Scrabble Sparks Word Revolution in Nyamira, Kisii Counties

By Nyang’au Araka

A classic board game known as scrabble is gathering popularity in upcountry towns including Nyamira and Kisii.

On Monday, players from the two counties participated in the Gusii Regional Scribble tournament at Fast Team Hotel, Nyamira County.

“This is a battle of brains that transforms a handful of wooden tiles into a thrilling quest for words, wisdom, and wit,” says Nyamira Scrabble Club (NSC) chairman, Geoffrey Bogonko.

Speaking as the tournament went on, NSC treasurer, Thaddeus Maseno said cherishes the game for it improves one’s critical thinking, language and encourages socializing.

“Scrabble is similar to crosswords but it has a sporting element and expands one’s network,” Maseno said, adding that his club has participated up to national level.

Started in the year 2022, NSC has 12 members who usually meet after work and during weekends at Fast Team Hotel.

‘Tournaments are usually held on weekends and holidays,” Maseno said, adding that the game is a good pastime and mind refreshing activity.

Revived

During local tournaments, members contribute Ksh.300 each, which is shared among the top three winners at the end of the day, and the cumulative spread helps players in the national ranking.

Bogonko recalls that he was first introduced to scrabble in 1994 by the late Tom Sagwe, who was a businessman and politician.

“The game went under when Sagwe died but we revived it three years ago,” he said.

Charles Ayora from the Kisii team said that the game helps him to socialize, network and sharpen his critical thinking.

“I think that I become wiser and sharper each time I play scrabble,” Ayora said.

A similar view is held by Maseno who adds that his reservoir for vocabulary is getting richer by the day due to the game.

Key personalities who play scrabble include Ambassador Wenwa Odinga and Turkana Governor, Jeremiah Lomorukai.

Understanding Scrabble

Scrabble is often described as a word game that combines vocabulary skills, strategy, and a bit of luck.

The cost of the board and the wooden tiles ranges from Ksh.1,500 to Ksh.25,000 depending on their quality and complexity.

In the battlefield of wits disguised as a quiet board game, seven tiles bearing letters of the English alphabet become a portal to linguistic glory.

The game begins with a simple shuffle, a chaotic jumble of letters in the player’s rack, and slowly transforms one into a wordsmith, a strategist, a silent warrior hunting to get a score.

Played by two players across the table, the scrabble board is such a mosaic of minds clashing and converging, words twisting and curling around each other like

One plays scrabble with the intention of scoring the most points by creating words on the game board using letter tiles.

The game’s components include a board bearing 15×15 grids with special bonus squares for double/ triple letter and word scores.

There are 100 letter tiles, each tile having a letter and a point value, and a tile rack for each player that holds up to 7 tiles.

Additionally, there has to be an agreed-upon dictionary or word list to settle word disputes.

Basic Rules

The game starts when the players draw 7 tiles each, and the one with the highest scoring letter goes first.

A player makes a move by forming a word using his tiles and places it horizontally or vertically on the board.

For the game to proceed, the first word must cross the center square (a double word score), and new words must connect to existing words, like a crossword.

Scoring Points

To score points, the player adds up the point value of each letter in his word, and uses bonus squares to multiply letter or word scores.

At some point, there is tile exchange or pass, where if one doesn’t like his letters, can swap some or all — but lose his turn.

Game end

The game ends when the tile bag is empty and a player uses all their tiles, or if all players pass twice in a row.

To get the final score, one subtracts leftover tile points from each player’s score, and if someone used all their tiles, they get those leftover points added.

To increase chances of winning, one chooses high-value letters (Q, Z, X, J) on premium squares, builds off existing words, learns 2- and 3-letter words, balances his rack with vowels and consonants, and avoids holding on to hard letters too long.

-Additional information from online sources.