The 2024 Scrabble Championship Had the Best Finals of All Time

[@wanderer15]

NOTE ON IAN WEINSTEIN PRONUNCIATION Yes, his name *is* pronounced Eye-an, like the U.S. based sportscaster Ian Eagle: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rIS8Z61_qt-cracsi=GN6o3q4pQYy409td&t=18 ERRORS & CORRECTIONS 0:34 Mack finished 9th in 2023, not 2019. He did not compete in 2019. 1:18 I said "two double letter scores" instead of "two double word scores" 13:17 Mack's score should read 295 after FEED, not 369. I blurred it using KZbin's native editor. 13:38 Ian’s score should read 308, not 341, his score after his next move. Please let me know any other errors that you find and I will add them here!

[@Bloocean]

No worries we know u edit hard but some mistakes are bound to come

[@rnengy]

13:38 Ian’s score should read 308 rather than 341, which was his score when Mack played Castrate Great job casting, and I’m looking forward to many more videos :)

[@galoomba5559]

Is that why the score was blurred there?

[@wanderer15]

@@galoomba5559 Yes, I tried blurring it with the native YT editor because that one was really quite wrong.

[@jellomochas]

Another error: 8:38 "Ian is forced to dump the Q next turn" Quackle likes 11j (E)LEMI, setting up 10n QI and blocking column O.

[@SG2048-meta]

Can’t wait to watch Will Anderson’s 34th best scrabble game video

[@javen9693]

It's only downhill from here, boys

[@jordanmertz5972]

They just keep getting better

[@zackmakesstuff470]

M A T C H

[@SasmithaXD]

Fr.

[@mackmeller]

Thanks so much Will for this amazing recap and for all your support over the years! Hard to believe that picture of us in Vegas was 11 years ago already... Also I can't get over how you so comprehensively reviewed this entire match in under half hour, when I literally have 4 hours (!) of content on it cued up for my channel over the next week

[@alexpotts6520]

Will's channel is the gateway drug, your content is for the hardcore Scrabble addicts 😉

[@dentonyoung4314]

@@alexpotts6520 I like both and am subscribed to both.

[@AlexDings]

Will makes a choice on which nuances he wants to mention. You go through ALL of the nuances 😀 (I enjoy watching both approaches!)

[@AOOA926]

💀

[@AOOA926]

Because you made a video on the states and valid words, can you please do the same with countries and de facto states

[@displeasedone]

Never watched scrabble live before, but happened to catch Wirtual's stream while he was casting the final game of the match with you. It was thrilling to watch in a way I would have never expected a game of scrabble to be. Great game by both competitors, and also great casting by Wirtual an Will!

[@wanderer15]

That was so fun. Wirtual is just awesome, his support of / interest in Scrabble has been a huge difference maker!

[@tomh1760]

At 20:00, Ian ironically has OUTBINGO through the B, but it’s not a word lol.. great video!

[@degenerate82]

this is why Scrabble is so awesome, great eye!

[@tomh1760]

@@degenerate82 thank you, although I meant through the U in column 15!! I can't type as well as I can spot lol

[@himynameisben95]

"bumf" took me completely by surprise, and "the very dangerous smutch hook" kept me gigglin'

[@garlicbreadloaf]

Castrate playing off of lewd is extremely funny

[@DrewLevitt]

Incredible games. And incredible sportsmanship from Ian Weinstein, who seemed sincerely and enthusiastically congratulatory toward Mack even after some excruciating defeats.

[@mackmeller]

Can 100% attest to this firsthand, Ian was as gracious an opponent as you’ll ever find especially considering the intensity and closeness of the match

[@jamb0810]

Incredible storytelling, graphics, and analysis. This finals set will be remembered for decades.

[@mysticalsoap]

That conversation after game 5 is awesome.

[@alexpotts6520]

@@mysticalsoap I think I saw on the livestream Mack pointing above the word EW. I think what he was talking about was the fact that it would have given him a second spot for his J, had JEW not been expurgated from the dictionary, which would have made his endgame a lot easier as he could have played ESCHAR immediately without worrying about being J-stuck. Incidently, had they been playing Collins then he'd have been completely fine, as JA is also a word in that lexicon, giving him plenty of spots for the J.

