How to Play Competitive Scrabble

Learn the basics. Before playing competitive Scrabble, you should make sure you are familiar with the game rules and the Official Scrabble Players Dictionary (OSPD). Look at the board and note where the bonus squares are and consider how they can best be used. Practice rearranging the tiles on your rack to make words appear more quickly.

Memorize the two letter words. Knowing all the valid two letter words can greatly increase your score. You can print out a list of the two letter words considered acceptable in the current OSPD by visiting the National Scrabble Association website.

Study the Q words. Memorizing the Q words that don't need a U, as well as two- and three-letter Q words will help you out of many tight spots. Players often get stuck with the Q when they don't have a U to form a word. Consult the OSPD to determine which Q words are valid plays.

Experiment with bingos. You quickly add 50 points to your score when you use all the tiles in your rack to form a word. Pay attention to the most commonly occurring bingos as you play. Consider how to best use the S and common combinations such as ING and ER to create bingos.

Practice rack management. Remember that Scrabble is a game of strategy as well as words. No matter how well you play, you occasionally will wind up with bad tiles. The best players manage their racks to make good plays even with racks containing all vowels or three tiles of the same letter. Practice leaving combinations on your rack that allow you to make better plays later in the game. Learn the words containing several vowels so you can utilize those pesky all-vowel racks.

Play. Now its time to put your skills to the test. The National Scrabble Association website has lists of clubs by area and upcoming competitions that you can join. The Internet Scrabble Club is also a good way to get your feet wet playing Scrabble in a competitive context.