Ghana’s Tachie-Menson wins Lekki Scrabble Classics  

• Hilda Baci takes celebrity title

Ghana’s Tachie-Menson has won the third Lekki Scrabble Classics, carting away the N1 million top prize money earmarked for the championship. In a competition that featured African champion, Enoch Nwali, West African king, Timilehin Doko, PANASA President’s Cup winner, Godwin Victor, and other top-rated scrabble players, Tachie-Menson pulled through the waters to win the Division A top prize.

Speaking at the end of the championship, Tachie-Menson said: “My father is married to my Nigerian mother. Playing in Nigeria is like playing at home. After winning Day One, I was a little bit skeptical because we were supposed to play 12 games, but it was reduced to 11 and I was on fire. I had to take my cool going into Day Two.”

John Ayedun came second to take home N500,000 prize money, while Emmanuel Umujose, Nwali, Godwin, and Hakeem Olaribigbe followed in third, fourth, and fifth positions respectively.

Meanwhile, it was a frenetic finish in Division B as Babatunde Adeagbo, who had controlled the standing, fending off rivals for a longer period of the tournament, fell at the last hurdle in Round 18 to Babajide Alagbada, who snatched the title with a higher 1,032 cumulative points.

As expected, the 2024 Lekki Scrabble Classics lived up to expectations as players were rewarded with cash prizes right from the first round to the end of the tournament.

Nigeria Scrabble Federation President, Olobatoke Aka, said the classics was his long-term plan of developing the game where clubs activate its growth from their communities.

The president said that Nigerian players’ failure to win this year’s classics was a wake-up call ahead of the challenges at the forthcoming 2024 African Scrabble Championships in Kigali, Rwanda this month.

At the closing ceremony attended by top Scrabble bigwigs, including the sponsors as well as Guinness Book of World Record (GWR) former record holder Hilda Baci, the audience was also entertained by a top match between current Lekki Scrabble Classics winner, Tachie-Menson and former world champion, Wellington Jighere.

Celebrity cook, Hilda Baci, also participated in an exhibition match where she teamed up with Sophia and played against Team Adeola-Favour to the admiration of all.