Baguio hosts world scrabble tournament

By Dexter A. See

BAGUIO CITY — It is yet the most ambitious Scrabble undertaking in the country.
Some 12 years after the Philippines hosted the first-ever international tournament, another undertaking was staged here starting Thursday at the Baguio Country Club.

The Baguio Centennial International Word Builders Tournament ends today.

Baguio Benguet Word Builders Club president Huub Luyk said the Philippines’ first event of international magnitude was in 1997 at the Sulu Hotel where American Sam Kantimathi won.

It was also a year before Baguio first took the step into making competitive Scrabble a regular thing in this city and has since been made the country’s Scrabble capital with its numerous events that lured two-time World Scrabble Championship finalist Pakorn Nemitrmansuk here in 2007 for the Panagbenga Cup.

This time, at least 11 players came from countries like New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. And counting the Filipinos based abroad, at least six included Bahrain, WSC veterans Ronald Credo and Leo Capuno, and Saudi Arabia with Peter Arreola and Ric Gonzales seeing action.

At least 40 players came for the $7,000 (about P330,000) event backed by Axa Philippines, Smart, Baguio Mayor Reinaldo Bautista, Baguio Rep. Mauricio Domogan, Total, and Baguio Centennial Commission.

Luyk, a Dutch, said the best players of the country and some of world’s bests including defending World Scrabble Championship and National Scrabble Championship (North America) titlist Nigel Richards came for the 33 round, four day tournament.

Richards, of New Zealand, but who works in Malaysia has the most King’s Cup title under his belt with six and has won a high 75 percent of his games.

But Luyk was also betting on Chris May, the New South Wales native who was Australia’s fifth ranked player.

Thailand was represented by two-time WSC finalist Pakorn Nemitrmansuk and Taiwan Suththasin.

Malaysia had reigning national champion Vannitha Balasingan and Yao Kian Hung, while Tony Sim represented the best from Singapore.

Singapore also had its latest top player, Marlon Prudencio, a Filipino now based in Singapore.
Odette Rio, who was inactive in the Philippine Scrabble scene but was sixth in the King’s Cup, the world’s biggest Scrabble tournament, was the top Filipino player against the foreign invasion.
She has been lucky in Baguio and has won at least seven titles here including the National Scrabble Championships in 2004.

Others in the hunt for $4,000 top purse were three-time WSC RP representative Ronald Credo, Leonora Labog and defending NSC champion and WSC-bound Parchamento, who made this as his preparation for the WSC to be held in Malaysia on Nov. 30.