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| PHOTOS: Denis Wee |
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Think you’re good at Scrabble? Wait till you meet 21-year-old Hubert Wee Ming Hui. This “average Singaporean” is anything but — he is a finalist at the upcoming Biennial Scrabble Tournament, organized by toy company Mattel. His fait accompli? Scoring 98 points during the qualifying tournament with the word “Zygosity”!
He is so good at Scrabble that friends and family refuse to play with him any longer after suffering consecutive defeats.
Along with three other Scrabble players, Wee will be traveling to Johor Bahru for the grand finals of the tournament which will be held from 26 to 29 November. The coveted top prize is US$30,500 (S$42,750).
Wee tells City News: “I started playing since I was 15. I came across [Scrabble] tournaments online and also through the Scrabble Association in Singapore. At the moment, I’m in university and quite busy, but I practise at least once a week.
“For my practice sessions, I would usually go to online Scrabble websites to hone my skills against the others as well as study the Scrabble dictionary,” Wee shares. “Currently, I am ranked #7 in the world, and I hope that through the upcoming tournament, I can raise my ranking to the top five.”
For the beginners in this game of intellect and quick wit, here are two tips from the Scrabble:
“Tip #1: Practise often — as many times as possible, and if necessary take it online and compete with other Scrabble players.”
Tip #2: Read the Scrabble dictionary on a regular basis.”
Stay tuned for the results of Wee’s performance at the championships at the end of November.
