TheNewsGuru

Tag: Asaph Zadok National Scrabble Championship

  • Delta State sweeps all top honours as NSF scrabble festival ends in grand style

    Delta State sweeps all top honours as NSF scrabble festival ends in grand style

    Delta State has won the maiden edition of the Nigeria Scrabble Federation National Festival which ended in grand style with the Awards and Gala Night on Sunday at the exotic and classy, Hotel de Bently in Abuja.
    Team Delta guided by two time African Scrabble Champion, Dennis Ikekeregor swept all the top honours at stake at the week long Festival which started with the Asaph Zadok National Championship.
    Delta State started it conquest with Eta Paul Oghenekaro, current West African Scrabble Champion, who won the Asaph Zadok National Championship after brushing aside other 59 top wordsmith that include former World Champion Wellington Jighere, current African Champion Enoch Tochukwu Nwali, Champion of Champions, Olatunde Oduwole and former winner of the NSF Green Jacket Dipo Akanbi.
    Lagos State’s duo of Enoch Tochukwu Nwali, African Champion and John Aiyedun came second and third in the Asaph Zadok National Championship individual event.
    Team Delta made up of Wellington Jighere, Eta Paul Oghenekaro, Emmanuel Umujose, Ofidi, Oshevire Avwenagha and Dennis Ikekeregor were just too hot and solid as they spell they name in gold to win the team title at the Asaph Zadok National Championship.
    Despite the strong outing of Prince Omosefe, Tega Okiemute, Cyril Umebiye, Ezinore George and Bright Idahosa team Edo could only finish second ahead of Lagos State that paraded the African Champion, Enoch Nwali, Champion of Champions Olatunde Oduwole, former Green Jacket Dipo Akanbi, John Aiyedun, Olatunde Adigun, Timi Olaitan and Joseph Okere.
    The bragging right of KING OF CLUB Scrabble of Nigeria in the Inter Club Championship grand finale also went to Delta State through Warri SC. Apex Scrabble Club flying the flag of FCT can second while Benin City Scrabble Club were third.
    Delta State domination did not end on the scrabble board, they also return to Asaba with the awards of the longest player to stay on the top spot of the NSF rating for 2022 season.
    That award went to the Malaysian Prince, Eta Paul Oghenekaro while another Delta State player Emmanuel Umujose took the award for the player that played the highest number of NSF rated games.
    The most improved female player for 2022 went to Lagos State’s and National Sports Festival gold medalist Priscilla Akhabue. The 19 year old Mass Communication student who plays Ikorodu SC was the only female player in the Inter Club Championship grand finale won by Warri SC.
    The most improved male player award winner was Akeem Ogundokun also from Lagos State.
    The four-in-one event NSF National Scrabble Festival started on Monday with the Asaph Zadok National Championship, the well attended NSF Annual General Meeting (AGM) which was held on Thursday was the second event, it was followed by the keenly contested NSF Inter Club Championship grand finale while the lively, exciting and entertaining Awards and Gala Night hosted multiple award winning journalist Oluwatoyin Ibitoye was the icing on the cake of the Scrabble Festival.
    Eta Paul Oghenekaro winner of the Asaph Zadok National Scrabble Championship was decorated with the NSF Green Jacket designed and produced by famous fashion house Front-page Couture on the Night with pump and pageantry.
  • Scrabble Championship: 18 years after, Eta Paul Oghenekaro is crowned Nigeria’s Champion again

    Scrabble Championship: 18 years after, Eta Paul Oghenekaro is crowned Nigeria’s Champion again

