Can Scrabble's GOAT-Slayer Do The Impossible?

Рет қаралды 172,069

9 ай бұрын

Welcome to Episode 10 of Scrabble History, a series where I break down some of the most incredible plays, epic rivalries, and amazing moments in Scrabble's rich competitive history.
In 2018, Nigel Richards was on the cusp of winning his 6th North American Championship. Only Joel Sherman stood in his way, but Joel needed three straight wins against the world's best player to pull off a miracle comeback. In this video, I break down those three incredible games, which changed the course of Scrabble history in North America.
For more Scrabble content from me, follow my Twitch channel:
/ wanderer15
I also have a weekly show on the official Scrabble Twitch channel (Tuesdays 3-5 PM ET):
/ scrabble
Play Scrabble at playscrabble.com!

Пікірлер: 234

@wanderer15 9 ай бұрын

Hi everyone, I mistakenly credited Joel with his first National Championship win coming in 2001, but he actually won in 2002 instead. Apologies for the error and enjoy the rest of the video!

@Jelkin02 9 ай бұрын

Drawing all 6 blanks certainly helped Joel!

@wanderer15 9 ай бұрын

No question, it's essentially impossible to hang with Nigel unless you get some good stuff to work with.

@kristiankamph4334 9 ай бұрын

Nigel used a blank to play sorbitol in game 2

@D.U.D.E- 8 ай бұрын

@@kristiankamph4334Drawing 5/6 blanks certainly helped Joel!

@Zoe_A_MacDonald 9 ай бұрын

12:10 "Lefties and queers was an option" sounds like me planning my friday nights

@swift8821 9 ай бұрын

More like handles and beer

@derekhettinger451 8 ай бұрын

a gem of a comment

@MereCashmere 8 ай бұрын

Thank you for your service

@detdeet 17 күн бұрын

ouch, bro is down bad

@sjoerdglaser2794 9 ай бұрын

I love this series. The videos are well edited and have thrilling story telling. This is what the Scrabble KZfaq scene needs.

@lolledopke 9 ай бұрын

There's a KZfaq scrabble scene?

@rosearachnid879 9 ай бұрын

@@lolledopkeif you find it tell me

@wanderer15 9 ай бұрын

Thank you very much! re: the Scrabble KZfaq scene...we have to start somewhere! Other creators like @axcertypo, @mackmeller, and @letsplayscrabble are doing some great things lately as well.

@walkercave3769 9 ай бұрын

Never in my life did I think I would hear the terms thrilling story telling and the scrabble KZfaq scene in the same comment

@anyoldactress4078 9 ай бұрын

Agree! Will is as good at story telling as he is at scrabble.

@Ben-15 9 ай бұрын

The line about wanting to see Nigel play chess was brilliant, well done.

@isaotron 9 ай бұрын

That has to be one of the most competitive 3-0s in Scrabble History

@dentonyoung4314 9 ай бұрын

"All 3-0 sweeps are equal, but some of them are more equal than others."

@mancauditor1001 4 ай бұрын

That final play of STRINGS without a single vowel on the rack is incredible. Like a hail Mary pass in American football.

@peterk7428 9 ай бұрын

Instead of 'vowelitis' can we call it 'irritable vowel syndrome'?

@emilyrln 9 ай бұрын

Lolol thanks for the chuckle!

@axcertypo 9 ай бұрын

FUM(E)D and (E)CHOEY and were glitches in the matrix. It's crazy, when I watch Nigel lose a game, it feels so different than when he wins. Not because I feel like he was powerless to win, but because he just... seems just like one of us when he loses.

@TheOdMan 9 ай бұрын

Here I am again, watching something I've never ever participated in. Your videos entertain me in the same way that Summon Salt's videos does for Video Game Speedrunning. I've never done a speedrun in my life, nor have I ever played a game of Scrabbe in my life, that doesn't change the fact that I find it immensely entertaining to watch and learn about their respective histories. Good stuff!

