History
Tacoma Scrabble® is a once a month club that meets in Tacoma, WA.  The club was started by a dedicated corps of Tacoma players who were crazy enough to drive to Seattle on a weekly basis just to play Scrabble®.  Lynn Dreyer passed the Directors' Test in May, 2008.  After much procrastinating, we had our first meeting on September 5, 2008.  Because Lynn still wants to drive to Seattle every Tuesday for their club, we will stay a once a month club unless someone else wants to co-direct.  You must have passed the National Scrabble® Association Directors' Test to direct a sanctioned club.

Play
We play 6 games in an informal, Round Robin style (rotating players after each game). Each game takes about an hour. Plan to arrive by 4pm for the first game. You do not have to play all games.  Last game starts at about 9 pm.

New Players

Your first time (and subsequent club sessions until you win your first game):

• You get free challenges
• You can refer to 2- and 3-letter word lists during play.
• There is no time penalty (although you must use a clock, and the game may be stopped if it runs over time)
• You don't have to pay the $1 session fee

There is more helpful information for new players here.

Club Fees
There is no fee to join the club and you do not need to phone or email before you come. $1 per session pays for photocopying and incidentals.  If we decided later that we need club equipment or want a prize fund, the fee may go up a little.

Rules

We follow the Official Tournament Rules of the National SCRABBLE® Association. These rules are an extension and refinement of the rules that come with the game.

Equipment
The Club does not own any equipment.  The standard for tournament play is a Deluxe board (ridges hold tiles in place and the board rotates),  Protiles (smooth surface so you cannot feel letters). and a digital Scrabble® clock (like a chess clock). If you have tournament grade equipment, please bring it. As we are just starting out, standard boxed sets are also welcome but we encourage you to play with tournament-type equipment if available. See our links page for sources for equipment.
Game clocks are used to allot 25 minutes of playing time to each player. While this may seem short, it is usually more than enough time. Most players get used to the clock very quickly.

You must keep track of your score and that of your opponent.

Score sheets are provided by the Club but you may use your own or just a sheet of paper, if you wish. The links page has several score sheets you may print out.  Please bring your preferred writing implement.

Word Source
The Club uses the Official Tournament and Club Word List (OWL) to adjudicate challenges. This includes the words in the Official Scrabble® Player's Dictionary 4th Edition (OSPD4), which is available in most bookstores, except that the OWL also includes about 200 expurgated words (offensive words and brand names).

You must be a member of the National SCRABBLE® Association to purchase the OWL.