DAMMAM, 29 May 2003 — Tension was building up and the stopwatch clicking. In the final moments of the game, the opponents were tied. Then, tiles clicking, came the seven-letter word “nodical.” And the game was over.
“Nodical” was the clincher, regardless of whether anyone present knew what it meant. All that is required is that it should show up in the Official Scrabble Words Dictionary.
And so this recently concluded scrabble tournament in the Eastern Province was decided.
Over the years, scrabble has turned into a serious indoor game around the world. World championships are held regularly and several international scrabble organizations regulate and conduct the tournaments.
There are also several committees and adjudicating bodies which constantly update the words lists.
Scrabble in the Kingdom has a long history. Aramco employees started this game in the late 60s. Among the pioneers of the game were Syed Talib Rizvi and Ishtiaque Chisthi, who took the game beyond the Aramco compound and spread it among the expatriates.
A Dhahran Scrabble Society was set up to regulate scrabble tournaments in the Kingdom and coordinate with the regional and international bodies.
Several other bodies such as the Najmah Scrabble Society, the KFUPM Scrabble Group and the Alkhobar Scrabble Group, followed DSC. Similar bodies were set up in Riyadh and Jeddah, too.
Over the years, a new scrabble culture evolved in the region. Thursdays and Fridays, when matches were organized, became the most hectic days for scrabble players.
Initially DSC tournaments were limited to Aramco staff, but eventually they opened the door for non-Aramco expatriates and Saudis alike.
The annual DSC tournament was considered the most prestigious competition in the country and became the basis of seeding the players. Points earned in other tournaments were also taken into consideration for the seeding.
By the mid-90s the Saudi scrabble group became a serious contender for international ranking. Ishtiaque Chishti, Salah Salih and Ricky Gonzalez performed very impressively in international tournaments.
Chishti and Gonzalez later left the Kingdom. But the departures never significantly retarded the pace of the game, and every year new faces emerged and made their presence felt.
Among the current top seeds, Salah Salih still holds the top slot and is considered a serious contender at the Gulf championship slated for Bahrain from June 4.
Gonzalez is another serious challenger for the championship, both the Gulf and the world, while Syed Azhar Ali, Shafique Ahmad, Zulfiqar Ali Hakim, Mahboob Khan, Elvis Escara and M. Osman Ali Khan have all expressed their determination to challenge for the Gulf scrabble supremacy.