    Delta State born wordsmith and current West African Scrabble Champion, Eta Paul Oghenekaro has been crowned Champion of the end of season Asaph Zadok National Championship concluded in Abuja on Wednesday.
    The player affectionately called the ‘Malaysian Prince’ brush aside a very powerful field that included four previous National holders of the treasured NSF Green Jacket and thirty players in the Masters category.
    Before the last game of the 28 rounds of games, Oghenekaro was tied with current African Champion Enoch Tochukwu Nwali on 19 wins.
    Any result order than a will hand the Green Jacket to Nwali because he had a massive cumulative points but Oghenekaro had to pull all his arsenals to use to out-do the University of Lagos 300 level Health Education student by 401-390, to gather 20 wins and a plus 1048 cumulative points. Nwali had 19 wins and a plus 1781 cumulative points.
    This is the second time in ten months that Nwali is playing the second fiddle to Oghenekaro at a major competition. In Accra, Ghana in May 2022, Oghenekaro was crowned the West African Champion with 21 wins from 28 games while Nwali came second with 19 wins.
    Another member of Team Lagos, John Aiyedun who started the final day as the pacesetter came third with 19 wins and plus 985 cumulative.
    Umukoro Oghomaria with 18 wins and plus 637 cumulative finished fourth ahead of captain of Team Nigeria, Oshevire Avwenagha who also secured 18 victories but had a lower cumulative points of plus 102.
    As a result of his success at the Asaph Zadok National Championship, Eta Paul Oghenekaro picked up 71 NSF rating points to move to the second position in the national ranking with 1728 points.
    Enoch Tochukwu Nwali is now number four in the NSF rating with 1695 points. He was number six at the start of the Championship.
    John Aiyedun climbed to the 15th spot from number 50, that’s 35 spot upward movement.
    Eta Paul Oghenekaro will be decorated with the NSF National Champion Green Jacket on Sunday during the Awards and Gala Night at the Banquet Hall of Hotel de Bentley in Utako-district, Abuja.
    Front-page Couture are to design and produce the NSF National Champion Green Jacket.
    These top ten players at the end of Asaph Zadok National Scrabble Championship:
    ✓ Eta Oghenekaro with 20 wins and 1048 pts
    ✓ Enoch Nwali with 19 wins and 1781 pts
    ✓ John Aiyedun with 19 wins and 985 pts
    ✓ Umukoro Oghomaria with 18 wins and 637 pts
    ✓ Oshevire Avwenagha with 18 wins and 102 pts
    ✓ Emmanuel Umujose with 17.5 wins and 587 pts
    ✓ Olatunde Oduwole with 17 wins and 867 pts
    ✓ Adebola Samuel with 17 wins and 570 pts
    ✓ Dennis Ikekeregor with 16.5 wins and 1066 pts
    ✓ Jimoh Abdulmumin with 16.5 wins and 700 pts
  • Delta State storms Asaph Zadok National Scrabble Championship with super heavyweights

    Delta State storms Asaph Zadok National Scrabble Championship with super heavyweights

