WESPA

1. Introduction

Scrabble is a word game in which play consists of forming interlocking words, crossword fashion, on the playing board using letter tiles with various score values; the object is to get the highest score (Appendix 1).

These are the WESPA Game Rules, the international tournament rules of the World English-Language Scrabble Players Association. They apply in addition to the standard game rules reproduced as Appendix 1 of the same document, and they override those standard rules wherever the two disagree (1.1(a), 1.1(b)).

The single most useful thing to know: the tournament game is not the game on the box. Under WESPA rules a game must be one-on-one with both players keeping score, and it does not end when both players pass twice in succession (1.1(b)(i), 1.1(b)(ii)) — even though the standard rules say it does (Appendix 1). The endgame, the final tile adjustment and the challenge procedure all differ, and each is covered below.

This summary follows Version 5.1, issued by the WESPA Rules Committee on 14 November 2021. Clause numbers in parentheses refer to that text; claims drawn from the standard rules are marked (Appendix 1).

2. Components

The Set

• A playing board, 100 letter tiles, 4 tile racks and a tile bag (Appendix 1)
• Of the 100 tiles, 98 carry letters and two are blanks; each letter tile shows its score value at the bottom right (Appendix 1)
• The board's playing area is 15 x 15 squares (Appendix 1)
• Both players must check the tile distribution before play; either may request the check, and once the game starts, corrections may not be made (1.3.1)

Equipment Standards

• Tiles that best achieve both tactile and visual indistinguishability are preferred, so no tile can be identified by touch in the bag (1.3.2(a))
• Any distinguishing marks, such as stickers, must be applied uniformly across the whole set (1.3.2(b))
• Sets free of irregularities from moulding detachment, especially on the top edges, are preferred (1.3.2(c))
• Boards with edges measuring 33–35cm head the hierarchy of preferred board attributes (1.3.3)

Timer and Written Aids

• Use of a timer is mandatory (1.4.4), and the rules govern its position, precedence, neutralisation and malfunction (1.4.2, 1.4.3, 1.4.5, 1.4.6)
• Score sheets and separate tile-tracking lists are permitted written aids (1.5.1, 1.5.2)
• Electronic and other devices during play are separately restricted (1.6)

The Word Source

• The official word source is listed in Appendix 2 and endorsed by WESPA in consultation with its Dictionary Committee; it may change from time to time (1.2(a))
• Tournaments played under these rules must not deviate from the official word source (1.2(b))
• This replaces the standard rules' looser instruction that players simply agree on a dictionary beforehand (Appendix 1)

3. Setup

Starting Position

• All tiles go into the bag; each player draws one to decide who plays first, and the player whose tile is nearest the beginning of the alphabet — with the blank preceding "A" — starts (Appendix 1)
• The exposed tiles are returned and the bag shaken to shuffle (Appendix 1)
• Each player then draws seven tiles onto a rack (Appendix 1)
• WESPA specifies its own procedure for determining who starts and for shuffling tiles (2.1, 2.4)
• The timer is started under rule 2.2 (2.2)

Attendance

• Players have a duty to be present for their games (2.3.1)
• Separate rules cover both players absent and one player absent (2.3.2, 2.3.3)
• Lateness can lead to optional or compulsory forfeiture, with defined consequences (2.3.4, 2.3.5, 2.3.6)
• Provision is made for special needs and disabilities (2.5)

4. Gameplay

Placing Words

• The first player places a word reading across or down with one tile on the centre square; diagonal words are not permitted (Appendix 1)
• All tiles played in any one turn must lie in one continuous line, horizontally or vertically (Appendix 1)
• Tiles touching others in adjacent rows must form complete words crossword fashion with all such tiles (Appendix 1)
• Players may not add tiles to various words in different parts of the board in the same turn (Appendix 1)
• New words can be formed in five ways: extending a word at either or both ends, playing at right angles through an existing letter, playing parallel so adjoining tiles form words, adding a letter, or bridging two or more letters (Appendix 1)
• At the end of every turn a player draws as many new tiles as were played, keeping seven on the rack (Appendix 1)

Exchanging and Passing

• A player may use a turn to exchange any or all rack tiles, discarding face down, drawing the same number, then returning the discards to the bag (Appendix 1, 3.2.1)
• An exchange scores zero (3.2.2)
• A player may instead pass, whether or not a word is available (3.3, Appendix 1)

Pressing the Timer Is the Commitment

• Pressing the timer while playing a word, exchanging or passing indicates a final choice of move, which may not then be changed (3.4.1(a), 4.1(a))
• A player may alter the choice of move at any point before pressing (3.4.1(b), 4.1(b))
• Rules cover elements overlapping the opponent's next turn, and unintentional presses (3.4.2, 3.4.3)
• A blank must be declared — the player states the letter it represents, and it cannot be changed for the rest of the game (3.8, Appendix 1)

Drawing Tiles

• Rules fix the bag position, the drawing protocol, and the requirement to keep tiles above the table (3.9.1, 3.9.2, 3.9.3)
• Improper drawing, overdrawing, improperly corrected overdraws and drawing out of order are each separately handled (3.9.4, 3.9.5, 3.9.6, 3.9.9)
• A player has a duty to disclose an overdraw (3.9.7)
• No tiles may be drawn while awaiting adjudication (3.9.10)
• The player on turn has actions reserved to them, others where they have priority, and a defined right to the bag (3.6.1, 3.6.2, 3.6.3)

