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‘Braconid’ Wins the Day and the World Scrabble Championship 2016 At World Scrabble Championship, ‘Braconid’ Carries the Day
(about 20 hours later)
In the end, victory came down to a parasitic wasp.In the end, victory came down to a parasitic wasp.
Following three rounds of heated linguistic jousting, Brett Smitheram, 37, a recruitment consultant from East London, was crowned the World Scrabble Champion on Sunday after he drew the letters for the word “braconid.”Following three rounds of heated linguistic jousting, Brett Smitheram, 37, a recruitment consultant from East London, was crowned the World Scrabble Champion on Sunday after he drew the letters for the word “braconid.”
That earned him a whopping 176 points as he trounced his rival, Mark Nyman, 3-0, at the World Scrabble Championship 2016 final at the Grand Palais in Lille, France.That earned him a whopping 176 points as he trounced his rival, Mark Nyman, 3-0, at the World Scrabble Championship 2016 final at the Grand Palais in Lille, France.
Mr. Smitheram, a quarterfinalist in 2014, said he prepared for the competition by reading the dictionary several hours each night and taking stress-reducing endurance runs.Mr. Smitheram, a quarterfinalist in 2014, said he prepared for the competition by reading the dictionary several hours each night and taking stress-reducing endurance runs.
His linguistic prowess, he said, had been buttressed by his efforts to memorize all the seven- and eight-letter words in the dictionary, about 70,000 words. Having a photographic memory also helped, he added, even as he acknowledged that he had not known precisely what braconid meant during the match (he does now).His linguistic prowess, he said, had been buttressed by his efforts to memorize all the seven- and eight-letter words in the dictionary, about 70,000 words. Having a photographic memory also helped, he added, even as he acknowledged that he had not known precisely what braconid meant during the match (he does now).
“Memorizing definitions uses up valuable brain space,” he said in a telephone interview. “Scrabble is an endurance sport and requires a lot of stamina.”“Memorizing definitions uses up valuable brain space,” he said in a telephone interview. “Scrabble is an endurance sport and requires a lot of stamina.”
Mr. Smitheram, who discovered his passion for Scrabble at age 16 when he began playing against friends in high school, credited two words for helping him clinch the title, which comes with 7,000 euros, about $7,818, in prize money.Mr. Smitheram, who discovered his passion for Scrabble at age 16 when he began playing against friends in high school, credited two words for helping him clinch the title, which comes with 7,000 euros, about $7,818, in prize money.
“The second game, I was dead and buried and then I drew the letters for gynaecia, G-Y-N-A-E-C-I-A,” he said, spelling out a word for the female part of a flower. “And then in the final game, I drew the letters for braconid — through an I — which scored me 176 points.”“The second game, I was dead and buried and then I drew the letters for gynaecia, G-Y-N-A-E-C-I-A,” he said, spelling out a word for the female part of a flower. “And then in the final game, I drew the letters for braconid — through an I — which scored me 176 points.”
The other high-scoring words that helped give him an edge were the 76-point word periagua, a long narrow canoe hollowed from the trunk of a single tree; variedly, meaning in a varied manner, which earned him 95 points; and zorinos, used when referring to clothes made from the fur of a skunk, which earned him 92 points.The other high-scoring words that helped give him an edge were the 76-point word periagua, a long narrow canoe hollowed from the trunk of a single tree; variedly, meaning in a varied manner, which earned him 95 points; and zorinos, used when referring to clothes made from the fur of a skunk, which earned him 92 points.
Scrabble was invented during the Great Depression by Alfred Mosher Butts, an unemployed architect, who conjured up the game from his fifth-floor walk-up apartment in Jackson Heights, Queens. Mr. Butts’s research for creating the game included studying the front page of The New York Times and doing painstaking calculations of how often letters were used.Scrabble was invented during the Great Depression by Alfred Mosher Butts, an unemployed architect, who conjured up the game from his fifth-floor walk-up apartment in Jackson Heights, Queens. Mr. Butts’s research for creating the game included studying the front page of The New York Times and doing painstaking calculations of how often letters were used.
He initially called the game “Lexiko,” “Criss Cross Words” and simply “It” before it was renamed “Scrabble” by James Brunot, a game-loving entrepreneur who acquired the rights to the game after it had been rejected by several leading game manufacturers. Scrabble has since sold 100 million sets worldwide, according to the National Scrabble Association.He initially called the game “Lexiko,” “Criss Cross Words” and simply “It” before it was renamed “Scrabble” by James Brunot, a game-loving entrepreneur who acquired the rights to the game after it had been rejected by several leading game manufacturers. Scrabble has since sold 100 million sets worldwide, according to the National Scrabble Association.
After the match, Mr. Smitheram triumphantly raised his trophy to rapturous applause in front of a wall blanketed with flags from across the world, including from Britain, Israel, France, Switzerland and Australia, underlining Scrabble’s global appeal. Past winners have hailed from Nigeria, Thailand and the United States.After the match, Mr. Smitheram triumphantly raised his trophy to rapturous applause in front of a wall blanketed with flags from across the world, including from Britain, Israel, France, Switzerland and Australia, underlining Scrabble’s global appeal. Past winners have hailed from Nigeria, Thailand and the United States.
Mr. Smitheram said his victory was particularly sweet because he had outmaneuvered Mr. Nyman, a four-time British Scrabble champion who won the world title in 1993.Mr. Smitheram said his victory was particularly sweet because he had outmaneuvered Mr. Nyman, a four-time British Scrabble champion who won the world title in 1993.
Mr. Nyman, 49, was a producer for several years on a long-running British game show called “Countdown,” in which contestants grapple with word and number challenges, including attempting to make the longest word possible from nine randomly chosen letters.Mr. Nyman, 49, was a producer for several years on a long-running British game show called “Countdown,” in which contestants grapple with word and number challenges, including attempting to make the longest word possible from nine randomly chosen letters.
Mr. Smitheram said he had appeared on the show when he was 17. “I told him back then I wanted to be world champion,” he said. “So beating him was a dream.”Mr. Smitheram said he had appeared on the show when he was 17. “I told him back then I wanted to be world champion,” he said. “So beating him was a dream.”
Now, he said, he was “severely Scrabbled out” and planned to fete his victory by taking a long break from the game.Now, he said, he was “severely Scrabbled out” and planned to fete his victory by taking a long break from the game.
“I’ve already bought two bottles of champagne,” he said. “I am not playing Scrabble for the rest of the year.”“I’ve already bought two bottles of champagne,” he said. “I am not playing Scrabble for the rest of the year.”