Nigel Richards (Scrabble player)
{{Short description|New Zealand Scrabble champion (born 1967)}}
{{Italic title|all=yes|string=Scrabble}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2018}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Nigel Richards
| image = Nigel Richards 2018.jpg
| caption = Richards in 2018
| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1967}}
| birth_place = Christchurch, New Zealand
| occupation = Scrabble player
}}
Nigel Richards (born 1967) is a New Zealand Scrabble player who is widely regarded as the greatest tournament-Scrabble player of all time. Born and raised in New Zealand, Richards became World Champion in 2007, and repeated the feat in 2011, 2013, 2018, and 2019. He also won the third World English-Language Scrabble Players’ Association Championship (WESPAC) in 2019.[https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/sports/article/2001346445/scrabble-kenya-finishes-third-in-africa-at-world-championships Nigel’s WESPAC title]
Richards is also a five-time U.S. national champion (four times consecutively from 2010 to 2013), an eight-time UK Open champion, an 11-time champion of the Singapore Open Scrabble Championship and a 15-time winner of the King's Cup in Bangkok, the world's biggest Scrabble competition.
In 2015, despite not speaking French,{{cite web |last1=Pascaud |first1=May |title=The new French-language Scrabble champion doesn't speak French |url=https://theworld.org/stories/2015-07-21/new-french-language-scrabble-champion-doesn-t-speak-french |website=The World |publisher=PRX |access-date=9 March 2023 |date=21 July 2015}} Richards won the French World Scrabble Championships, after reportedly spending nine weeks studying the French dictionary.{{Cite web |date=2015-07-22 |title=The French-language Scrabble champion doesn't speak French |url=https://www.dw.com/en/non-french-speaker-wins-french-language-scrabble-world-championship/a-18598950 |access-date=2023-10-29 |website=Deutsche Welle |language=en}} He won it again in 2018, and multiple duplicate titles from 2016.{{Cite web |date=2019-01-16 |title=The scrabble legend with few words to say, but plenty to play |url=https://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/25776082/nigel-richards-scrabble-legend-words-say-plenty-play |access-date=2023-10-29 |website=ESPN |language=en}}
In 2024, Richards accomplished a similar feat by winning the Spanish-language World Championships.{{Cite news|last=Graham-McLay |first=Charlotte |date=December 11, 2024 |title=A New Zealander studied for a year to win the Spanish world Scrabble title. He doesn't speak Spanish |url=https://apnews.com/article/spanish-scrabble-world-champion-nigel-richards-zealand-9743b41cf1bbe1628adec1f59121aa50 |access-date=December 11, 2024 |work=Associated Press News}}{{Cite web|url=https://scrabble-santandreu.com/2024/11/mundial-de-granada/|title=NIGEL RICHARDS, CAMPEÓN MUNDIAL – Scrabble Santandreu|date=16 November 2024}}
Renowned for his eidetic and mathematical abilities, Richards has been described as a reclusive personality and has rarely been interviewed.
Early life
Richards was born in 1967 in Christchurch, New Zealand.{{cite web|last=Gendron|first=Guillaume|date=27 July 2015|title=Nigel Richards, déchiffrer des lettres|url=https://www.liberation.fr/sports/2015/07/27/dechiffrer-des-lettres_1354721/|website=Libération|language=fr|archive-url=https://archive.today/20230515183419/https://www.liberation.fr/sports/2015/07/27/dechiffrer-des-lettres_1354721/|archive-date=15 May 2023|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Willsher|first=Kim|date=21 July 2015|title=The French Scrabble champion who doesn't speak French|url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/jul/21/new-french-scrabble-champion-nigel-richards-doesnt-speak-french|website=The Guardian|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150728182708/https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/jul/21/new-french-scrabble-champion-nigel-richards-doesnt-speak-french|archive-date=28 July 2015|url-status=live}} He attended Aranui High School and received a university scholarship but chose not to attend. He left Christchurch in 2000 and began living in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.{{cite news |last1=Hume |first1=Tim |title=A way with words |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-star-times/features/3778594/A-way-with-words |access-date=18 December 2024 |publisher=Stuff |date=June 5, 2010}}
Playing history
Richards started playing competitive Scrabble at New Zealand's Christchurch Scrabble Club. Since beginning his competitive career in 1996, he has won about 75% of his tournament games, collecting an estimated US$200,000 in prize money.{{cite web|url=http://www.cross-tables.com/profile.php?p=6003 |title=Nigel Richards – Player Profile |publisher=cross-tables.com |date= |accessdate=23 February 2014}}
=2007=
Richards won the World Scrabble Championship{{cite web|author=John J. Chew, III |url=http://live.wscgames.com/2007/player/1/082.html |title=WSC 2007: Nigel Richards [#82] |publisher=Live.wscgames.com |date= |accessdate=23 February 2014}} and earned US$15,000 by winning a playoff, 3 games to 0, against Ganesh Asirvatham of Malaysia.{{cite web|author=John J. Chew, III |url=http://live.wscgames.com/2007/finals.html |title=WSC 2007: Finals |publisher=Live.wscgames.com |date= |accessdate=23 February 2014}} The two qualified for the playoff by leading a field of 104 international experts after 24 rounds of a tournament held 9–12 November in Mumbai, India.
