A dedicated math teacher has recently achieved the remarkable feat of becoming the top female Scrabble champion in the UK, outscoring her competition by an impressive 1,000 points.
Natalie Zolty outplayed Scrabble grandmaster Gary Oliver to seize the championship title, thanks to her strategic use of the word ‘zendiks’, which refers to heretics or unbelievers.
At 61 years old, Natalie triumphed in the top division during the UK Open competition, held on January 9th in Reading, England, winning 12 out of 15 games along the way.
While she candidly admits that she may not always know the meanings of the words she plays, Natalie dedicates hours each day to learning thousands of words from the dictionary and practicing 500 anagrams while enjoying her favorite television shows.
Now, she’s excited to share her top tips for aspiring players who wish to elevate their game, emphasizing that it all begins with mastering simple two-letter words.
The Official Scrabble Players Dictionary, 6th Edition, includes 107 acceptable two-letter words. “Learning all of them isn’t too hard,” said the Solihull, West Midlands teacher. “Some of them may sound strange and delightful, like ‘Xi’ and ‘Za’. Get a handle on those two-letter words, and you’ll be amazed at how quickly you can rack up points!”
Having taken up the game around 17 years ago through Facebook, Natalie hopes to inspire more women to enter the competitive scene, as she has observed a significant male presence in recent tournaments.
“I became really passionate about it. There’s so much to learn and study,” she shared. “You essentially learn the entire dictionary, but focus on the words that yield the highest points in matches.”
She advises players to keep hold of some one-point letters to maximize their scoring potential. “Aim for a bonus by using all seven tiles for an extra 50 points. High-level Scrabble players often strive to achieve this two or three times per game, and I typically manage about two and a half bonuses in each match.”
In addition, Natalie encourages players to be strategic about their letters. “There’s an option every turn to exchange letters and skip a turn. This can intimidate many players who feel compelled to continue, but don’t hesitate to swap out tiles if you’re stuck with challenging letters. Sometimes playing a word can leave you with a poor rack that yields no points; persisting with bad letters will only make the situation worse.”
“Keeping some one-point letters is essential. They may seem insignificant, but they can combine to form bonus words—what we call stems.”
“It’s also important to recognize what we refer to as hooks. A hook is a letter that can be added to the beginning or end of a word to create another word. For example, adding ‘s’ to ‘princes’ turns it into ‘princess’, or placing ‘h’ at the front of ‘airline’ changes it to ‘hairline’. While some hooks are straightforward, others may require a keen eye to spot.”
As Natalie continues to inspire others in the world of Scrabble, her passion for the game and her strategic insights are sure to light the way for many aspiring players!
