Cyber Max

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.

Trevor Johnson is the author of the highly acclaimed “Scrabble Bonus Word Techniques” e-book series, available at http://www.bonuswords.com.

Scrabble

Share This

The fragrance of Commonwealth Games 2006 is all around and the Indians are assessing the chances of Medals in it. Having won the bid to host the Commonwealth Games in the year 2010, it’s an issue of great speculation and interest to witness how India fares as a host too.

Looking the stats of last Commonwealth Games held in 2002, India stood 4th in rank with Australia, England and Canada at top three positions. The total medals won by India were 69 with 30 Gold medals.

Indian women notched more gold medals (16) then men (14).

In 2010, 71 nations will be participating.

A look at stats of India’s performance in previous Commonwealth Games highlights India’s winning majorly in Athletics, Boxing, Wrestling and Weightlifting. Minor wins in Shooting, Hockey and Badminton. The total number of sports in 2002 was 17 which is high as against 10 in 1994. However this increase in number of sports does not increase the chances of India winning more medals as the core sports in which India has won medals were included in 1994, 1998 as well as 2002. India has not shown any wins in sports like Gymnastics, Tennis and Swimming. In 2002, Anjali Vedpathak and Jaspal Rana won 14 gold in shooting. Women lifters won 11 gold. Women athletes Anju Bobby George and Nilan J Singh won medals. In 2010, individual wins should rule the roost again and try to bring India at rank 3.

About the author:

Mr. J. Singh is an eminent writer with his respectable presence in the field of Article / Content Writing, since last 15 years. He writes on different subjects and issues like: sports, games, events, internet, life, health, interiors, website etc.

Mostly, he writes for: http://www.commonwealthgames2010.com

Share This

While it’s been long known that children can benefit physically from participating in team sports, few realize the psychological benefits associated with enrolling their child in team sports that they enjoy. The importance of physical activity such as team sports is at an all-time high due to the fact that many of our children are now overweight. Studies show that currently, only one out of four adolescent children participated regularly in any type of organized physical activity. This statistic is frightening to hear considering that the number of obese adolescents in America has nearly tripled in the past 20 years. In 1980, 5% of all adolescents were overweight. A study conducted in 1999 showed that a shocking 14% of all adolescents now have a weight problem.

Exercise has been shown to help many problems when it comes to both the physical and the mental well-being in participants. People that are enrolled on sports teams burn calories by exercising, helping to ward off any weight problems that may be present. Exercise is known to aid insomnia, depression, and low self-esteem, which is important in the world of today where many children feel inadequate due to all the perfection displayed by the media. Regular physical activity also helps the body to manage stress; alertness and a calm attitude are trademarks of a physically fit individual, which can help them to get through stressful times with a minimum of difficulty. A study conducted by the Women’s Sports Foundation found that adolescents that were regularly involved in teen sports were less likely to engage in sexual activity until later in life than those who were not in team sports. Also, teens on sport teams were found to be less likely to use drugs than their non-playing counterparts, and were less likely to be involved in abusive relationships. In addition, the students involved in sports had a higher chance of graduating high school and college.

The benefits and rewards associated with setting goals and following through on a sports team are innumerable, and can be clearly seen in the results portrayed in this article. For that reason, it is important for adults to encourage their children to be involved in some type of team sport. While the actual context of the sport can vary greatly, simply being on the team and physically exerting themselves can cause your child to lead a happier, healthier life. The physical and mental benefits associated with team sports are simply too shocking to ignore.

Kadence Buchanan writes articles on many topics including
Sports, Games, and
Recreation

Share This