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Brad Mills ('89)

'Scrabble Fans Organizing Tournament

By CHARLOTTE FERRELL SMITH

Brad Mills knows about 1,000 three-letter words.

"There are about 4,000 four-letter words -- I'm working on those," he said.

The words come in handy for the 35-year-old computer technician, who is addicted to the board game Scrabble.

While he had played the game as a kid, Mills said his wife, Martha, reignited his interest in the game when they married in 1994. He and Martha, a paralegal, now play professionally and have competed in tournaments in several states through clubs affiliated with the National Scrabble Association.

They are the parents of Andrew, 16 months, and 9-year-old Katie, who has started joining them in games at home.

Last May, Mills started a West Virginia club and he's now planning a tournament in Charleston.

National Scrabble Association Club 620 will host the tournament July 7-9 at the Holiday Inn Express Civic Center.

"I hope to make the tournament in Charleston an annual event," he said. "We have about 30 people coming from 11 states."

Competitors have signed up so far from West Virginia, Tennessee, Maryland, Kentucky, Virginia, Illinois, Indiana, South Carolina, North Carolina, Kansas and Montana. Participants will compete in the divisions of beginner, novice and expert. Top prize in each category is $200, $250 and $300.

Players from all walks of life love the game and take it seriously, Mills said. "It's not just a word game," he said. "There are elements of strategy and math. It is not just putting words on a board."

The National Scrabble Association works with game enthusiasts and Hasbro, Parker Brothers' parent company. Founded in 1978, the association oversees more than 200 tournaments a year. In 2005, more than 700 players competed in the National Scrabble Championship for a $25,000 grand prize. The national championship is televised each year by ESPN.

The rules at tournaments are basically the same as when people play at home, Mills said. However, in the competitions games are timed.

"Each game is 25 minutes per person for a total of 50 minutes," Mills said. "Each game includes two people. At the tournament everyone will play a total of 15 games. Finish is determined by wins and losses throughout the tournament." He added there will also be an anagram competition (where you form words using the same letters from other words) and speed Scrabble, where participants are given five minutes to finish a game.

Those who wish to compete can still sign up for the tournament until Monday. The tournament is open to anyone who wishes to participate. Entrance fee is $40. To register or to learn more about the local club, call Mills at 345-0484. Also, check out the Web site wvscrabble.com for more information about National Scrabble Association Club 620.

Mills hopes interest in the challenging game of Scrabble will grow in the area along with club membership. The club meets on alternating Saturday afternoons when people of various ages from all walks meet for one purpose. "We play Scrabble," Mills said. "It's wonderful."

Contact writer Charlotte Ferrell Smith at 348-1246.

Scrabble Buffs in Town for a Spell

By VERONICA NETT

Wordsmiths from across West Virginia and the country traveled to Charleston this weekend to compete in the state’s first Scrabble tournament.

"It’s a great way to meet new people who share the same interests," said Martha Mills, a paralegal for Pullin Fowler & Flanagan PLLC.

"People who play or enjoy Scrabble tend to think the same and share the same interests and quirks," she said. "We’re birds of a feather."

Hosted by the state’s chapter of the National Scrabble Association, the tourney is taking place at the Holiday Inn Express Civic Center and runs from Friday through today.

Thirty-six players, ranging in age from teenagers to seniors, competed, coming from Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Montana, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, as well as West Virginia.

Tournament competition is divided into three divisions, with nine players in the top division, 12 in the intermediate grouping and 15 beginners. Points won in previous tournaments determine which division players compete in.

Top prizes in each category will be in the range of $400 for the top division, $300 for intermediate and $200 at the beginner level. (Most of the prize money comes from corporate sponsorships, but the exact award figures will depend on revenue from registration fees, which was still being tallied on Saturday.)

"It’s addictive and mentally exhausting," said Ronnie Netto, a computer technician from Cross Lanes and member of the West Virginia club who was competing in his first Scrabble tournament.

Netto was born and raised in India. His father would make him play one game of Scrabble every day before he could go out and play, in order to help him learn English.

Unlike the 25-minute limit each player has at the tournament, the games from his childhood could last for hours, Netto said.

Now he plays every night on the Internet, he said.

Mills’ husband, Brad, a computer technician for Siemens Business Services, founded the state chapter, which is called Club 620, this past May by registering with the national association. His motivation was to meet new players, he said.

He had talked with his wife about starting the chapter after attending tournaments in other states, he said.

On Saturday, players brought their own boards, tiles and clocks. A computer allowed players to check words called into question during a game.

Some players, especially in the top division, take the game very seriously. But most had a more casual attitude, seeing the tournament as a way to get out of the house and meet new people, Martha Mills said.

Judging from the turnout on Friday and Saturday, Brad said, the tournament should become an annual event. Club 620 meets every other Saturday at Books-A-Million on Corridor G. For more information about the club or to check tournament scores, visit www.wvscrabble.com.

To contact staff writer Veronica Nett, use e-mail or call 348-5100.