A Full Year of Scrabble Came Down to One Move

Welcome to Episode 14 of Scrabble History, a series where I break down some of the most incredible plays, epic rivalries, and amazing moments in Scrabble's rich competitive history.
MindGames Incorporated (MGI)'s prestigious Grand Slam tournament took place from October 13-15 in Lagos, Nigeria. The Grand Slam is the culmination of an full year-long season of events, with only the best of the best from Nigeria and the African continent capable of qualifying. This year, the awesome finals match between Nsikak Etim and Timilehin Doko came down to the very last moves of their final game!
Heartfelt thanks to the founder and CEO of MGI, Lukeman Owolabi, for his amazing efforts organizing this event. For more information, visit MGI's website here: mindgamesincorporated.com/wel...
For more Scrabble content from me, follow my Twitch channel:
/ wanderer15
I also have a weekly show on the official Scrabble Twitch channel (Tuesdays 3-5 PM ET):
/ scrabble
Play Scrabble at playscrabble.com!

[@azaky003]

Scrabble at this level is when you successfully challenge "flipover" but having no problem at all with "whangees"

[@I_like_smashburgers]

wait how does this have no replies yet

[@Bean_Soup]

@@I_like_smashburgershow does it feel to have nothing meaningful to contribute

[@thomsmith3588]

@@Bean_Souplighten up

[@martinmaguire-music6692]

@@Bean_Soup Do you know know know what it's like to be searching in your own time!?

[@I_like_smashburgers]

@@Bean_Soup one month later, but bro, chill, I wasn’t meant to be annoying and I’m sorry if it made you angry.

[@electromika]

that Angered to Neurite hook is unbelievable

[@wanderer15]

So impressive

[@Hottodoggu.]

I love the ew and eew hooks. One time I played brr to hook brrr and access the triple lane, it was the funniest thing Ive ever done in Scrabble

[@DubYuhGChoppa]

I just saw a video about Nigel that suggested your channel a few days ago, and now I've watched almost every video you've posted. This channel is going far especially if you keep up the style you've done lately, the algorithm is gonna keep catching it

[@chairwood]

same bruv

[@PelumiOTE2B]

Superb work as usual, Will. Thanks for making scrabble fun and accessible.

[@wanderer15]

Thank you for the kind words!

[@AmaranthRBY]

Community posts here on KZbin are a great way to spread the word about live tournaments, in my experience. Thanks for the tournament recap Will!

[@throwaway1743]

Was going to comment the same thing!

[@Silvergrooves42]

That or a small video that you take down again an hour after it has started.

[@sgrey9181]

I recommend just making community posts when you’re doing live events. It’s the easiest way, and community posts get pushed out to all your subscribers, plus they boost overall channel engagement

[@Ben-15]

For suggestions about upcoming events: what I like about your videos is how you use storytelling to put competitions in the appropriate context. A preview KZbin video before the event, where you talk about some of the key players and storylines, would help to generate interest for the upcoming event.

[@JaretDawson]

Absolutely, something like what Eric Rosen or GothamChess does before they play in a tournament. I almost never see community posts but videos will always show up at the top

[@ogxj6]

Great idea!

[@jamessudlow]

Mailing lists are old school, but probably the best if you want to be actively informed. Otherwise, something like a community tab post would help people who look for it find out. Doing both would allow people who want to consistently be notified to sign up to email and people who just want to check it out when they're free just look at the community tab. Given that it'd be the same content, it shouldn't be that much more work.

[@HomerSimpson900]

ANGERED has to be one of the best I've ever seen. We love your channel, you've gotten us into Scrabble. Thanks and great work Will!

[@kennynolan736]

Seconding the community tab post as a good way to keep people informed about events.

[@dhruvagarwal7854]

This channel is gonna skyrocket so fast

[@wanderer15]

I'm glad people are enjoying!

[@lessersharks]

dude, i randomly looked up “pro scrabble” a week ago and i am now HOOKED. please keep doing what your doing, these play by play breakdowns are amazing!

[@joekerr5418]

the overlap mastery displayed here is insane from both sides

[@DariusKhan]

Yes definitely more of this commentary. I can't believe how close that was after so many games (even the first 24 before the finals)

[@excelmuyiwa2407]

Great content as always Will. Was an absolute pleasure listening to your commentary during the Livestream. Kudos 🔥

[@LewisFulham]

Another great video Will! Nothing but admiration for your analysis of such a complex game, making it simple for all to understand.

