the game board in a kind of crossword puzzle. Only words that are listed in the Duden, including their inflections, are permitted. According to Herzog, there are potentially around 670,000 ways to form words between 2 and 15 letters long. “No game is identical. That’s what’s so attractive about it.”
Favorites “take the Duden with you to bed”
At this year’s championship, 64 participants are scrabbling. The players with the highest points advance to the final on Sunday. “Even though the atmosphere is very familiar, the fight for the title is carried out with seriousness and high concentration,” says Herzog. “Similar to chess, Scrabble is also an intellectual debate.” With 20 games in three and a half days, it’s already getting to the point.
However, a top position can only be achieved with hard work, a lot of experience and dedication: “There are simply three top favorites who are difficult to beat,” reveals Herzog. “They take the Duden to bed with them, thereby constantly expanding their vocabulary,” says Herzog. Because that is crucial – in addition to strategic and tactical skills.