Duke librarian doubles as scrabble whiz

<p>Rozear memorized hundreds of words per week in preparation for the enormous Scrabble event.</p>

Rozear memorized hundreds of words per week in preparation for the enormous Scrabble event.

For Duke librarian Hannah Rozear, playing Scrabble is more than just a rainy day activity.

Rozear, librarian for institutional services at Perkins Library, recently placed fifth in her division at the North American Scrabble Championship in Reno, Nev. The event—which ran from Aug. 1-5—featured approximately 350 players from around the world and included prize money for the winners.

“I was hoping to come home with number one, but I wound up with fifth place,” Rozear said in a recent conversation.

Rozear was the top seed in her division of the competition before being upset by the No. 8 seed, which dropped her to the fifth through eighth place consolation games. Still, she said that her overall performance—she accumulated 22 wins and nine losses—resulted in an improvement to her overall scrabble rating, a figure based on a player’s scores at various tournaments that determines which division players can compete in.

“If I go again next year, I would be in a higher division playing for more money and playing better players,” Rozear said.

During the competition, participants had 25 minutes to score as many points as possible using the letters they randomly selected. They played a minimum of 31 games and based their strategy on finding ways to score a “bingo,” a seven-letter word, which awards the participant an extra 50 points.

Rozear said that the championship this year used a playoff format instead of the traditional scoring method involving wins, losses and overall points scored, a change that left many participants dissatisfied. If the old format had been used, she would have taken first place in her division and the $1,100 prize.

Despite the disappointing result, Rozear noted that she enjoyed being around her fellow competitors, many of whom have their own custom equipment and spend up to 10 hours a day practicing.

“It was cool to be among people who were still talking about Scrabble even after the games ended,” she said.

Rozear’s strategy for the competition involved studying words that are high probability bingos and keeping letters on her rack that she knew she could use to make a bingo. She always hoped to draw a blank tile—the most valuable piece because of its utility in creating bingos—and tried to track the tiles that had been played.

Also important, she noted, is making smart challenges, which can be submitted when a player believes his or her opponent has played a word not in the dictionary.

“It’s a game of bluffing,” she explained. “You’ve got know how to play fake words and get away with them, and you’ve got to know when to challenge.”

Several of her wins were achieved through playing fake words that she wasn’t challenged on, Rozear said.

Rozear prepared for the tournament by playing in tournaments through the Triangle Scrabble Club and competing against her father-in-law, Marvin Rozear, associate professor emeritus of medicine in the Department of Neurology, multiple times per week. In addition to memorizing hundreds of words per week, she also plays online Scrabble to sharpen her skills, often practicing on her walk to work using her phone.

Although she did not begin competing in tournaments until 2005, Rozear said she has always been surrounded by the game. Her parents played Scrabble each night for as long as she can remember.

She plans to continue competing in tournaments locally during the fall and aims to keep her rating up so she will be able to compete in nationals in Indiana next year.

“I would like to continue to get gradually better and keep playing in as many tournaments as I can afford,” Rozear said.

Amrith Ramkumar contributed reporting.

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