Nigel Richards Wins Spanish Scrabble Championship Without Speaking the Language (scroll down for the answers)
Granada, November 2024
In a feat that defies belief, New Zealander Nigel Richards, _________________(WIDTH) considered the greatest Scrabble player of all time, won the World Scrabble Championship in Spanish, despite not speaking a word of the language. The event, held in Granada, Spain, brought together around 150 top _____________(COMPETE) from across the globe.
Richards didn’t learn Spanish in the traditional sense. Instead, he memorised the entire official Spanish Scrabble dictionary over the course of about a year. According to his friend and representative Liz Fagerlund, Richards possesses an exceptional __________________(PHOTOGRAPHY) memory, allowing him to absorb and recall complex letter combinations without ______________(NECESSARY) understanding their meanings. He views Scrabble as a mathematical game of probability and tile values, rather than a test of vocabulary.
Scrabble in Spanish differs from its English counterpart in letter frequency and tile values. Richards adapted his play accordingly, learning which letters were most useful in Spanish and focusing heavily on long words (7 to 9 letters) to maximise his score. He made precise ____________(DECIDE) to sacrifice flashy moves for smarter long-term setups.
Richards has previously won multiple World Scrabble Championships in England and even took the French world title in 2015 and 2018, again, without speaking French. For the French title, he memorised the French Scrabble dictionary in just nine weeks.
His win sparked a mixture of awe and humility. While some native Spanish speakers felt slightly _____________(EMBARRASS), most reacted with admiration. "You simply can’t criticise him," said organiser Alejandro Terrenzani. Horacio Moavro, director of the Spanish Scrabble Federation, added: "We were flabbergasted! It was ________________(MIRACLE)."
Nigel Richards’ victory in Granada challenges conventional ideas of language mastery. By relying __________(PURE) on memory, strategy, and logic, he proved that Scrabble is as much about cognition and preparation as it is about __________(LANGUAGE) ability. His achievement not only astonished the Scrabble community, but also offered a compelling example of the extraordinary potential of the human mind.
Tom Tom Club - Wordy Rappinghood
Nigel Richards Wins Spanish Scrabble Championship Without Speaking the Language
Granada, November 2024
In a feat that defies belief, New Zealander Nigel Richards, _WIDELY____(WIDTH) considered the greatest Scrabble player of all time, won the World Scrabble Championship in Spanish, despite not speaking a word of the language. The event, held in Granada, Spain, brought together around 150 top __COMPETITORS____(COMPETE) from across the globe.
Richards didn’t learn Spanish in the traditional sense. Instead, he memorised the entire official Spanish Scrabble dictionary over the course of about a year. According to his friend and representative Liz Fagerlund, Richards possesses an exceptional _PHOTOGRAPHIC__(PHOTOGRAPHY) memory, allowing him to absorb and recall complex letter combinations without __NECESSARILY___(NECESSARY) understanding their meanings. He views Scrabble as a mathematical game of probability and tile values, rather than a test of vocabulary.
Scrabble in Spanish differs from its English counterpart in letter frequency and tile values. Richards adapted his play accordingly, learning which letters were most useful in Spanish and focusing heavily on long words (7 to 9 letters) to maximise his score. He made precise _DECISIONS____(DECIDE) to sacrifice flashy moves for smarter long-term setups.
Richards has previously won multiple World Scrabble Championships in England and even took the French world title in 2015 and 2018, again, without speaking French. For the French title, he memorised the French Scrabble dictionary in just nine weeks.
His win sparked a mixture of awe and humility. While some native Spanish speakers felt slightly __EMBARRASSED______(EMBARRASS), most reacted with admiration. "You simply can’t criticise him," said organiser Alejandro Terrenzani. Horacio Moavro, director of the Spanish Scrabble Federation, added: "We were flabbergasted! It was __MIRACULOUS_____(MIRACLE)."
Nigel Richards’ victory in Granada challenges conventional ideas of language mastery. By relying __PURELY___(PURE) on memory, strategy, and logic, he proved that Scrabble is as much about cognition and preparation as it is about __LINGUISTIC__(LANGUAGE) ability. His achievement not only astonished the Scrabble community, but also offered a compelling example of the extraordinary potential of the human mind.
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