VIRTUAL SCRABBLE

COMPETITION
FOR PRIMARY & SECONDARY
SCHOOLS

RULES AND GUIDELINES

 VIRTUAL SCRABBLE COMPETITION
FOR PRIMARY & SECONDARY SCHOOLS

RULES AND GUIDELINES

1.0 AIM

The Scrabble competition aims to extend vocabulary and develop spelling skills
in the English language among pupils.

2.0 OBJECTIVES

2.1 To enhance pupils’ vocabulary in the English language.

2.2 To enhance mental arithmetic skills among pupils.

2.3 To encourage teamwork and promote integration among pupils.

2.4 To provide a platform for learning in a fun and enjoyable manner.

3.0 COMPETITION RULES

3.1 Eligibility

3.1.1 Primary category

This competition is open to Year 4 to Year 6 pupils from
government-aided schools only.

3.1.2 Secondary category

This competition is open to Form 1 to Form 5 pupils from
government-aided schools only.

3.2 Player

3.2.1 Each state shall be represented by 2 players from the same

school / state they are representing. However, both of them
will be playing individually, not as a team.

3.2.2 Both players from each state are to be accompanied by a

teacher.

3.2.3 Participants shall be in school uniforms.

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3.3 Format

3.3.1 The Tournament Director will determine the pairings for each
round. e.g. Swiss, King of the Hill or Round Robin pairings.

3.3.2 The game will be played on www.woogles.io website.

3.3.3 The game will be monitored by Game Officials using OBS.Ninja

software for surveillance. Each player needs to share two
screens; PC/laptop screen for the gameplay and camera
screen for surrounding surveillance.

3.3.4 Only words in the Collins Scrabble Dictionary (latest edition;

i.e. (CSW 2019) are allowed. However, players are NOT
allowed to form indecent/obscene words though the words can
be found in the dictionary.

3.4 Time

3.4.1 Each player is given 15 minutes per game.

3.4.2 There is no time limit for each move but the game shall end
after 30 minutes or where one player has exceeded the 15-
minute limit by 1 minute.

3.4.3 Any player who exceeds the allocated 15 minutes shall be

penalised 10 points for each minute or part thereof.

3.4.4 Each player shall play seven (7) rounds. However, the
tournament director (see 3.7.1) may vary the number of rounds
as circumstances dictate.

3.5 Game play

3.5.1 Each player shall log on to www.woogles.io 15 minutes prior to

the starting time of the round. Each player should share both
the screen and camera sharing links to the game officials.

3.5.2 Player A will make a match request to the opponent. The

opponent must accept the match within 15 minutes. Failing to
do so, the player will be given a forfeit loss. The timer shall start
once the request is accepted, marking the start of the round.
The computer picks which player shall start.

3.5.3 The first player to play combines two or more of its letters to
form a word and places it on the board to read either across or
down with one letter on the centre square. Diagonal words are
not allowed.

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3.5.4 The opponent may challenge the word(s) formed by pressing the
CHALLENGE button.

3.5.5 However, the challenge rule for games played on woogles.io

shall be set to VOID. The player will not be allowed to form
words that are not in the dictionary. The tournament director
(see 3.7.4) reserves the right to vary the penalty for word
challenges.

3.5.6 New words may be formed by:

i) Adding one or more letters to a word or letters already on

the board.
ii) Placing a word at right angles to a word already on the
board. The new word must use one of the letters already
on the board or must add a letter to it.
iii) Placing a complete word parallel to a word already played
so that adjacent letters also form complete words.

3.5.7 Blanks: The two blank tiles may be used as any letters. When
playing a blank, the player must state which letter it represents.
It remains that letter for the rest of the game.

3.5.8 The player may change any number of tiles as many turns as
desired so long as there are at least seven (7) tiles in the bag.
The player will score zero for that turn.

3.5.9 The game ends when

i) all the tiles have been drawn and one of the players
have used all the tiles;
ii) all possible plays have been made; or
iii) both players have passed thrice consecutively.

3.5.10 When the game is over, both players shall then take a
screenshot of the game result and send it to the game official.

3.5.11 Each player shall then fill in their own Individual Score Sheet.

3.5.12 During the match, if one of the players is disconnected from the
match, the time will continue to run. The player will be given a
forfeit loss only if he does not reconnect before his time ends.
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 3.6 Restrictions

3.6.1 Players shall NOT refer to any dictionaries and/or electronic

devices while playing.

3.6.2 Players shall NOT change browser tabs while playing.

3.6.3 Players must NOT chat with the opponent during the game.

3.6.4 Players MUST share the entire screen throughout the gameplay
for surveillance by game officials.

3.6.5 Players MUST make sure the camera sharing displays clear
image of themselves and their surroundings.

3.7 Officials
3.7.1 There shall be a Tournament Director.
3.7.2 Game Officials shall be appointed as invigilators.

3.7.3 Score Keeper will compile scores for each round.

3.7.4 In case of any contention, the accompanying teacher shall refer

to the Tournament Director. The Tournament Director has the
final say.

