Tips from the Champions – Allan Simmons

Allan Simmons, four-time British Champion and winner of other national titles, tells us his top tips.

1. Make yourself look for seven-letter words (or eight-letter words using a letter on the board) no matter how unlikely your rack is. Even very unlikely-looking racks may be hiding a common word that you know.

2. Be aware that the vowel/consonant distribution is roughly 3/4 which will give you an idea of whether the unseen pool of letters is vowel-heavy or consonant-heavy or about right at any stage of the game

3. Learn some vowel-heavy words that you are unfamiliar with (three-vowel fours and four-vowel fives). They will pay dividends in sorting out vowel heavy racks in one move.

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