The Scrabble Brand Crossword Game began as the idea of Alfred Mosher Butts (1899-1993), an

architect who found himself unemployed during the Great Depression. Butts was not one to feel sorrow
for himself when he was laid off. Instead, he decided to make good use of his time and see if he couldn’t
create a board game.

Butts was very analytical in his approach to this project. First, he examined the categories of games that
were popular. He learned they fell into three categories—number games like dice and bingo; strategy
games such as chess and checkers; and word games such as anagrams.

He used the front page of The New York Times as his study guide. He found that just 12 letters (E, T, A,
O, I, N, S, H, R, D, L and U) accounted for 80 percent of the letters used most frequently. This study of
letter usage also gave him the data he needed to add point values for the use of each letter.

As Butts experimented, he found a weakness in the game. If players had access to too many “S” letters,
then they could score by making a previously-played word plural. To make that aspect of the game more
difficult, he created only four squares of the letter “S.”

Initially, he saw no need for a board, so the game he designed was more like a card game. All players
needed was a flat surface on which to play the game. Butts called the game “Lexico.” Later, he simplified
it to “Criss Cross Words” and added a game board.

His visits to the companies were unsuccessful, however. It seemed the game was destined to be a
novelty that he sold to a few hundred people.

In the late 1940s, a fellow by the name of James Brunot (1902-1984) saw the game and thought it had
commercial possibilities. Brunot was a federal employee and was contemplating retirement. But he
wanted a small business that would keep him occupied in his new life.

james Brunot loved the game but also saw some places where it could be improved. He moved the
“start” point to the center of the board (instead of the upper left corner). He also came up with the
board color scheme that still exists today.

He also renamed it Scrabble. The word “scrabble,” is from a Dutch word meaning “to grope–reach for
something frantically.” (Today the game is so well-known that few would ever think to use the word in
common conversation, unless they were talking about the game.)

PARTS:
> Srabble- is a word game in which two or four players score points by placing tiles onto a game board,
the words can be rows kr downward.
> Board- 15×15 board with 225 squares, the board also contains premium squares that multiplies your
points.
> Letter tiles- 100 wooden letter tiles each marked with a point value based on how often they appear
on english.
> Tile racks- holds the tiles
> Letter bag- a drawstring bag for holding letter tiles
> Instruction- a sheet with instruction on how to play the game
> Box- stores the game
> pencil and paper- used to keep up with the scores

Point value
1pt-A,E,I O,U,L,N,S,T,R
2pts-D,G
3pts-B,C,M,P
4pts-F,H,Y,W,V
5pts-K
8pts-J,X
10pts-Q,X
Opts-BLANK TILE

SPECIAL POINT VALUES/SPECIAL SQUARE

Double letter score(color light blue)-doubles the score of letter placed on it
Triple Letter score(color dark blue)-triples the score of letter placed on it.
Double word score(color light red)-doubles the score of the entire word
Triple word score(color dark red)-triples the score of the entire word.

1. Letter Tiles
Purpose: Each tile represents a letter of the alphabet, each assigned a specific point value. These tiles
are used by players to form words on the board.

Use: Players take turns placing tiles on the board to create words that connect to previously placed tiles,
earning points based on the letters and any special bonus squares.

Movement: Once a tile is placed on the board, it cannot be moved or rearranged during the game. The
goal is to create high-scoring words while blocking opponents from gaining an advantage.

2. Rules for Placing Tiles

First Move: The game begins when the first player places a word such that it covers the center square,
marked with a star. The initial word can be formed horizontally or vertically.

Subsequent Moves: After the first move, all words played must connect to at least one tile already on
the board. New words can be placed horizontally (left to right) or vertically (top to bottom). Players must
aim to create multiple words in one move by placing tiles adjacent to existing words.

Scoring: Points are calculated based on tile values and any bonus squares used (e.g., Double Letter
Score, Triple Word Score).

Exchanging Tiles: If a player has unfavorable tiles, they may choose to exchange some or all of their tiles
by drawing new ones from the bag. This action skips their turn but can improve their chances of forming
high-scoring words later.

Special Cases Blank Tiles: These tiles have no point value but can be used as any letter. Once placed, a
blank tile represents the chosen letter for the rest of the game and cannot be changed.

Endgame: Once all tiles are used, and no more moves are possible, the game ends. Remaining tile values
on a player's rack are subtracted from their score.
How to Play Scrabble Reviewer

Setup:
Lay out the Scrabble board.
Place all 100 tiles in the bag.
Each player gets 1 letter rack, paper, and pencil for scorekeeping.

❌ Invalid Words:

Proper nouns (e.g., names, places).

Abbreviations (e.g., CIA, FBI).
Prefixes & suffixes (e.g., "anti-", "-ful").
Hyphenated words (e.g., short-term, old-fashioned).
Incomplete or unofficial words (e.g., ridic for ridiculous).

Starting the Game

1. Shuffle Tiles: Shake the bag to randomize the letters.
2. Decide First Player:
•Each player draws one tile.
•The player with the letter closest to "A" starts.
•A blank tile automatically goes first.
•Return all tiles to the bag and reshuffle.
3. Draw Tiles: Each player takes 7 tiles without revealing them.

Objective of the Game

•Earn the highest score by spelling words on the board.
•Use high-value letters (Q, Z – 10 points each).
•Take advantage of Premium Squares (Triple Letter, Triple Word bonuses).

The game ends when:

•All players have used their tiles.
•The tile bag is empty.
•No more words can be played.