African, West African champions clash at Ultimate Scrabble Showdown

African, West African champions clash at Ultimate Scrabble Showdown

Funmilayo Fameso 22:47 - 07.07.2024

The best players in the continent will converge for the Ultimate Scrabble Showdown in Lagos.

The first-ever edition of the Ultimate Scrabble Showdown has been revealed to be held in Lagos from July 19-21 this year.

A confirmation from the organisers indicated that the tournament which will see the first-ever duel between two of Africa's best jammers will serve up an enticing encounter at a serviced apartment at Lekki, Lagos.

Current African champion Enoch Nwali and his rival Timilehin Doko who confirmed his status as the West African champion last November will both face-off at the grand venue befitting the status of the Ultimate Scrabble Showdown.

According to the schedule, the two highest-ranked Nigerians by the Pan African Scrabble Association, PANASA will engage in an intriguing 21 rounds of games.

The continental and regional 'Word Lords' incidentally are undergraduates of the University of Lagos.

Initiator of the USS, Olatunde Oduwole who was excited about the actualization of the unique championship declared that the two-word payloaders are highly qualified to begin what will be a great showpiece in the Scrabble tournament.

"They are going to bring delightfulness. That's the reason why I had to create those attributes; Creamy, Dreamy, and Delight. You know, the challenge is going to be creamy in terms of attractiveness and all that. And the dreamy part of it is that when others watch those guys play because I believe in those guys, they are going to give their best. Don't get it twisted."

"They cannot play at the maximum capacity required all the time knowing fully well that they are humans. But they have to give their best."

And that's why there's going to be live commentaries. There's going to be simulations of their racks, analysis of their racks, their vision, you know, on the play, about the intelligence, the approach, the endgame techniques, you know, and all sorts of beauties of the game. There will be live commentaries on that.

That is why it is the first of its kind for Nigerians to be in a particular room and do the commentaries to exact people while they play in a different designated place.

You know, so it is going to be creamy, dreamy, and delightful. Those guys, trust me, they are going to bring it."

He stated that the core objective behind USS is driven by his desire to encourage students at every level to study and gain more knowledge on Scrabble and achieve their dreams.

"The main reason behind Ultimate Scrabble Showdown" according to him  "is to create a frenzy for studying the books of Scrabble and play optimally as well as developing individuals both young and old by unlocking their potentials in knowing how to play the game in Nigeria and other countries of the world while making it global," he said.

Many stakeholders have commended the initiative as one needed in popularising Scrabble.

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