Why Collins?

If you live in North America and you choose to play the Collins Scrabble Words (CSW) lexicon, you've surely at some point been asked the question: Why?

Many people will genuinely wonder why you choose this version of the game. And justifiably so - the CSW word list is quite a bit longer than the word list commonly used in most North American clubs, as it's based on a British dictionary that includes varieties of English used in countries all over the world. So there are a lot more words to learn. If your goal is to learn most or all of the dictionary, then it's going to be more challenging than if you'd stuck with the North American game.

So what are the advantages of taking on this challenge?

Each person has their own "Why Collins?" story. I'll start by sharing mine: I started competitive Scrabble in a club in Texas where everyone played the North American word list at the time, so I did as well. This was fine for a while. In fact, it was fine for about nine years.

At some point, though, I heard there was a bigger, better game out there, and it was within reach. I was not an expert in the North American game. I was very far from having a perfect grasp of the lexicon. But I enjoyed studying, and I figured - why not have some more interesting words to study? If I'm going to be an intermediate-level player anyway, why not be one who can play in other countries? I figured it would be fun to use words that would represent the global scope of the language. And the biggest influence was that some of my friends in the club were playing CSW and recommended it to me. I was recruited by people I liked and admired.

So that's my story in a nutshell. As for others, I collected stories from a few dozen other players who have also switched lexicons, and I've discovered that while each person's journey is unique, there are some common themes.


1. The people.

• People they already know and like play CSW.

• They enjoy meeting new people - not just in North America, but all over the world.

2. The philosophy.

• A common theme is the belief in unification - many people want the English-speaking world to unite under one lexicon and feel that CSW is more likely to be that unifying lexicon.

• Some hold a general philosophy of life that favors a global view and the common values of humanity.
  
  

3. The technical details.

• Study tools for CSW are freely available and work on multiple devices – not "locked down" as is the case with certain software used to study the North American lexicon.

• Some find the 5-point or 10-point challenge rule better than double challenge.
  
  

4. The fun!

• The game is more fun – there are more words to play! There are more opportunities for clever strategic plays as well as just higher scores.

• Studying is more fun – there are more words to study! It's exciting to have an extra challenge for your brain. Many of the words are strange and interesting, which can make studying more enjoyable.

• Collins play offers more opportunities to travel and have memorable experiences playing in international tournaments.
  
  

There's no one "best" answer to the question of "Why Collins?" - all of the above are valid points. But undeniably, more and more players each year are moving to CSW, citing one or more of these reasons. And once they switch, they rarely switch back. We are gradually moving toward a future in which every Scrabbler worldwide plays the CSW lexicon together.

One of the Collins Coalition's founding goals is to accelerate this movement. All of us on the CoCo team are here because we believe CSW to be the better game - and in time, we hope to persuade you of that too. Even if you're something of a Collins skeptic at this point, we ask that you give us a chance.

We're doing everything we can to make Collins play open and accessible to all. Right now, we're holding weekly virtual club sessions on Tuesday nights, as well as occasional virtual tournaments. And as for in-person tournament play, we're very close to making a big announcement on that front as well.

If you're a longtime Collins player, thank you for being on board. If you're a newbie, stick with it - we hope you'll enjoy continuing your Collins journey with us. And if you've hesitated until now to dip a toe into the Collins waters, that's OK. Consider starting on the twos and threes and giving the CSW game a try sometime soon.

In any event, we hope to see you over the board soon - be it virtual, in-person, or both. If you'd like to receive updates on new opportunities for CoCo play as they open up, you can join our mailing list today.