Scrabble rattled as champion banned over ‘cheating’ row
FOR 30 years he has been one of the biggest names in Scrabble.
So you would think there was little Allan Simmons doesn’t know about the popular board game.
But it appears the former champion has fallen short of the game’s high standards.
Now he has been banned from playing after failing to follow the rules.
Mr Simmons, from Coldingham, Berwickshire, was banned from playing in competitive games for three years after he was found guilty of ‘actions that led to a suspicion of cheating’.
The Association of British Scrabble Players imposed the ban after Lewis Mackay, 32, complained that Mr Simmons had breached the rules during their match at the British Masters in June.
The allegations centred around rules relating to picking new tiles out of the bag during timed matches.
Before picking out a tile, players must show their palms with their fingers spread to indicate they are not dropping unwanted tiles back in the bag. But after hearing from three
‘No one is bigger than the game’
sources on four occasions, the Association of British Scrabble Players (ABSP) found Mr Simmons had been taking tiles out of the bag, putting them in his hand, looking at them then putting his hand back into the bag to draw new tiles. The ABSP said Mr Simmons claimed he put his hand back in the bag as a ‘superstition’ but the association concluded he had ‘cheated’ as the assumption was he was putting tiles back in the bag.
ABSP spokesman Elie Dangoor said: ‘It was totally unexpected and the overall feeling is one of great sadness.
‘Allan Simmons was a very respected member of the community. He was one of the top players in the game. Nobody suspected this at all.
‘He would take a tile out of the bag, look at it, put it in his hand then put his hand in the bag and draw further tiles.
‘Three independent witnesses on four occasions saw him do it. He claims it was a superstition.’
Mr Simmons has denied cheating.
‘While I believe I always showed an open hand before drawing fresh letters, if drawing one or two at a time I may not have always had an open hand for each dip in the bag,’ he told The Times.
‘You have to remember that at the top level, games can be quite intense and there’s a lot going through one’s mind, let alone remembering to ensure that tile-drawing rules are followed meticulously.’
Mr Simmons, 60, was originally banned for a year but his ban was extended last month after the director of last year’s Scottish Masters raised concerns about him playing in the competition. Mr Dangoor, who was speaking from Nairobi where the final of the 2017 WESPA Championship had just been held, said: ‘It was one year but when further information came to light it was extended.
‘He was a good player without needing to resort to that. Although we are very saddened by the situation with Allan Simmons, no one player is bigger than the game.’
Ex-Scottish Scrabble champion Amy Byrne is believed to have quit as chairman of the Association of British Scrabble Players after a vote of no confidence when she objected to announcing the ban.
Mr Simmons, who co-wrote every edition of Official Scrabble Words by Chambers, said: ‘I am now going to enjoy more of my world beyond Scrabble. I will rise above this and get on with more important things in life than playing Scrabble.’