Merge pull request 'Promote development → master: Erudit blank star + dictionary v1.3.0 pin' (#111) from development into master

Drop the literal version default from the build files (backend Dockerfile both
stages, loadtest Dockerfile, the compose build-arg) so the release tag is not
duplicated as a stale-prone default a newcomer can't tell from the real source.

DICT_VERSION is now required: compose uses ${DICT_VERSION:?…} and the Dockerfiles
have no ARG default, so a missing value fails loudly instead of baking a stale tag.
The tag lives only in its genuine sources — ci.yaml env (CI tests), the Gitea
TEST_/PROD_DICT_VERSION variables (deploy seed) and deploy/.env.example (local).
Adds a "Bumping the dictionary version" section to deploy/README and fixes the bare
docker-build examples (CLAUDE.md, README.md, loadtest/README) to pass --build-arg.

.gitea/workflows/ci.yaml

@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ on:
 # unit/integration jobs inherit it. The deploy job overrides it per contour with
 # vars.TEST_DICT_VERSION (the seed for a fresh volume), see deploy/README.md.
 env:
-  DICT_VERSION: v1.2.1
+  DICT_VERSION: v1.3.0
 
 jobs:
   # changes detects which areas a PR/push touched, so the test jobs can skip when

CLAUDE.md

@@ -144,7 +144,7 @@ go run ./backend/cmd/backend    # /healthz, /readyz on :8080
 cd ui && pnpm install && pnpm check && pnpm test:unit && pnpm build  # the UI
 pnpm start                      # UI mock mode: lobby -> game, no backend
 
-docker build -f backend/Dockerfile -t scrabble-backend .   # images; gateway embeds the SPA
+docker build --build-arg DICT_VERSION=v1.3.0 -f backend/Dockerfile -t scrabble-backend .  # DICT_VERSION required (no default); gateway embeds the SPA
 docker build -f gateway/Dockerfile --target gateway -t scrabble-gateway .
 docker build -f gateway/Dockerfile --target landing -t scrabble-landing .  # static landing
 docker compose -f deploy/docker-compose.yml config         # validate the full contour

README.md

@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ observability stack (OTel Collector → Prometheus + Tempo → Grafana) + a fron
 services build from multi-stage distroless `*/Dockerfile`.
 
 ```sh
-docker build -f backend/Dockerfile -t scrabble-backend .   # pulls the DAWG release artifact
+docker build --build-arg DICT_VERSION=v1.3.0 -f backend/Dockerfile -t scrabble-backend .  # DICT_VERSION required; pulls that DAWG release artifact
 docker build -f gateway/Dockerfile -t scrabble-gateway .   # node stage builds + embeds the UI
 docker compose -f deploy/docker-compose.yml config         # validate (needs the TEST_/PROD_ env)
 ```

backend/Dockerfile

@@ -7,12 +7,14 @@
 # (GOPRIVATE), so the build stage needs git and network.
 #
 # Build from the repository root so go.work, go.work.sum, pkg/ and backend/ are all
-# in the Docker context:
-#   docker build -f backend/Dockerfile -t scrabble-backend .
+# in the Docker context. DICT_VERSION has no default — the caller supplies the
+# scrabble-dictionary release tag (compose/CI pass it; see deploy/README.md
+# "Bumping the dictionary version"):
+#   docker build --build-arg DICT_VERSION=v1.3.0 -f backend/Dockerfile -t scrabble-backend .
 
 # --- dictionary artifact -----------------------------------------------------
 FROM alpine:3.20 AS dawg
-ARG DICT_VERSION=v1.2.1
+ARG DICT_VERSION
 RUN apk add --no-cache curl tar
 RUN mkdir -p /dawg \
  && curl -fsSL -o /tmp/dawg.tar.gz \
@@ -42,7 +44,7 @@ FROM gcr.io/distroless/static-debian12:nonroot
 # Re-declare the build arg in this stage so it labels the seed dictionary. One
 # DICT_VERSION drives both the artifact the dawg stage downloads and the version
 # label the binary pins, so the resident version equals the release tag.
-ARG DICT_VERSION=v1.2.1
+ARG DICT_VERSION
 COPY --from=build /out/backend /usr/local/bin/backend
 # Own the seed dictionary as the nonroot runtime user (UID 65532): a named volume
 # mounted at /opt/dawg inherits this ownership on first use, so the admin console

