Scrabble can be the catalyst to the elimination of illiteracy

Dec 28, 2008 Sports

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By Michael Benjamin

Although it is not a spectator sport, scrabble has caught the imagination of a wide cross section of the Guyanese sporting public. Recently an influx of newcomers at tournaments has underlined the hard work of the executive body of the Guyana Association of Scrabble Players (GASP) in its bid to popularize the sport locally.
Coincidentally, scrabble can also provide an impetus to the sagging literacy level in our country as the player is required to, not only learn strange words but also know how to spell them. Some players also take special interest in learning the meanings of these words even though such knowledge will not positively affect one’s eventual tally of points.
Scrabble is a game where the player earns points after forming legitimate words. The inability to spell correctly can cause the opposing player to challenge the play and once the challenged word is verified as incorrectly spelt, or non-existent, the delinquent player is required to retrieve the tiles and automatically loses a turn, which in the end can be decisive in whether he/she wins or losses that game.
Scrabble has been viewed by many as a farce simply because many of the accepted words may not be found in just any run of the mill thesaurus.
These words are listed in special dictionaries and admittedly, are those that most people never have heard of, would never use and would live very happily without knowing. Yet it is the knowledge of these words that separate the ‘normal’ human being from the scrabble player. As such, scrabble players spend endless hours poring through their dictionaries and retaining the spelling of what the average person may view as farcical words.
Scrabble players soon become word nerds as they compile a vocabulary that may turn doctors and lawyers, not to mention academics, green with envy.
On the local front, Fred Collins has been ruling the roost and even though he may lose an occasional tournament, he is considered among the best local player. He was faced with mean opposition from Ewart Adams in the national competition for selection to the World Scrabble tournament in Mumbai, India but he prevailed.
Adams is a young player who has risen to prominence and remained among the top bunch until a recent tiff with the executive of GASP has forced him to take a self-imposed hiatus. Nevertheless, he is still highly ranked in GASP most recent ratings.
Other formidable players may very well pose a serious challenge to Collins in the New Year. They include Leon Belony, Colin Chichester, Moen Gafoor and Ulric Harris (men), and Abigail McDonald, Grace Hercules, Yvonne Murray and Ruby Cummings (women), all veterans in the sport.
These players have been very consistent in procuring wins in major tournaments. In addition, one cannot ignore the sterling efforts of players like James Krakowsky, Floyd Carmichael, Devon Dublin, Curtis Liverpool and Winston Jacobs, all mean players that can create problems for the more seasoned players, on their heyday.
Even though there has been a high level of consistency from players the likes of Abigail McDonald, Krakowsky and Gafoor, among others, it is very difficult to select any one player that has truly dominated the scene all through the year because of the fluctuation of winners in the various tournaments.
However, in my estimation, a player that has battled valiantly to rise within the folds of the top players is Floyd Carmichael. He never stops trying. In the tournament for the Adult Education Lien trophy, he lost out to James Krakowsky by dint of a lower spread-217 to 147, after both players had won four games apiece.
Carmichael was a bit unfortunate to have placed 4th again in the Open Diwali Scrabble tournament after compiling 4 games and a spread of 376. In that tournament, his only two losses were to Belony and Skeete, by narrow margins of nine and three, respectively.
To his credit, Carmichael was able to rebound from those disappointments to overcome a star-studded lineup that included Collins, Chichester, Krakowsky and Harris, to win the final tournament of the year, the GASP Scrabble Scramble.
Even before playing this tournament, Carmichael had succeeded in making an impact in the ratings and his recent exploit should push him up a bit higher than the number 10 ranking he currently enjoys.
One must not eliminate Paul Adams, a banker who has recently started playing but has managed to upset quite a few big names. Next year he may just create a few upsets. Then there is Maurice Munroe, another banker, whose game has improved leaps and bounds.
Even as GASP closes it season on a resounding note, there is still much work to be done in (a) popularizing the game and (b) maintaining that high level of discipline necessary for the forward thrust of the sport.
It would also be interesting if the executive can introduce the sport as a part of the school curriculum. This ploy has been tried before at the North Georgetown Secondary School. It is now left up to those with a vested interest in the expansion of the game to collaborate with the Education Ministry to make such a venture a reality.
This may just be the ploy needed to eliminate the high level of illiteracy among our youths even as they have fun.

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