Welcome to the Jerusalem Scrabble Club
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Director: Elana Simons, 054 220 6238, elanalibby@gmail.com
THIS WEEK AT THE CLUB
Season 83, Week 22 of 25 – July 15, 2025
Monday’s Summer Tournament, led by Peta together with her able helpers, went off as expected – in other words, it was a successful Scrabble event and a thoroughly enjoyable day. DavidS, in no great surprise, carried off the winner’s trophy, while Dahlia and Judy, in Divisions A and B, were the runners-up. Peta, Hilda and May won vouchers kindly donated by Pomerantz booksellers for, respectively, the best “Bastille word,” PRISONER; the best Israeli word, KEF, and the highest-scoring word, TOPPINGS, played over a double-double for 102 points. (While KEF in Hebrew slang means something pleasant or enjoyable, the dictionary defines it as “hemp smoked to produce a feeling of euphoria,” which kind of amounts to the same thing.) Following eight grueling games, one participant was heard to say that she “could probably play another game or two.” She got her wish the next evening, when the club met for its usual weekly session.
We were pleased to see the return of Debbie Betesh, whose ready smile fit right in with the friendly atmosphere of the club.
How Scrabble can fry the brain, mused Wendy. “May played CORNERS, and I held the play. People who corn?, I thought to myself. Luckily I recognized the word before challenging!” Many years ago, she recalled, “someone played RESORTED – which I challenged, thinking that ‘to sort again’ was unlikely.”
A pleasing symmetry: Elana and Lisa each played a bingo ending with -ILY (READILY and FANCILY) one after the other, and parallel to one another.
Do you get a sinking feeling when your opponent puts down a bingo, particularly a high-scoring one? A sort of resigned acceptance that can lower your guard and hinder your checking the “kashrut” of the word as carefully as you should? For example, is it spelled properly? Is it a word you’ve never seen before that might be worth challenging? Is it connected to one or more smaller words that aren’t good but might escape notice? Your opponent may be banking on your resigned acceptance of this boost in score to get away with a phony. In brief: Damp down any disappointment and take a moment or two to check the other person’s play carefully, especially when it’s a bingo.
And somewhat on the same theme: Don’t be too quick to hit the clock, after which your word must stand. Judy had no choice but to see her JOINED, on a triple, challenged off the board because she had unwittingly transposed the N and the I, and the clock was already ticking on her opponent’s time.
Peta’s STOUTEN surely figures among those words you’d never think are good but in fact are. It means to fatten someone or to become stout. Stout can also mean strong or brave, as used by Victor Hugo: “A stout heart may be ruined in fortune, but not in spirit.” A fitting motto for anyone who lost three games on Tuesday night.
If you missed the opportunity to communicate your hilite in person at the club you can email it to judymo@netvision.net.il or WhatsApp it (054-5552355) up until noon the following day. If you wish to mark any occasion by bringing refreshments to the club, please check with Susan up to a week in advance.
WWW: Dahlia, Rena, Peta, May, Pauline
WOW: SHARIAH, MAESTRI (Chani), LEONINE, TOLANES (Shirley)
PHOW: INOCUOUS (Dahlia)
High Win, High Loss, High Triple:
A: 572 (Dahlia), 389 (Rita), 1336 (Dahlia)
B1: 520 (Richard), 384 (Elana), 1304 (May)
Scores over 500: 572 (Dahlia), 520 (Richard)
100-pt play:
Attendance: 26