[@edwinroth4470]

Enjoyed the video, Will. I hadn't know this event was a thing. You present it suberbly, as usual.

[@kaijalen]

Awesome video as usual, and fantastic to see Scrabble tournaments from around the globe, thank you!!

[@SpencerTwiddy]

Your videos have gotten me into Scrabble! I have gone from never watching Scrabble content to watching every video you make within a day or two of its upload.

[@wanderer15]

Love to hear this & thanks for giving my videos a chance!

[@mikewarner3597]

A preview video for upcoming tournaments would be AWESOME. In general I don't know where to watch pro scrabble, and I'd like to watch more of it. I also really like axcertypo's format where he reviews his own tournament games while watching the official coverage of that game.

[@philipsowolabi6937]

Awesome job as always, Will. The Scrabble community is so blessed to have you, MGI especially. Like a couple of people have suggested, I think a preview video of upcoming events to be live-streamed would be great.

[@dirtchirpsgaming9341]

Love the vids man. Got me into playing some scrabble myself. I would love to see more videos of you playing online and your thought processes with your letters, I think that helps me so much with my game personally. Keep up the great work!

[@appointmenteer]

love this video! id love to see more videos about scrabble games across the world, its really interesting to see

[@appointmenteer]

oh also i think whata is pronounced “fata”. in maori wh represents the f sound

[@seanlynch6077]

I'd definitely love to know about future live events that you stream. Thanks for another fascinating video!

[@craiglarimer1173]

Amazing video and commentary. Keep them coming!!!

[@ahhh-qr1lk]

Nice games! I actually started playing Scrabble online just for fun around 10 days ago because of Your channel. And it is pretty satisfying to find a less obvious bingo every once in a while :)

[@wanderer15]

So glad to hear this! That post-bingo high really does keep us coming back…

[@slouch186]

It's really astonishing how good you are at making the plays make sense, even for someone like me who doesn't really know scrabble.

[@LifeInspector]

Incredible words in those games! Yes, I would like updates about your Livestreams

[@SeanHarding-nv9li]

4:14 My step-uncle is a Scrabble nerd and would LOVE this play

[@thegodofpez]

Amazing set!

[@Nick_Espinosa]

You can make some community posts on KZbin whenever you have live events coming up, i think they bring in a good amount of attention without being to intrusive, great video as always!

[@starcastin]

I was watching live!! What an intense best of 5, along with the best commentary :)

[@theodosiuspadua4503]

YES PLEASE STREAM UPDATES. I don't know how 10 second announcement youtube videos mess with the youtube algoritm but historically that has been most informative for me. Or just at the end/intro of youtube videos?

[@Sam-oz8pn]

Do you think you’ll ever go back to tutorial scrabble content? I think if you tackle it with your new approachable style it would go really far!

[@wanderer15]

I could! Definitely want to finish off Better Know a Letter at some point. In general, it seems like the audience of people interested in stories about Scrabble probably contains everyone who wants to improve at Scrabble and then many more gaming-friendly people who might not care about improvement, but can appreciate the storyline and complexity of the game. But I agree that I have some more technical skills and experience now than I did when I started and maybe that’ll make a big difference.

[@Sam-oz8pn]

@@wanderer15 I bet you’re right, but maybe there are also some casual players who don’t follow the high-level stories who still want to learn to play with/beat their friends! (For example I think your recent video on QI went viral because casual players know it as a useful surprise word) Either way tho, looking forward to whatever you cook up 😎

[@ofurhieraphael7633]

This!!!

[@G3N3515DM]

great stuff!

[@liu4236]

yes! im waiting for you on KZbin will :)

[@ajaxmajor]

this is extraordinary content will oh my lord I'm so happy scrabble has you now. also curious do you think you ever want to do more scrabble cubes content, maybe on your other channel? bc they have the ability to rotate the cube and use 8 letter words now its p interesting

[@wanderer15]

Thank you! Also, I got placed into my own group in Cubes so I don’t find myself playing much. I got a 1560 score in the new rotate mode!

[@mfbobyle6771]

I love these niche videos of games I don’t even play lol

[@joeglenn1793]

Yooo, its your favourite chatter joejoe. Great rundown of the event! Can't wait to see future streams and event's to come! ☺

[@wanderer15]

Ha, thanks for stopping by and see you out on Twitch again sometime soon!

