Sponsor, Emmanuel Egbele (left), Ms. Vanessa Parefa of CinqSaa Beauty Home, and veteran player, Segun Adegbenro, presenting the winner’s cheque to EEAST Scrabble Championship champion, Dokun Esan (middle)
Dokun Esan from Osun State has won the maiden edition of the Emmanuel Egbele Annual Scrabble Championship (EEAST) after beating the field to become the ‘King’ of the scrabble tourney held in Lagos.
The two-day scrabble competition saw top stars from across the country, including one-time world champion, Wellington Jighere, contesting for honours at the event.
Esan shocked all the participants at the event when he outplayed Nigeria’s top seeded player, Okemuite Tega, twice on table one to finish with 13 wins and three defeats. This feat gave him the top cash prize of N150, 000, as well as additional prizes after 16 rounds of games.
2015 World champion, Wellington Jighere, defeated Okemuite to claim the second position with a higher cumulative of 1533 when both ended the tournament with a 12 to 4 result.
Jighere got a cash prize of N100, 000 for coming second, while Okemuite got N75, 000 for his third place finish.
One of the highpoints of the tournament was a nine-point move made by 2019 World No.4, Enoch Nwali, who defeated his rival, Prince Omosefe, with a single high score of 294 after spelling ‘SLEAZIER’ in Round 11.
In other categories, Ogedengbe Olawale won the Best Intermediate title; Adebisi Adekansi was adjudged the Best Female player, while Sanya Adebola won the Best Opens title.
Chairman of the Lagos State Scrabble and Monopoly Association (LASSMA), Dipo Akanni, who was represented by Femi Simpson at the event, commended Emmanuel Egbele for adding glamour to the scrabble community in Lagos. He emphasised that the new board of Lagos State Scrabble Federation is ready to encourage well-meaning individuals to contribute to the development of the sport.
The organiser of the tournament, Emmanuel Egbele, thanked all who supported the debuting tournament, saying that he was glad the competition fulfilled one of its major purposes, which is preparing players for the forthcoming National Sports Festival scheduled for Benin City, Edo State.