Karnataka - Bangalore   

Thai architect has the last word

Bangalore: The word sluice means gate. And this was what opened the gates for Pakorn Nemitrmansuk, a 33-year-old Thai architect, to victory and Rs. 2 lakh prize money at the Fifth iGATE International Scrabble Tournament 2009 here on Sunday.

The mind game, organised in association with the Karnataka State Scrabble Association (KSSA), saw 60 wordsmiths — 32 of them international players — battle it out for a cash prize of Rs. 4 lakh in all.

Even though all the participants tried hard to bag the first winner cash prize worth Rs. 2 lakh, the duel was between world champion Nigel Richards from New Zealand and Mr. Nemitrmansuk.

When the latter packed off the world champion by 29 points, it took a while to sink in. And then it was time for hugs and congratulations.

Mr. Nemitrmansuk, a second-time winner, told The Hindu: “I have won here in 2007 but this time I feel proud because I was defending myself against the world champion. The word sluiced helped me win.”

Mr. Richards, who won the second prize of Rs.1 lakh, was sporting about the setback.

“I was seeking the first prize. But still I am happy because I enjoyed the game. India should take definite steps to promote the game. I see so many Indians interested in it,” he said. The letters which dominated the game for three days were Q, Z, X, J, and K and those who made the maximum use of these deviant letters were awarded spot prizes. The top scores were 434 points by Mr. Nemitrmansuk and 405 by Mr. Richards.

Mohan Chunkath from Chennai bagged the third prize, taking home Rs. 50,000 in cash.

Shaikh Ahmed, president of the Scrabble Association of India, said: “I take coaching classes in Hyderabad and I witness tremendous response. We need to teach it in schools from the primary level where students can take an educational advantage of the game also.”

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