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The 2025 World English-language Scrabble Players’ Association (WESPA) Championship is set to make history in Accra, Ghana, from November 12 - 16, 2025. It’s the first time this global Scrabble showdown will be hosted in Ghana, marking another proud milestone for Africa in the international Scrabble community. The championship will take place at the Alisa Hotel, North Ridge, Accra, a premium venue known for its world-class facilities and easy access to Airport City. Some official listings also mention The Palms by Eagles, suggesting that side events may be hosted across both sites. WESPA has announced a total prize pool of USD 34,000, making it one of the richest word-game events in the world. While the full breakdown for 1st, 2nd, and other placements has not yet been released, previous WESPA editions have rewarded top finishers generously, with the world champion traditionally. Bringing the WESPA Championship to Ghana highlights the continent’s growing dominance in Scrabble. With Nige...

The Scrabble community in Bayelsa State is set to witness an exciting face-off as Ekowe Scrabble Club battles Peremabiri Scrabble Club in the 1st Edition of the Interclub Scrabble Match. The event will take place on Saturday, November 21, 2025, at the Civic Centre, Ekowe, SILGA, Bayelsa State, Nigeria.  This initiative marks a major step toward strengthening interclub collaboration and Scrabble development at the grassroots level in Bayelsa State. With attractive prizes, free registration, and community spirit at its core, the Interclub Scrabble match promises to be a thrilling event celebrating both competition and camaraderie.  This also is one of the ways scrabble is spreading across the rural areas of Nigeria and gathering more audience for the game.  Winner’s Prize: ₦100,000 Most Valuable Player: ₦30,000 1st Runner-Up: ₦20,000 2nd Runner-Up: ₦10,000 Rounds: 10 Players per Team: 7 (5 regular, 2 reserves) Each club captain is required to submit their team list to the T...

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...

The Surprising Story Behind Scrabble’s Invention The world’s most famous word game , Scrabble, was born out of creativity, research, and persistence. It all started in the 1930s with Alfred Mosher Butts. Alfred was  an American architect who loved words and puzzles. His curiosity birthed scrabble. During the Great Depression, Butts carefully studied the frequency of letters in the English language by analyzing the front page of The New York Times. This research became the foundation for Scrabble’s unique letter values and tile distribution, a system that remains unchanged today. His early version of the game was called “Lexiko”, later redesigned into a board game known as “Criss-Crosswords.” Even though toy companies rejected it, Butts didn’t give up. In 1948, James Brunot joined forces with him. Brunot simplified the game, renamed it “Scrabble,” and started hand-making sets. The real breakthrough came when Macy’s department store discovered the game in the early 1950s, and scrabbl...

The Karnataka State Scrabble Association (KSSA) has announced the Indian Open International Scrabble Championship 2026, scheduled to take place from January 23rd to 26th, 2026, at MuSigma, Aviator Building, ITPL SEZ, Bangalore, India. This flagship event will bring together top Scrabble players from around the world to compete for international ranking points, prestige, and exciting prizes. The tournament continues India’s growing tradition of hosting major Scrabble competitions that attract elite players from Asia, Africa, Europe, and beyond. The 2026 edition promises a high level of organization, fair play, and hospitality with KSSA maintaining its reputation for excellence in competitive Scrabble administration. Dates: January 23rd - 26th, 2026. Venue: MuSigma, 10th–14th Aviator Building, ITPL SEZ, Bangalore, India More information: scrabblekssa.wordpress.com Stay tuned to Scrabblebiz for updates, player rosters, and tournament highlights as the Indian Open approaches.