[@mackmeller]

@@alexpotts6520 Yep that's exactly right. Interestingly, and I didn't realize this until later (though I discuss it in my video coming out on Friday), had I drawn the U instead of the J, ESCHAR immediately would've still been a loser since Ian could block both UT to the T and UN to the N in DOUBTING (my only 2 U spots) simultaneously as they're so close together, and I'd be U-stuck. That being said, I'd still have plenty of fairly straightforward wins.

[@irakyl]

Secretly I'm always a bit sceptical when the pros opt for a safer play, like how likely can it really be that the opponent has the worst case rack right now? But Ian doing exactly this at 12:54 really shows the value in this risk assessment. Congrats to Mack! Great breakdown of all five games Will, I suppose it makes sense that they call you the Aristotle of Formula 1.

[@wanderer15]

Thanks man, Aristotle could burn some serious rubber

[@Trulsbk]

Shoutout to Wirtual for hosting the watch party for a wide audience.

[@xhappybunnyx]

omg I saw Wirt's name here and double-took cuz I for sure thought I misread; what a wild moment of worlds colliding

[@JOZZERZ]

@@xhappybunnyx same bruh im a fan of both niches

[@wanderer15]

Casting with Wirtual was so fun. Beyond being a fantastic content creator, he actually really *gets* Scrabble instinctively, which is amazing to me.

[@xhappybunnyx]

@@wanderer15 omg how'd I miss that?? I've got some content to catch up on. You are both absolutely experts of finding something you're passionate about and disseminating that information in a way that shows us the beauty that you've found. Wishing you both well

[@Ricardo0139]

@@wanderer15 thank you for casting, it was so random but a ton of fun to watch (and it made me realize I wasn't subbed yet while I've been watching you for a while)

[@alviratulaha8618]

I just recently got into scrabble after watching you nigel richard videos. Even with my limited understanding I can say this is one of the most intense scrabble game. I love mack's vs AI videos, such a great player! Congrats to both winners!

[@mackmeller]

Hey thanks, appreciate your support!

[@thegodofpez]

Watching this live was absolutely breathtaking. Great job to both players and the commentary team. Great set!

[@vexion42]

Ooh, Scrabble's youngest grandmaster is from my hometown!? I don't even play Scrabble; I'm just obsessed with Will's videos. 😂 Where you at, Mack? Lemme buy you lunch!

[@mattcanik]

D'oh there was even a tournament in Lexington last weekend! Stay tuned -- there will be another one next September. Maybe you play and meet Mack there?

[@isbwalden]

WILL you might be the actual best youtube channel which says A Lot and also this video with more production is just soooooo good. it's awesome to think about the effect you've had in introducing scrabble to a much wider audience

[@rhpmike]

I enjoy scrabble but not enough to be able to watch live play. Seeing this recap was best I've ever seen. Great games and great commentary.

[@Iridescence93]

This game was legit so exciting to watch. Who would have thought the outcome of a game like this would rest on the extremely useful but humble word ETUI?

[@zackeroni9]

A pretty powerful hand at 8:51 👀

[@billynakamura48]

I was watching your stream with Wirtual today and I just realized that IAN never hit his clock on his final play! He could have taken back his play and switched to block ESCHAR when Mack revealed it!

[@dotcom137]

Down 2-0 and 98 points down in the 3rd game. Wins the Championship.

[@robinier]

I like how attentive you are to people's names, even when the pronunciation is atypical like Ian or unfamiliar like Lamabadusuriya. Good video as always.

[@garys5175]

Great commentary, Will. Thank you for taking the time to share your wonderful content with us.

[@Nayte08]

Incredible game and breakdown! Glad I came across this

[@vivianbombycilla9142]

Ooh I love the tile bag visual!

[@alexpotts6520]

1:15 The word "havering" appears in the song 500 Miles by The Proclaimers.

[@spottieleonard]

Never have I actually paid attention to an entire video more than 10 minutes in length for a long time. Amazing video, keep up the good work m8

[@accesscrimea]

Thats worrying tbh.

[@extremepayne]

Masterful editing, Will. Everything was clear and comprehensible, as well as pleasing to look at. I can definitely forgive a few minor mistakes :)

[@wanderer15]

Thank you very much!

[@jasmineophelia]

Noticed that Chloe Fatsis made it into the Top 5! I've watched a couple games of Chloes and she seems like a great player, especially for her age. Some of her matches were extremely close (and some really not), you think you'll ever make a video covering her?

