Alex was a Scrabble addict and the best player I've ever competed with. Competed is not quite the right word, because Alex beat me every time we played, and it was never even close. I was no competition for Alex, and never thought I was bad at the game until I played with him. He had a nack for making high-scoring words. His great vocabulary combined with his strategic mind made in a Scrabble play par excellence. I hated losing all the time, but if I wanted Alex's company, an invitation to play Scrabble was a sure bet to see him. So I kept inviting him over to play, knowing how much he loved the game. I don't think I'll ever be able to play Scrabble again without thinking of Alex.