What’s the word? If the word is “scrabble,” it’s worth 13 points, which was of interest to lovers of a certain board Game June 5 and 6.
Former Rio Rancho resident Carl Johnson, took first place at the Southwest International LLL-Note Special (SWILLLNS) in Corrales, the second-longest running and one of the largest Scrabble tournaments in the United States. He bested 23 other players, winning 15 of his 18 matches. Seth Lipkin took second place and produced the tournament’s highest-scoring game with 653 points. Cornelia Guest served as director, whose duties included creating pairings, enforcing time limits and ruling on challenges.
Mike Baron and his wife, Pamina Deutsch, hosted the event, which has been continually played since 1984. He told the Corrales Comment the tournament endured a rough start but concluded amid an atmosphere of camaraderie and love for the game. Baron said he eschewed the bandleader regalia he usually wears to open the event, in the wake of news that an expected participant had died. Another player missed a connecting flight, necessitating the seating of a replacement.
By the time the event started, Baron said, the field included some of the best players in the world, but still a diversity of skill levels. For the first day, they were divided into groups based on rankings, with standings deciding Day 2 matches. In addition to their entry fees, players made $700 in donations to the Philly After School Scrabble Program. The event concluded, per tradition, with a shared meal at the Range Café in Bernalillo.
Baron has been playing the game for more than half a century, entering his first tournament in 1980. Along the way, he created a “cheat sheet” listing playable two-letter words, and four-letter words that include the letters J, Q, X and Z. He met Deutsch as a result of his suggestion of changes to a tournament. Had the field remained limited to 32 players, he’s convinced, she would not have played at the 1988 event at which they connected. Before hosting the SWILLLNS, the pair traveled to Thailand, seeing the country and playing in the four-day Causeway Challenge. Baron said that while the Corrales tournament offered cash prizes, no one entered for the money. “It’s the camaraderie, the beauty of New Mexico and the joy of the game that attract people,” he said.
The Albuquerque Scrabble Club meets from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays at Chili’s, 6909 Menaul Blvd. NE. Anyone interested in joining may contact director David Weiss at 406-672-3895 or davidoutwest@yahoo.com.