backend/README.md

@@ -228,7 +228,7 @@ internal/banview/    # gateway active-ban mirror: the console's Active IP bans p
 ```sh
 docker run -d --name scrabble-pg -e POSTGRES_PASSWORD=dev -p 5432:5432 postgres:17-alpine
 # DAWGs: extract the dictionary release artifact (or point at a local scrabble-solver/dawg):
-mkdir -p /tmp/dawg && curl -fsSL https://gitea.iliadenisov.ru/developer/scrabble-dictionary/releases/download/v1.2.1/scrabble-dawg-v1.2.1.tar.gz | tar xz -C /tmp/dawg
+mkdir -p /tmp/dawg && curl -fsSL https://gitea.iliadenisov.ru/developer/scrabble-dictionary/releases/download/v1.3.0/scrabble-dawg-v1.3.0.tar.gz | tar xz -C /tmp/dawg
 BACKEND_POSTGRES_DSN='postgres://postgres:dev@localhost:5432/postgres?search_path=backend&sslmode=disable' \
   BACKEND_DICT_DIR=/tmp/dawg \
   GOPRIVATE='gitea.iliadenisov.ru/*' \

backend/internal/account/account.go

@@ -207,10 +207,11 @@ type provisionSeed struct {
 
 // telegramSeed derives the create-time seed from Telegram launch fields: a
 // supported preferred language from languageCode (an ISO-639 code, possibly
-// region-tagged like "ru-RU"), and a display name sanitized from firstName or,
-// failing that, username (sanitizeDisplayName strips disallowed characters to the
-// editable format). When neither yields any letters, it falls back to a generated
-// placeholder in the seeded language (placeholderDisplayName).
+// region-tagged like "ru-RU"), and a display name. The name precedence is the real
+// name (firstName, sanitized to the editable format) → the @username taken verbatim
+// (already a valid handle, only trimmed and length-capped, never character-stripped)
+// → a generated placeholder in the seeded language (placeholderDisplayName), reached
+// only when firstName has no usable letters and no username is set.
 func telegramSeed(languageCode, username, firstName string) provisionSeed {
 	var seed provisionSeed
 	if lang, _, _ := strings.Cut(strings.ToLower(strings.TrimSpace(languageCode)), "-"); lang == "en" || lang == "ru" {
@@ -218,7 +219,13 @@ func telegramSeed(languageCode, username, firstName string) provisionSeed {
 	}
 	name := sanitizeDisplayName(firstName)
 	if name == "" {
-		name = sanitizeDisplayName(username)
+		// The real name yielded nothing usable: fall back to the @username verbatim
+		// (Telegram guarantees a valid handle), only trimmed and capped to the column
+		// width — never character-stripped like the real name.
+		name = strings.TrimSpace(username)
+		if r := []rune(name); len(r) > maxDisplayName {
+			name = strings.TrimRight(string(r[:maxDisplayName]), " ")
+		}
 	}
 	if name == "" {
 		name = placeholderDisplayName(seed.preferredLanguage)

backend/internal/account/provision_test.go

@@ -9,8 +9,9 @@ import (
 
 // TestTelegramSeed covers the pure mapping from Telegram launch fields to the
 // create-time account seed: supported-language detection (bare and region-tagged),
-// the first-name / username display-name precedence, and the sanitization that
-// strips disallowed characters (emoji, digits, punctuation) to the editable format.
+// the real-name → @username (verbatim) → placeholder display-name precedence, and
+// the sanitization of the real name (emoji, digits, punctuation stripped to the
+// editable format). The username, when used, is kept verbatim.
 func TestTelegramSeed(t *testing.T) {
 	cases := map[string]struct {
 		languageCode, username, firstName string
@@ -28,6 +29,7 @@ func TestTelegramSeed(t *testing.T) {
 		"punct to space":      {"en", "user", "John❤Doe", "en", "John Doe"},
 		"digits dropped":      {"ru", "user", "Маша123", "ru", "Маша"},
 		"garbage to username": {"en", "good", "123!@#", "en", "good"},
+		"username verbatim":   {"en", "co_ol99", "🎮🎮", "en", "co_ol99"},
 	}
 	for name, tc := range cases {
 		t.Run(name, func(t *testing.T) {
@@ -49,10 +51,10 @@ func TestTelegramSeedPlaceholder(t *testing.T) {
 		languageCode, username, firstName string
 		wantRe                            string
 	}{
-		"en empty":     {"en", "", "", `^Player-\d{5}$`},
-		"ru empty":     {"ru", "", "", `^Игрок-\d{5}$`},
-		"default en":   {"fr", "", "", `^Player-\d{5}$`},
-		"both garbage": {"ru", "123", "!!!", `^Игрок-\d{5}$`},
+		"en empty":                  {"en", "", "", `^Player-\d{5}$`},
+		"ru empty":                  {"ru", "", "", `^Игрок-\d{5}$`},
+		"default en":                {"fr", "", "", `^Player-\d{5}$`},
+		"name garbage, no username": {"ru", "", "!!!", `^Игрок-\d{5}$`},
 	}
 	for name, tc := range cases {
 		t.Run(name, func(t *testing.T) {

deploy/.env.example

@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ POSTGRES_PASSWORD=change-me            # required
 # the active version lives in the DB. On a live volume a changed value is ignored (the
 # recorded .seed_version marker wins — the seed-drift guard); change a running
 # contour's dictionary through /_gm/dictionary (ARCHITECTURE.md §5).
-DICT_VERSION=v1.2.1
+DICT_VERSION=v1.3.0
 
 # --- Logging ----------------------------------------------------------------
 LOG_LEVEL=info

deploy/README.md

@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ without it Docker's resolver handles `otelcol`, `gateway` and `api.telegram.org`
 | --- | --- | --- | --- |
 | `POSTGRES_DB` | variable | `scrabble` | Database name. |
