Pakistan Scrabble C’ship commences

KARACHI: Pakistan Scrabble Association’s (PSA) 32nd Gladiators Pakistan Scrabble Championship commenced here in Karachi on Friday.

The top 45 scrabble players of the country are participating in the event, including the defending champion and the national champion of 1995.

The event is sponsored by cricket franchise Quetta Gladiators. PharmEvo has provided the venue for the event as local schools were unable to host because of Covid-19 restrictions.

The scrabble masters championship commenced with players reaching Karachi from different cities of the country, including Quetta and Badin. Many attended the event online.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the championship, Director Youth Program and Vice President of PSA Tariq Pervez congratulated the players and scrabble lovers for the commencement of the masters event in Karachi and asked the players to follow standard operating procedures (SOPs), rules of the game as well as international norms and values.

“After a lull of almost seven months, we are having our 32nd championship underway and for that we are thankful to Quetta Gladiators and PharmEvo Limited for sponsorship and providing the venue. In this tournament both the defending champion as well as the 1995 national champions are playing under one roof so it would be a tough competition,” Tariq added.

Claiming that Pakistan has won all the youth scrabble championships in the world in last 10 years, Tariq said their target is to promote scrabble among youth and to prepare them for international events. “Our dream is to create a healthy society, for which the support of Quetta Gladiators and PharmEvo is commendable,” he added.

He claimed that during Covid-19 lockdown, PSA organised virtual games every week, which helped top ranking players, especially youth, to continue their practice.

Hassan Hadi Khan, the tournament director and former national champion, said Pakistan participated in the virtual scrabble league during the pandemic and Pakistan players reached the semi-finalis.

He said he expected the national championship to produce more young players who would represent Pakistan internationally.

Mansoor Khan and Zubair Siddiqui of PharmEvo also spoke on the occasion and vowed to continue supporting healthy mental and physical activities.

Seven games were played during the first day. There will be 20 games on Saturday (today) and Sunday with semi-finals and finals on Sunday evening.