What You Should Have to Play Competitive Scrabble® — and How to Get It for Not Very Much Money
Here are some of the items competitive Scrabble® players use to play.
Scrabble® Games
Scrabble® games can be brought locally at game stores. You will probably do better, however, by buying on eBay or in the eBay stores. Search for Deluxe Scrabble® and make sure that any game you buy has at least the two following characteristics:
- Dividers that hold the tiles in place, and
- The game rotates on a turntable.
Both of these characteristics are recommended for tournament play. Some of the older games are actually better made than some of the newer editions. There are a number of people who make custom boards. Ask the director or others you see with these boards where they got them. One source is the NASPA Store. You can also Google Scrabble® boards on the web to locate a wide variety of boards.
Scrabble® Clocks
There are at least three reliable sources of Scrabble® clocks that you should check before you buy.
Of course, you can always look for clocks on eBay and perhaps pick up a used clock made by either of these people. Do NOT buy the generic game clocks offered locally and on eBay. They are difficult to configure for Scrabble®. We would also avoid analog chess clocks.
Tiles
The tiles we use have to have a smooth face so that they can't be brailled. The best tiles have letters that won't wear off over time. The two best sources are:
- Protiles
- 3D-printed tiles from Mitch Poplack, email him at poplack@gmail to specify tile and letter colors
- NASPA Store
North American Scrabble® Players Association
Serious competitive Scrabble® players join the North American Scrabble® Players Association at www.scrabbleplayers.org for $30. If you plan to play in tournaments, you must join the association prior to your first event.