Joe Edley
Encyclopedia
Joseph Edley is a professional Scrabble
player and author, and the first player to win the National Scrabble Championship three times.
and attended Wayne State University
, where he concentrated in mathematics
and philosophy
. In 1969 he moved to San Francisco, California
, where he claims to have been influenced by the works of Jane Roberts
. There he gained the idea that, simply from belief
, he could manifest his desired reality. Realizing that he was a good game player and reading about the growth of the Scrabble
tournament scene, he decided to manifest being a Scrabble champion.
for the free time it afforded, Edley systematically memorized the first edition of the Official Scrabble Players Dictionary
, a feat that only a small minority of top players have accomplished. He played in his first tournaments in California in 1978, performing well but not dominating. Edley has claimed that in preparing for his first national championship, the final key to his success was "controlling my breathing."
Edley won his first National Scrabble Championship in 1980 with a 14-3 record, half a game ahead of Jim Neuberger, although Neuberger had a much higher point spread (which would have been the tiebreaker
.) He won additional National Championships in 1992 (22-5) and 2000 (22-9), and is the first player ever to win three National Scrabble Championships. He has also had some lackluster performances, finishing 23rd in both 1987 and 2002, and 17th in 1988. Edley has also never finished higher than third in a World Scrabble Championship
, and posted 13-11 and 14-10 records in 1999 and 2001, his most recent World Scrabble Championships.
Since the beginning of his career in 1978, he has played at least 2,079 tournament games, winning about 68%, and earning at least $102,000 in prize money.
Edley was hired as an expert consultant for the National Scrabble Association
and now serves as its Director of Clubs and Tournaments.
other players receive, or to get away with minor rules violations. Many of these accusations were catalogued by expert Mike Baron in a 1996 multi-part post to the electronic mailing list
Crossword-Games-Pro called "The Trial," and others have surfaced since. However, Edley still enjoys respect among many players for his playing success and for his efforts in helping the National Scrabble Association attract publicity, including co-authoring Everything Scrabble and writing The Official Scrabble Puzzle Book.
Scrabble
Scrabble is a word game in which two to four players score points by forming words from individual lettered tiles on a game board marked with a 15-by-15 grid. The words are formed across and down in crossword fashion and must appear in a standard dictionary. Official reference works provide a list...
player and author, and the first player to win the National Scrabble Championship three times.
Pre-Scrabble life
Joe Edley grew up in Detroit, MichiganDetroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
and attended Wayne State University
Wayne State University
Wayne State University is a public research university located in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in the city's Midtown Cultural Center Historic District. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering more than 400 major subject areas to over 32,000 graduate and...
, where he concentrated in mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
and philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
. In 1969 he moved to San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, where he claims to have been influenced by the works of Jane Roberts
Jane Roberts
Jane Roberts was an American author, poet, psychic and spirit medium, who said she had "channeled" a personality she called "Seth". Her publication of the Seth texts, known as the "Seth Material", established her as one of the preeminent figures in the world of paranormal phenomena...
. There he gained the idea that, simply from belief
Belief
Belief is the psychological state in which an individual holds a proposition or premise to be true.-Belief, knowledge and epistemology:The terms belief and knowledge are used differently in philosophy....
, he could manifest his desired reality. Realizing that he was a good game player and reading about the growth of the Scrabble
Scrabble
Scrabble is a word game in which two to four players score points by forming words from individual lettered tiles on a game board marked with a 15-by-15 grid. The words are formed across and down in crossword fashion and must appear in a standard dictionary. Official reference works provide a list...
tournament scene, he decided to manifest being a Scrabble champion.
Scrabble career
Having taken the job of a night security guardSecurity guard
A security guard is a person who is paid to protect property, assets, or people. Security guards are usually privately and formally employed personnel...
for the free time it afforded, Edley systematically memorized the first edition of the Official Scrabble Players Dictionary
Official Scrabble Players Dictionary
The Official Scrabble Players Dictionary or OSPD is a dictionary developed for use in the game Scrabble, by speakers of American and Canadian English.-Creation:...
, a feat that only a small minority of top players have accomplished. He played in his first tournaments in California in 1978, performing well but not dominating. Edley has claimed that in preparing for his first national championship, the final key to his success was "controlling my breathing."
Edley won his first National Scrabble Championship in 1980 with a 14-3 record, half a game ahead of Jim Neuberger, although Neuberger had a much higher point spread (which would have been the tiebreaker
Tiebreaker
In games and sports, a tiebreaker or tiebreak is used to determine a winner from among players or teams that are tied at the end of a contest, or a set of contests.-In matches:In some situations, the tiebreaker may consist of another round of play...
.) He won additional National Championships in 1992 (22-5) and 2000 (22-9), and is the first player ever to win three National Scrabble Championships. He has also had some lackluster performances, finishing 23rd in both 1987 and 2002, and 17th in 1988. Edley has also never finished higher than third in a World Scrabble Championship
World Scrabble Championship
The World Scrabble Championship is the most prestigious title in competitive English-language Scrabble. It has been held every second year since 1991. The current World Scrabble Champion is Nigel Richards...
, and posted 13-11 and 14-10 records in 1999 and 2001, his most recent World Scrabble Championships.
Since the beginning of his career in 1978, he has played at least 2,079 tournament games, winning about 68%, and earning at least $102,000 in prize money.
Edley was hired as an expert consultant for the National Scrabble Association
National Scrabble Association
The National Scrabble Association was created in 1978 by Selchow & Righter, then the makers of Scrabble, to promote their game. It coordinated local clubs and Scrabble tournaments in North America, including the National Scrabble Championship, until 2009. The current director is John D...
and now serves as its Director of Clubs and Tournaments.
Controversy
Edley has drawn fire from many tournament Scrabble players for perceived conflicts of interest. As both a top-flight player and the holder of an administrative position, Edley is potentially in a position to influence the level of publicityPublicity
Publicity is the deliberate attempt to manage the public's perception of a subject. The subjects of publicity include people , goods and services, organizations of all kinds, and works of art or entertainment.From a marketing perspective, publicity is one component of promotion which is one...
other players receive, or to get away with minor rules violations. Many of these accusations were catalogued by expert Mike Baron in a 1996 multi-part post to the electronic mailing list
Mailing list
A mailing list is a collection of names and addresses used by an individual or an organization to send material to multiple recipients. The term is often extended to include the people subscribed to such a list, so the group of subscribers is referred to as "the mailing list", or simply "the...
Crossword-Games-Pro called "The Trial," and others have surfaced since. However, Edley still enjoys respect among many players for his playing success and for his efforts in helping the National Scrabble Association attract publicity, including co-authoring Everything Scrabble and writing The Official Scrabble Puzzle Book.