 | `POSTGRES_USER` | variable | `scrabble` | Database user. |
-| `DICT_VERSION` | variable | `v1.2.1` | `scrabble-dictionary` release tag baked into the backend image as the **seed for a fresh volume** (build-arg). A live contour changes dictionary through the admin console, not this; on a seeded volume a changed value is ignored (the recorded `.seed_version` marker wins — the seed-drift guard, ARCHITECTURE.md §5). Set per contour as `TEST_`/`PROD_DICT_VERSION`. |
+| `DICT_VERSION` | variable | `v1.3.0` | `scrabble-dictionary` release tag baked into the backend image as the **seed for a fresh volume** (build-arg). A live contour changes dictionary through the admin console, not this; on a seeded volume a changed value is ignored (the recorded `.seed_version` marker wins — the seed-drift guard, ARCHITECTURE.md §5). Set per contour as `TEST_`/`PROD_DICT_VERSION`. |
 | `LOG_LEVEL` | variable | `info` | Shared log level for backend / gateway / validator / bot (`debug\|info\|warn\|error`). |
 | `CADDY_SITE_ADDRESS` | variable | `:80` | Caddy site address. Test: `:80` (host caddy terminates TLS). Prod: a domain, so caddy does its own ACME. |
 | `GM_BASICAUTH_USER` | variable | `gm` | Username for the `/_gm` Basic-Auth. |
@@ -117,6 +117,28 @@ collector's / gateway's internal IP is fine (connected route), but its `AWG_CONF
 which resolves `otelcol`, `gateway` and `api.telegram.org`. `GATEWAY_ADMIN_*` is
 intentionally **unset** — caddy owns `/_gm` in the contour.
 
+## Bumping the dictionary version
+
+The dictionary ships as a versioned **release artifact** (`scrabble-dawg-vX.Y.Z.tar.gz`) from
+[`scrabble-dictionary`](https://gitea.iliadenisov.ru/developer/scrabble-dictionary). The tag is
+a build-time input with **no default** in the images, so it is set in exactly two places to
+move the whole stack — change both to a new release:
+
+1. **CI tests** — `.gitea/workflows/ci.yaml` `env.DICT_VERSION` (the unit/integration jobs
+   download that dawg).
+2. **Deploy seed** — the Gitea repo variables `TEST_DICT_VERSION` / `PROD_DICT_VERSION` (the tag
+   the deploy bakes into a **fresh** volume's image; the deploy job feeds it to `compose` as
+   `DICT_VERSION`).
+
+For local builds set `DICT_VERSION` in `deploy/.env` (template: `.env.example`); a bare
+`docker build` needs `--build-arg DICT_VERSION=vX.Y.Z`. The Dockerfiles and `compose` carry no
+default — a missing value fails loudly instead of baking a stale tag.
+
+Bumping the seed is a **no-op on a live volume** (the `.seed_version` marker wins — the
+seed-drift guard). A running contour/prod moves to a new release **through the admin console**
+`/_gm/dictionary` (upload the tarball, preview the per-variant diff, confirm); in-flight games
+keep their pinned version, new games use the new one (ARCHITECTURE.md §5).
+
 ## Production rollout
 
 Prod runs on **two hosts** (main = full stack + ACME on the domain; tg = the bot only,

deploy/docker-compose.yml

@@ -68,9 +68,11 @@ services:
       context: ..
       dockerfile: backend/Dockerfile
       args:
-        # Seed dictionary for a FRESH volume; the per-contour value comes from the
-        # deploy env (Gitea TEST_/PROD_DICT_VERSION). See the volume note below.
-        DICT_VERSION: ${DICT_VERSION:-v1.2.1}
+        # Seed dictionary for a FRESH volume; required (no default) so the release tag is
+        # set in exactly one place per context — the deploy env (Gitea TEST_/PROD_DICT_VERSION)
+        # or .env for local builds. See the volume note below + deploy/README.md "Bumping the
+        # dictionary version".
+        DICT_VERSION: ${DICT_VERSION:?set DICT_VERSION — the scrabble-dictionary release tag, e.g. in deploy/.env}
         # Build version stamped into the binary (git tag; see pkg/version).
         VERSION: ${APP_VERSION:-dev}
     restart: unless-stopped

docs/UI_DESIGN.md

@@ -109,7 +109,10 @@ dismisses as soon as the lobby is ready. The pure layout and timing live in `lib
 ## Tiles & board
 
 - **Tiles**: the letter sits in the **top-left** corner (offset a touch more than the
-  value), the point value bottom-right; blanks show no value.
+  value), the point value bottom-right; blanks show no value. In **Erudit** the blank is the
+  "звёздочка" (star) chip: an unplaced blank shows the star (`✻`, U+273B) centred on the rack
+  tile, and a placed blank carries it in the value corner; the Scrabble variants leave the
+  blank unmarked (`usesStarBlank` in `lib/variants.ts`).
 - **Board zoom** (`Board.svelte`): a two-state zoom (full 15×15 ↔ ~9 cells) by **growing
   the board's width** inside a fixed-size viewport (a real layout change → native scroll
   that works consistently across browsers; no `transform`, which broke scrolling

loadtest/Dockerfile

@@ -12,7 +12,8 @@
 
 # --- dictionary artifact -----------------------------------------------------
 FROM alpine:3.20 AS dawg
-ARG DICT_VERSION=v1.2.1
+# Required, no default: the build caller supplies the scrabble-dictionary release tag.
+ARG DICT_VERSION
 RUN apk add --no-cache curl tar
 RUN mkdir -p /dawg \
  && curl -fsSL -o /tmp/dawg.tar.gz \

loadtest/README.md

@@ -35,8 +35,8 @@ The harness reaches Postgres and the gateway directly, so run it as a one-shot
 container on the contour's docker network (this bypasses the host→gateway hairpin):
 
