Pak teams to feature in scrabble championships in France

KARACHI: Pakistan Scrabble Association (PSA) is sending two all-male teams for participation in the World Scrabble Championship (WSC) and World Youth Scrabble Championship (WYSC) to be played in Lille, France, from August 27 to 29 and August 31 to September 4, respectively.

The squad consisting of 23 males left for France via Istanbul on Thursday.

They will all be travelling on their own expenses though they have found a sponsor in Shangrila Foods who will be lending some support.

“This year, once again, we have a strong youth team, considered the favourite to win in WYSC,” said Tariq Pervez, PSA’s director youth programme.

The WYSC team for the first time this year has a professional coach as former world youth scrabble champion Moizullah Baig has been training the players for the past two months.

“We have very high hopes from our players, especially at WYSC. Pakistan is considered the best youth team in the world, having won the WYSC in 2013 and been the runners-up in 2014 and 2015. In 2013 Moiz was crowned the world youth champion,” said Pervez.

Currently, Pakistan’s Abdullah Abbasi is the highest-rated youth player in the world and a favourite to win the title this year having finished as the runner-up last year.

Pervez said that he would also be submitting PSA’s offer of holding the WYSC 2017 in Pakistan. The bid will be submitted at the annual meeting of the World Scrabble Association next month. 

Teams:

WYSC: Abdullah Abbasi (16 years), Ali Rashid (13 years), Sohaib Sanaullah (14 years), Imaad Ali (10 years), Ahad Riaz (17 years), Hassan Bin Arshad (17 years), Hasham Hadi (11 years), Abbas Ali (17 years), Muhammad Talha (13 years), Mudassir Javed (15 years), Taha Mirza (14 years), Daniyal Sanaullah (16 years), Absar Mustajab (17 years), Ahmed Salik (17 years), Saim Usmani (9 years), Monis Khan (8 years) and Daniyal Iqbal (13 years).

WSC: Waseem Khatri (eight-time national champion and Pakistan No 1), Moizullah Baig (Pakistan No 2), Hassan Hadi, Hammad Hadi, Mohammad Inayatullah and Tariq Pervez.