The Ekowe & Nange-Ama Monthly Scrabble Competition, held on Saturday 18 October 2025 at UAC Ekowe Community, Bayelsa State, Nigeria, produced a remarkable performance from Ebi Akintola, who swept through the event undefeated with a 9-0 record and a +1097 spread. Game Summary Round | Opponent | Score | Opp. Score | Spread | Cumulative 1 Inioemi Agazi 610 223 +387 +387 2 Reynold Wolo 413 354 +59 +446 3 Joshua Willie 469 465 +4 +450 4 Wotaritimi Tonbie 491 233 +258 +708 5 Philip Kigigha 421 359 +62 +770 6 Saviour Tonbie 413 265 +148 +918 7 Reynold Wolo (Rematch) 386 357 +29 +947 8 Reynold Wolo (Rematch 2) 436 391 +45 +992 9 Wotaritimi Tonbie (Rematch) 386 281 +105 +1097 🔸 Wins: 9 🔸 Losses: 0 🔸 Total Spread: +1097 🔸 Venue: UAC Ekowe Community Ebi Akintola’s performance stands out as one of the most dominant runs in recent Bayelsa scrabble competitions a clear statement of form heading into future tournaments.

Scrabble is more than just a board game in Nigeria.  It is a tool that inspires learning, builds community, and raises national pride. Over the years, Nigeria has become one of the strongest Scrabble-playing nations in the world, producing world champions and nurturing some of the finest strategic minds. 1. Promoting Education and Literacy Scrabble encourages strong vocabulary skills and critical thinking. Many students who play Scrabble develop better spelling, reading comprehension, and quick reasoning. In several Nigerian schools, Scrabble is now part of co-curricular activities, helping young learners improve their English while having fun.  I remember meeting with Olatunde Oduwole (National Scrabble Champion 2016) a Gold Medalist 2022 NSFestival singles. This is a man of jam-packed vocabs you can never comprehend. His mastery in word placement and board controls coupled with his word power equals to nothing but what I call word-power-house. I will likely talk about him la...

The global Scrabble spotlight is currently shining brightly on Bangkok, Thailand, as the Bangkok International Crossword Game Championship 2025 (also known as the Thailand International/King’s Cup) officially kicks off. This prestigious tournament, running from October 11 - 13, 2025, is taking place at Paradise Park in Bangkok, and it is one of the largest Scrabble events in the world attracting elite players and millions of enthusiasts from across the globe. This is a Tournament with Royal Prestige.  The Bangkok International Championship is Thailand’s flagship Scrabble event, historically supported by the Thai monarchy. The winner of the top division traditionally receives a royal trophy, a symbol of honor and excellence in the Scrabble world. First launched decades ago as the Brand’s Crossword Game King’s Cup, the event has grown into an international mind-sport spectacle and a platform for language learning and youth development. This year’s edition features top international p...

The countdown is on for the 2025 National Scrabble Championship (NSC), one of the biggest and most prestigious tournaments on the UK Scrabble calendar. Top players from across the United Kingdom will gather in London this October to battle it out for national glory. Dates: Saturday 25 - Monday 27 October 2025 Venue: Westminster Academy, Sir Naim Dangoor Centre, 255 Harrow Road, London W2 5EZ Rounds: 23 games Organizer: Wayne Kelly (Tel: 07773 027274) Sanction: ABSP & WESPA rated This event continues the proud tradition of the NSC, first held in 1971 (winner - Stephen Haskell ) and now recognized as one of the major tournaments in the UK circuit alongside the UK Open, Matchplay, and UK Masters.  Check in past winners:  Paul Gallen 2024 Champion   You can also read the upcoming event in Bangkok 2026

The Nairobi National Scrabble Championship 2025 delivered an exciting weekend of wordplay and strategy as Kenya’s finest players converged at the Trademark Hotel for the 4th ECASA 2026 Qualifier. The event featured top-tier competition, strong performances, and defining moments that shaped the leaderboard right to the final round. Premier Division - Final Standings (After 18 Rounds) The Nairobi National Scrabble Championship remains a hallmark of excellence on the Kenyan Scrabble calendar. The 2025 edition combined top-level play, organization, and hospitality - setting the tone for future ECASA qualifiers. With ECASA 2026 qualification points on the line, every move counted. As always, the event proved that Kenya’s Scrabble community continues to thrive as one of Africa’s strongest word power networks. Photos:  Report by: Scrabble Kenya (via TSH v3.340) Source: scrabblekenya.com Published on: Scrabblebiz October 2025 Edition More photos...