[@muntheshinobi]

As someone who watches your video. So proud to see my country being covered here.

[@hambini-bunnybunn2238]

I love these videos,

[@PokerFan72o]

Love your channel and the excitement you bring to the great game of scrabble. You asked for suggestions at the end, I would recommend you take a simular approach as gothamchess, who frequently provides updates on upcoming live chess tournaments, apply that to scrabble and take this channel to the moon!

[@xaviersavard6343]

What a remarkable move

[@FlavouredWater]

Vods would be cool. If you have already link would be appreciated. Thanks for the content. It’s great.

[@csjoholm70]

I think creating a Short to announce upcoming events sounds great.

[@louismyers8845]

Would love to hear when you have livestreams coming up that you are commentating on - maybe there could be a banner at the bottom of the video saying the date and where it is being shown

[@thomdullaart2617]

I would love to know when you are doing a livestream of a competition. And I think the best way of letting us know is in the form of a short

[@AdamHorton01]

Bro I will watch basically anything you put on KZbin. Whatever other content you want to make is cool too but if it makes it to KZbin it will immediately be placed in front of my face

[@wanderer15]

Had to smile at this comment. Appreciate that faith in me! :)

[@frankiegambardella1443]

Call me old-fashioned, but I'd love a mailing list from you for when events are coming! Amazing video as always btw

[@smun2269]

I think videos explaining the storyline going into an event could be a really good idea

[@coylittlefish]

a community discord with an events tab for streams would be cool, and it would give fans a chance to interact and play together

[@Quinn222]

As always, you do a fantastic job commentating, Will. Whangee will stick with me😅

[@tomf8093]

Great video! One thing for future reference with words like whata, the Māori pronunciation of the wh sound is similar to the English ph so to a English speaker it would sound more like the beginning of the word phone than the word water

[@wanderer15]

Oops. Thank you for the correction!

[@Jeeroj]

top stuff Will, my only criticism is that I want moooore, and longer video, I could listen to you for hours :D

[@Jeeroj]

any plans to upload your twitch vods to yt?

[@wanderer15]

These VODs are on the Scrabble Go YT channel under the Live tab. Apart from that, I gotta stream more sometime if I even want VODs to work with again :) thank you for the kind words!

[@AlexDings]

Wonderful recap as always, but the one thing I'd change (and that I do in my videos) would be to present some situations as a puzzle - that doesn't need to prolong the video, just go Agadmator style "pause the video if you want to, and for those of you who just want to enjoy the show..." 🙂 For example, the bingo at 8:01 is a really nice puzzle for the viewers - only common words are involved in the play, there's only one solution, and it's challenging but doable.

[@wanderer15]

This is great advice, I'll definitely try to mix this in from time to time!

[@NastierNate]

These guys are insane at overlaps

[@wanderer15]

ANGERED in particular was totally nuts

[@Mama_Angel]

Community posts would work super well. I think it'd be a good idea to post them a few days in advance. That way I'll be able to tune in when it happens.

[@randaljr.8581]

For live notifications; maybe put up a youtube short with the information, or make a community post. ive known other channels that would make a regular video, info in the description, and then just take the video down after the event ended. (granted, idk how these options will affect your algorithm or monetization). i personally preferred the regular video approach, because i would see it in my youtube subscriptions.

[@tranonehalf]

Awesome reading all the positive comments. Keep it up.

[@kicking222]

My guy perfectly overlapped a bingo with another bingo. I mean, I remember reading about such a play in "Word Freak" twenty years ago, and it's still just as insanely impressive now as it was then.

[@wanderer15]

My jaw hit the floor not only that Doko spotted it, but also at how *fast* he spotted it. Amazing talent.

[@aarush____]

Hey Will! loved the vid. It’d be great if you could make community posts whenever you stream an event. Also it might be a good idea to make social media accounts specifically for your content.

[@OfficialGidfather]

Updates would be helpful, I think the best option would be carrier pigeons, although they are fully extinct, they do have excellent sense of direction, and could be used to alert us of any upcoming events.

[@samrotiz402]

I would you post your livestream from twitch to KZbin as well as there are some people who aren't on twitch...Anyway nice commentary

[@PetersPuzzles]

As an exclusively NWL player it's always entertaining to see the variety of words allowed by CSW.

[@wanderer15]

A refreshingly positive attitude! (some NWL players avert their eyes from any CSW words to limit potential confusion)

[@anonymouseicecube91]

Great video as someone who doesn't play but love the videos I'd like to see a video about how the scoring works. idk if it's too basic for scrabble players but I don't really get why some plays are worth more on certain positions.

[@wanderer15]

Definitely not too basic - did you see my reply to another of your comments with this video you might find helpful? kzbin.info/www/bejne/rKvSqoCtpNZ_bbcsi=j0AcSslI5wojLXSy

[@Zimodo]

an idea could be to have a 30 second ish video when you start stream that you delete/private when you end stream as a sort of marker when youre live

[@socksygen]

YEAHHHH

[@muddywatters4886]

9:15 BIKES!!!

[@dentonyoung4314]

Doko is going places. He'll be top 20 in the world within a year.

[@wanderer15]

Would not surprise me in the least

[@LongHoanglongrubik]

Hi there, love your videos! I just recently got into Scabble and I wonder whats the different between a home game Scabble and a competitive tournament one?

[@wanderer15]

Thank you! I think the biggest would be the use of a timer for sure - most home games don't use a timer and instead just rely on players to make their next move at a reasonable pace. There's also standard dictionaries used in competitive tournaments, which may or may not be used by players playing at home.

[@LongHoanglongrubik]

Thanks@@wanderer15. I have 2 more questions regarding this: is this a must to have rotational boards for competitive Scrabble? and is it a must to have 2 players only (not 3 or 4) in competitive Scrabble?

[@brocklee217]

I would love updates for events. A community post would be best for me

[@vigilancebrandon3888]

An email list would be great!

[@seafoamshame1]

Dude this shit rules

[@godwinalabi740]

You're good. I enjoyed every bit of this video. I couldn't follow the live commentary. Please share the link with me, thank you.

[@wanderer15]

The streams can be found on the Scrabble Go KZbin channel for now under the Live tab.

[@transience242]

"eeew" is a next level Scrabble word, even to someone who has been playing Qi and Za for decades. What a monstrosity.

[@wanderer15]

Yeah, that one is a tough one. Fortunately the E's stop at three with that one (for now...)

[@houseofleaves126]

A community post would be a good way to advertise live events you stream

[@jakeholmes9296]

This was fantastic!!! That complete overlap bingo was excellent. I have a question. If a blank is played and the intention is one letter but the word still makes sense if the blank was another letter can it be used as either when you add a word to it? Does that make sense?

[@wanderer15]

Yes, this makes total sense, but what we do in tournaments is use a slip of paper with the alphabet written on it. Then, when you use the blank, you circle the letter you want the blank to be before finalizing your move. This way, there’s no confusion or disagreement later on if any disputes arise.

[@jakeholmes9296]

@@wanderer15 oh right so in tournament play, the letter becomes ‘locked’ once played?

[@jingy221292]

@@jakeholmes9296 Correct

[@emmmmmmma92]

shout out to Etim and Doko! they are awesome!

[@usernameusername4037]

wow I think that's the first time I've seen a seven overlap play found

[@wanderer15]

I’ve rarely seen it myself

[@rustav3ry]

community posts or very short videos (so we receive notifications) saying "hey this is happening" would be great!

[@David-ns8ft]

I think announcing your steams on Myspace would help with engagement.

[@wanderer15]

More than Friendster?

[@hansschulman6970]

Thanks for the video! Quick question for you all. I notice that some of the words played do not show up as valid words in the scrabble dictionary, (nek, fone, etc.) so are they using a different scrabble dictionary in these competitions or what gives? Thanks.

[@wanderer15]

That's likely because the dictionary used in areas outside North America is slightly larger, with more words of all types (archaic words, country-specific slang, and even the most cutting-edge words). It's maintained by Collins, whereas the North American dictionary is essentially maintained by Merriam Webster.

[@gogeto26391]

Hi Will, another fantastic video. Is the typical tournament punishment for a failed challenge usually a turn loss? IS the 5 point deduction a MGI specific rule, or is that more common than I think?

[@wanderer15]

It’s very common outside the US and Canada, where the more punishing “double challenge” rule is the standard. Elsewhere, the point system is used. I like it as a gentler way to introduce newcomers to the game and embolden them to challenge words they’re unsure of.

[@donkeykong315]

A short video announcement of stream is nice imo. A quick “Hey I’m live right now on Twitch commentating on XYZ” that you delist or take down after the event is over.