3.8 Decisions

3.8.1 The winning player shall be decided first by the number of points,
then spread.
3.8.2 A win is 1 point; a draw is 0.5 point and a loss is 0 point. Spread
is the difference between the winning and losing scores of a
game.
3.8.3 In the event of a discrepancy between this concept paper and
the WESPA Game Rules, this concept paper prevails.
3.8.4 The best team shall be decided by adding the individual points
between two players from the same state.
3.8.5 The decision of the Tournament Director is final. No appeal is
allowed.
.
3.9 Expected Standards

3.9.1 Players are expected to uphold high standards of both etiquette

and ethics. Respectful, courteous, fair and honest play is required.
Players are honour bound not to cheat.

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4.0 PRIZES

4.1 Prizes are awarded as follows:

• Champion (Individual)

• Second Prize winner (Individual)

• Third Prize winner (Individual)

• Two Consolation Prize winners (Individual)

• Best Team

4.2 Trophies and certificates of achievement will be awarded to the winners.

Certificates of participation will be awarded to all participants.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………
*This concept paper is valid as of 2021 until further notification or revision from the Ministry of
Education and can be used at all levels for competitions organised by the Ministry. The
competition will abide to the above rules ONLY.
*All rights reserved by the Ministry of Education Malaysia. Usage or adaptation by any entities
outside of the ministry requires prior permission.

Division of Sports, Co- Curricular and Arts Division

Ministry of Education Malaysia

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 APPENDIX 1

Game Settings (www.woogles.io)

NOTE : Challenge rule (Void) means that all words are checked (automatically by Woogles
system) before play.

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 APPENDIX 2

Scrabble Comprehensive Scoring Guide for Players

A. The score value of each letter is indicated by a number at the bottom of the
tile. The score value of the blank is zero.

B. Premium Letter Squares: A light blue square doubles the score of the letter played
on it. A dark blue square triples the score of the letter played on it.

C. Premium Word Squares: The score of the entire word is doubled when one of
the letters is placed on a pink square. It is tripled when a letter is placed on a
red square. Include premiums for double or triple letter values, if any, before
doubling or tripling the word score. If a word is formed that covers two premium
word squares, the score should be doubled and re-doubled (that is, four times
the letter count), or tripled or re-tripled (nine times the letter count). Note that
the centre square of the board is pink, and therefore doubles the score for the
first word played.

D. The score for each turn is the sum of the score values in each word formed or
modified in play, plus the premium values resulting from placing letters on
premium squares.

E. Letters and word premiums apply only in the turn in which they are first used.
In subsequent turns, letters count at face value only.

F. When a blank tile falls on a pink or red square, the sum of the letters in the
word is doubled or tripled even though the blank itself has no score value.

G. When two or more words are formed in the same turn, each is scored. The
common letters are counted, with full premium values if any, in the score for
each word.

H. Any player who plays all seven of their tiles in a single turn scores a premium
or bonus of 50 scores in addition to their regular score for the play.

I. Points are to be subtracted when both players have unplayed tiles left on their
racks at the end of the game.

J. When the game ends with one player finishing all his tiles, the player gets double
the face value of all the unplayed tiles of the opponent.

NOTE: Scoring for each round will be counted automatically in the website.

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 Scrabble Resources for Tournament Director and Players

Gameplay Rules

i) WESPA Rules (Latest edition; i.e WESPA rules version 3.0)

ii) Ministry of Education Malaysia Virtual Scrabble Competition For Primary
and Secondary Schools: Rules and Guidelines

Tournament Director Reference

NASPA Director Manual (Latest edition; i.e 2014)

Online Medium

www.woogles.io

Online Surveillance System (Screen sharing & surrounding view)

www.obs.ninja

Tournament Organiser Software

i) Aupair Tournament Software

ii) Director! Tournament Software

iii) TSH : Tournament Shell Tournament Software

iv) SWIPS https://scrabble.swips.eu

Word Lookup

i) Collins Zyzzyva Self Lookup Software (Latest edition; i.e 5.1.1)

ii) Collins Scrabble Dictionary (Latest edition; i.e CSW 2019

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 VIRTUAL SCRABBLE COMPETITION
YEAR 2021

SCRABBLE INDIVIDUAL SCORE SHEET

Spread Point
Game Own Opp’s
No. 1/2* Opponent Score Score This W/L/D This
Cum. Cum.
game game

*1 = Start, 2 = Reply
® Scrabble is a registered trademark of J W Spear & Sons Ltd, subsidiary of Mattel Inc.

VIRTUAL SCRABBLE COMPETITION

YEAR 2021

SCRABBLE INDIVIDUAL SCORE SHEET

Spread Point
Game Own Opp’s
No. 1/2* Opponent Score Score This W/L/D This
Cum. Cum.
game game

*1 = Start, 2 = Reply
® Scrabble is a registered trademark of J W Spear & Sons Ltd, subsidiary of Mattel Inc.

Virtual Scrabble Competition 10