Find Your Hobby Box Set

By My Ebook Publishing House

Now, for the first time ever, and only for a limited time, you can get this value-priced, limited edition boxed set.
Find Your Hobby Box Set includes three bestselling books from My Ebook Publishing House:

Book #1
Everything About Scrabble
First introduced to the public in the mid 1950s, Scrabble has gone on to be one of the biggest selling board games in history—and is currently gaining legions of new fans in the online world.
Perhaps the fascination of SCRABBLE lies in the fact that the game combines just the right amount of luck with just the right amount of skill.
Scrabble is a game of words that can be played up to four players or as little as two players where the players earn points by creating words using tiles with letters on a board. The scrabble game is actually a very interesting game as it tests your creativity and ability to think on your toes. Scrabble also helps in learning vocabulary and thinking logically.

Book #2
Bridge for Beginners
Bridge is the ultimate card game. It is truly a mind sport, as taxing on the brain as a decathlon is to the body. Bridge for Beginners is the ultimate introduction.
Learn how to play bridge with this simple step-by-step guide. While good bridge classes are, of course, of great value, this book is itself the complete tutorial. It will help you to learn properly without other help and give you a solid foundation on which to start playing this absorbing game. Work at your own pace. Understand the key basic principles.
Bridge for Beginners is the only guide a novice will ever need.

Book #3
Everything About Aquariums
Design a dazzling underwater environment with this incredible guide!
Setting up your first aquarium can be a daunting task. This book answers all your questions, from plants to fish, and much more.
The book also profiles all common aquarium plants and popular aquarium fish. Throughout, the author explains the natural processes as they occur, so that fish-keepers can ensure their ongoing success.

Book #4
Yachting For Beginners
This guide is aimed at those wand to learn yachting. It is full of essential information and useful pointers and tips to help get you started.
If you think that even setting foot on a yacht would involve spending the next year living on a diet of mud and navel fluff then this is the book for you.
The book is a complete reference for every level of sailor, if you are a beginner and need a straightforward, easy-to-understand guide. This book is the way to learn, develop and refresh your skills. It is the ideal book to keep on board your yacht.

• Language: English
• Publisher: My Ebook Publishing House
• Release date: Sep 16, 2014
• ISBN: 9781310860225

My Ebook Publishing House

My Ebook Publishing House was founded as part of a large project, developed to bring you quality education materials.The publishing policy is guided by professionalism and follows the educational needs of our youth.The prestige that the publishing house has reached for the last years is emphasised by the large number of people that purchase its books as well as by the constant interest for libraries and educational institutions.We invite you to join us in the wonderful world of books!

Book preview

Book #1

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Everything About Scrabble

Table of Contents

I. What Is Scrabble?

II. The Scrabble Game Components

III. The Technique of the Game

IV. How A Game Ends

V. The Game Rules

VI. Other Games On The Scrabble Board

I. What Is Scrabble?

Scrabble is actually a game of words or more exactly rummy with letter. It can be player solitarily-scrabble problems-just like in chess and go or in two-four persons, through free matches or pairs. It is also played scrabble through correspondence. In competitions it is played duplicated scrabble, tactical scrabble, anticipation scrabble, completive scrabble etcetera. The purpose of the game is to build words with as a higher score as possible, using on one side the value of the letters, and on the other side the bonus squares. The game’s strategy consists in creating in advance double or triple positions and, no matter the partner’s addition, to realize a scrabble or an addition with the higher score possible. Concomitant, it is attempted to block the partner’s additions, to whom it must be narrowed the possibility to realized points. These imperatives are often contradictory. It must, therefore, be found a solution of compromise which depends on the ability and experience of the player. It must be remembered that during the game it can be also used additions on hold or of preparation for a valuable and unstoppable final addition. Scrabble, a game related with crossed words, is based on the anagram of the letters, by changing the order of the letters, using a word or even more in a limited time (three-five minutes).

