SCRABBLE - The Last Word Newsletter

Book ReviewPuzzler’s Word Guide 2012Compiled by Don HadleyB O O K R E V I E WAt this year’s BAT (Boston Area Tournament) I had the pleasureof playing Carmel Dodd, from Australia, in the Collins division.She was the ideal competitor: both a strong player and a friendly,outgoing person. As the tournament ended, she suggested I geta copy of Don Hadley’s Puzzler’s Word Guide 2012. Sheshowed me her well-worn copy, and I put in an order with BobJackman (rjackman@ozemail.com.au).This book is the perfect book for any Collins player--especially anew player like me. It basically serves the same function as theTWL OWL2 (Official Word List for Club and Tuornament Play,2nd Edition), in that it lists all the 2- to 8-letter words acceptablein the Collins lexicon, with no definitions. However, it goesbeyond this by also listing front and back hooks and anagramsfor each word. In the front of the book Hadley includes a quickreference guide to Q words without U, 2-letter words, 3-letterwords, and 3- to 8-letter words deleted in 2012 (useful for playerswho started playing Collins before January, 2012).The book’s handy size (5-3/4 x 8-1/4) make it easy to carry or place in a handbag, much as I do withthe similarly sized OWL2 in the TWL division. Despite being 482 pages long, it isn’t bulky, thanks toa light paper stock and a small but readable typeface.The author uses bold and italic fonts to indicate main words and anagrams; extensions are in aregular font. Words added in 2012 have an asterisk. While there is no introduction telling thereader how to use the book (other than the example on the cover), that posed no problem. Forexample:ABASBABASCABASYABAS*ABASEABASHABASKBAASThis presentation helps me truly understand how to use a word in my game. ABAS takes fronthooks of B, C, and Y; back hooks of E, H, and K; and anagrams to BAAS.Players using both TWL and CSW lexicons may prefer consulting Bob’s British Bible and Bob’sColor-Coded British Bible (both by Bob Gillis), as these books indicate which words are good in bothlexicons. However, for a simple reference handbook for the Collins player, Puzzler’s Word Guide2012 is superb!40