@blindblackpianist 9 ай бұрын

this makes me smile- I've also been watching a ton of speedruns and these scrabble videos

@hfcriske 9 ай бұрын

I'm also addicted to the speedrunning histories of games I've never even played :)

@wanderer15 9 ай бұрын

Summoning Salt is a huge influence for me so this feels great to read. Thank you very much.

@Marcotonio 9 ай бұрын

You should give them a try, it's very fun. Like replicating the 16 star route in Super Mario 64, even if you don't get a fast time, just to see the game completed in that amount of stars. I for one am a Mario player, but this past week I've been playing Scrabble here and there after getting hooked by these videos, I'm just casually playing against a bot and always manage to win against it on Medium. Currently trying to win on Hard (last difficulty I'm willing to go, otherwise I'll have to start memorizing stuff) and the closest I've gotten was a 49 points difference.

@IdleOn 9 ай бұрын

I just realized that you yourself must be coming up with the hypothetical plays they could make, as opposed to it being part of the recorded history, no wonder youre a top player yourself! Makes it that much more interesting to watch

@wanderer15 9 ай бұрын

Don't give me too much credit - I make use of game analysis software called Quackle to help identify other candidate plays. It's true that explaining what makes one play different or better than another does draw on my own experience and strategic understanding. I often hesitate to make very "concrete" proclamations of one play being better than another, because there's definitely room for stylistic variations and disagreement in Scrabble!

@mltprpz 9 ай бұрын

the thing about these videos that turn them from good to great is the little definitions on the side for the more obscure srabble words, it makes your content so much more approachable, thank you for your hard work

@mmmmmmmmmmmmmm-thats14m 6 ай бұрын

Please show them just a little longer though

@eseilawimpershlaak 9 ай бұрын

Great videos! Just a little request: Sometimes when you narrate "Nigel plays xy", the actual word he plays is hard to see, i have to scan the whole board for it. Can you make it easier visible? Like for some words you put them in green, or orange or put the scoring points under it. Something like that would be great for all of them.

@wanderer15 9 ай бұрын

Yes, I had a suspicion that some plays might be difficult to follow for viewers for this reason - I'll be sure to make this change going forward. Thank you!

@mfbobyle6771 9 ай бұрын

I love these niche historical moments. I rarely play scrabble, but I like learning about it. Thanks for the dedication

@wanderer15 9 ай бұрын

Thanks for giving my content a try!

@tom7 9 ай бұрын

What a finish!

@chochkeys 9 ай бұрын

Do you think we will ever see Scrabble at SIGBOVIK?

@tom7 9 ай бұрын

@@chochkeys Seems like it would be an appropriate and appealing topic for SIGBOVIK. You should write a paper! It did make a brief Bizarro-world appearance in my old paper "What words ought to exist?"

@lucas29476 9 ай бұрын

I remember watching this live with the commentators going crazy after seeing STRiNGS. Awesome games.

@blueshell0 9 ай бұрын

Although every sequence is very impressive, the umiaqs-play in round 29 is absolutely mind-boggling! Even had to look it up if it is legal or not, but to play it with such confidence in scrabble...

@alohamikan 8 ай бұрын

the statistical calcutions of poker, the strategy and tactics of chess, and the knowledge of a high school spelling bee. Scrabble really is the ultimate sport.

@thomasofnone99 9 ай бұрын

I can't say enough good things about Will's analysis, intelligence, and trajectory in dissecting another champion's mind. Thanks so much, deeply appreciated beyond words

@wanderer15 9 ай бұрын

You're too kind, thank you

@louislautz8838 9 ай бұрын

I literally never played Scrabble in my life and dont even know the rules, but for some reason the algorithm blessed me with your channel and I love it! Your storytelling is amazing and the visual editing style helps me understand whats going on. Keep it up ;D

@wanderer15 9 ай бұрын

I really appreciate you giving my videos a chance and thank you for the kind words.

