International wordsmiths converge on Bangkok for iconic Scrabble Championships

[webfact]

International wordsmiths converge on Bangkok for iconic Scrabble Championships

 

File photo of competitors at the King's Cup in Bangkok

 

Competitors from around the world are converging on Bangkok for the 34th Brand's International Scrabble Championships that will be held at Central Westgate in Bang Yai for four days starting Thursday. 

 

The tournament, sponsored by the Brand's chicken essence company, is known as one of the most iconic tournaments for English language Scrabble anywhere in the world. 

 

Professional adults play alongside thousands of school children in student divisions making it the biggest tournament in the world every year. 

 

The coveted King's Cup trophy

 

Heading the field for the event universally known as the "King's Cup" due to patronage from the Thai Royal Family, will be four time world champion and five time US Nationals winner Nigel Richards of New Zealand. 

 

Nigel has won in Bangkok multiple times prompting fellow Scrabble players to quip that he uses Thailand as his ATM. (This would be worth five points in Scrabble if it was an acceptable word....which it is not!)

 

Words that are acceptable for the first time this year will be FARANG (a Caucasian in Thailand) and SRIRACHA a spicy hot sauce familiar to Americans. 

 

Putting an S on FARANG to make FARANGS would likely score a fifty bonus in the word game that is all about English and numbers. 

 

Also in the field are previous winners Komol Panyasophonlert from Bangkok, a former world championship runner-up, and Helen Gipson from Scotland. 

 

Competitors are also expected from England, the USA, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, India and Pakistan. 

 

A grand "opening ceremony" and parade of nations on Saturday will be graciously presided over by a representative of Her Royal Highness Princess Soamsawali, the first wife of the present King of Thailand. 

 

School teams from all over Thailand will be competing at the event.

 

One person missing this year will be a leading Thai male player who was a former finalist. It has just been confirmed that he has been banned for life after allegedly being caught cheating at a tournament in Sri Racha, Chonburi last month.

 

The organization responsible for international play - WESPA - is believed to be currently considering their own course of action in respect of this player.

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2019-07-03

Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking Thailand news and visa info

[Justgrazing]

27 minutes ago, webfact said:

Nigel has won in Bangkok multiple times prompting fellow Scrabble players to quip that he uses Thailand as his ATM. (This would be worth five points in Scrabble if it was an acceptable word....which it is not!)

Jeez' Thai wit is razor sharp sometimes .. And as were often viewed and called upon as ATM's it should be accepted in scrab' here .. 

and if it were only worth 5 points I'm gonna use that excuse the next time a request for money comes in .. " ATM only give PaPa 5 points teerak .. never mind eh " ..

[BobBKK]

Is the kid who 'accidentally' took an extra few tiles playing?

[Andrew65]

I still need you there beside me
No matter what I do
For I know I'll never find another U????

 

The Scrabble Song

The Seekers

[Dexlowe]

Rooster is sure to be playing. Wonder if he will cock it up.

 

???? 

[scottiejohn]

No if that is who is being referred to in the second last para in the OP.

[Jane Dough]

4 hours ago, Dexlowe said:

Rooster is sure to be playing. Wonder if he will cock it up.

 

???? 

Don't tempt fate!

 

This will be my 28th consecutive attempt to win the King's Cup. The best I have been was third in 2013.

 

I need to get lucky but you never know!

 

Rooster

[colinneil]

Just now, Jane Dough said:

Don't tempt fate!

 

This will be my 28th consecutive attempt to win the King's Cup. The best I have been was third in 2013.

 

I need to get lucky but you never know!

 

Rooster

Go Rooster go...We are all rooting for you.????????????

[bluesofa]

Rooster, with Brands Chicken Essence as the sponsor. Quite appropriate.

[Dexlowe]

5 hours ago, colinneil said:

Go Rooster go...We are all rooting for you.????????????

Him no rooster. Himalaya.

[Andrew Dwyer]

Is the kid who 'accidentally' took an extra few tiles playing?

You mean the fella whose 4 year old son must have slipped the tiles in his trouser pocket ??
( didn’t happen that way but would have been my excuse [emoji51])

No, he got a lifetime ban !!

[lamyai3]

17 hours ago, webfact said:

Nigel has won in Bangkok multiple times prompting fellow Scrabble players to quip that he uses Thailand as his ATM. (This would be worth five points in Scrabble if it was an acceptable word....which it is not!)

Should've gone with quip for 15.

[TPI]

16 hours ago, Jane Dough said:

Don't tempt fate!

 

This will be my 28th consecutive attempt to win the King's Cup. The best I have been was third in 2013.

 

I need to get lucky but you never know!

 

Rooster

C'mon man...confidence!!!!

[chickenslegs]

21 hours ago, Dexlowe said:

Rooster is sure to be playing. Wonder if he will cock it up.

 

???? 

If he wins he'll never stop crowing about it.

[Dexlowe]

5 minutes ago, chickenslegs said:

If he wins he'll never stop crowing about it.

He'll be cock-a-hoop. But if I was you I'd run for the hills. Mr C is a leg man. He just loves thighs.

[Jane Dough]

I managed to go 5-3 today in 22nd place so far. I was leading briefly after starting 4-0 including wins against GOAT Nigel Richards and Thailand's best player Komol. But I lost to my house guest Helen Gipson in the last game of the day after throwing the game away like a right plonker. 

 

Scrabble is about making the fewest mistakes! 

 

Thanks for the support,

 

Rooster