 ```sh
-# from the repo root
-docker build -f loadtest/Dockerfile -t scrabble-loadtest .
+# from the repo root (DICT_VERSION has no default — pass the scrabble-dictionary release tag)
+docker build --build-arg DICT_VERSION=v1.3.0 -f loadtest/Dockerfile -t scrabble-loadtest .
 
 docker run --rm --cpus=3 --name scrabble-loadtest --network scrabble-internal \
   -e POSTGRES_PASSWORD="$TEST_POSTGRES_PASSWORD" \

ui/src/components/WordTiles.svelte

@@ -1,12 +1,14 @@
 <script lang="ts">
   // A best-move word drawn as a row of game tiles, mirroring the board's placed-tile
   // look (letter top-left, point value bottom-right) at a small fixed size. A blank tile
-  // shows its letter but no value, exactly as on the board. Letters are upper-cased for
-  // display. The tile values ride on each tile, so this renders without the variant's
-  // alphabet table (which the statistics screen has not cached).
-  import type { BestMoveTile } from '../lib/model';
+  // shows its letter but no value, exactly as on the board; in Erudit it also carries the
+  // blank's star (✻) in the value corner. Letters are upper-cased for display. The tile
+  // values ride on each tile, so this needs only the variant id (for the star) — not the
+  // variant's alphabet table, which the statistics screen has not cached.
+  import type { BestMoveTile, Variant } from '../lib/model';
+  import { usesStarBlank, BLANK_STAR } from '../lib/variants';
 
