Scrabble, the instructions tell us, is a game for two to four players. You may well play in threes and fours at home. But step into a Scrabble club and you will find that all games are between two players. It’s impossible to plan ahead when there are more than two players, since you have no idea what will have happened to the board by the time it gets back round to you.
The two-player game is more skilful and, let’s face it, waiting for three other people to play before it’s your turn again is a bit boring. If you regularly have a foursome you play with, get another set and play two games of two. If you have a threesome (assuming this is still Scrabble we’re talking about), find someone else. You’ll soon notice how much better the game is.
By Barry Grossman
Barry is a leading UK Scrabble player and winner of several tournaments. He is the author of Scrabble for Beginners (Chambers), Need to Know Scrabble, Scrabble – Play to Win and The Little Book of Scrabble Trickster. He has also contributed to numerous other books on the subject of words and word-games, has been a series champion of Channel 4’s Countdown, and has written four comedy series for BBC Radio 4. He lives in Hertford.
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