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 85, Weeks 20 and 21 of 25 –August 11 and 18, 2026

Welcome back to Yonatan after a long vacation overseas. Noting that “Elul is a time for compassion,” he enlivened our chat group by pleading for “mercy” from prospective opponents since he “hadn’t played in many weeks.” This elicited some amusing commentary, the gist of which was that when it comes to Scrabble, the quality of mercy is, to paraphrase Shakespeare’s Portia, very strained indeed. In other words:  don’t expect any.

Top national player Joel Elkin, who lives in Los Angeles, takes an ongoing interest in our club and it was a pleasure to see him last week during his visit to Israel. Joel was holding WIDDIE plus a blank. “I knew that WIDDY was a word, so I made the blank an R, hooking it onto EX. Luckily it wasn’t challenged, because it turns out WIDDY is a noun, meaning a hangman’s noose. I could have made the blank an S in the same spot.” DavidS: “I had a win against Joel – CUSHATS [meaning pigeons] – but I didn’t know it, let alone see it, and lost the game by 2.”

September 1, the first day of school, falls on a Tuesday, and the club will meet on a different day that week; to be determined.

It shouldn’t make you throw up, but Jonathan put down both VOMIT and RALPH (slang for “to vomit”) in the same game. Steve’s opponent opened with CURER, to which Steve later added OBS- to form OBSCURER for 36 points. Brenda “didn’t play ENTHRAL because I thought it needed two L’s, but it’s good with just one – and also with IN- instead of EN.” But she was surprised to see REIRONED challenged off the board. “How many times in my life have I reironed a shirt?” she protested.

Marilyn: “I knew I had a triple word with SMOKES. But I also had the bingo SMOKIES [Canadian smoked sausages or Scottish smoked haddock]. I wasn’t sure, however, and didn’t dare to play it. Live and learn.”

Dahlia: “Years ago at a tournament I earned a Best Phony mug designed by the late Zev Kesselman for UNDRY. It had a funny drawing of a partially clothed man standing under a showerhead, and drinking from that mug always brought up a smile. Last week, when I had UNDIRST on my rack and there was an open E on the board, I suddenly remembered that ’phony’ mug – which, of course, should have pushed me not to play UNDRIEST. But I played it anyway thinking maybe the word had become acceptable. It hadn’t. Bottom line: take those ‘best phony’ mugs at their word!”

A propos UN- words: The player who took a wild stab with UNSEXIER was first amazed, then overjoyed to see that it was good.

Overheard: “I was plagued by the letter N, which kept appearing on my rack in ones and twos. ENUF already!” Jubilant winner: “I OUTFACED my opponent!”

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.

WWWW: Dahlia

WWW: DavidS, Rita, Jonathan, Richard, JoelE

WOW:  REIFIER, ZENANAS (Richard) EUPATRID (DavidS)

PHOW: GLOWIER (May) BRAYINGS (Rita)

High Win, High Loss, High  Triple:

A: 572 (DavidS), 409 (Susan), 1528 (DavidS)

B1: 474 (Brenda), 391 (Yonatan), 1249 (Richard)

Scores over 500: 572, 501 (DavidS)

100-pt play: ZENANAS 107, (Richard) POACHED 105 (Brenda)

Attendance: 22