A DOOR CLOSES, A QUAHSCO OPENS

One ongoing debate in the Scrabble community is: Should we try to grow the pool of players by allowing more events to be played online? The upside is that more opportunities to play without having to take time off from work for travel and the reduction of travel-related expenses would mean that more players could participate. The downside is that with players being at home where no one is watching them, it’s easy to cheat. Can we trust results where nothing stops a player from consulting a dictionary or opening their favorite anagramming app? That’s the major reason why Scrabble tournaments have continued to be in-person events only.

But COVID-19 has turned everything upside down. For the time being, all Scrabble tournaments and club meetings have been canceled until further notice. Although the 2020 North