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WSC 2011 Commentary: Round 1

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Go to: Before the Tournament, Round 1, Round 2, Round 3, Round 4, Round 5, Round 6, Round 7, Round 8, Round 9, Round 10, Round 11, Round 12, Round 13, Round 14, Round 15, Round 16, Round 17, Round 18, Round 19, Round 20, Round 21, Round 22, Round 23, Round 24, Round 25, Round 26, Round 27, Round 28, Round 29, Round 30, Round 31, Round 32, Round 33, Round 34.

And so it begins: the 2011 World Scrabble Championship. If you have never been to the WSC, do not make the mistake of thinking it is just like any other Scrabble tournament, but bigger. No other event comes close to attracting players from almost forty different countries, nor can any event generate the the tension of having over a hundred competitors each hoping in their heart that this will be their year, the year that they will prove that they can beat the very best in the world and become the champion. To be sure, there's a lot of friendly camaraderie, especially at meal breaks and after hours, but when people sit down to play the game, they do so with a seriousness that isn't matched elsewhere.

In Round 1, we have the top of the field paired randomly against the bottom of the field (while avoiding pairing compatriots), leading to some blowout games. In the lead after the first round of play is Neil Scott (Sco) at +337, followed by three more players who beat their opponents by 200 or more: Ming Hui Hubert Wee (SGP), Edward Martin (Eng) and Nigel Richards (Wru). Scott also has the high game of the round, a 627-290 over Ivan Pastucha (SVK).

Zbigniew Wieckowski (POL) beat Andrew Fisher (AUS) 468-343. Zbigniew is a 1487-rated player living in the United States, but called into service as the Polish alternate when it turned out our numbers would have been odd without him. Andrew is one of the top players in the world, always a strong contender at this event, rated 2071.