[@donkeykong315]

Another thing is that you either can, or soon can, duo stream from YT and twitch with twitch’s new rules.

[@wanderer15]

Ooh, I thought Twitch actually changed that back so that you can’t multistream…are you sure? Would be a great option if it’s permitted.

[@donkeykong315]

@@wanderer15 yes! You can check the “simulcast” guidelines on twitch. They were changed recently.

[@michaelchen2718]

8:32 what the heck is "Janney" LOL

[@juliusreiner5733]

Definitely would like updates. Co stream on this channel? Drop a post about it?

[@raelsadd6378]

i swear dude, some of these words are so crazy, like i feel elafted would be a valid word, even though i just made it up

[@wanderer15]

I hear you. There are a lot of obscure and archaic words, especially in international play (outside the US/Canada). For the record, those letters would give you the normal word "deflate" :)

[@raelsadd6378]

@@wanderer15 honestly, i just find it fascinating that these guys memorize all these obscure words, and then find all these different spots to play them. It's kinda like chess, but with so much more variation. It's cool, but is sometimes pretty confusing

[@Harrs2]

It's pretty cool that challanges result in points gain in this tournament! What's your opinion Will? Do you prefer the more fatalist challange of NA scrabble?

[@wanderer15]

Good question. I think for newer players, the point gain challenge rule is considerably friendlier. As a new player, the feeling of a more experienced player taking advantage of a player without such strong dictionary command (and the general fear of challenging and losing a turn) just isn't fun. On the other hand, I believe that a more strict (fatalist, as you put it) challenge rule creates a lot of interesting complexity at higher levels of play. Right now, the challenge rules are divided purely on geographical lines, but I'd like to see them divided by experience level of players.

[@pootpoot1001]

almost 25k subs whatt

[@wanderer15]

Crazy!

[@Mathefreck]

Regarding announcements: maybe you could use community posts on KZbin?

[@moartv0112]

@Will Anderson. When Etim plays music in game 5…is that a dead giveaway he has another s? If he only had one s would he ever play music?

[@AmaranthRBY]

You just discovered a concept Scrabble pros call "inference"! Yes, you can very strongly infer from the play of MUSIC that Etim is holding the second S. From Doko's point of view, though, it would have also been reasonable if Etim was playing out of a difficult rack - suppose that Etim is holding U and 6 consonants, he will likely take anything to score 25+ and try to draw something more balanced. Doko has to consider both of these possibilities strongly as the game continues. Good observation, well done!

[@wanderer15]

Echoing Amaranth’s thoughts - it’s not quite a dead giveaway, but his odds of having a second S are hugely increased after a play like MUSIC.

[@not.spir0s]

I was rooting for roko so hard man lol

[@humbertocruz6214]

Would love to know,about upcoming live event broadcasts. A community post shpuld work.A,mailing list also.

[@niconewtime5589]

I had to pause the video for a minute to laugh at the fact that EW, EEW and EEEW are all valid words

[@wanderer15]

It's definitely a bit ridiculous. Fortunately the E's stop at 3 :)

[@BODYBUILDERS_AGAINST_FEMINISM]

10:51 there is.... Another word....

[@Lachie55]

Hello Will. Just in case youd like to know, WH in Te Reo Māori is pronounced as an F. So WHATA is roughly pronounced Fata.

[@wanderer15]

Sorry about that & thank you for the correction!

[@GourmetBurrito]

Are there Scrabble variants that reduce the amount of luck? Like a version with some level of drafting or something similar?

[@AlexDings]

Yes, there is Duplicate Scrabble which eliminates luck entirely - but there's a reason that most people prefer the regular variant, luck makes for exciting plot twists. In French Scrabble, Duplicate is the main variant though for some reason.

[@wanderer15]

The other thing about Duplicate is that while there's no luck (everybody works with the same tiles), the goal on each turn is simply to find the highest scoring play, whereas in 1v1 Scrabble, there's so much more than that going on during each move...

[@beekangheng7708]

Hello, Mr.Anderson.I have an interesting question to ask. Is there a game of Scrabble where the word SCRABBLE is played?

[@wanderer15]

Yes, I'm quite sure it's been played at some point. I'll have to check!

[@beekangheng7708]

@@wanderer15 Ok,Mr.Anderson.

[@pjet8042]

Updates via email (not counting KZbin notices I guess) only...