Young gun Sohaib clinches Pakistan Scrabble C’ship

KARACHI: Fifteen-year-old Sohaib Sanaullah won the Signature 29th Pakistan Scrabble Championship played here at Generation’s School with an astonishing display of tactical skills.

A student of St Patrick’s School, Sohaib showed remarkable control and temperament rarely seen in a boy so young while competing against much older players. He staged a spectacular late rally to win his last six games in a row and emerge as the proverbial dark horse.

The final of the championship was between Sohaib and 17-year-old Abdullah Abbasi. Abbasi, runner-up of World Youth Scrabble Championship in 2015, finished second with 18 wins and a spread of 1721.

Former world youth champion Moiz Baig, who led for most part of the tournament, was outgunned by his younger rivals. He finished third with 18 wins and a spread of 1492.

Tariq Pervez, the only senior citizen in the top-five, finished fourth with 18 wins and a spread of 1492.Defending champion Waseem Khatri finished fifth with 17 wins and a spread of 1571.

Mohammad Inayatullah, Hassan Hadi, Rashid Khan, Hammad Hadi and Yasir Jamshaid occupied the remaining top-ten positions respectively.