Israel’s Scrabble wordsmiths plan first tournament in two years

Get those Scrabble tiles ready, as the Tel Aviv Scrabble Club prepares for the 13th Israeli Scrabble Open, February 11-13, for the first time in two years.

“People were desperate to get back on in-person play,” said Evan Cohen, founder and director of the Tel Aviv Scrabble Club. “It’s nice to have that sense of normalcy.”

The open, taking place at Tel Aviv’s ZOA House, will comprise 22 games, and costs NIS 400 per player, with a 2,000 euro prize, based on 30 participants.

The group has been playing in person since the lifting of the major coronavirus restrictions, but with masks, open windows and a no-snacks rule to avoid any lifting of masks during the weekly games.

Players come to Tel Aviv from as far as Arad, Beersheba and the Haifa-area Krayot for the regular Monday night games, said Cohen, while the tournament draws players from even farther afield.

One to two dozen international players used to come to Israel to participate in the tournaments, although there will only be a few this time.

“We have a couple of staunch supporters coming from Europe, unless they test positive,” said Cohen.

The visiting players tend to come from the UK, Netherlands and Germany — countries relatively close to Israel with relatively cheap flights.

Scrabble in Israel has brought together players in their mid-30s and up, creating friendships and opportunities to meet for dinners before and after the weekly game night, said Cohen.

But the pandemic has made it difficult. Many of the players are older and have opted to play it safe and stay home to play online.

“What happened to the Scrabble scene is not good,” said Cohen. “It was always very personal, but that disappeared. The fact that the tournament is happening is good. It shows a return to normalcy.”