Historic Achievement for India
For the first time in the World Youth Scrabble Championship (WYSC) history, two Indian players have secured top-five positions. Suyash Manchali, 14, and Madhav Gopal Kamath, 13, achieved second and fourth places, respectively. This significant accomplishment highlights India’s growing prominence in the global Scrabble arena.
Notable Performances from Indian Contingent
In addition to Manchali and Kamath, three other Indian players from the 13-member squad made it to the top 30. Triambak Eashwar from Chennai placed 17th, Aarush Jotwani from Mumbai came in 20th, and Ahana Goyal from Delhi finished 27th. The tournament, held at Citrus Waskaduwa in Sri Lanka from September 6-8, saw participation from 136 players across 15 countries.
Player Highlights and Recommendations
Suyash Manchali, a Class X student from Bengaluru’s MES Kishore Kendra Public School, began his Scrabble journey at age 7, inspired by his mother, Shubha Shivashankar, an enthusiastic Scrabble player. His proficiency, demonstrated by his 17 wins out of 24 rounds, earned him second place. Manchali advocates for Scrabble tools such as Quackle, Zyzzyva, Aerolith, and Woogles to enhance gameplay.
Madhav Gopal Kamath, 13, from Sanskriti School in New Delhi, is India’s top-ranked youth player. Known for his consistent performance, Kamath recently won the Goa Open in April 2024, becoming the youngest player to win a major Scrabble tournament in India.
Future Prospects and Insights
Rustom Deboo, Secretary of the Scrabble Association of India (SAI), notes the growing competitiveness in India’s youth Scrabble scene and mentions a potential bid to host the WYSC in 2025. Neeta Bhatia, the sole Indian representative on the World Youth Scrabble Committee and coach for the Indian team, emphasizes that Scrabble involves more than just wordplay; it includes strategy and analysis. She suggests using the Collins Scrabble Word List as a valuable resource.
About Scrabble
Invented by Alfred Mosher Butts in 1931, Scrabble was initially named Criss Cross and was based on crosswords and anagrams. It was renamed and marketed as Scrabble by James Brunot in 1948 and has since become one of the most popular board games worldwide, with over 165 million games sold in 120 countries. Scrabble is the official sport of Senegal, and April 13 is celebrated as World Scrabble Day.
Additional Information
Scrabble Association of India (SAI): Website, Email: indianscrabble@gmail.com, Phone: 9920598992. Membership details: ₹500 for new members, ₹400 for renewals, ₹3,000 for life membership.
Neeta Bhatia: Founder of Wordaholix, offers online Scrabble training. Facebook, Email: wordaholix@gmail.com.
Upcoming Events: Wordaholix Scrabble League (WSL) from September 27 to 29 at The Bark, Lonavala; Asia Cup Youth Scrabble Championship (ACYSC) in New Delhi in November.