When every player has seven tiles on the rack, game play can now begin. The first player in turn is given preference to play. The first player has to place a word at the center cell. This center cell has a star marked on it on the gaming board. The star at the middle of the board represents a double word score. This is one benefit that comes with being the first to play.
No other subsequent player can use the star at the center of the board to double the score of their words played. More on Double word score will be discussed later. However, every player has a number of options at his or her disposal which constitute moves during play. The first option is to place the tiles on the board and form a word, the other option is that the player can exchange the tiles or alternatively pass his turn.
The first option of placing a word means you earn a score with that move. The second option which is exchanging the tiles is where the player decides to replace some tiles on the rack by putting them back in the bag and picking an equivalent of the tiles put back. Exchanging should be done without looking. Exchanging also means that your score for that move is zero because it is prohibited to make another move after that.
Exchanging is normally done when the player sees that it will be impossible to form a word with the tiles taken. The other option where a player passes his turn also yields a score of zero. It may be seen as a forfeit. This move is made when the player observes that the chances of making the target word will be ruined and holding out might just allow another player to open up a chance to play.
If a player creates a word using tiles on the rack, then, they have to replace these tiles with an equivalent number of tiles from the bag. At each turn, a player should have seven tiles on the rack. So after each word play, the play should pick an equivalent number of tiles from the bag without looking.
Assuming that the first player has made a word, then the other players follow suit. A proper way of playing is whereby the player has to place tiles on the board in a way that makes an acceptable word either to left to right or starting from the top going downwards. To make a play the subsequent players have to form a word with the tiles that have already been played or adjacent to the words that have already been played. That forms the main word.
The diagram shows a player using the words of the previous player to form a word
In the process of creating the main word, the player may also form other words that were not on the board before that are still acceptable. These words are also included in the score. The most important thing to always remember is that a player should always make sure that the word is formed in one direction. This means that it is prohibited to form words in more than one direction. The word played should be capable of being read left to right or also top to bottom. Diagonal plays are strictly prohibited.