-  let { word }: { word: BestMoveTile[] } = $props();
+  let { word, variant }: { word: BestMoveTile[]; variant: Variant } = $props();
 
   const label = $derived(word.map((t) => t.letter).join('').toUpperCase());
 </script>
@@ -15,7 +17,11 @@
   {#each word as tile, i (i)}
     <span class="tile" class:blank={tile.blank} aria-hidden="true">
       <span class="letter">{tile.letter.toUpperCase()}</span>
-      {#if !tile.blank}<span class="val">{tile.value}</span>{/if}
+      {#if !tile.blank}
+        <span class="val">{tile.value}</span>
+      {:else if usesStarBlank(variant)}
+        <span class="val blankmark">{BLANK_STAR}</span>
+      {/if}
     </span>
   {/each}
 </span>
@@ -50,4 +56,10 @@
     font-size: 7px;
     font-weight: 600;
   }
+  /* A placed Erudit blank ("звёздочка") shows its star where the (absent) point value sits,
+     its ink kept on the value digits' line (mirrors the board tile). */
+  .blankmark {
+    font-size: 8px;
+    bottom: 0;
+  }
 </style>

ui/src/game/Board.svelte

@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
   import type { Premium } from '../lib/premiums';
   import { valueForLetter } from '../lib/alphabet';
   import type { Variant } from '../lib/model';
+  import { usesStarBlank, BLANK_STAR } from '../lib/variants';
   import { bonusLabel, type BoardLabelMode } from '../lib/boardlabels';
   import type { Locale } from '../lib/i18n/catalog';
 
@@ -254,7 +255,11 @@
           >
             {#if letter}
               <span class="letter">{letter}</span>
-              {#if !blank}<span class="val">{valueForLetter(variant, letter)}</span>{/if}
+              {#if !blank}
+                <span class="val">{valueForLetter(variant, letter)}</span>
+              {:else if usesStarBlank(variant)}
+                <span class="val blankmark">{BLANK_STAR}</span>
+              {/if}
             {:else if r === centre.row && c === centre.col}
               <span class="star">★</span>
             {:else if bl?.kind === 'single'}
@@ -410,6 +415,12 @@
     font-size: 2.4cqw;
     font-weight: 600;
   }
+  /* A placed Erudit blank ("звёздочка") shows its star where the (absent) point value sits,
+     its ink centred on the same line as a neighbouring tile's value digit. */
+  .blankmark {
+    font-size: 2.8cqw;
+    bottom: 0;
+  }
   .star {
     position: absolute;
     inset: 0;

ui/src/game/Game.svelte

@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
   import { badgeKind } from '../lib/unread';
   import { historyGrid } from '../lib/history';
   import { centre, premiumGrid } from '../lib/premiums';
-  import { variantNameKey } from '../lib/variants';
+  import { variantNameKey, usesStarBlank, BLANK_STAR } from '../lib/variants';
   import { alphabetLetters, hasAlphabet } from '../lib/alphabet';
   import { hintsLeft } from '../lib/hints';
   import { shareOrDownloadGcg } from '../lib/share';
@@ -1293,7 +1293,7 @@
 
 {#if drag}
   <div class="ghost" class:touch={drag.touch} style="left:{drag.x}px; top:{drag.y}px">
-    <span>{drag.blank ? '' : drag.letter}</span>
+    <span>{drag.blank ? (usesStarBlank(variant) ? BLANK_STAR : '') : drag.letter}</span>
   </div>
 {/if}
 

ui/src/game/Rack.svelte

@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
   import { BLANK } from '../lib/placement';
   import { valueForLetter } from '../lib/alphabet';
   import type { Variant } from '../lib/model';
+  import { usesStarBlank, BLANK_STAR } from '../lib/variants';
 
   let {
     slots,
@@ -66,8 +67,12 @@
       animate:hop={shuffling}
       onpointerdown={(e) => ondown(e, slot.index)}
     >
-      <span class="letter">{slot.letter === BLANK ? '' : slot.letter}</span>
-      {#if slot.letter !== BLANK}<span class="val">{valueForLetter(variant, slot.letter)}</span>{/if}
+      {#if slot.letter === BLANK}
+        {#if usesStarBlank(variant)}<span class="star">{BLANK_STAR}</span>{/if}
+      {:else}
+        <span class="letter">{slot.letter}</span>
+        <span class="val">{valueForLetter(variant, slot.letter)}</span>
+      {/if}
     </button>
   {/each}
 </div>
@@ -133,4 +138,15 @@
     font-size: 0.7rem;
     font-weight: 600;
   }
+  /* Erudit's blank ("звёздочка") shows its star horizontally centred on the otherwise empty
+     tile face; the top offset centres its ink against the neighbouring letters' block, nudged
+     up a pixel to sit right by eye (it is slightly larger than them so it reads). */
+  .star {
+    position: absolute;
+    top: calc(0.5% - 1px);
+    left: 0;
+    right: 0;
+    text-align: center;
+    font-size: 1.7rem;
+  }
 </style>

ui/src/lib/i18n/en.ts

@@ -257,6 +257,7 @@ export const en = {
   'invitations.with': 'With {names}',
   'invitations.accept': 'Accept',
   'invitations.decline': 'Decline',
+  'invitations.declineConfirm': 'Decline invitation?',
   'invitations.cancel': 'Cancel',
   'invitations.waiting': 'Waiting for replies',
 
