Wordsmiths to battle it out in the third GAIL Open Scrabble Cup from July 22

India’s top Scrabble players will match their wits with players from not only the country but also the South East Asian region during the GAIL Open Scrabble Cup to be held here from July 22 to 24.

In its third edition, this annual tournament sponsored by GAIL (India) Ltd. has opened its doors to the international players. This year, the tournament and its players will also be rated by WESPA (the World English-language Scrabble Players Association) in addition to the Scrabble Association of India. Twelve of the over 60 registered participants have previously participated in the World Scrabble Championships. 

India’s highest rated Scrabble player and current National Champion, Sherwin Rodrigues from Mumbai, was one of the first players to register. He is also the current GAIL Cup holder and is looking forward to retaining his crown. “It’s going to be a lot tougher to retain my crown this year and the level of competition keeps getting better both from Delhi and from across the world. But I’m hoping to play my best Scrabble and enjoy the tournament, which has been terrific so far,” he said.  

Michael Tang, one of Singapore’s top rated players and himself a major international tournament organizer, said “I’m excited to be travelling to India to play my favourite game and compete with the best. It’s good to see a tournament of this stature beginning to encourage international players to play in India and help the growth of the game in India. Thanks to tournaments like this we now see more Indians compete in mind sports around the world and more top players visit India.”   

The tournament, to be held at Vishwa Yuvak Kendra in Chanakya Puri, is being organised by the Scrabble Association of Delhi in conjunction with the Scrabble Association of India. This popular social game requires a combination of word knowledge, anagramming, risk management, speed of thought, temperament and mathematical skills to excel and can be fiercely competitive for some while 

still retaining its social charm for others.