September 4, 2018
By Sahr Morris Jnr
Members of Sierra Leone Scrabble Association
Five Sierra Leonean scrabble players will compete in this year’s World Scrabble Championships 2018 and the World Junior Scrabble Championships 2018 at The Riviera International Conference Centre (RICC) in London.
This year’s event will run from 20th to 28th October 2018 and already the Sierra Leonean players are gearing up for the said tournament as out of the five registered players, four will have to battle in the first division category.
Abdul Borboh Kamara, Ishmael Sesay, Mohamed Alieu Kamara and Yusuf Koroma will all battle in the Division 1 stage, while Patrick Hamilton-Drape will be the only player to challenge in Division 2 category.
According to The Mattel family of companies (Nasdaq: MAT), which is a worldwide leader in the design, manufacture and marketing of toys and family products, they were working closely with partners and event organisers TMA International to ensure the smooth running and success of the championships.
They further revealed that the World Scrabble Championships was open to all players and this year’s tournament would be divided in two divisions, with 35 games to be played over 4 days.
The top 8 would be returning to play on the final Saturday in a Quarter Final and Semi-Final, while the Grand Final will be completed in the week on Sunday 28th.
“Throughout the week, we will be holding various fun and educational activities, for children and adults of all ages, schools and families, to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of Scrabble,’ Mattel Company stated.
The World Scrabble Championship (WSC) is the most-prestigious title in the competitive world of board games, second only to Chess. It was held every second year after 1991 until 2013 when it began to be held annually.
Although the official brand name and organizations of the event have changed over recent years, many Scrabble enthusiasts from more than 30 countries compete to become World Scrabble Champion.
The reigning World Scrabble Champion is David Eldar, who won the title at the World Scrabble Championships in Nottingham, England in 2017. This year, the event returns to the UK and will be held in Torquay, UK.