@@ -264,10 +265,10 @@ export const en = {
   'new.withFriends': 'Play with friends',
   'new.pickFriends': 'Choose who to invite',
   'new.searchFriends': 'Search friends',
-  'new.gameType': 'Game type',
+  'new.gameType': 'Variant',
   'new.invite': 'Send invitation',
   'new.moveTime': 'Move time',
-  'new.hintsPerPlayer': 'Hints per player',
+  'new.hintsPerPlayer': 'Hints',
   'new.multipleWordsPerTurn': 'Multiple words per turn',
   'new.start': 'Start game',
   'new.invited': 'Invitation sent.',

ui/src/lib/i18n/ru.ts

@@ -258,6 +258,7 @@ export const ru: Record<MessageKey, string> = {
   'invitations.with': 'С {names}',
   'invitations.accept': 'Принять',
   'invitations.decline': 'Отклонить',
+  'invitations.declineConfirm': 'Отклонить приглашение?',
   'invitations.cancel': 'Отменить',
   'invitations.waiting': 'Ожидаем ответы',
 
@@ -265,10 +266,10 @@ export const ru: Record<MessageKey, string> = {
   'new.withFriends': 'Игра с друзьями',
   'new.pickFriends': 'Кого пригласить',
   'new.searchFriends': 'Поиск друзей',
-  'new.gameType': 'Тип игры',
+  'new.gameType': 'Вариант',
   'new.invite': 'Отправить приглашение',
   'new.moveTime': 'Время на ход',
-  'new.hintsPerPlayer': 'Подсказок на игрока',
+  'new.hintsPerPlayer': 'Подсказки',
   'new.multipleWordsPerTurn': 'Несколько слов за ход',
   'new.start': 'Начать игру',
   'new.invited': 'Приглашение отправлено.',

ui/src/lib/variants.test.ts

@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@ import {
   availableVariants,
   supportsMultipleWordsToggle,
   multipleWordsForRequest,
+  usesStarBlank,
+  BLANK_STAR,
 } from './variants';
 
 describe('ALL_VARIANTS', () => {
@@ -53,3 +55,16 @@ describe('multipleWordsForRequest', () => {
     expect(multipleWordsForRequest('scrabble_en', true)).toBe(true);
   });
 });
+
+describe('usesStarBlank', () => {
+  it('marks the blank with a star for Erudit only', () => {
+    expect(usesStarBlank('erudit_ru')).toBe(true);
+    expect(usesStarBlank('scrabble_ru')).toBe(false);
+    expect(usesStarBlank('scrabble_en')).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it('BLANK_STAR is the heavy teardrop-spoked asterisk (U+273B)', () => {
+    expect(BLANK_STAR).toBe('✻');
+    expect(BLANK_STAR.codePointAt(0)).toBe(0x273b);
+  });
+});

ui/src/lib/variants.ts

@@ -48,6 +48,20 @@ export const VARIANT_FLAG: Record<Variant, string> = {
 // ru -> Russian + Эрудит.
 export const VARIANT_LANGUAGE: Record<Variant, 'en' | 'ru'> = { scrabble_en: 'en', scrabble_ru: 'ru', erudit_ru: 'ru' };
 
+// BLANK_STAR is the glyph drawn on an Эрудит blank tile: the variant's blank is the
+// "звёздочка" (star) chip, so it carries a star rather than a bare face. U+273B HEAVY
+// TEARDROP-SPOKED ASTERISK.
+export const BLANK_STAR = '✻';
+
+// usesStarBlank reports whether a variant marks its blank tiles with BLANK_STAR. Only
+// Эрудит does: an empty rack blank shows the star centred, and a placed blank carries it
+// in the value corner (the corner is free — a blank has no point value). The Scrabble
+// variants leave the blank unmarked (an empty rack face; a placed blank shown by its
+// designated letter alone).
+export function usesStarBlank(v: Variant): boolean {
+  return v === 'erudit_ru';
+}
+
 // availableVariants gates ALL_VARIANTS by the player's variant preferences (the set
 // they enabled in Settings). An empty or absent set is ungated (returns every variant)
 // — a safety fallback; a real profile always carries at least one preference.

