…with Gary Moss

Tributes to Rita have been flooding the scrabble internet circles all day and all night long, ever since the announcement of her passing surfaced Wednesday morning.

To know Rita was to love Rita. I knew of Rita from the time I became a serious scrabble player. Every tournament player knew Rita Norr, the only woman National Scrabble Champion. But, I finally got to know Rita for at least a little while, right after I moved west in 1995. I was living in Hollywood Hills for a year when Rita was living in the LA area. I’d bump into her at Alan Stern’s ‘Killer Club’ and the Saturday morning club in West LA. After club play was over, a group of us would make our way to some all night restaurant near Fairfax, on Wednesday nights. On Saturday afternoons we frequented the Soup Plantation in Brentwood. Anyone could tag along. It was always more fun when Rita was a part of the group. Her smile and cheerful personality lit up the room. I always learned something when I played her. I actually didn’t get to play against Rita too often, because she was so much better than me and played in the highest divisions. My one great scrabble victory over Rita came in 1996. We were both playing in the year-end, club championship tournament at ‘The Killer Club’. It was an 8 game modified swiss-pairing competition. From the start, I was playing in a ‘zone’; I drew all the best tiles; I made all the correct challenges. I managed to win 6 of the first 7 games against the likes of Ira Cohen and other players whom I seldom beat. Meanwhile, Rita was winning too. Our paths finally crossed in the last game, Game #8. I continued to draw well and the game was neck and neck all the way. With the tile bag empty and only a few tiles left on each of our racks, it was Rita’s turn.

An aside: Rita was planning a trip to play in the upcoming World Tournament. She had been spending countless hours studying the thousands of words in SOWPODS, that were not in the OWL.

Back to my story: Rita made a play over the TWS, in the lower right-hand corner of the board. It scored enough points to insure her WIN. I quickly called ‘HOLD.’ I immediately noticed a 2-Letter-Hook that looked unfamiliar to me. ‘OI’ was not a legal two letter word in the OWL at that time. I challenged, went out, and enjoyed my 15 minutes of fame as the Champion of ‘The Killer Club’.

Rita remained my friend. Years later when she lived in Queens and I needed a place to stay for a week in New York, she and her dog Max, graciously put me up. We played scrabble in Washington Square Park and enjoyed the Bill Charlip Jazz Trio in the Village. Rita was a pleasure. I feel a profound sadness.

The following is a post from her family:
To Rita’s Dear Friends and Family,
As many of you already know, Rita passed away Wednesday morning in the
company of her family. She fought an impressive battle but the time
had come to leave the suffering behind.

We would like to invite you to join us in celebrating her life
while saying goodbye.

This Saturday, May 1st, we will be holding a simple funeral ceremony
in Brooklyn to be followed by a casual wake at her son Chris’ home
just up the block (details below).

At the funeral, we welcome you to share personal stories, poems,
and/or thoughts about Rita.

At the wake, we would like to post pictures of Rita for all to enjoy
and reminisce about her sparkling life. Please bring any you would
like to include.

Thank you for caring for her. We know she will miss you all.

Sincerely,
Chris, Kirsten, Ethan & Rick
P.S. Please pass this on.

DETAILS:

Saturday, May 1st

10 am – 12 pm Viewing
12 pm – 1 pm Brief Ceremony and Public Sharing

At: De Riso Funeral Home

5012 Fourth Avenue (between 50th and 51st Streets)

Brooklyn, NY

1 pm – 4 pm Wake

At: Home of Chris Norr
438 50th Street (between 4th & 5th Avenues)
Brooklyn, NY