Invented and designed by Alfred Butts during the great depression
and originally known as "Criss-Cross Words", Scrabble was renamed
into the board game we know today in 1948.
Today, Scrabble is not merely just a board game. It is an
internationally competitive "mind sport" with an active
competitive circuit, Scrabble Clubs, National Associations
and World Championships.
Growth of Scrabble Clubs across the globe continues each year
and the standard of competition grows along with it. As a mind
sport, Scrabble is quickly approaching the level of intellectual
challenge and respect that is held by other mind-sports such as
Chess.
The growing popularity of Scrabble today defies the myriad of
similar rival word-based board games that have emerged over the
past two decades.
Successful Scrabble players know that there is far more to this
game than just spelling and vocabulary skills. Scrabble is a mind
sport, requiring mathematical skills, analytical and strategic
skills, and a mild dose of luck.
To the recreational Scrabble player who enjoys a game with the
family over the kitchen table, the lack (or bad luck) of drawing
the best (or worst) collection of tiles out of the bag is a
major component of whether a player wins or loses. The more
advanced and competitive the player, the less luck plays a
part. Strategic skills largely eliminate the luck component.
There are several reasons why Scrabble is growing in popularity
year by year.
In earlier eras, there were problems with different dictionaries
allowing or disallowing various words. Today, Official Scrabble
Dictionaries have been almost totally standardized
internationally for English language play. There are now just
two slightly differing sets of official words - one for North
America and another for the rest of the world.
The Scrabble Clubs themselves generate publicity in their
communities, offering not just competition, but also a social
scene for the less serious yet still enthusiastic recreational
player.
Inter-club tournaments, Nation Championships and World
Championships draw major media attention.
Even ESPN has trialed televising Scrabble competitions and is
believed to be keen on expanding their coverage of Scrabble
as a competitive mind sport.
In several countries, Scrabble Clubs and associations are
working actively with Government Education Departments to
introduce "School Scrabble" - combining the academic and the
sporting aspects of Scrabble into the school curriculum.
The internet is playing a role in the growing popularity of
Scrabble with numerous websites available for playing Scrabble
online. Educational resources and advice from Scrabble experts
is also readily available online.
The future growth of Scrabble internationally appears assured.
Given that the International Olympic Committee is now considering
a number of mind-sports, such as Bridge, for possible inclusion
in future Olympic Games, it is not beyond the realms of
possibility that at some future point in time Scrabble itself
may become an Olympic sport.
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