Clubwise: Dubai Scrabble League

Every week, we bring you the latest on the UAE's clubs, associations and groups. We choose one each time and profile it, highlighting its purpose and activities. We also bring you bits of news from other such groups. So that you know what is happening when, where and why. This week: Dubai Scrabble League

I placed the tiles on the board to make JUG and watched as my opponent added an A and left me completely confused. JUGA, is that a word? Learning the hard way, I found out it is and takes another A, to become AJUGA, which means a flowering plant. Many such stimulating situations arise when the table is set for scrabble, the world's best selling word game.

Families the world over play scrabble but playing at the competitive level is a different board game altogether, you must know the 'hooks', the 'connections' and be quick. It sounds tough but there is help at hand. Members of the Dubai Scrabble League (DSL) meet every Monday to practice and perfect their skills with new members for a polite war of words.

Functioning for over 10 years now, this group welcomes anyone interested. People can join or even just watch the masters play and there are no fees. "Scrabble is the least expensive and yet highly stimulating game one can play. Two players, a board, a stopwatch and lots of words are just about all that you need to get started," explains Selwyn Lobo, president, Dubai Scrabble League.

"When a new member arrives, we give him point-scoring two, three and four letter words to learn. He also plays with us and improves each time. We hold the UAE Scrabble Open Tournaments annually; players who qualify go for the Gulf Scrabble Championship. In fact, they can even represent the UAE at the bi-annual World Cup Scrabble Tournament," explains Lobo.

Mangala Bhandarkar, a member, says, "It is interesting to play at DSL, many times you learn new words and when an opponent defeats you with words like XU, QI, HAP, BAH which are from the scrabble list, you tend to retain them in your mind. Practice is better than just plain learning and one must always try to play someone better so that you learn with each move."

For Arvind Abraham, who is a regular at the tournaments, scrabble is a combination of strategy and luck. "You have to be good at anagrams, keep track of the tiles used and the points but if you pull out the wrong letter at a critical time, it can be devastating. But the golden rule is not to lose your cool, for then, even obvious words slip your mind," smiles Arvind.

Pointing out the stark difference between the UAE players and those in the U.S., Charles Carneiro, another member, says, "In the U.S., scrabble is professionally played and people make a comfortable living just by beating their opponents. That unfortunately is not the case here. We are thankful to our sponsor and chairperson Abdul Aziz Al Zarouni who sponsors the tournaments and trips for us which are learning experiences in themselves."

"International tournaments are a great way to meet enthusiasts from the world over. I have been invited to play at the All India Scrabble Championship to be held in Pune this month. With over 200 participants in all, the competition will be mind boggling," says Lobo.