Latest update April 19th, 2024 12:59 AM
Jul 02, 2013 Sports
By Michael Benjamin
In what was undoubtedly the most keenly contested championship, Abigail McDonald defied a 4th round loss to Anand Mohabir (38) to record seven straight games and capture the honours when the final day of the preliminaries of the Guyana Association of Scrabble Players (GASP) National Scrabble Championship concluded at the Bank of Guyana Sports Club, Avenue of the Republic, Georgetown yesterday morning.
The prolific word former turned in a final day performance of 7 wins and a positive spread of 1190 to add to her previous tally of 12 points and a positive spread of 1641 to cap a wonderful performance and cart off the top honours with 19 points and a positive spread of 2951.
After a scintillating performance over the first 2 days, Moen Gafoor stumbled slightly and surrendered games to Devraj Deonarine (48), McDonald (91) and Fred Collins (156) but still managed to seal off the second place after amassing a tabulated total of 18 points and a positive spread of 3955 to set up the best of 5 finals with McDonald at the very venue on Saturday July 5 to determine the national scrabble champion and Guyana’s representative at the World Scrabble Championships in Prague, Czech Republic, December 3rd – 8th next.
McDonald’s other victories yesterday morning came at the expense of Wazeer Dilipchand (265), Julian Skeete (135), Kamta Ramnarine (133), D Albert (248), Grace Hercules (196), Moen Gafoor (91) and Michael Benjamin (180). Gafoor defeated Wazeer Dilipchand (594), Julian Skeete (107), Kamta Ramnarine (39), Anand Mohabir (126) and Grace Hercules (188).
Meanwhile, former national champion, Fred Collins performed credibly but had to settle for the third place after amassing a similar amount of points as Gafoor but a lower positive spread of 2761. Collins, who has worn the national crown previously, could consider himself a bit unlucky after winning all of his games yesterday including his duel with Gafoor (156). His other victims were Michael Benjamin (173), Wayne Cave (30), Colin Chichester (159), Ruby Cummings (9), Wazim Dilipchand (365), Robert Williams (26) and Mohanram Ramnarine (565).
Robert Williams rose from virtual obscurity to turn in an awesome performance on the first 2 days of the tournament and had handed McDonald her first loss in the tournament (91).
His victories over Ruby Cummings (104) and Wayne Cave (46) were also regarded as upsets and he started yesterday’s sessions nestling among the top guns and nurturing ambitions of dethroning McDonald. He registered a major upset over James Krakowsky (2) while defeating Orlando Michael (59), Romario Gonsalves (116), and Karen Bobb Semple (316). However, he spoiled his chances after dropping games to Leon Belony (125), Collins (26) and Devraj Deonarine (24). He finished with an accumulated total of 15 points and a positive spread of 1577.
Williams’ performance has placed him in line for the prize of best newcomer but it appears to be a tossup between him and Deonarine. The latter player also turned in an exceptional performance and won all of his games yesterday to register a final tally of 17 ½ points and a positive spread of 1420.
A plethora of upsets characterized the tournament but none more shocking than that of Romario Gonsalves, a rookie out of the Enterprise Scrabble Club, over veteran player, James Krakowsky; the youngster played the game of his life to deliver a shocker by 29 points.
It is an anomaly that every player ought to be cognizant of and could very well raise its ugly head in the impending Gafoor/McDonald slugfest.
Please share this to every Guyanese including your house cats.
Apr 19, 2024
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