A mathematician, a lawyer and a businessman are hoping to experience no poxy palavers in their games in the Scrabble World Championship 2019, now taking place in Goa, India.
Harry Wiggins, Jarrod Page and Howard Rayner are representing South Africa in the World English Language Players' Association (WESPA) championship, which attracts top players from across the globe in the biggest annual tournament, from October 16-20.
Wiggins, the maths boff, confirmed he also has a way with words when he was crowned SA's scrabble champ in March this year.
Scrabble South Africa said the three players are among 209 participants from various countries hoping for the title of world champion.
“The best players in the world are from Nigeria. Scrabble is federally funded there. They play it in schools,” Scrabble SA vice-chair Steven Gruzd told Business Day earlier this year. The game is also increasingly popular in Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda, the Gambia and Zambia.
SA’s top-ranked player is medical doctor Trevor Hovelmeier (although Wiggins is this year's national champion).
Hovelmeier told Business Day of the dedication required to play tournaments.
“The other day I played for eight hours and studied Scrabble for two hours — and I work 12 hours a day. I study words in front of the TV. It’s very easy to study on your phone with flash cards.”
Hovelmeier has adapted an app on his phone specially for Scrabble.
Gruzd works at the SA Institute of International Affairs and is the country’s second-ranked Scrabble player. He was sixth in the 1995 world Scrabble championships in London.
Fans of the social game may want to know that the latest official Scrabble words update was released in May. The new dictionary includes words like gender-neutral pronoun ZE and the verb PLUTO, which means to decrease in importance.
Hoping words won't fail them: SA's team at world Scrabble champs
Image: Scrabble South Africa
A mathematician, a lawyer and a businessman are hoping to experience no poxy palavers in their games in the Scrabble World Championship 2019, now taking place in Goa, India.
Harry Wiggins, Jarrod Page and Howard Rayner are representing South Africa in the World English Language Players' Association (WESPA) championship, which attracts top players from across the globe in the biggest annual tournament, from October 16-20.
Wiggins, the maths boff, confirmed he also has a way with words when he was crowned SA's scrabble champ in March this year.
Scrabble South Africa said the three players are among 209 participants from various countries hoping for the title of world champion.
“The best players in the world are from Nigeria. Scrabble is federally funded there. They play it in schools,” Scrabble SA vice-chair Steven Gruzd told Business Day earlier this year. The game is also increasingly popular in Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda, the Gambia and Zambia.
SA’s top-ranked player is medical doctor Trevor Hovelmeier (although Wiggins is this year's national champion).
Hovelmeier told Business Day of the dedication required to play tournaments.
“The other day I played for eight hours and studied Scrabble for two hours — and I work 12 hours a day. I study words in front of the TV. It’s very easy to study on your phone with flash cards.”
Hovelmeier has adapted an app on his phone specially for Scrabble.
Gruzd works at the SA Institute of International Affairs and is the country’s second-ranked Scrabble player. He was sixth in the 1995 world Scrabble championships in London.
Fans of the social game may want to know that the latest official Scrabble words update was released in May. The new dictionary includes words like gender-neutral pronoun ZE and the verb PLUTO, which means to decrease in importance.
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