[@mackmeller]

I'm going to be covering some of Chloe's games on my channel in due time, and I hope Will does too, she definitely deserves it!

[@irakyl]

He has actually! About one year ago: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pIvHmoadnLKIqck

[@wanderer15]

On my to-do list for sure, Chloe had such a fantastic performance!

[@tomprice4016]

The ability of top-level scrabble players will never cease to amaze me.

[@jenconvertibles]

not only is mack meller an excellent scrabble player, he also makes some pretty good music too

[@davidtydeman1434]

Thank you for the video. It was an amazing game and your analysis helped me appreciate their fantastic play

[@DougBrockmeier]

Ian wasn't forced to dump that Q in game 3. There is a sneaky spot to set up the Q!

[@wanderer15]

ELEMI is a sick, sick play!

[@chainedtothedream]

@@wanderer15 overlapping the ANI of PAESANI and hitting the triple letter?

[@MrWill830]

Thanks for sharing your passion. I reckon we should all be doing this more

[@zim81]

Wow, you learn something new every day. 'HAVERING' is the place I grew up in (East of London, UK).

[@alexpotts6520]

@@zim81 Ah, so you're on the "Havering is London" side of the argument, rather than the people who never accepted the London Government Act 1963 and insist it's still part of Essex?

[@zim81]

@@alexpotts6520 East OF London, not East London :) I accept it's not part of London.

[@ogorangeduck]

So many amazing games throughout the whole tournament (THEELOLS stands out). I was rooting for Seth Lipkin to win or at least make it to the finals, but I'm also very happy with the finals match and winner we got.

[@EAZinPDX]

Superb storytelling, Will. Well done!

[@willythewyno]

Thanks for the breakdown. Amazing games

[@RedzaMusic]

Never heard Ian pronounced like that before!

[@codetaku]

Yeah it's really nonstandard The best part is that there's the third way, the Russian way, which is just sort of "Yan".

[@matt-parkers-evil-twin]

@@codetaku like chess gm ian nepomniatchi, right?

[@alc7872]

Sports commentator Ian Eagle is one of the more notable people with this less common pronunciation

[@danielreed5199]

Iron is a strong name.

[@elvenstein]

and Ian Ziering from 90210

[@degenerate82]

Unbelievably great video and your commentary is fantastic as always!

[@tom7]

Dramatic!

[@qlf9_]

did not expect to see one of my favorite computer science youtubers in the comments of one of my favorite scrabble youtubers

[@tom7]

@@qlf9_ it makes sense though, right?

[@mikewarner3597]

This match was so intense, great video

[@Koerq]

I feel for Weinstein😌 Such a fantastic performance

[@axcertypo]

Really happy for Mack and Ian, and Imma let them finish in 1st and 2nd

[@JasonVaysberg]

Great recap of such high quality play! Thanks Will.

[@arkenciel6578]

8:41 was the only word in game 2 not to go mentioned

[@TheGuyCalledX]

Will playing it smart😂

[@1.4142]

I remember reading lotr as a kid and that word showed up and I didn't know what it meant and I started saying it out loud.

[@SG2048-meta]

1:18 small correction: the play doesn’t span two double letter scores, it spans two double word scores

[@Tracequaza]

14:27 no way... started watching this video earlier today and paused and came back to it later, while I'm eating JOTA, and then this bean stew shows up on my screen. and then diapason at 17:13!! a term also used for one of the most common organ stops on english pipe organs!!!!!

[@RRRenegade5]

Its facinating to see them talk out the end game

[@taimurkhalil]

Fantastic game and wonderful commentary In the last game, you said there was only one spot for J, but I see 2 places where he could had played JA

[@wanderer15]

True - keep in mind though that the dictionary here was the North American one, where JA is not acceptable!

[@LuarSoleil]

26 minutes of Will Anderson is the best us little humans can ever experience

[@AlexDings]

We Just Witnessed The Best Scrabble Recap Ever

[@wanderer15]

Too kind!

[@Monk018_CS]

Great to see Chloe so high in the standings at the end!

[@mesavor]

Really like her playstyle. Great word knowledge pairing up with aggressive & no fear playstyle.

