Challenges and Penalties

When a player suspects an invalid word or words played by his opponent, he may choose to challenge the play. If the challenge is successful, meaning there are words that were found to be invalid, his opponent loses one turn. If not, the player gets a penalty depending on the game.

In Gamehouse Scrabble, the game uses only a VOID option in which no challenge is necessary since the play is automatically validated. If there are any invalid words played, the program automatically rejects the play without any penalties. The player is then required to make another move.

In ISC, the game has four options namely:

1. VOID - as explained above
2. DOUBLE - a player will lose one turn for making any unsuccessful challenge
3. SINGLE - this is a "no-risk challenge" in which a player doesn't get any penalty for making any unsuccessful challenge
4. 5-POINT - a player gets a 5-point deduction for making any unsuccessful challenge

You may also NOT challenge a play even if you are sure that the word is invalid. Why, you ask? I'll explain that strategy in another post so stay tuned for updates!