It’s the game that matters not the opponent
Players of different ages, different nationalities, all playing Scrabble in a spirit of camaraderie; this was the scene at the recently concluded Sri Lanka International Open Scrabble Championship
The only sound breaking the silent concentration of the room was the Scrabble tiles being shaken as you walked into the hall where the Sri Lanka International Open Scrabble Championship (SLIO) was taking place.
Held from September 7- 8 at the OZO Hotel Colombo, the competition saw 24 rounds played with 66 competitors, among them 28 leading international players vying for the grand prize of USD 3,000.
The Sri Lanka International Open Scrabble Championship was being held for the seventh time after its fouryear long hiatus. Organized by the Scrabble Federation of Sri Lanka in partnership with the Sri Lanka Scrabble League, this was an open competition recognised by the World English-Language Scrabble Players’ Association (WESPA) and drew international participation.
Among the stars at the tournament were Nigel Richards from New Zealand, currently the second highest ranked player in the world, India’s top players Sherwin Rodrigues and Goutham Jayaraman, Chollapat Itthiaree and Jakkrit Klaphajone, prominent players from Thailand and Sri Lankan-born Australian Naween Fernando.
Tournament Director Ashok Bhandarkar who has organised many Scrabble tournaments around India and the Gulf, commented that there is comraderie among the players and that he liked how Sri Lanka encourages their youth. “There are a lot of youngsters playing in the tournament. We make sure that they have the right spirit of the game. That they enjoy the game.”
Scrabble is a sport for everyone says President of the Scrabble Federation Kandhan Mahendran. “It’s a nice community altogether. They are just people of different ages and different nationalities. Men, women and children all play, it’s a very inclusive sport. The unity and the understanding is something you don’t find in many sports.”
Also competing in the tournament were veteran Scrabble players Dr. Lalantha Amarasinghe, Hema Abeysinghe, Anil Wickramasinghe and Farida Akberally, who founded the Scrabble League 30 years ago and played in its first tournaments.
The youngest competitor, nine- yearold Adheesha Dissanayake of Willesden College said he was not nervous about competing against people four times his age. Despite only being introduced to the sport a few years ago by his sister Radinka, Adheesha has already won the Under 10 champion title in the WESPA Youth Scrabble Competition held last year. “It is hard but very enjoyable,” he said shyly.
Sherwin Rodrigues shared his approach to playing a game. “Just go with a very open mind, play the game and not the opponent. A lot of people get a little flustered by maybe playing the World’s No.1 player but I think we are all here to play Scrabble ultimately so that shouldn’t be something that hinders you in the process while playing.”
Current national champion Jayaska Baranage said he was very pleased with the tough competition provided by the different representation of countries that were present and proud that Sri Lanka was being well represented.
Aabid Ismail who secured the title of World Youth Scrabble Champion at the WESPA Youth Cup 2017 was introduced to the game by his sister when he was young and thereafter joined the Royal College Scrabble Club. Aabid believes that you need to keep a level head playing the game. Overestimating or underestimating your opponent will cost you the game, he remarks.
Thailand’s Jakkrit Klaphajone eloquently put in words what was echoed in every player’s mind during the tournament, “Scrabble may just be a hobby to some, but to me it gives me excitement. It teases my brain.”
The event was supported by the Ministry of Sports as Scrabble has been recognised as the 62nd sport in Sri Lanka as of last year. The corporate sponsor for for the tournament was Phoenix Industries with Sri Lanka Tourism and Pyramid Wilmar.
For more information on the Scrabble League you can visit their website, Scrabble.lk or drop in at the Women’s International Club, No 16, Guildford Crescent, Colombo 07, on a Sunday afternoon (1 p.m to 5 p.m.) for a friendly game of Scrabble.
Quick tip: Scrabble apart from dancing is said to be associated with a decreased risk of Alzheimer’s, so if you don’t want to get your dancing shoes on, why not a quick game of Scrabble?