[@seanmckinney7286]

Great video Will . Great analysis.

[@glowstonelovepad9294]

2:28 Jqjo reference?

[@xhappybunnyx]

yet another banger vid; great work breaking this down!

[@kamen42]

8:29 "Mack's winning chances are on life support." I don't think I agree, based on the fact that this video has 18 more minutes :D

[@wanderer15]

That was a bit of a spoiler! :)

[@JerryRoger777]

God tier match. Awesome video Will!!!

[@DenWhen]

Amazing watch

[@shr1mpleTV]

Question for Scrabble pros: At 10:38, why does Ian play Qis instead of Qi, isn’t the S one of the most important tiles to have?

[@joshwatt5434]

Holding two S' is evaluated to be the same as, if not worse, than holding one S. Especially on a board with limits opportunity for hooks. If you can grab a few extra points and un-double the S', it's often the right thing to do

[@HopUpOutDaBed]

He has 2 s's. the second s is significantly worse than the first since duplicate tiles aren't great, even if it's an S. Playing your second s for 4 more points is generally worth it.

[@benmuschol1445]

(im just a beginner so others can feel free to correct me) - Ian has two S's on his rack, so the additional S is significantly less valuable. The S is doubled + overalapped, so 6 points may be enough. A pure equity evaluation says that EAOS is ~3 points worse than EAOSS so playing the S for 6 points is justified - If he leaves the spot open, it's a huge scoring play if Mack happens to have the other S to hook onto QI. (Since Ian has two S's, I'm not sure this alone justifies the move as Mack is only ~10% likely to draw the S out of the bag) - It obstructs Mack's ability to play through the G for the triple-word next turn That said, this was not a clear decision and in the commentary for the game, you can hear the announcers analyzing it. The discussion occurs at ~2:59:30 in this video kzbin.info/www/bejne/i6iUfYCJpaykZ6c

[@lovemathboy]

In fact, since Ian would only play QIS over QI if he has duplicated 'S's, Mack can also infer from the QIS play that Ian is extremely likely to have another S. Top-level scrabble can become a mind game at times, since opponents can make inferences on what kind of tiles you have on your rack based on what you didn't play.

[@bacon.cheesecake]

Ian's first move was very nice

[@scentedcandls]

Caught this live... is it bad that I was shaking during the final minutes

[@mackmeller]

20 bucks says I was shaking more 😉

[@AOOA926]

I’ve always thought Ian was pronounced ee-in

[@Ascension721]

Thats the more common pronunciation, Ian himself pronounces it the way that Will did. I hadn't heard this alternate pronunciation but apparently some people do use it.

[@AngelShrimpChips]

7:55 "yeah he should play klutz" *plays klutz* "LET'S GOOOO"

[@benro6564]

Video idea: (un)luckiest tile draws. I'm curious if anyone has drawn both blanks at the same time at top level play

[@richards31415]

Two blanks at the same time is not super common but still shows up time to time. It's actually worse to draw both blanks simultaneously as opposed to one after another.

[@mynintendogamingfeed5208]

Oh boy, this is like the 2016 NBA Finals all over again!

[@pavango3812]

I loved the story telling in the video. The progress bar at the bottom was really nice. This is your best work yet!

[@wanderer15]

Thank you very much!

[@holdenrolfs]

"soju" is one of the few words played in these tournaments that I know very well, so it was a little amusing to see it get the definition treatment😅

[@msolec2000]

What's with the tiles being placed in 5x5 arrangements at the start, seemingly randomly?

[@risky6string]

It's an easy way to determine you have all 100 tiles present. It's standard practice at tournaments for players to 'square' the tiles at the end of a game ready for the next one

[@msolec2000]

@@risky6string OK, I can easily there are 100 tiles, but how can you see they are the right 100? Surely a more methodical arrangement would be more useful...

[@risky6string]

@@msolec2000 it just rarely ever presents itself as a problem. Theoretically it could but in practice it is so rare as it requires too many oversights on the part of the players. Building something methodical would take an unnecessary amount of time each time and a mistake is still possible

[@msolec2000]

@@risky6string I see. Thank you

[@MrConverse]

12:47, *o-HE-uh. Hope it helps. Nice vid.

[@Speedster___]

8:43 that definition

[@ChloekabanOfficial]

(13:17) Why is the number 295 blurred out?