@Sam-oz8pn 9 ай бұрын

Wow, this series never disappoints! I don’t know if it’s a coincidence but both players seemed uncannily crafty this match- Joel cleverly maneuvering his X and Q that first game but Nigel sniffing it out each time was super cool. Side note, I’m disappointed you didn’t mention Penning in the last game on the Jane turn, that would have been really pretty!

@wanderer15 9 ай бұрын

Very true - I should've included that option just for how aesthetically pleasing PENNING is. Sometimes I streamline the game analysis to keep the overall length down, but I'm finding that perhaps I shouldn't be too afraid of videos extending closer to 20 minutes, as people still seem to watch and enjoy.

@mitchellboyce9853 9 ай бұрын

I appreciate these videos a lot, because they show that the strategy in top-level scrabble is really engaging, but nobody I know (let alone myself) has enough skill with the basics of the game to bring that strategy out

@AlexDings 9 ай бұрын

15:19 computer analysis suggests the cool option of TOUCH, not TOUCHY - a very Nigelesque* setup. But who knows what is correct in that situation. I remember the vivid discussions if ECHOEY was a rare strategic blunder on Nigel's part

@wanderer15 9 ай бұрын

Man, TOUCH is amazing. No E's left for TOUCHE, setting up the Y...looks like exactly his kind of play!

@almightyhydra 9 ай бұрын

I love the editing, it makes it really clear what's going on and definitions for the more obscure words are much appreciated!

@bro91wn 9 ай бұрын

I'm glad this got included! I remember watching this streamed live, and I still get goosebumps. It was especially crazy how Joel kept getting the 1 vowel that he needed to keep his chances alive in the final game.

@aguynameddan 9 ай бұрын

Great content and analysis, as always! And I appreciate all the little things that make these videos exemplary - Like at 14:06 where you highlight Nigel's tiles to show that he was considering TUMEFY. Thanks for doing this, and keep it up!

@AmaranthRBY 9 ай бұрын

Legendary. Can only imagine what this would have been like to watch live. Great presentation and commentary as usual :)

@randallrogers4270 6 ай бұрын

These well edited and commentated videos are making this latest Scrabble hyperfix very rewarding. Thank you for the content ✨️

@Eric-sk4dj 9 ай бұрын

Amazing narration and visuals Will. These videos are a joy to watch with how immersive you present them.

@wanderer15 9 ай бұрын

Thank you, I appreciate it!

@reaganabroad4952 9 ай бұрын

I love watching chess recap videos, and I've always wanted something similar for scrabble. These are awesome. I hope this channel finds a big enough audience to get at least one recap video a week.

@wanderer15 9 ай бұрын

It's my plan to release one long-form video per week every week going forward, with a few Shorts mixed in as my schedule allows.

@simon-xi3cv 9 ай бұрын

Fantastic storytelling and video. Thank you for the exceptional content!

@gameguysd 9 ай бұрын

Phenomenal vid!! Man, what an unlikely outcome. Both players put absolutely everything they had on the table. It’s fascinating watching these creme of the crop players duel it out, as they often play the best moves available.

@wanderer15 9 ай бұрын

Thank you! I really get excited by high-level Scrabble play like this, so I'm glad that you feel similarly.

@Benjy52 9 ай бұрын

I remember watching this final game on KZfaq. It got viral with 4 million views on KZfaq if I recall ☺️

@bing6496 9 ай бұрын

You make me feel very interested in Scrabble even I’ve never played it before, keep going!

@BloodyCookie10 9 ай бұрын

Thanks for adding some of the word definitions in the video! It helps a lot, especially because English is not my first language.

@NotAghostSpeedruns 9 ай бұрын

Even as a native speaker, many of the words that he defines are words I don't know. One exception to that is taiko because of my interest in rhythm games.

@Zebris0 9 ай бұрын

Always excited for scrabble history episode

@emilyrln 9 ай бұрын

Wow! The mix of luck and skill displayed by both players is very impressive, as is your ability to craft an engaging and suspenseful narrative out of the gameplay. Very well done!

