Our Favorite Game

A friend asked what we did on vacation and I told him that we played a whole lot of “Take Two.” Then I realized we hadn’t told you about the Mahaney’s favorite game (right now at least). Another name for this game is “Speed Scrabble.” It’s Scrabble on caffeine, basically. I’ve heard different versions, but these are the Mahaney house rules:

•    Chuck the Scrabble board.

•    Place all the Scrabble pieces face down in the center of the table.

•    Each player draws seven pieces and keeps them face down in front of her.

•    Someone yells “start” (Yes, if you’re a Mahaney you won’t say it quietly).

•    Each player turns her pieces over and begins assembling her own individual Scrabble board. (Same rules as Scrabble apply here.)

•    The first person to use all her Scrabble letters to make real words yells “take two” and everyone grabs two more letters.

•    This continues until all the letters have been used up (if necessary everyone can “take one” the last time around).

•    Once the first person has completed her Scrabble board, everyone else must stop.

•    Then each person counts her letters (across and up and down) and subtracts the letters she wasn’t able to use (if any). This is her total score for the first round.

•    Play as many rounds as you like. The person with the highest score at the end of the game wins.

Also, trading letters is allowed, but don’t trade a “z” or a “q” for an “e” or you’re sure to lose.

Hope you have as many fun hours of playing “Take Two” as we have!