Word lists memorized, they're ready to play

When he laid down the word "atomize" next to a wide-open double-word score, some players called Jim Kramer "utterly insane." But it was the kind of risk that landed the Roseville man the title of defending national Scrabble champion -- that and meticulously studying lists of words.

Not all words, or any old words. Eight-letter words that contain four vowels. Anagrams. Six-letter stems that can become high-scoring eight-letter plays later.

"I'm kind of a dinosaur. I study things on paper, often on lists I made up," said Kramer, 49, who has played in every national championship since 1985.

He's one of about six area players who will compete today and Sunday at the first-ever North American Scrabble Tour (NAST) finals at the Radisson Mall of America in Bloomington. The tournament's $3,500 top prize is one of the highest, and has attracted players from 20 states and two Canadian provinces.

It's a busy time for Scrabble players. This year, the game's U.S. producer, Hasbro, commemorates the 60th anniversary of the game found in 40 million American homes.

The Twin Cities area is considered a Scrabble hotbed and is home to one of the nation's longest-running Scrabble clubs. Together since 1976, Club 42 of the National Scrabble Association (NSA) was the 42nd official club founded in North America and has produced two national champions: Kramer and 1988 champ Robert Watson of Edina.

"We're proud of our number," said Carol Dustin, former Club 42 director and new director of Club 651 in Roseville.

As Dustin puts it, Scrabble isn't just an "old lady's game." In fact, thanks to online play, more accessible study materials and local club gatherings, more young people are playing -- and playing well, said John D. Williams, executive director of the NSA.

Fourteen-year-old Jason Vaysberg of Plymouth is one of them. He started attending club games at age 11; Dustin wondered if he'd be able to sit still. He could, he did, and now Jason wins about 40 percent of games and has nights when he is among the highest scoring players at Club 42.

It wasn't always this way. "It took me about six months to win my first game at club," Jason said.

Official tournament play is skewing younger, too, a fact not lost on Steve Pellinen of St. Louis Park, who modeled this weekend's NAST tournament after television poker.

"What's nice about 'the Nasty' [NAST] is the chance for lower-rated players to take a crack at the higher-rated players," Pellinen said. "We want more surprises. ... In the long haul, it makes the game much more accessible to a wider range of players."

Although Jason Vaysberg won't be playing in the finals, he'll compete in an open tournament scheduled during the main NAST event, all in pursuit of earning a higher rating.

Jason plays an especially fast style of Scrabble, yet has the ability to recall letters, words and point values from many of his previous 3,000 (or so) games -- some of which were against top-ranked players. En route to a trouncing (a score of 396 to 245) of a reporter who thought he was pretty good with words, Jason admitted that while he has memorized all the accepted two-letter words, he still has some cramming to do.

"The main thing I need to work on is [three-letter words]," he said. "I mean, come on, three years and I don't know them," he said.

Jason is part of what tournament director Stephanie Steele of St. Paul calls an "eclectic" crowd of players, many of whom showed up this month for a Scrabble fundraiser for the Prindle family, whose 2-year-old son died in the Hugo tornado. Games went on in Steele's home until 3 a.m. and donations neared $5,000.

"It's not just a game," she said. "It becomes kind of your family."

Tony Gonzalez • 612-673-7415