By James DeWeese
The Jackson Heights retiree twice placed all seven of the lettered wooden tiles arrayed before her as she assembled the words “legions” and “slanted” as part of the wildly popular board game, racking up an additional 50 points for each sweep.
And while the occurrence might have been truly bizarre if it were weather-related, Economos, an active participant in the Historic Scrabble Club's monthly games in the church's basement, the feat isn't much to get excited about.
“Oh, I've done three,” she said while continuing play with her opponent. “You're gonna aim for bingo if you can.”
Economos and her word-wielding nemesis Jeff Warren were participating in the monthly meeting of the Historic Scrabble Club at the Community United Methodist Church, where the game took its present form under the moniker Criss-Cross Words.
Alfred Butts, an architect, laid the groundwork for Scrabble when in 1931 he created Lexico, a game in which players used lettered tiles to create seven-letter words in a fashion akin to Rummy, according to askOxford.com, the online reference source for the Oxford English Dictionary. By the late '30s Butts, a Jackson Heights resident, had added the board and the name had changed to Criss-Cross Words, askOxford.com says.
Butts' wife and friends played Criss-Cross in the same room where the Historic Scrabble Club meets today, said Celeste Balducci, one of the group's founders.
Economos has been playing with the club since it was founded almost 10 years ago as part of a Jackson Heights beautification and historical initiative.
“I like playing for the fun of it and that's it,” said Economos, who has tested her word-building skills against some of the professional participants in the Scrabble competitions organized around the country.
High-stakes tournaments surrounding the game have sprung up across the world, including some with cash prizes that figure in the thousands of dollars.
While well-versed in Scrabble, Economos said the competitions were too high-pressure for her taste.
“They memorize words; they eat, think and drink Scrabble,” she said. “I tried playing with them, and I did not enjoy it.”
Balducci, one of the club's founders, said the idea behind the Historic Scrabble Club is simply to have fun and maybe meet a few new people, as Warren, a recent addition to the neighborhood, is doing.
“This is not a competition at all. It's really what I call more a lifestyle,” said Balducci, who was joined by her 11-year-old daughter, Claire Chapin.
The club usually brings together about 20 people to play Scrabble the first Saturday of every month.
“I'll tell you, it's so great to utilize that part of your brain,” Balducci said of the game.
Balducci said the game is helping her daughter strengthen the English and math skills every child needs.
Balducci collects a fee of about $5 depending on attendance to cover the cost of the coffee, refreshments and snacks she serves. The club goes into hibernation over the summer as players take off for vacations.
Outside the church is a special Department of Transportation sign bearing the numerical point value of each letter in “35th Avenue,” along which the church sits. This particular road is worth 14 points.
Loaded with historical Scrabble significance, the church, at 81-10 35th Ave., is a great place to play, Balducci said. “You can see the ghosts sometimes.”
Reach reporter James DeWeese by e-mail at news@timesledger.com, or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 157.
