I apparently lost out on meeting and learning from a Scrabble® Brand Crossword Game master, and from the eulogies I've read this is a great loss for the competitive subculture. Sadly for me, one of my personality flaws is shyness -- I tend to assume most people with NSA ratings over 1900 aren't going to give me the time of day unless I do something to get their attention (and it's not the quality of my game that gets their attention!).

Who are the approachable Scrabble® gurus? I know of one person that I feel comfortable approaching, but I don't think he's ever dispensed advice to me -- we talk of topics where we're both equals in knowledge. It'd help if these people had an online presence -- it seems a lot of masters are on the East Coast (where I'm not). I don't think I'm going to be one of those who can benefit from a special face-to-face mentor-protegee relationship.

Also, for those not into the competitive subculture but know something of conquering shyness, I'd be willing to take some constructive advice.