Another RIDICULOUS Scrabble endgame

[@michaelking7701]

I’m a chess player and terrible scrabble player. I find your videos fascinating and it makes scrabble exciting to me!

[@mackmeller]

Thanks very much!

[@chris18thseymour]

Scrabble Zugzwang!

[@mackmeller]

Indeed! The big difference in Scrabble though is that you can pass, unlike in chess

[@uvelergle]

@@mackmeller Cant your opponent do the same thing

[@calvindang7291]

@@uvelergle you don't want to pass if you're losing, that just means the opponent can pass back and then you lose

[@uvelergle]

@@calvindang7291 ohh

[@mackmeller]

@@uvelergle Sorry missed your comment before, but to confirm Calvin is 100% correct. In Scrabble after 6 consecutive passes (really zero-scores, so also exchanges or lost challenges count) the game ends and both players subtract the points from their racks to determine their final scores. So if you're losing by any reasonably large margin passing never works as your opponent gladly will accept the 6-pass scenario.

[@thesoundofgunfireoffinthed5654]

realistically is this sequence something that'd ever be found by a human in game conditions or is it some bizarre alphazero style move sequence that only a computer would really be able to see? cool video

[@Firefly256]

It's probably able to be done by human under a sufficient amount of time. In tournaments tho, I don't think players would have this much time

[@mackmeller]

I'd agree 100% with what Firefly said -- definitely solvable by a very strong human player, but unless they had played very fast during the game and saved a large amount (thinking 10 minutes minimum, probably 15+ more realistically) for the endgame it's doubtful they could work all of this out precisely.

[@FUZxxl]

Have there been any interesting games where neither player were able to form further words before the bag was empty?

[@ScrapFatherScrapSon]

Could robin somehow win hooking jun with ye or lye blocking inthroneD?

[@richards31415]

june* is invalid, jun takes no hooks except the K

[@alonsobasterra8277]

didnt know scrabble could be such a close game