Challenges

• Facing a play, the opponent may issue a challenge, call "hold", or accept the turn (3.10.1, 3.10.5, 3.11)
• The turn is accepted if the opponent neither holds nor challenges before the player's replacement tile reaches the rack (3.10.1(b))
• Accepting a turn waives the right to challenge it (3.10.1(c)); writing by the opponent does not affect acceptance (3.10.1(d))
• A player whose turn is successfully challenged loses that turn (3.10.13(a))
• An unsuccessful challenger may incur a penalty, and the penalty varies by tournament (3.10.13(a), 3.10.13(b))
• Standard penalty conditions are a five-point penalty per unsuccessfully challenged word — the preferred international norm — five points per challenged turn, or loss of turn, known as "double challenge" (3.10.13(b)(i), 3.10.13(b)(ii), 3.10.13(b)(iii))
• Failing to record scores before drawing, or pre-writing them, is flash-drawing (3.10.2)

Conduct

• Upsetting a board intentionally is a very serious offence: immediate loss and ejection from the tournament (5.2)
• An offender not in the lead loses by the current margin plus 100 points; an offender in the lead loses by a margin of 100 points (5.2(a), 5.2(b))

5. Scoring & Winning

Premium Squares

• A light blue square doubles the letter; a dark blue square triples the letter (Appendix 1)
• A light red square doubles the word; a dark red square triples the word (Appendix 1)
• Where a word crosses both kinds, letter bonuses are added first, then the whole word is doubled or tripled (Appendix 1)
• A word crossing two premium word squares is doubled then re-doubled — 4× — or tripled then re-tripled, 9× (Appendix 1)
• Premium squares count only on the turn the tiles are placed on them (Appendix 1)
• A blank on a word-premium square still doubles or triples the word total, but on a letter-premium square its value stays zero (Appendix 1)

Counting a Turn

• The turn score is the sum of the tile values plus any premium values earned (Appendix 1)
• When several words are formed in one turn, each is scored, and shared letters count at full premium value in every word (Appendix 1)
• Playing all seven tiles in a single turn earns a 50-point bonus, added after any doubling or tripling (Appendix 1)
• Scores are kept per rule 3.5, and both players keep score under WESPA rules (3.5, 1.1(b)(i))

Ending the Game — Where WESPA Differs

• Playing out occurs when, after completing a turn, a player has no tiles left and none remain in the bag (5.1.1)
• A player playing out must neutralise the timer rather than start the opponent's (5.1.2)
• If the opponent does not respond within about five seconds, the player may restart the opponent's timer while waiting (5.1.3(a))
• Six consecutive zero-scoring turns end the game — from any combination of passes, exchanges and successful challenges (5.2)
• This is the rule that replaces the standard "both players pass twice" ending, which WESPA explicitly disapplies (1.1(b)(ii), Appendix 1)

Final Tile Adjustment

• WESPA's recommended procedure: the player who went out has their score increased by twice the value of the opponent's unplayed tiles, and the opponent's score is unchanged (5.1.4(a)(i))
• The alternative permitted procedure is the familiar one: the winner adds the opponent's unplayed tiles and the opponent is commensurately decreased (5.1.4(a)(ii))
• The standard rules describe only that second form — every player's score reduced by their own unplayed tiles, with the player who went out adding the total of everyone else's (Appendix 1)
• If neither player can play out, the six-zero rule decides the ending instead (5.1.4(b), 5.2)

Time Penalties

• Exceeding the assigned game time costs a penalty per minute or part thereof, measured in full seconds and not fractions (5.3)
• Going 10 minutes over the assigned time is an immediate forfeit loss (5.3.3)
• The non-forfeiter's final score is unchanged; the forfeiter first has 100 overtime penalty points deducted before the recorded result is worked out (5.3.3)

Recording the Result

• A result slip signed by both players is final and binds the players and the Tournament Director (5.4.1)
• It may be corrected only if both players agree before submission, or by petition where the winner's and loser's scores were accidentally reversed (5.4.1(a), 5.4.1(b))

6. Variants & House Rules

Tournament Play vs the Game in the Box

• The standard rules describe a game for 2, 3 or 4 players (Appendix 1); WESPA rules require one on one (1.1(b)(i))
• The standard rules end the game when all players pass twice in succession (Appendix 1); under WESPA rules they do not, and six consecutive zero scores end it instead (1.1(b)(ii), 5.2)
• The standard rules let players agree a dictionary (Appendix 1); WESPA fixes a single official word source that tournaments may not deviate from (1.2(a), 1.2(b))
• The standard rules elect one scorekeeper (Appendix 1); WESPA requires both players to keep score (1.1(b)(i))
• Where the two texts conflict, the WESPA rules prevail (1.1(b))

Challenge Systems

• Because the unsuccessful-challenge penalty is set per tournament (3.10.13(b)), the same play can cost nothing, five points or a whole turn depending on the event
• Check the tournament announcement before playing a risky word — under "double challenge" a failed challenge costs the turn (3.10.13(b)(iii)), while under the preferred international norm it costs five points per word (3.10.13(b)(i))

Virtual Events

• WESPA publishes supplementary provisions for virtual events, under which the challenge penalty rule is unchanged (3.10.13)
• Virtual events must have independent monitors responsible for watching games for cheating (2.1)
• Players are required to take steps to demonstrate they are not seeking outside assistance (2.2)
• Suspected cheating or abusive behaviour is referred under the main conduct rule (6.2.4)

Word Sources Differ by Region

• The official word source is endorsed by WESPA and may change over time (1.2(a)), so a word list valid at one championship may not match a later one
• National associations maintain their own domestic norms; these rules exist precisely to let players whose domestic norms differ meet on common terms (1.1(a))