Dubai Scrabble Championship Tournament Game Rules

IN GAME Starting the game: Players draw one tile each from the bag and the first in alphabetical order starts. Blank tiles automatically start. If both players pick the same tile, another draw is done. Tiles drawn to decide starts must be replaced in bag before game commences. When tiles are drawn, the bag must be at eye level, and you must look away from the bag. The opponent must always be able to see the bag. Consulting wordlists and dictionaries in any form (including digital) during the game is NOT ALLOWED. Both players must maintain score, and must tally with each other. If there is any dispute that cannot be settled between the two players, call the referee immediately. Both the move score and cumulative score of both players at the end of each move should be recorded on each scoresheet. Players should tally their cumulative scores with each other every 5 moves or so to be sure. Incorrect turn scores can be corrected at any point before the end of the game. Order of play for each turn: Place the tiles on the board Announce the score on the turn Press the timer Record the score Draw replacement tiles End of turn: You may change a move on the board until you press the timer. After you press the timer your turn finishes. If you forget to press the timer, placing your hand in the bag to take replacement tiles will be considered the end of the move. Time for each game: Juniors and intermediates in round 1 and 2 will have 30 minutes each to finish their moves; for all seniors and all other rounds, players will have 25 minutes each. Overtime penalty: 10 points per minute over time; 5 minutes over will result in forfeit. Changing tiles: You can change tiles when there are at least 7 tiles left in the bag. Announce Ch ange n (where n is number of tiles you wish to change) and press your timer to pass control to the other player. Place tiles face down, draw replacement tiles from bag, then return changed tiles to bag. Challenging moves: You may challenge your opponents turn after they press the timer to indicate the end of their move. Announce Challenge and neutralize the timer. If your opponent forgets to press the timer and starts to take replacement tiles, you may challenge then as well. For a successful challenge, the player who made the wrong move removes the tiles played and misses a turn. For an incorrect challenge, the player against whom the challenge is issued gets 5 points added to their score. You can ask the opponent to hold for up to 30 seconds (by saying HOLD) on your own time while considering whether to challenge. While on HOLD, your opponent cannot draw replacement tiles. Blanks: Please state clearly what your blanks stand for, and record it on your scoresheet. Ending the game: Game ends when the bag is empty and one player finishes all the tiles on their rack. Face value of opponents remaining tiles are totalled, doubled and added to finishing players score. Overdrawn tiles: If you draw too many tiles, follow these steps - if new tiles are face down and havent been placed on rack, opponent selects (excess number + 2) tiles from these, turns them up & chooses excess tiles to replace into bag. If new tiles have been seen, opponent picks from all 7 tiles on the rack. POST GAME Arrange tiles on the board in a 10x10 grid to ensure tiles are not missing for next game. At the end of the game, both players must fill in the scoreslips and submit to the tournament official.