Scrabble Tournament at Equatorial Cameron Highlands

Noble gesture
Scrabble Scene with Chuah Sim Swee
Friday October 5, 2007

Some of the finest Scrabble players from Malaysia, New Zealand and Singapore groaned through three days of intense competition at the 7th Equatorial Cameron Highlands Malaysian Open Scrabble Tournament held from Sept 28 to 30 at the Equatorial Hotel after which it was named.

No, it was not mental strain and anguish, which they were suffering from, but the staggering amount of delicious food showered on them by the hotel’s friendly staff. And so, for three days, they valiantly staggered from dining tables to tournament tables to outwit and outspell their opponents.

Yes, after a one-year hiatus, the tournament was back with a vengeance, thanks to Tan Khee Chiang, the man who inaugurated it single-handedly. An avid Scrabble player, Tan ran the tournament successfully from 2000 to 2005. When he was transferred to the Equatorial Hotel Ho Chi Min City, Vietnam, last year, the tournament was cancelled much to the dismay of Scrabble players in and outside the country. Tan vowed to hold it again this year with the help of his old team of helpers at the hotel.

Most players find this tournament special because of the gorgeous scenery, cool weather, the courteous and helpful staff of the hotel and the scrumptious food.

Back to the tournament, day one was dominated by Nigel Richards from New Zealand, as he won all his three rounds with ease. His leisurely walk to the finishing line turned into a brisk trot by day two when he mowed down all newcomers, suffering only a hiccup when he was beaten by Tony Sim from Singapore in game 14 (462 versus 409 points). On day three, it was a full gallop to the finishing line.

Sim hung on grimly to second place until the last game. He had the unfortunate “pleasure” of meeting Richards seven times. His defeat in the last round was the straw that broke the camel’s back and he fell to fifth place.

By the end of game 15, with just three more games to go, it was obvious to all that Richards would take the crown even if he were to lose the remaining games. That left the rest of the field to fight for second placing. Although Sim had been fighting valiantly to hold on to this placing, many others stood a good chance of wresting it from him unless he could beat Richards.

In game 18, the final game, Ng Chee Eng beat Alex Tan (371-301) and would have clinched the spot but for Jocelyn Lor who defeated Tengku Asri by a whopping margin (481-285). Four players tied with 11 points each and it was the spread that settled the matter with Lor wresting second position and Ng Chee Eng, Alex Tan and Tony Sim coming in third, fourth and fifth respectively.

The champion, Richards, also won for most number of bingos (44), pipping Chuah Sim Swee who had 40. He also won a lucky draw prize of a two-day one-night complimentary stay for two at the Equatorial Hotel Cameron Highlands on top of his trophy, a prize money of RM1,500 and a complimentary stay at the Equatorial Hotel Ho Chi Min City, Vietnam.

Vannitha Balasingam won a trophy for highest game (602), while Tan Khee Chiang won for highest score for a word – ENFIXING (126 points). It is interesting to note that he also made the second and third highest scoring words – RESEIZED (121 points) and QUAFFING(113 points).

Scrabble has thus far been a gentleman’s game. Most players have always tried to uphold the unwritten rules that include honesty, courtesy to opponents and good sportsmanship. This could not have been more evident during the Equatorial Cameron Highlands tournament.

At the end of the second day, in the very last game (game 14), Ng Chee Eng tied with John Lam and each earned half a point instead of one point. The scorecards were signed, the results entered into the computer for the next day’s draw and everyone duly turned in for the night. Back in his room, Ng recounted the scores and found that he had actually won by a margin of two points. The next morning, he showed the results to Lam.

Under the rules of the game, once the scorecards have been signed by both parties and the marks entered for the next draw, the result should stand even if a mistake was discovered later. However, Lam gallantly agreed to change the result even though this would affect his standing and he even appealed to the organiser to do so. We salute you, John Lam. -- The Star Lifestyle.