Targeting the Object of the Game

At the end of the game, be the player with the highest score. To help make that happen, in each round:
a) try to get rid of all your highest scoring (longest) word strips as soon as you can and
b) try to get rid of all your word strips first. 

Setting Up to Play
To prepare to play Crosswords For Dummies, follow these steps: 

1. Carefully separate the words strips from the sheet. Put them into separate groups of 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7-letter words. Mix each group and randomly deal out the following to each player: 
 

You can place the remaining word strips in their corresponding areas in the plastic tray. 

2. Get a piece of paper. On it write the names of all the players. Underneath each name, write the numeral 100. That's the score that everyone starts with. 

Understanding the Word Strips
The word strips range from three-letter words to seven-letter words. Each strip has the same word printed on it horizontally on one side and vertically on the other side, allowing you to play the word either way on the board. They also have a number printed in the last box of each strip that indicates the value of the word. 

Discovering the Game Board
You'll see the following different types of squares on the board. 
 

	These squares don't really do much except connect the other squares on the board.
	The first player to place a word that covers one of these white squares gets to go again.
	The first player to place a word that covers one of these red squares gets to give any one of their words to another player. You'll want to give them the longest word you have remaining!

Playing the Game
To play Crosswords For Dummies, just follow these steps: 

1. The youngest person goes first by placing any one of their words so that it uses one of the DUMMIES letters in the center of the board. There are two ways to do that. 

You can place a word so that a letter in your word covers the same letter of a word on board, as shown below:

Example:

The word "IDEA" crosses the word "DUMMIES" at the "E."

Or, you can place a word so that it creates a NEW word using one of the letters of a word already on the board, as shown below:
 

The added word ("ATE") created a new word ("DATE.")

During the game, players can play off of the word "DUMMIES" OR any word on the board as long as their move follows the two preceding rules. 

Special Note: In Crosswords For Dummies, you do not take a new word after your turn has ended. 

2. The player to the left now takes a turn by placing a word on the board so that it crosses any word on the board at a matching letter or connects with a word to form a new word. Play continues in a clockwise direction. 

If at any time a player places a word on the board that covered a WHITE or RED square, he may go again or give one of his words to another player, depending on which square he covered. 

If a player can't make a play within two minutes, she must draw I three-letter word strip and add it to her hand. This then ends her turn. 

Words may run off the board as long as the letter that crosses another word is on the board or the connecting word originates on the board. The following figures show you the right and wrong ways to run words off the board. 

Example:

Winning the Game
As soon as one player's score reaches zero, the game ends. The player with the highest score when one player reaches zero wins the game.

The IDG Books Worldwide logo, Dummies Man, Crosswords For Dummies, A Game for the Rest of Us!, and The Dummies Way are trademarks under exclusive license to IDG Books Worldwide, Inc., from IDG International Data Group, Inc.