There is only one way I figure the game can end: to steer the word into a word that cant have anagrams or substitutions. Since there is no play available to subtract letters, adding that last decisive letter will make you the winner. However, it could easily backfire if the opponent detects it.

The trick is to be the one to add a letter that makes the word unplayable. For eg: if (somehow), you manage to land on the word Rhythm, then add s to make it rhythms, and i doubt there is a play left.

Though i don't think arriving at rhythm is going to be easy or even possible, this was just as an example. Someone might find a substitution for rhythms i hadn't thought. But the key is finding a word like this. If we were able to make the dictionary a multilinked tree where children were defined based on the available plays, then this word would be a leaf. Just a thought

There is only one way I figure the game can end: to steer the word into a word that cant have anagrams or substitutions. Since there is no play available to subtract letters, adding that last decisive letter will make you the winner. However, it could easily backfire if the opponent detects it.

The trick is to be

the one to add a letter that makes the word unplayable. For eg: if (somehow), you manage to land on the word Rhythm, then add s to make it rhythms, and i doubt there is a play left.Though i don't think arriving at Rhythm is going to be easy or even possible,this was just as an example. Someone might find a substitution for rhythms i hadn't thought. But the key is finding a word like this.

If we were able to make the dictionary a multilinked tree where children were defined based on the available plays, then this word would be a leaf. Just a thought

Might work