=2008=
Richards won the USA National Scrabble Championship and earned US$25,000 by winning his last three games against the runner-up, 1998 champion Brian Cappelletto, for a record of 22 wins and 6 losses, with a cumulative spread of 1,340 points.{{cite web|url=http://www.cross-tables.com/tourney.php?t=6077&div=1 |title=19th National Scrabble Championship: Division 1 Results |publisher=Cross-tables.com |year=2008}}
=2009=
Richards was the runner-up in the USA National Scrabble Championship in Dayton, Ohio,{{cite web|url=http://www.cross-tables.com/tourney.php?t=6499&div=1 |title=20th National Scrabble Championship: Division 1 Results |publisher=Cross-tables.com |year=2009}} losing to Dave Wiegand but still winning 25 of the 31 matches.
=2010=
Richards won the USA National Scrabble Championship in Dallas, Texas,{{cite web|url=http://www.cross-tables.com/tourney.php?t=6936&div=1|title=21st National Scrabble Championship: Division 1 Results|publisher=Cross-tables.com|year=2010}} again winning 25 games. His performance in this tournament was so dominant that he clinched the title before the last day of competition began.
=2011=
He repeated his success in the World Scrabble Championship{{cite web|author=John J. Chew, III |url=http://live.wscgames.com/2011/finals.html |title=WSC 2011: Finals |publisher=Live.wscgames.com |date= |accessdate=23 February 2014}} in Warsaw, Poland, winning a closely fought final against Australia's top player, Andrew Fisher.
Richards won the USA National Scrabble Championship in Dallas, Texas,{{cite web|url=http://www.cross-tables.com/tourney.php?t=7331&div=1 |title=22nd National Scrabble Championship : Division 1 Results |publisher=Cross-tables.com |year=2011}} winning 22 games, including his final two, to hold off a number of challengers.
=2012=
Richards won the USA National Scrabble Championship,{{cite web|url=http://www.cross-tables.com/tourney.php?t=7717&div=1 |title=23rd National Scrabble Championship : Division 1 Results |publisher=Cross-tables.com |year=2012}} in Orlando, Florida, winning 22 of 31 games. To win the title, Richards had to defeat past champion David Gibson by at least 170 points in the final game; he won it by 177 points. At the time of the victory, Richards became the only person to have won the event four times, as well as the only player to have won it in three consecutive years.
=2013=
Richards won 24 of 31 games to finish first at the National Scrabble Championship in Las Vegas, Nevada, in July.{{cite web|url=http://www.cross-tables.com/tourney.php?t=8163&div=1 |title=24th National Scrabble Championship : Division 1 Results |publisher=Cross-tables.com |year=2013}} The championship was not decided until the last game. Though he lost the game to Komol Panyasophonlert, Richards kept the score close enough to retain the title for a record fourth consecutive time (and record fifth overall).
He became World Champion for a third time, beating Panyasophonlert in the final; as of 2013, the World Championship has been renamed the Scrabble Champions Tournament and will be held annually.
