Scrabble

To set up Scrabble, first lay out the game board and provide each player with a tile rack. All 100 letter tiles are placed into a bag and mixed thoroughly. Each player then draws one tile; the player whose tile is alphabetically closest to the letter 'A' goes first (a blank tile beats any letter). Return these tiles to the bag and mix them again. Starting with the first player and proceeding clockwise, each player secretly draws seven random tiles from the bag and places them on their rack, ensuring they remain hidden from opponents. The game is now ready to begin.

The primary objective of Scrabble is to accumulate the highest total score by the end of the game. Players achieve this by strategically forming words on the game board using their letter tiles. Points are awarded based on the value of the letters used and any bonus squares covered. The game concludes under specific conditions, after which scores are tallied, and the player with the most points is declared the winner.

On your turn, you have three possible actions: form one new word on the board, discard some or all of your tiles and draw new ones from the bag, or skip your turn entirely. The very first word played must be at least two letters long and cover the center star square. Subsequent words must be formed horizontally or vertically, reading from left to right or top to bottom, and must connect to at least one previously played word. All new tiles placed in a single turn must be adjacent to each other and part of the same word. You can create multiple new words in a single turn if your placed tiles connect to existing words in multiple directions, but all resulting words must be complete and valid.

Points are scored based on the combined value of all letters in any new words formed during your turn. Each letter tile has a numerical value printed on it, and blank tiles have no value but can represent any letter (which must be declared and cannot be changed). Bonus squares on the board multiply the value of individual letters (Double/Triple Letter Score) or entire words (Double/Triple Word Score). Letter bonuses are applied first, then word bonuses. If you use all seven tiles from your rack in a single turn, it's called a 'Bingo,' and you receive an additional 50 bonus points after the word's score is calculated. Premium bonuses are only scored the turn the tile is placed on them; subsequent plays using those tiles do not re-score the bonus.

The game of Scrabble concludes when one of two conditions is met: either the bag of tiles is empty and a player successfully plays all the remaining tiles from their rack, or all players pass their turn twice consecutively. Once the game ends, players subtract the value of any unplayed tiles remaining on their rack from their total score. If a player managed to empty their rack, they receive a bonus by adding the sum of all unplayed tiles from their opponents' racks to their own score. The player with the highest final score after these adjustments wins the game.