Abdulmumeen Jimoh, at the weekend, successfully defended his Lekki Scrabble Classics title, confirming his class on the final day of the two-day championship with a game to spare.

Jimoh recorded a total of 15 wins and three defeats with cumulative points of +1537 in Division A to continue his reign as the champion of the prestigious tournament.

After dropping one game on the opening day, Jimoh made nonsense of the “Day One Champion hoodoo” as he picked up more wins despite dropping two games against Wasiu Hassan and Precious Igali in the final seven rounds.

Emmanuel Ede was ranked second (14/4 +155), while African champion Oluwatimilehin Doko (13/5 + 902) finished third.

Jimoh’s success has now placed him as a strong contender for the African Championship title slated for next month in Liberia.

The games were viewed by a global audience on YouTube, with a large viewing screen also provided for live streaming with commentary in the playing hall at Peninsula Hotel.

He dedicated the victory to his late elder brother, Saliu, who, he said, died when he returned from the Causeway Challenge in Thailand. “He introduced me to scrabble and was my driving force. I know he would be proud of me if he were here. My staying power is continuous reading. That’s what I have been doing, and that’s what I will keep on doing. I want to thank the Lekki Scrabble Club for organising the best Scrabble tournaments in Nigeria.”

In Division B, veteran Frank Ishekwene picked the top prize with 15 wins and three defeats, with cumulative points of +825, while Peter Awonusi (15/18 + 995) and Julius Adeyemi (15/18 + 733) finished second and third, respectively.

In the newly introduced Children’s category, Toyyibah Abdulsalam became the first winner with seven wins and a +928 cumulative points in the final standings, ahead of Bilal Olojoku (7/8, +897) and Yusuf Abdulsalam (6/8 +1203) in a field of 24 players.

The competition also featured a five-man contingent from the Ghana Scrabble Association, who said that they were impressed by the high number of top players at the event.