SCRABBLE - The Last Word Newsletter

E N D G A M E P U Z Z L EANSWER: The only move that guarantees you the win is the sneaky FORTALICE J4 for 14 points.Several other plays will win 75% of the time, but only FORTALICE will win 100% of the time. AfterFORTALICE, regardless of whether you draw a D, O, P, or S, you will have two spots for bingoes;your opponent will be unable to block both. Furthermore, although your opponent is currentlywinning by 61 points, he or she will not be capable of outrunning you after FORTALICE, regardlessof what you pick out of the bag.After FORTALICE, if you draw a D, you will have two playable bingoes, only one of which can beblocked: TRAGEDIAN O5 for 68 and ANTHERID D8 for 96. In this scenario, your opponent’s bestplay is SHOP D10 for 34, after which you will be losing, 332-413. After you play TRAGEDIAN, youwill be losing 400-413; once double your opponent’s rack is added to your total, you will win,414-413.If you draw an O after playing FORTALICE, you will again have two bingo spots on opposite halvesof the board; your bingoes will be ARAGONITE O5 for 67 and ANTIHERO D7 for 90. Youropponent’s optimal play will again be SHOP D10 for 34, after which bingoing out with ARAGONITEleads to a 415-413 victory for you.If a P is drawn after FORTALICE, you will have PERIANTH in two spots: at 2A for 80, and at D4 for78. Your opponent cannot block both spots; the best play is again SHOP D10. After you playPERIANTH at 2A, you will triumph, 424-413.Finally, when an S is picked after FORTALICE, two bingoes will be availble: STEARINE 6A for 64and NASTIER 13H for 81. Your opponent’s best play is now OPS 13H for 23, blocking your higherscoringbingo; after STEARINE, you will win, 412-402. Thus, no matter what tile you draw from thebag, FORTALICE will always win.There are also numerous moves that will win 75% of the time. Plays such as NA N2, AG M14, andNA 12F, among others, will win unless the S is drawn; if you pick the S, you will only have one bingospot, STEARINE, as LICES* is a phony. Once your opponent blocks STEARINE with a play such asPE 6G, you will lose. Although plays like AG 13E and AGA O7 exploit the same tactic, such playsblock a bingo lane and will win even less frequently.Quackle suggests another interesting play creating a new lane: AH 2G. This play, however, neverwins. If you draw the P, your opponent can simply block both PERIANTH D4 and row 3 with a playlike POODS 3C, after which you are hopeless. Similarly, you pick the S, your opponent playssomething like POPS F2, after which you have no bingo since LICES* is not a word. Also, if you pickthe D, SHOP D10 will now win for your opponent as AH scores 9 less than FORTALICE; althoughyou now have TRAINED or ANTIRED at 3A for 75, you will lose 412-413 after SHOP. Finally, if youdraw the O, you will again lose after SHOP; after ARAGONITE, your only bingo, you will lose,404-413.Therefore, it can be concluded that the only way to guarantee a win is by playing FORTALICE J4.Regardless of which tile you draw next, FORTALICE will always result in having two different bingospots; despite leading by 61, your opponent will not be capable of outrunning you in anycircumstance. Several alternatives win 75% of the time, and AH 2G, a seemingly attractive move,will surprisingly never win; only FORTALICE wins 100% of the time. The main tactic exploited byplaying FORTALICE is to create a second bingo spot in the event that you draw an S; previously, asLICES* is unacceptable, there was only one bingo lane for your rack after drawing an S. 39