Change in Scrabble points proposed

SAN DIEGO, Jan. 16 (UPI) -- A reformulation in the values of Scrabble tiles has caused controversy among the game's adherents, an enthusiast said.

After looking at a system for changing the numerical values of some letters used in the game, developed by Joshua Lewis, a postdoctoral scholar at the University of California, San Diego, John Chew, co-president of the North American Scrabble Association, says it is "a good case for how the game could be improved, but he's got a few flaws in his reasoning. He doesn't understand what it is about the game that makes it popular."

It takes the luck out of the game, Chew added.

Lewis' method, developed with the aid of a computer, recalculates letters' values based on the letter's frequency of use in common English, its frequency by word length and the ease of transitioning in and out of the letter when in a word on the Scrabble board, ABC News said Wednesday.

Thus does the value of a "Z" go from 10 points to six, an "X" from eight to five and a "V" from four to five.

"I updated the statistical analysis to reflect changes that have happened in the words for Scrabble," Lewis said, adding he published the new formula on his blog and received 10,000 responses in the first few days.