BahamaMama said:
dang....too bad they didn't advertise that it was gonna be on, cuz i'd sure as heck rather watched than than the bears game 
why torture yourself.....??? and watch Chicago lose their like 12th game in a row on the road????? against detroit, no doubt.
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i'd rather see someone hit a triple word score with the letter "X"....
heh heh...nice word.....XU.
for those of you that don't take scrabble as a contact sport seriously....
Defense or Offense?
Whether you play defensively or offensively depends on your opponent, your personality, and how you perceive the game. If winning is the only object, and low scores such as 240 are not important to you, then defense is your option. If good scores are your object, then 450 to 480 with the opponent winning, might be quite satisfactory to you! In that case you would play offensively, going for the most points possible. Maybe you just want to enjoy the game, whatever the result. The best players seem to use all three methods.
Hint If the other player is better, and you just want to win, block plays and use short words
Defense involves blocking possible moves that your opponent can make. If the other player is superior to you, this is a good way to play. He cannot use his superior abilities of word formation if you do not give him opportunity. The board will not be a fun board to play, however, and you may not enjoy the game regardless of whether you are successful in beating your opponent. Defensive play means using a lot of short words, giving points of 12-20, without giving places for the other player to add onto. The art is to keep from blocking your own plays. I like to force the other player to open up into an area that has premium squares, giving me the opportunity to score highly. If you are too cautious, you will end up cramping the board so badly that perhaps half of it cannot be accessed. It takes a good player to do this well.
Hint Give the opponent a scoring opportunity if you think it will help you get a bingo
Offense means to open up the board so that it is easy to get bingos. An offensive player will give the other player premium squares to play on, in the hope that the board will open up even further for the possible bingos he has in his rack. To quote David Ellerton in 'Scrabble, Word Guide and Play' ,
"Good offensive play has a certain elegance. A good player seems to skip around the board, mopping up the best premium score squares, collecting 3, 4 or even 5 50-point bonuses."
I am an offensive player, and, wow, do I enjoy it. Ah, the adrenaline rush of taking chances; I am forever giving up points in hopes of getting a bingo or triple word score. If the other player opens up a triple, and I cannot use it, I often open up a second triple instead of blocking the first one. This is my strategy, to gain the most points possible. If I lose, I know I will at least lose in a blaze of glory, and not a whimper of defensive self pity. I don't mind losing, if I lose well. This, for me, is Scrabble.
To summarize, an offensive player knows that there are times it is wise not to give the other player premium squares. One considers the relative capabilities of the two players, and the room available for risk-taking in the scores. If I play a defensive player, even though they might not be as good as me, I sometimes will not open up the premium squares because I know he will not open up the board subsequently. If the other player is offensive, though a better player, I may give him the point scoring opportunities, knowing that in return he will leave the board open. The choice is up to you. What kind of personality do you have?
lol.