II. The Scrabble Game Components

1. The game board (wood or carton) on which is drawn a 15*15 puzzle, each little square having a two centimeters side.

As it can be seen above, some squares are colored. These are those with bonus, multiplying the value of the letters or the words that are on them.

There are two systems of marking, a linear one and the other one through colors. Each little square has the coordinates determined on the horizontal by a letter (from a to o) and on the vertical by a digit (from one to fifteen).

On the board are two hundred and twenty five squares: twenty four that double the value of the letters, twelve that triple the value of the letters placed on them, seventeen that double the value of the word, eight that triple the value of the word if one of its letters is found on one of these squares.

The disposition of the squares with bonus on the playing board is symmetrical. In the case a deposition covers simultaneously two squares that double the value of the word, its value is increased by four times (2*2) and if it covers two or three red squares, the value of the entire word is multiplied by nine (3*3) and respectively twenty seven times (3*3*3).

Remember that these bonus squares double or triple the value of the letter or the word only when the letter or the word is placed the first time on the board. If the same letter enters ulterior in the composition of other words, it keeps its initial value.

2. The coins or the counters are of square form with a side of 1.8 centimeters, according to the image below.

The total number of the pieces is one hundred. On ninety eight of the one hundred pieces are written the letters from the alphabet, each letter having in the right a number that indicates its value. Generally the letters with lower frequency, the ones that can help form words harder, have greater values. Here’s the frequency and value of each letter in the Romanian version of the game:

A1=11; B9=2; C1=5; D2=4; E1=9; F2=2; G9=2; H10=1; I1=10; J10=1; L1=4; M4=3; N1=6; O1=5; P2=4; R1=7; S1=6; T1=7; U1=6; V8=2; X10=1; Z10=1.

Two pieces are white, are called jokers and have the value zero; they can substitute any of the letters found in the game. For simplifying the words, we will give up the indexes and the joker will be noted with ?. In the scrabble games, a joker once deposited on the board maintains the signification of the letter until the end of the game.

Introducing on the computer the words of two, three, four, five and seven letters (in total twenty thousand) from the dictionaries used at the scrabble game (DEX, DLRM and DOOM) it resulted another frequency of the letters, as it follows:

A=13; B=2; C=5; D=2; E=9; F=2; G=2; H=1; I=13; J=1; L=4; M=3; N=5; O=6; P=2; R=8; S=5; T=8; U=5; V=2; X=1; Z=1, in total one hundred letters reported to the one hundred percent percentage. Of course this frequency is correct for problems and matches according to the dictionary.

3. The racks, in number of two-four, are similar to the ones from the rummy game, permitting setting and maneuvering the letters for forming the words. The width of these racks is approximately eighteen centimeters.

III. The Technique of the Game

To establish which of the players starts the match, are put all the pieces on the table, with the written part down, and are mixed or put all into a little cloth bag, then each player draws a random piece. The one whose letter is closer to the beginning of the alphabet will start the game. The coins picked are reinserted into the stock (or bag), are mixed again and each player will take from the stock a number of seven coins, which he puts on his rack. If a player takes by mistake an extra coin it is taken one randomly and it is reintroduced into the stock.

There are groups of seven letters called impossible from which cannot be built not even a two letters word. In this limited case they will be reintroduced into the stock and will be drawn another seven coins.

