Nigel Richards, a professional Scrabble player from New Zealand, has won the Spanish World Scrabble Championship in Granada, Spain, adding another achievement to his illustrious career.
Richards is renowned for his dominance in English-language Scrabble, holding five world titles. Remarkably, he lost only one of 24 games on his way to victory in Spain.
A man who doesn’t speak Spanish won the Spanish Scrabble Championship!
Nigel Richards, known as the "Tiger Woods of Scrabble", spent a year memorizing the Spanish Scrabble word list to prepare for his first-ever Spanish tournament.
Do you like Scrabble? pic.twitter.com/32iplYGCoj
— Tree of Knowledge (@ToK_ScienceTree) December 16, 2024Richards memorized the Spanish Scrabble word list to prepare for the Spanish tournament in just one year. Liz Fagerlund, a New Zealand Scrabble official and Richards’ friend highlighted his unique ability to recall words effortlessly, treating them as visual blocks in his mind.
Benjamín Olaizola of Argentina, the defending champion, finished second. Contest organizer Alejandro Terenzani described Richards’ victory as unprecedented, noting that it was so impressive it left spectators in awe.
Richards is no stranger to mastering Scrabble in languages he does not speak, having won the French Scrabble World Championships in 2015 and 2018. He has also held the world, US, and British titles simultaneously. The Spanish tournament presented new challenges, such as different tile values and various long words, but Richards adapted seamlessly.
His success stems from a mathematical and strategic approach to Scrabble rather than linguistic skills. Despite not focusing on English in school or attending university, his knack for recognizing patterns and strategizing effectively sets him apart.
Richards maintains a low profile, often avoiding media attention. At the Spanish championship, while he engaged with fans and posed for photos, he declined interviews, with Fagerlund noting, “He doesn’t understand what all the fuss is about.”
Currently living in Malaysia, Richards continues to inspire as one of the greatest Scrabble players in history.