ui/src/screens/Lobby.svelte

@@ -3,17 +3,19 @@
   import { SvelteMap, SvelteSet } from 'svelte/reactivity';
   import Screen from '../components/Screen.svelte';
   import TabBar from '../components/TabBar.svelte';
+  import Modal from '../components/Modal.svelte';
   import { app, handleError, refreshFeedbackBadge, seedChatUnread } from '../lib/app.svelte';
   import { connection } from '../lib/connection.svelte';
   import { gateway } from '../lib/gateway';
   import { navigate } from '../lib/router.svelte';
-  import { t, type MessageKey } from '../lib/i18n/index.svelte';
+  import { t } from '../lib/i18n/index.svelte';
   import { resultBadge } from '../lib/result';
   import { badgeKind } from '../lib/unread';
   import { getLobby, setLobby } from '../lib/lobbycache';
   import { preloadGames } from '../lib/preload';
   import { gamePhase, groupGames, orderedSeats, scoreStanding, shouldBlink, type LobbyPhase } from '../lib/lobbysort';
   import type { AccountRef, GameView, Invitation } from '../lib/model';
+  import { VARIANT_FLAG, VARIANT_RULES } from '../lib/variants';
 
   let games = $state<GameView[]>([]);
   let invitations = $state<Invitation[]>([]);
@@ -209,11 +211,14 @@
     }
   }
 
-  const variantKey: Record<string, MessageKey> = {
-    scrabble_en: 'new.english',
-    scrabble_ru: 'new.russian',
-    erudit_ru: 'new.erudit',
-  };
+  // The invitation pending a decline confirmation: the ❌ opens a modal (mirroring the
+  // in-game resign confirmation) rather than declining on the first tap.
+  let declineTarget = $state<Invitation | null>(null);
+  function confirmDecline() {
+    const inv = declineTarget;
+    declineTarget = null;
+    if (inv) declineInvite(inv);
+  }
 </script>
 
 <Screen title={app.profile?.displayName ?? t('app.title')}>
@@ -230,16 +235,23 @@
                 <span class="sub">{t('invitations.waiting')}</span>
               {:else}
                 <span class="who">{t('invitations.from', { name: inv.inviter.displayName })}</span>
-                <span class="sub">{t(variantKey[inv.variant] ?? 'new.english')}</span>
+                <span class="vrow">
+                  {#if VARIANT_FLAG[inv.variant]}
+                    <span class="vflag">{VARIANT_FLAG[inv.variant]}</span>
+                  {:else}
+                    <img class="vflag-img" src="flag-ussr.svg" alt="" />
+                  {/if}
+                  <span class="sub">{t(VARIANT_RULES[inv.variant])}</span>
+                </span>
               {/if}
               {#if !inv.multipleWordsPerTurn}<span class="sub">{t('game.oneWordRule')}</span>{/if}
             </span>
             <span class="acts">
               {#if inv.inviter.accountId === myId}
-                <button class="ghost" onclick={() => cancelInvite(inv)}>{t('invitations.cancel')}</button>
+                <button class="iconbtn" onclick={() => cancelInvite(inv)} aria-label={t('invitations.cancel')}>❌</button>
               {:else}
-                <button class="btn" onclick={() => acceptInvite(inv)}>{t('invitations.accept')}</button>
-                <button class="ghost" onclick={() => declineInvite(inv)}>{t('invitations.decline')}</button>
+                <button class="iconbtn" onclick={() => acceptInvite(inv)} aria-label={t('invitations.accept')}>✅</button>
+                <button class="iconbtn" onclick={() => (declineTarget = inv)} aria-label={t('invitations.decline')}>❌</button>
               {/if}
             </span>
           </div>
@@ -308,6 +320,15 @@
     {/if}
   </div>
 
