Aren't people who cheat at board games the absolute worst? I mean, you're getting people together, opening up your home so everyone has a flimsy pretext to get shitty on wine on a Sunday night, and there are people cheating in Scategories or Cranium or whatever just because they hate to lose. 

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It doesn't make any sense. 

However, when the stakes are higher, cheating might not be any more acceptable or ethical, but it does make more sense. Like at the 2012 National Scrabble Championship, where a boy (age 13) was ejected for palming blank tiles (which are very valuable to experienced players but completely baffle me). ...And nothing in the Scrabble world will ever be the same. 

The boy had a reputation not for being a great player, but for chalking up some truly stupendous victories, and now it's probably clear how he managed to get one without the other. By cheating. 

While the story clearly isn't that important to those outside the competitive Scrabble world, it was niche and quirky enough that this kid has been the subject of articles by L.A. Times, N.Y. Times, a feature on Rock Center, and the Associated Press. Ouch. 

The sun will rise and set in spite of this scandal, but most importantly, it will keep us moderately enteratined as this unnamed boy, who was probably ostarcized enough (hence the competitive Scrabble) now finds himself banned from even that. There's always stamp-collecting. It's hard to cheat at that.