UP Circle holds 1st annual Scrabble tournament
By Tony Alabastro 

In conjunction with the celebration of the 105th Anniversary of Philippine Independence, the University of the Philippines Circle will be staging the first ever Scrabble Tournament in Brunei on June 1 in cooperation with the Philippine Embassy. The contest, open to the Filipino community, is divided into: Junior (18yrs old & below), Senior (19yrs old & above), and Inter-Organisation (Team of three players.)

Registration forms are now available at the Philippine Embassy Chancery, LBC Mabuhay, and Ren Yi Cafeteria.

The official J.W. Spear & Sons Scrabble De Luxe Set, with raised gird, will be used in the one-day tournament at the Philippine Embassy Chancery.

The consolidated word reference currently used is Word List 2000 published by the Bahrain Scrabble League.

In the absence of the consolidated list, the basic sources used are, for British English, The Chambers Dictionary, 1998, and For American English, Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 3rd ed., 1995, and Merriam Webster's The Official Scrabble Player's Dictionary, 3rd ed., 1995

The tournament aims to foster unity among the Filipino community through the friendly game of Scrabble, to widen one's vocabulary of the English language and to promote Scrabble-playing as a competitive sport.

Scrabble is gaining ground as a competitive board sport in the same mould as its more popular 'cousin', the Chess Game, said Alan Filio, Tournament director.

UP Circle is optimistic that Scrabble playing as a sport will attract a following in Brunei, the country being one of the English-speaking countries in the region.

The UP Circle is preparing the groundwork for a National Scrabble Open that will eventually pave the way for Brunei's participation in the 2005 World Scrabble Championship

Scrabble was invented in the 1930's by an American architect, Alfred Butts, and has since become a favourite household board game.

But it was not until 1991 that Scrabble burst into the International arena as a competitive sport when the 1st World Scrabble Championship was held in London. The tournament drew participants from all corners of the globe.

Since then, World Championships were being held every two years, the last one in 2001 was held in Las Vegas, USA.

Among the Asean countries, Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore have\s been fielding their best Scrabble players to compete in the prestigious biennial event.

Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin