4. Gameplay
Placing Words
- The first player places a word reading across or down with one tile on the centre square; diagonal words are not permitted (Appendix 1)
- All tiles played in any one turn must lie in one continuous line, horizontally or vertically (Appendix 1)
- Tiles touching others in adjacent rows must form complete words crossword fashion with all such tiles (Appendix 1)
- Players may not add tiles to various words in different parts of the board in the same turn (Appendix 1)
- New words can be formed in five ways: extending a word at either or both ends, playing at right angles through an existing letter, playing parallel so adjoining tiles form words, adding a letter, or bridging two or more letters (Appendix 1)
- At the end of every turn a player draws as many new tiles as were played, keeping seven on the rack (Appendix 1)
Exchanging and Passing
- A player may use a turn to exchange any or all rack tiles, discarding face down, drawing the same number, then returning the discards to the bag (Appendix 1, 3.2.1)
- An exchange scores zero (3.2.2)
- A player may instead pass, whether or not a word is available (3.3, Appendix 1)
Pressing the Timer Is the Commitment
- Pressing the timer while playing a word, exchanging or passing indicates a final choice of move, which may not then be changed (3.4.1(a), 4.1(a))
- A player may alter the choice of move at any point before pressing (3.4.1(b), 4.1(b))
- Rules cover elements overlapping the opponent's next turn, and unintentional presses (3.4.2, 3.4.3)
- A blank must be declared — the player states the letter it represents, and it cannot be changed for the rest of the game (3.8, Appendix 1)
Drawing Tiles
- Rules fix the bag position, the drawing protocol, and the requirement to keep tiles above the table (3.9.1, 3.9.2, 3.9.3)
- Improper drawing, overdrawing, improperly corrected overdraws and drawing out of order are each separately handled (3.9.4, 3.9.5, 3.9.6, 3.9.9)
- A player has a duty to disclose an overdraw (3.9.7)
- No tiles may be drawn while awaiting adjudication (3.9.10)
- The player on turn has actions reserved to them, others where they have priority, and a defined right to the bag (3.6.1, 3.6.2, 3.6.3)
Challenges
- Facing a play, the opponent may issue a challenge, call "hold", or accept the turn (3.10.1, 3.10.5, 3.11)
- The turn is accepted if the opponent neither holds nor challenges before the player's replacement tile reaches the rack (3.10.1(b))
- Accepting a turn waives the right to challenge it (3.10.1(c)); writing by the opponent does not affect acceptance (3.10.1(d))
- A player whose turn is successfully challenged loses that turn (3.10.13(a))
- An unsuccessful challenger may incur a penalty, and the penalty varies by tournament (3.10.13(a), 3.10.13(b))
- Standard penalty conditions are a five-point penalty per unsuccessfully challenged word — the preferred international norm — five points per challenged turn, or loss of turn, known as "double challenge" (3.10.13(b)(i), 3.10.13(b)(ii), 3.10.13(b)(iii))
- Failing to record scores before drawing, or pre-writing them, is flash-drawing (3.10.2)
Conduct
- Upsetting a board intentionally is a very serious offence: immediate loss and ejection from the tournament (5.2)
- An offender not in the lead loses by the current margin plus 100 points; an offender in the lead loses by a margin of 100 points (5.2(a), 5.2(b))