Every Scrabble® game requires deciding what best to do with roughly 10-14 racks per side. Have you ever considered what goes into making those decisions? Word knowledge and statistical probabilities play their roles, of course. But every player brings into each game his or her own cognitive, emotional, and philosophical sets, which help to influence the decision-making process. Robin Pollock Daniel and Joe Edley have considerable expertise in playing Scrabble®, as well as many years of experience in the study of human behavior, between them. By presenting board positions that they played themselves, they will demonstrate how awareness of the self and the other can help you to win, and also how remaining trapped in self-imposed mindsets can cause you to lose.

Take some time before the tournament to contemplate what variables have gone into your winning and losing Scrabble® games, and bring these with you for an open discussion. If there is interest, Joe can lead audience members in an experiment to help you learn how to establish a winning mental state.