Charles Tachie-Menson of Ghana ruled Day One of the Lekki Scrabble Classics by the power of cumulative points after he recorded 9 wins with three other close rivals after 11 rounds of games in Division A.
The quality of attendance at this year’s Classics signaled what was to be expected as the players settled in quickly with their minds on the one million naira top prize money and other attractive pecks.
Tachie-Menson who appeared to have mastered the technique of the Nigerian style picked his way to the top by shrugging off the defending champion Enoch Nwali on table 1 in round 9 with a 506-390 result which helped him perch at the top of the table at the end of the day.
Just behind him was old warhorse Chinedu Thorpe whose 564 cumulative points pulled him over Umujose Emmanuel (536) and Adebola Samuel (322) after they all ended the day with a 9-3 result each.
Nwali occupied the 5th position ahead of 6th placed Ogbogu Azu who gathered a higher cumulative points of 737 ahead of his rival’s 241 points.
In Division B, the top three players; Babatunde Adeagbo, Enyi Emmanuel and Obende Martins just like in Division A, were also separated by cumulative points after they earned 840, 613 and 424 points respectively.
The trio ended the day with 9 wins and 2 defeats.
11 players also created a similar situation on the log as they recorded 8 wins and 3 defeats but were only separated by cumulative points, spread from the fourth to fifteenth position.
This clearly, according to observers underscored the competitive attribute of this edition of the classics.
A combined total of 150 players registered for this edition.
Meanwhile, players were presented with opportunities at every round to win spot prizes by creating a premium from selected letters by the organisers.
Games for the first were also streamed live to a global audience who followed the event keenly.
The tournament resumes with the remaining seven rounds of games on Sunday when the winners of the various prizes will be determined.
Credit: Tayo Ogunseye
