By Tayo Ogunseye
Ajegunle City, the vibrant community in Ajeromi Ifelodun Local Government Area in Lagos will this Saturday witness it’s first-ever scrabble tournament in recent times.
The one-day championship being organised by BSP Scrabble Club; a group of players who grew up in the area said they decided to use the sport which bears many exciting benefits to impact it’s young populace.
Scrabble has been known to provide arithmetical education and vocabulary development while engaging players socially through entertaining rounds of games on the board.
It’s calculated period of play has already been proven as an antidote to social vices as participants are gainfully engaged in the mind game over some period of time.
The tournament according to the BSP team was created to add value while providing a rewarding sporting option for the people especially the youth in the city which is known for it’s broad base of talents in every sphere of human development including sports.
“Scrabble is a unique game!” An excited Erigi Edafe, a member of the team declared. “We decided to organize this tournament as a means of reaching out and to catch them young, let the world know that Scrabble has gained momentum. Not only is playing Scrabble lots of fun but there has also been research carried out to show that it lowers the risk of mental illness by keeping the brain stimulated and engaged, makes one happy, reduces blood pressure, improves the immune system and improves memory.”
“The reception has been so encouraging but we believe that after this epochal tournament, Scrabble will be more pronounced and well associated with because this will be the first of its kind been hosted in AJ CITY.”
“Well our expectations are very high because I want to believe that after this tournament, a lot of youths will embrace the game and some day the world champion will emerge from AJ CITY.”
12 round of games will be on offer for registered players who will participate in three cadre of Class A (1400 rating and above), Class B (1200 ratings to 1399 and Level C (1199 below) with the venue set at the Awodiora Hall, 36, Cardoso Street, Ajegunle.
A top cash-prize of 250,000 naira and a trophy will be won by the winner while other prizes including spot prizes will also be on offer according to the organisers.