What’s more important in Scrabble, strategy or knowledge?
In Scrabble, there’s an adage that states, “the player going first will win 54% of the time”. When you go first, you control the board – whether you move horizontally or vertically, expose a premium square or a double word file, or close or open the panel. Is it reasonable to never expose the double letter squares around the center square? As a general rule, yes, it is best not to give your opponent easy 50 or 60 points.
However, you might consider exposing a Double Letter Square for a set-up play if you hold two power tiles (like the Z and J) and a couple of Os.