On Wednesday, the unbeatable Nigerian scrabble team will fly into Lusaka, Zambia, for the 14th Africa Scrabble Championship.
The 2022 edition of the competition, which featured 86 scrabble players from ten different nations, saw Nigeria reaffirm its dominance by winning its 13th championship in 14 attempts.
With a sensational victory in Lusaka, Enoch Nwali, a third-year Health Education student at the University of Lagos, became both Nigeria’s and Africa’s new champion.
After winning 24 games and drawing one, Nwali had the most points (2023).
Omosafe Prince rounded out Nigeria’s 1-2-3 dominance in third with +965 points, followed by fellow countryman and former world champion Jighere Wellington in second.
Nwali, who began his dictatorship campaign in 29th place in the first round before moving up to seventh place in the second, led the pack and maintained his position for the majority of the tournament. In rounds three and four, he advanced to finish third and second, respectively.
The 26-year-old took home gold at the most recent National Sports Festival and NUGA Games. According to WESPA ratings, he has continued to put up an outstanding show and is currently among the top 10 performers worldwide.
With the World Scrabble Championship set to take place in Las Vegas, USA, next year, the third seed is currently the favorite to represent the nation.
He mercilessly dethroned the top position holder in the fifth round on his path to the top spot, then inscribed his name at the pinnacle of the players’ rankings.
He quickly set up his cabinet after that, changed the layout of the table one board, and exercised strict control, rising to the top position from Round 5 to Round 15.
The slightest crack on the top spot, however, caused him to be unsettled by his compatriot and former world champion Jighere Wellington in Round 16, moving Enoch to second place.