@wanderer15 9 ай бұрын

Thank you so much!

@PieterSchreurs 9 ай бұрын

Nice to see another Richard’s vid! Ty 😊

@evansgate 6 ай бұрын

The obscure words presented at top level play make me smarter because I feel compelled to look every single one of them up. I just can't believe these are actual words.

@henrysimonds4640 9 ай бұрын

This the best Scrabble history yet

@artem_mma 9 ай бұрын

These scrabble breakdowns are so unexpectedly brilliant

@ihonestlydontcare5894 9 ай бұрын

The fact that I've only played scrabble maybe 3 times in my life but these videos are instant watches when they are in my recommendations

@enricobautista3844 9 ай бұрын

I love these types of videos!, hope you do more like it. (ps will you continue the “better learn a letter” series?)

@wanderer15 9 ай бұрын

At some point, I expect to do more letter videos for sure!

@AlexDings 9 ай бұрын

5:41 your enjoyment of that pun is palpable ;-) Amazing recap as always. For everyone who hasn't, it's worth watching the original broadcast of game 3. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/ZtKIjaSYv5q1qKM.html

@danbaxter4216 9 ай бұрын

I remember GI Joel from some scrabble documentary I watched years ago. Amazing player.

@wanderer15 9 ай бұрын

A legend of the game for sure

@alexthebold 9 ай бұрын

This was absolutely fascinating.

@wbeaurowe 8 ай бұрын

Bro I love your series please keep it up

@christopherwellman2364 9 ай бұрын

Both of these players have some pretty big umiaqs.

@doctorleftwizard8931 9 ай бұрын

These videos are so amazing! A wonderful mental break from my organic chem homework. :)

@wanderer15 9 ай бұрын

Yikes, orgo is hard! You need a simpler interest to balance everything out!

@springinfialta106 9 ай бұрын

Exciting and educational!

@Dry_Bones_Stan_ 9 ай бұрын

I don't know how you make Scrabble hype

@KebenCosme 9 ай бұрын

Thanks for heeding to my request! I still have all three games as my YT downloads so that I can watch it offline. Edit, defo need that commentary by Robin Pollock-Daniel gasping at Joel getting STRiNGS.

@duncathan_salt 9 ай бұрын

STRINGS was unbelievable

@peregrinecovington4138 7 ай бұрын

What an epic comeback, how exciting scrabble can be

@LRXC1 9 ай бұрын

Binging these videos is awesome!

@sailorwei1220 9 ай бұрын

Great video! Can you make a video about the highest scoring scrabble game (but instead of one players, it's two)?

@alzhang8 9 ай бұрын

Great vid again!

@MewtwoStruckBack 9 ай бұрын

That's absolutely insane. I respect the immense amount of skill it takes to play at this level, and it makes me want to both (A) see someone continue to knock off Nigel, having the same player win constantly is a discouragement for many to try and progress beyond a certain point and (B) see y'all get paid with two more zeroes on that check instead of just $10,000. Winning one world tournament should be enough to set you for life, not just pay for a third of a car.

@wanderer15 9 ай бұрын

On point B, I definitely feel you there, but we have to do a better job of increasing the visibility and audience size for our biggest events. I hope my channel can contribute to this effort if it continues to grow. On point A, I feel that too, but I'm also incredibly grateful that Nigel found his way to Scrabble and has achieved an awe-inspiring level of skill.

@kelpdog 9 ай бұрын

love these vids so much

@krishradio1 Күн бұрын

Excellent watch 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

@brendenturner3314 9 ай бұрын

Loving these videos. Could you possibly highlight/outline the most recently played word to make them easier to find?

@wanderer15 9 ай бұрын

Yes, I had a suspicion that this might be an issue for some viewers and I will definitely be fixing this going forward. Thank you very much!

@firevortex5739 9 ай бұрын

Best series on youtube!

@rumpelRAINS 9 ай бұрын

Great series will!

@connorzittrauer3306 9 ай бұрын

These videos are awesome. Keep it up.

