The English language word range never ceases to astound me, also the number of words from other languages which we can happily count as our own - if we know them, that is.

Early in the smoothly run Surfers Mind Games tournament I plonked down ZEE for reasonable score of 32, only to have my opponent trump with MZEE for 33. Talking with my new friends later, I discovered that MZEE is an old man in Swahili. Apparently anyone who plays Scrabble knows this!

So not only is it handy to know all the two- and three-letter words, it's also important to know all the front & end hooks, if I want to progress beyond novice.

WSN member Pat Schuberg, who brought me up my previously purchased WSN tee-shirt, amazed me with her string of seven- and eight-letter words. She was in the top division; in my six wins could manage only one bingo, REELING for 68 (first move, first game).

Pat had OUTTAKES and SNICKINGÿÿn heÿÿfirst game, then LONGERS in game three,
ENRAGES and LACTATE in game four, SANDALS in game six, PENNIES in game seven, STINGERÿÿn game nine, MISÿÿÿÿ in game 10, MOURNED in game 11, PLOURING in game 12, CORSAGES in game 13.

In her final game, she had three bingos: BOASTING, NASTIER and BLEEDERS. All this, for five wins and a draw, eight losses.

I had some exciting games but felt that I was not playing to my full potential, needing to practise those hooks.

I'm a Queenslander now. NSW winners included Malcolm Ramsdale with 10 wins from 14 and second, also high game of 522 points, Rene Chelton, fifth in her section with nine wins from 14, Sunny Wright with eight wins, Jeff Chelton, six wins, Ann Fiddler with four wins.

Most distant travellers there were the Richards family from WA - Karen and Paul with seven wins and Alistair with six from 14.

The venue was great but despite the ban on smoking in our area, parts were rather smoky - roll on the total ban on indoors smoking!

Richard Phillipps