[@Aploplex]

What is the endgame after HAJI?

[@mackmeller]

Not to over self-promote, but this question will be answered in excessive detail on Friday on my channel :)

[@Aploplex]

@@mackmeller Haha okay. I’ll be on the lookout for it, thank you :)

[@Snidbert]

This is like Death Note

[@sam.serif_]

Mack meller crazy name

[@JSSTyger]

Look at all those words I don't know at 24:29...zoeal, foh, eluviate, diapasons, moc, fe, vino, eschar, irid. I bet 10 bucks they don't know the definitions.

[@Larsbutb4d]

I only know zoeal here 😭😭 -i believe the definition is something like "pertaining to the baby stage of a crab"

[@thecpu15081]

In Game 4 did I an not have DOULEIAS at one point?

[@PTfan54]

When Nigel isn't on the screen, all the other Will Anderson viewers should be asking "Where's Nigel?".

[@keejay98195]

8:55 would’ve been a 5 pointer for me

[@vharmi.]

22:15 Isn't it possible to also play the J on A7, or is that word not legal for some reason?

[@Emile.gorgonZola]

Proper nouns don't count in Scrabble

[@vharmi.]

@@Emile.gorgonZola Ahh, that makes sense. It wasn't immediately apparent to me since I'm Swedish, and religions and people belonging to them aren't proper nouns in my language. Always great to learn more things :)

[@richards31415]

​@@vharmi. JEW used to be a valid word but got removed in the NWL20 version along with several other racial/ethnic slurs

[@nocakewalk]

22:15 "Only one spot for the J afterwards" Isn't JEW also available on the left?

[@ljkai]

jew is not valid anymore

[@chunktuff]

@@ljkai I think that's pretty pathetic. It's been a word forever.

[@ryanhinman9162]

Insane Bingo at 8:42 that Mack found. How do you pronounce it?

[@tommylindstrom2161]

The way you pronounced “Ian” killed something inside of me

[@thomascorey7284]

It’s the correct pronunciation of his name I believe, actually!

[@mackmeller]

It’s unusual for sure but can confirm it’s definitely how Mr. Weinstein pronounces it!

[@Wolfboy607]

That's now how one normally says Ian.... I don't know him, so maybe he does, but... it's normally said like ee-an, not eye-an.

[@wanderer15]

He does in fact pronounce it that way, like sportscaster Ian Eagle & actor Ian Ziering.

[@dentonyoung4314]

What a crazy finish. With both players under 30 seconds at the end of game 5, one small misjudgment by Ian was enough to give Mack the win.

[@davidhughes7174]

amazing

[@qqw743]

An outstanding video, and outstanding video series. I have one suggestion: after your intro, when you work toward the video series title, I think you need a signature line to say like, "And this game goes down in .... SCRABBLE HISTORY." Or "And the rest is .... SCRABBLE HISTORY."

[@jkonrad]

Think I recognize some of those words…

[@javierrodrigo1009]

I think both Chess and Scrabble should be in the Olympics! Who agrees?

[@tytrib]

Dayum!

[@jayamo-addae415]

This was amazing. Quick question, Will, is "Ja" no longer a scrabble word?

[@flirora]

JA is only in the Collins list; they’re playing with NWL.

[@MrWafters76]

I struggle to play with the American word list as it is so limited in regards to the allowed 2,3 and 4-letter words. I much prefer the CSW dictionary.

[@cbauermusic]

MACK

[@evansgate]

I'm new to english, can someone pronounce the word at 8:44 for me?

[@joachim847]

Wow. I trust you pronounced _Ian Weinstein's_ names correctly, but man. If you got 'em right, I would have got 'em both wrong 😅

[@theefficientguy7202]

15:14 how does that give 74 points?

[@asliuf]

YEAH MACKKKK

[@jarrodjosephpage3803]

This is played with NWL right?

[@wanderer15]

Yes, NWL! So no JA in the pivotal moments of the last game.

[@TheBcoolGuy]

that c-word is horrible, but at least it has one use!

[@ab-mc2nq]

does Ian actually pronounce his name like that?

[@Ascension721]

Indeed. I hadnt heard that pronunciation either.

[@wanderer15]

He does in fact pronounce it that way, like sportscaster Ian Eagle & actor Ian Ziering.