A Night of SCRABBLE to Benefit Arc of Monmouth

In preparation for the upcoming SCRABBLE by the Sea event, Brett Colby and the Arc of Monmouth County held an educational and practice session of sorts Wednesday night at NovelTeas in Red Bank.

Colby, a development associate with Arc that is based in Tinton Falls, said the goal of the game night was to share tournament tips with players looking to compete in the Aug. 20 main event at the Berkeley Oceanfront Hotel in Asbury Park. To help in this end, Colby brought along Jason Keller, a North American Scrabble Players Association expect who is currently ranked third in the state and is a top 100 tournament SCRABBLE player in the country.

Keller, who has a tournament score of 1,817 – you need a score of at least 1,700 to be considered an expert – presented the players with tips on how to make the most of a match. Among the tips he provided was how to look for bingos, that’s when you use all seven letters at once and earn a bonus, and in which situation it’s best and most appropriate to use a two or three letter word.

The SCRABBLE by the Sea tournament is benefit for Arc. Arc provides assistance to more than 1,400 developmentally disabled adults and their families throughout the county each year. For more information, or to register for the tournament, visit www.arcofmonmouth.org.