@wanderer15 9 ай бұрын

Thank you!

@uniforever1 8 ай бұрын

I don’t even play scrabble, but I have been watching your videos for the past few days

@taipizzalord4463 9 ай бұрын

If you upload these types of videos more frequently, you can easily break 100K subs.

@Cherokeechuck9 9 ай бұрын

I comment and like every one for the algorithm lol. They're so good

@Lasagnaisprettycool 9 ай бұрын

I've got three hours of sleep before my alarm goes off but instead I'm watching a breakdown of a scrabble match.

@wanderer15 9 ай бұрын

Appreciate you stopping by, though I hope you got some sleep!

@soosh9852 7 ай бұрын

For some reason "migawd" as a word gave me a good chuckle

@ileolai 4 ай бұрын

drawing almost no vowels for the entire round and still winning is crazy

@ditdit6141 9 ай бұрын

I don’t play Scrabble, but goddamn these videos are good.

@wanderer15 9 ай бұрын

Thank you very much!

@DogBountyhunter-ys7uo 9 ай бұрын

Keep making videos, I'll watch!

@daybraek9710 9 ай бұрын

Great video will

@jdwiedrich1913 9 ай бұрын

All 3 games has someone draw the Q at the beginning, crazy

@judycole9752 9 ай бұрын

You can watch the games from start to finish here - kzfaq.info/sun/PLhvDB0pE-3pvPJAwmdVmYml56B30vYfHX - Games 8 to 10 in the list

@harrisoncaldwell4541 9 ай бұрын

Love this series. I have found it a tad difficult to locate the words played when they are small and in the late game. Is there a way you could highlight the words played or bold them for that immediate turn?

@wanderer15 9 ай бұрын

Yes, I suspected this might be an issue for some viewers, but have been lazy about it at times (play highlighting). I will be sure to fix this going forward! Thank you!

@kenchiie 9 ай бұрын

wow!!! incredible scrabble

@GreatBomb126 9 ай бұрын

Great video post more

@chrishooks6565 9 ай бұрын

This replay is most memorable for the high level of skill shown by both players. As luck would have it Joel came out on top, good stuff Joel.😊

@ThistlewickTheGhost 8 ай бұрын

imagine being so good at something that the other best players in the world proudly wear shirts that say "I beat _____" on them

@surfbort 9 ай бұрын

your vids are goated

@RickolasBigDickolas 8 ай бұрын

i like to think that round 31 started with them hurling insults at eachother

@BurkeSorenson 9 ай бұрын

bravo

@aleksandarnikolov144 17 күн бұрын

this is good content

@Forensource 9 ай бұрын

Joel is a consummate gentleman. He doesn't get enough credit for running the Manhattan club. He and his brother, Larry, have provided the mecca of Scrabble for over 20 years. Plus, he put up with my foolishness every time on CGP back in the day.

@wanderer15 9 ай бұрын

I fondly remember my time playing at the NYC Club for about a year around 2010...I used to pack dinner so that I could leave work, ride the train to catch the start, and rush back to Grand Central to catch the last train back home.

@mjorozco3786 9 ай бұрын

2:45 migawd feels like my god looool

@Sujisan4 9 ай бұрын

That's impressive

@lamMeTV 9 ай бұрын

It would help if you also marked new words on the board in blue or something for a bit after its played

@glowstonelovepad9294 Ай бұрын

Half of the top 10 starts with J. Also, there's another Nigel?

@nautilus269 2 ай бұрын

An X being worth 39 points would be surreal. The play of BEAUXITE would've been worth 833 points, instead of 275.

@rheiagreenland4714 5 күн бұрын

Joel was really hanging by strings there

@sittingstill3578 5 күн бұрын

I wonder if the algorithm suggested your content because of the Rob Words, NativLag and other etymological and linguistic content I’ve seen. Watching this makes me wonder if Susie Dent would be able to keep up.

@wanderer15 56 минут бұрын

Big fan of RobWords!