Moen Gafoor prevails over James Krakowsky for Scrabble honours

Apr 02, 2024 Sports

Michael Benjamin $US50 richer

Kaieteur Sports – Moen Gafoor defied a 3^rd round loss to his nemesis, James Krakowsky, by a spread of 48 and rebounded to clinch top honours when the Guyana Association of Scrabble Association Players (GASP) staged the M&M Open Championship at Marshal Karramchan’s residence, Enterprise ECD, last Saturday afternoon.

Gafoor finished with 4 points and a positive spread of 515 to claim the top spot, relegating Krakowsky to 2^nd place with 4 points and a positive spread of 354. Wayne Cave closed off the podium spots after amassing 3 points and a positive spread of 298.

Michael Benjamin failed to register a podium spot but waltzed away with the US$50 prize for the competitor that played the bingo ‘marshal.’ That play earned the former boxing champion 93 points and ironically was played against Marshal Karramchan.

Gafoor and Winslow Jacobs both recorded 8 bingos apiece but it was the former player who got the nod after scoring the highest bingo among them, while Kamta Ramnarine clinched the trophy for the highest points accrued from a non-bingo word (74). Like Gafoor, Krakowsky also scored 4 points but amassed a lower spread of 354 to secure the second-place spot while Wayne Cave sealed off the final podium spot with 3 points and a positive spread of 298.

In a truly competitive duel between Gafoor and Krakowsky, into the final sitting, the top prize was a throw-up between as both players demonstrated acute word-forming skills. Gafoor had earlier surrendered his 3rd round game to Krakowsky (48) and it seemed as though the latter player, who up to the final sitting had amassed an impeccable 4 points, would have cruised to victory. Winslow Jacobs then burst Krakowsky’s bubble with a decisive victory (144) while Gafoor cruised past Robert Williams (132) which elevated his position while Krakowsky’s loss slid him into second place.

Meanwhile, a member of the Interim Management Committee, Roy Sharma, congratulated host, Karramchan Marshal, for his exceptional organizing skills. Sharma was high in praise noting that Karramchan surely went the extra mile to ensure that all systems were in place which resulted in an early commencement and smooth running of the tournament.

The organizing committee will soon release the date for the next championship and urges all players to continue attending practice sessions to improve on their respective games.

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honours, James Krakowsky, M&M Open Championship, nemesis, scrabble

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