We present bellow the groups with impossible letters:

BJOOOOO

BJOOOOV

BJOOOVV

BOOOOOV

BOOOOVV

COOOOOV

COOOOOX

COOOOVV

COOOOVX

COOOVVX

EJOOOOX

GGLLLUU

GGLLUUU

GGLUUUU

GGPUUUU

GGUUUUU

GLLLLUU

GLLLUUU

GLLUUUU

GLUUUUU

GPUUUUU

JLLLLUU

JLLLUUU

JUUUUUU

JLUUUUU

JOOOOOV

JOOOOOX

JOOOOVV

JOOOOVX

JOOOVVX

JPUUUUU

LLLLRUU

LLLLUUU

LLLRRUU

LLLRRUU

LLLUUUU

LLRRRUU

LLRRUUU

LLRUUUU

LLUUUUU

LRRRRUU

LRRRUUU

LRRUUUU

LRUUUUU

OOOOOVV

OOOOOVX

OOOOVVX

RRRRRUU

RRRRUUU

RRRUUUU

RRUUUUU

As we have shown at Forming the words, the player that will start the game lays on the game board the first word (on horizontal or vertical, at his choice). This word has, mandatory, to have one of his letters placed on the central square H8. Once the word placed, he calculates his synopsis realized (which is inscribed on a chart). After the deposition, he takes from the stock a number of coins that is equal with the ones deposited, so that he always has seven coins on his rack.

The game continues with the player from the left of the first.

He deposits a word on the board, that must link to the previous word.

Once the word is deposited on the game board, it is not allowed any modification of it. In the case a player deposits an inexistent word or wrongly spelled, he must draw back the coins deposited and loses the right to deposit in that turn.

When each player placed their word or said pass (see below), it ends the first turn of game. The second turn start along with the deposition of the first player and so on.

Each one of the players can take advantage of his turn to change one, two or even all his pieces, if these do not suit him, taking the same number of coins from the stock. In this case, though, it is lost the right to deposit another word in this turn, the next time he reenters the game being the next turn.

If a player succeeded to place in his turn all the seven letters (in one word or completing others existent on the board, with which he forms a new word) it is said that he realized a scrabble and receives a fifty points award beside the score realized from the letters deposited.

When a player thinks that through the partners’ depositions would create a more favorable situation for an ulterior deposition, with superior scores, he can declare pass, renouncing to deposit coins in that turn.

There is though a TECHNICAL STEP situation: when a player has for instance the letter J in the end of a match and cannot deposit it; in this case he says pass and the other player says pass. The situation becomes critical (some sort of eternal chess); at three pass repetitions it is declared a tie match no matter the scores.

IV. How A Game Ends

The scrabble match ends either when the coins in stock are out and one of the players deposited on the table all the coins from his rack, or when no other combination is possible on the game board.

1. In the first case, to each of the partners remaining with letters on the rack is dropped from the scores realized until then the value of the letters not deposited, which are added at the scores of the player that finished the game.

It is deduced from the ones stated before that close to the end of the game, the players must try to deposit on the board the letters with great value (B, F, G, H, J, M, V, X, Z) which, in the case one of the partners finish the game, will be dropped from the scores realized until then.

2. The same presents the situation in the case when no other combination is possible on the board, with the difference that in this case to all the players are dropped the points remaining on the rack. The winner will be the player that accumulated the most points in the end.

We left to the end the counting of the scores to pass to the actual scrabble matches. The most explicit count is the one of a match played. Following the match in its development we learn both the counting of the scores as well as the technical and tactical elements to become from an amateur player an advanced one. But do not forget! It is player with the board in front, depositing the letters in the order of the turns and timing yourselves (maximum three-five minutes for deposition).

Rules of behavior:

At the scrabble contests, the players have the obligation to play correct and loyal, to have an appropriate outfit, to respect their opponents and to be permanently polite and fair-play. They must hold back any remark or gesture that could annoy or disturb the other players or ruin their pleasure to play.

The players do not have the right to communicate during the game.

V. The Game Rules

It is the most outspread playing form and can be played in two-four persons or pairs. It must be remembered that at a great number of players the advantage of the ones that deposit first and especially the one that finishes the match is most of the times decisive.

Game rules

1. Establishing the accepted background of words

2. The order of deposition (the first player will be noted A, the second is B).

3. The players extract, in the established order, seven coins each.

4. The first player (A) forms, in the established time for a deposition (three-five minutes), a word (two-seven