+  {#if declineTarget}
+    <Modal title={t('invitations.declineConfirm')} onclose={() => (declineTarget = null)}>
+      <div class="confirm-row">
+        <button class="cancel" onclick={() => (declineTarget = null)}>{t('common.cancel')}</button>
+        <button class="danger" onclick={confirmDecline} disabled={!connection.online}>{t('invitations.decline')}</button>
+      </div>
+    </Modal>
+  {/if}
+
   {#snippet tabbar()}
     <TabBar>
       <button class="tab" disabled={atGameLimit} onclick={() => navigate('/new')}>
@@ -365,6 +386,40 @@
     border-radius: var(--radius);
     user-select: none;
   }
+  /* The middle column grows; the envelope and the action column stay at their natural width. */
+  .invite .info {
+    flex: 1;
+  }
+  /* The variant row in an invitation: flag + the rules summary (mirrors NewGame). */
+  .vrow {
+    display: flex;
+    align-items: baseline;
+    gap: 6px;
+  }
+  .vflag {
+    font-size: 1.1rem;
+    line-height: 1;
+  }
+  .vflag-img {
+    width: 1.3rem;
+    height: auto;
+    border-radius: 2px;
+    align-self: center;
+  }
+  /* Borderless icon action (✅ / ❌), like the in-game .hicon buttons. */
+  .iconbtn {
+    background: none;
+    border: none;
+    color: var(--text);
+    font-size: 1.3rem;
+    line-height: 1;
+    padding: 4px 6px;
+    border-radius: var(--radius-sm);
+    cursor: pointer;
+  }
+  .iconbtn:active {
+    background: var(--bg-elev);
+  }
   /* Game rows are a compact, flat list: no per-card frame, a hairline divider between
      consecutive rows. */
   .list {
@@ -516,23 +571,31 @@
       opacity: 0;
     }
   }
+  /* The ✅ / ❌ actions stack vertically with a small gap — a min-width right column. */
   .acts {
     display: flex;
-    gap: 8px;
+    flex-direction: column;
+    gap: 10px;
     flex: 0 0 auto;
+    justify-content: center;
   }
-  .btn {
-    padding: 8px 12px;
-    border: 1px solid var(--accent);
-    background: var(--accent);
-    color: var(--accent-text);
+  /* Decline-confirmation modal (mirrors the in-game resign confirm). */
+  .confirm-row {
+    display: flex;
+    gap: 8px;
+  }
+  .confirm-row button {
+    flex: 1;
+    padding: 11px;
     border-radius: var(--radius-sm);
-  }
-  .ghost {
-    padding: 8px 12px;
     border: 1px solid var(--border);
     background: var(--surface);
     color: var(--text);
-    border-radius: var(--radius-sm);
+    font-weight: 600;
+  }
+  .danger {
+    background: var(--danger) !important;
+    color: #fff !important;
+    border-color: var(--danger) !important;
   }
 </style>

ui/src/screens/NewGame.svelte

@@ -67,9 +67,12 @@
   let friends = $state<AccountRef[]>([]);
   let selected = $state<string[]>([]);
   let friendFilter = $state('');
-  // No default game type yet — the player must pick one (a smarter default from play
-  // history / language would be a future refinement). '' renders the disabled placeholder option.
+  // A lone offered variant is pre-selected and its picker disabled (nothing else to choose);
+  // with several, the player picks. '' renders the disabled placeholder option.
   let inviteVariant = $state<Variant | ''>('');
+  $effect(() => {
+    if (variants.length === 1 && !inviteVariant) inviteVariant = variants[0].id;
+  });
   let timeoutSecs = $state(86400);
   let hints = $state(1);
 
@@ -152,6 +155,7 @@
             <input type="checkbox" bind:checked={multipleWords} />
           </label>
         {/if}
+        <div class="grow"></div>
         <p class="movelimit">{opponent === 'ai' ? t('new.aiInactiveLimit') : t('new.moveLimit', { n: AUTO_MATCH_HOURS })}</p>
         {#if opponent === 'random'}<p class="searchhint">{t('new.searchHint')}</p>{/if}
         <button
@@ -179,7 +183,7 @@
           <div class="settings-row">
             <label class="field">
               <span>{t('new.gameType')}</span>
-              <select bind:value={inviteVariant} class:placeholder={!inviteVariant}>
+              <select bind:value={inviteVariant} class:placeholder={!inviteVariant} disabled={variants.length === 1}>
                 <option value="" disabled>—</option>
                 {#each variants as v (v.id)}<option value={v.id}>{t(v.label)}</option>{/each}
               </select>
@@ -387,6 +391,11 @@
     color: var(--text-muted);
     margin: 0;
   }
+  /* Pushes the auto-match start cluster (move-limit hint + Start button) to the bottom,
+     mirroring the friend-game invite button pinned by the .fg scroll area. */
+  .grow {
+    flex: 1;
+  }
   .invite {
     flex: 0 0 auto;
     padding: 14px;

ui/src/screens/Stats.svelte

@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@
             {#each bestMoves as bm (bm.variant)}
               <span class="variant">{t(variantNameKey(bm.variant))}</span>
               <span class="score">{bm.score}</span>
-              <span class="wordcell"><WordTiles word={bm.word} /></span>
+              <span class="wordcell"><WordTiles word={bm.word} variant={bm.variant} /></span>
             {/each}
           </div>
         </div>