    Delta State Scrabble Association (DSSA), has named a strong six man squad for the forthcoming end of season Asaph Zadok National Championship scheduled to hold in Abuja from the 20th to 22nd of this month.
    The Delta State team heading to the nation’s capital was made public on Saturday by the Head coach of DSSA, Dennis Ikekeregor.
    Ikekeregor said, Team Delta was carefully selected based on the current NSF rating, each player’s tournament input, experience, word power, game plan coupled with their ability to manage big games under difficult and challenging conditions.
    Four members of the team are currently in the top 15 bracket in the latest NSF automated ranking system and Africa’s finest female player also made the team.
    Wellington Jighere, Dennis Ikekeregor, Eta Paul Oghenekaro, Emmanuel Umujose, Oshevire Avwenagha and Tuoyo Mayuku are the members of Team Delta to the Asaph Zadok National Championship.
    Former World Champion and two time African Champion, Wellington Jighere is expected to lead the team’s battle for the much sort after NSF National Championship Green Jacket.
    Jighere will be heading to a familiar territory, were he won the Abuja National Open last year, he also took the Kano National Open Championship. Jighere did not stop there last season, he won the first edition of the Scrabble in the Jungle Challenge put together by Scrabble Las Vegas.
    2022 season was really a sweet one for the forty year old wordsmith, who captured the most converted Best Board title at the 21st National Sport Festival as well as MGI League singles crown in Lagos.
    Wellington Jighere’s rich collections of honours last year include two podium finish in Accra, Ghana and Lusaka, Zambia. On both occasions, the 2015 World Champion finished behind current African King, Enoch Nwali who is leading Team Lagos to Abuja.
    Without a doubt, Jighere is one of the favourites for the prestigious NSF Green Jacket of the Championship first worn by Eta Paul Oghenekaro in 2005 in Lagos.
    Widely traveled and experience player and coach, Dennis Ikekeregor is another big gun in Team Delta going to Abuja for the Asaph Zadok National Championship and the NSF Inter Club Championship grand finale.
    Ikekeregor a two time African Scrabble Championship winner has a very impressive feats on the domestic and international scene.
    He guided Delta to top the Scrabble event at the 21st National Sports Festival on home front last year and a year before in Benin City.
    As the captain of Bulldozer in the elite division of the MGI, Ikekeregor was just too hot too handle in Abuja on Match Day 1 and 2.
    He will be using the Asaph Zadok Championship as part of his preparation for the World Championship in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA in july. He picked one of Team Nigeria tickets to the World Championship in style in Sapele during the Qualifiers in January.
    The current West African Champion, Eta Paul Oghenekaro is another household name in the Scrabble circuit in the country that was named in the team.
    Oghenekaro, who has so many first in his illustrious semi professional Scrabble career will be seeking to write his name in gold in Abuja with Team Delta and Warri Scrabble Club in the Inter Club grand finale.
    Oshivere Avwenegha, captain of Team Nigeria to the West African Scrabble Championship in Accra, Ghana and the African Scrabble Championship in Lusaka the Zambian capital also made the cut.
    Winner of the maiden edition of the Bayelsa National Championship in 2021, Avwenegha is a tough opponent to deal with on the board and his last outing in Warri at the Lati B Bash Retreat is an eye opener that he is still on top of his game.
    Banga na Banga man ranked 25th in the country is well armed and he is ready to explode in Abuja.
    Emmanuel Umujose, this is another winner any day, he came 10th in a very competitive and formidable field at the African Championship in Zambia. He is ranked 12th by NSF.
    Team Delta, is gender friendly as the most decorated female player in the history of scrabble in Nigeria and the continent of Africa, Tuoyo Mayuku, has a place in the “Killer” squad going to Abuja.
    Although she is the lowest ranked player in the team, if any player under rates the Africa Queen in Abuja, that player will surely blame his or her self at the end of the day.
    Mayuku who is rated 137 with 1340 points has the ability and capacity to throw any player in to the ditch. Her present position on the NSF ranking is caused by her circular job as the Secretary of Delta State Para-Table Tennis Association. She in not attending enough of NSF rated events.
    Dennis Ikekeregor says, “Team Delta is the team to beat and they are aware and are ready for the big huge task before.”
    “We know how to handle big games and big Championship, the team has what it take to return to Asaba with the treasured NSF National Championship Green Jacket.” Vastly experienced coach stated.
    Team Delta is loaded to the hilt with talented, tested, trusted, tantalizing and equally gifted players with lots experience and a bag full of game and match winning tricks and tactics.
    The team will have an open camping program from next week to perfect their game plan.
    Ikekeregor who a vast number of national championship titles to his name, is very confident that they will not return to Asaba from Abuja empty handed.
    Team Delta at a glance on NSF current rating.
    2. Wellington Jighere – 1776 pts
    3. Dennis Ikekeregor – 1749 pts
    7. Eta Paul Oghenekaro – 1657 pts
    12. Emmanuel Umujose – 1618 pts
    25. Oshivere Avwenegha – 1555 pts
    137. Tuoyo Mayuku – 1340 pt
    Team average rating points…1615