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Showing posts with the label Alfred Mosher Butts

The Green Locusts' Performance in the WESPAC 2025 by Chinedu

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2025 World Scrabble Championship, Accra Ghana: Summary of the Nigerian Green Locusts' Performance over Days 1 to 5 (PART B: Explanation of the Performance) ...Timi Woko🇳🇬 in table 1 at game 11. The first game Timi dropped at the WESPAC in Ghana was with Nigel Richards. (By Chinedu 'Sidespin' Thorpe Nosike Okwelogu, National Scrabble Champion, former Nigerian Scrabble #1, and Retired Deputy Director (Planning, Research, and Strategy), National Orientation Agency) 1. First of all, it is appropriate to recognise and applaud Barrister Timi Woko of Bayelsa State for his very praiseworthy feat of winning the First 10 Rounds of the World Scrabble Championship! He showed very uncommon resilience reminiscent of the potentials shown by yet another lawyer, Barrister Biodun Olaleru SAN in 1997. Timi's feat is being looked into by way of determining whether it is a World Scrabble Record performance. To put Timi Woko's exploits in proper perspective, it will be helpful to look ...

Adam Logan Crowned WESPAC 2025 World Champion after 20 years

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Adam Logan vs Nigel Richards Adam Logan has emerged as the 2025 WESPAC World Scrabble Champion, securing a decisive 4 - 2 victory over Nigel Richards in the finals of the World English-Language Scrabble Players Association Championship that took place in Ghana. The Canadian mathematician and veteran wordsmith delivered a consistent, high-precision performance throughout the tournament, showcasing exceptional rack-management, strategic discipline, and endgame mastery. His win adds another major title to his remarkable career, having previously claimed the World Scrabble Championship in 2005. WESPAC 2025 brought together the strongest players in the world like, Weibin Toh, Timi Doko, Awolabi Lukman (the WESPA Chair) , Waseem from Pakistan, Timi Woko, but Logan’s composure and tactical strength placed him firmly above the pack. His final matchup against the legendary Nigel Richards who is widely regarded as the greatest scrabble player of all time was a show of elite fight for the trophy,...

Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila Chess and Scrabble Grassroot Club Holds Monthly Training Session

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The Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila Chess and Scrabble Grassroot Club is set to host another edition of its Monthly Training Session on Sunday, November 9, 2025, at Block 28, Iponri Housing Estate, Surulere, Lagos. The event is scheduled to begin at 3:00 PM prompt. This initiative continues to provide young minds with a platform to develop critical thinking, strategy, and discipline through the games of Scrabble and Chess. The club remains committed to its vision of building future leaders by nurturing talent at the grassroots level. The program is powered by Hon. Hakeem Olabode Akamo, Ph.D., whose continuous support and mentorship have been instrumental in sustaining this impactful project. Participants are encouraged to be part of this engaging session. It promises to be another step toward empowering the next generation through intellectual sports.

The Secret Power of Board Control in Scrabble

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 In Scrabble, most players focus only on scoring high, but champions know that the real secret to winning consistently is board control and patterns.  Board control means shaping the game’s flow by deciding where words can be played, and what kind of plays your opponent is allowed to make. Every tile you place can open or close the board, and experts use this to limit opportunities while keeping scoring options for themselves. Board Patterns mean the ability to read the movement of the board and predict the scoring structure for possible big scorings.  Here’s how scrabble professionals secretly control the board: 1. They Close Dangerous Openings If a triple word score is exposed, a strong player doesn’t always go for points, they block it instead. That’s defensive Scrabble. 2. They Create Scoring Channels Experts build “lanes” where only they can score big often by playing parallel words that leave premium squares open for their next turn.  3. They Play with Tile Me...

Why Scrabble Deserves a Place in the World Olympics

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Written by: Ebimunu Akintola (A Sociologist and scrabble enthusiast) For decades, Scrabble has evolved far beyond a living-room pastime. Tye records are there. It is a mental sport that demands logic, vocabulary mastery, pattern recognition, and strategic thinking and these are all the hallmarks of Olympic-level competition. Yet despite its global reach and structured governance, Scrabble remains outside the Olympic Games.  The question now is:  why not include it? Well, let me take you through this my few facts: 1. Scrabble Promotes Global Unity Through Language Just like football or athletics, scrabble brings together players from every continent. Whether in Lagos, London, Ireland, New Zealand, Malaysia, Thailand, Kenya, South Africa, Australia, Las Vegas, India or Los Angeles, the game is played with the same board and the same rules. Its universality bridges linguistic and cultural gaps which are precisely the Olympic spirit of unity in diversity. Except otherwise. 2. True...

Why James Brunot Changed “Lexiko” to “Scrabble”

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When Alfred Mosher Butts first created his word game in the 1930s, he named it Lexiko. A title derived from “lexicon,” meaning a dictionary or collection of words. While the name reflected the game’s linguistic foundation, it lacked the marketing appeal that could capture the attention of a broader audience.  In 1948, James Brunot, a game enthusiast and entrepreneur, acquired the rights to Lexiko from Butts. He refined the design, adjusted the scoring system, and introduced a more colorful and organized board. However, Brunot recognized that the game needed more than mechanical improvements it needed a name that resonated with players emotionally and commercially. The result was “Scrabble,” a word meaning “to scratch or grope frantically.” This term perfectly captured the essence of the game for players energetically searching their minds and tiles to form meaningful words. The new name gave the game character, simplicity, and strong branding potential. Twas initially Criss crossed...