=2015=
On 20 July, Richards won the nonduplicate portion of the 2015 French World Scrabble Championship in Belgium after two months of studying the French lexicon.{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/07/21/424980378/winner-of-french-scrabble-title-does-not-speak-french |title=Winner Of French Scrabble Title Does Not Speak French |date=July 21, 2015 |first=Bill |last=Chappell |publisher=National Public Radio}} He does not speak French.{{cite web|last1=Lichfield|first1=John|last2=Goodwin|first2=Harry|title=The new Francophone Scrabble world champion doesn't speak French|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/french-scrabble-world-champion-winner-doesnt-speak-the-language-10404448.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220620/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/french-scrabble-world-champion-winner-doesnt-speak-the-language-10404448.html |archive-date=20 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|website=The Independent|date=22 July 2015 |accessdate=12 August 2016}} He won 14 of the preliminary 17 games before defeating the 2014 runner-up Schélick Ilagou Rekawe in the final, two games to one.{{cite web|url=https://www.ffsc.fr/endirect/endirect.php?tournoi_id=cdm2015classique&page=resultats&code=R20|publisher=French Scrabble Federation|title=Louvain 2015 French World Scrabble Championships live}}{{cite news|url=http://www.francetvinfo.fr/culture/jeux/un-neo-zelandais-devient-champion-du-monde-de-scrabble-francophone_1007653.html|title=Le champion du monde de Scrabble francophone est néo-zélandais et ne parle pas français|newspaper=France Tvinfo}} In the duplicate (rarely played in English, but played in French since 1972) he finished second, just one point behind the winner, Switzerland's David Bovet.{{cite web|url=http://www.ffsc.fr/endirect/endirect.php?tournoi_id=cdm2015elite&page=resultats¢re=&code=C07|publisher=French Scrabble Federation|title=Louvain 2015 French World Scrabble Championships live, duplicate final results}}
=2017=
Richards competed in the World Championship and became the first seed after the regular 30 games, but lost in the quarterfinal to the 8th seed David Eldar, who won the tournament.
Richards won the 2017 WGPO Word Cup.{{cite news|url=https://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2017/08/word_cup_scrabble_tournament_d.html|title=Scrabble tournament draws players from around the world to Springfield|last=Steele|first=Brian|date=1 August 2017|work=MassLive|accessdate=1 February 2019}}{{cite web |title=WGPO Past Tournaments |url=http://wordgameplayers.org/ratings/index.php?c=pu&a=pt |website=Word Game Players |publisher=WGPO |accessdate=1 February 2019}}
=2018=
Richards won his fourth World Championship. He also competed in the NASPA Championship, losing to Joel Sherman in the final round.{{cite web|url=https://buffalonews.com/2018/08/10/wordsmiths-of-the-gaming-world-unite-in-buffalo/|title=Wordsmiths unite in Buffalo for Scrabble Championship|date=10 August 2018|publisher=|accessdate=17 April 2019}} He competed in the French Championship and won his second Classique Championship{{Cite web|url=https://www.ffsc.fr/mafiche.php?page=deconnexion&uuid_message=af0725f7-b71a-11ef-9a79-0cc47ad99be6|title=FFSc - Ma Fiche|website=www.ffsc.fr}} and his second Elite Duplicate (without conceding a single point), Blitz Duplicate and Paires titles.
Richards placed 2nd at the 4th Niagara Falls International Open.{{cite news|url=https://www.pressreader.com/canada/the-niagara-falls-review/20180730/281556586630717|title=Niagara to host international Scrabble tourney|last1=Langley|first1=Alison|date=30 July 2018|work=Niagara Falls Review|accessdate=1 February 2019}}{{cite web |url=https://www.cross-tables.com/tourney.php?t=10358&div=1 |title=Niagara Falls, ON (CSW) |publisher=Cross-tables.com |accessdate=1 February 2019}}
=2019=
Richards won his fifth World Championship and third Paires title. He also won the WESPA championship, making it (unofficially) a sixth World Championship.
=Since 2020=
Richards won the ASCI 2023 Masters.{{Cite web |title=Nigel Richards |url=https://www.wespa.org/aardvark/html/players/215.html |access-date=November 2, 2023 |website=World English Language Scrabble Players Association}}
Around 2023, he began studying the Spanish Scrabble word list and in 2024 competed in the Spanish World Scrabble Championship for the first time. Despite not speaking Spanish, he finished 2nd in the Duplicate format, while compiling the first two perfect scores ever recorded at the championship, and won 23 of 24 games to win the Classic format championship.{{Cite web |title=Nigel Richards, Conqueror of (Scrabble) Worlds |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RvNxkQ6Bgs |access-date=January 13, 2025 |website=YouTube}}
Career achievements
=World Championship=
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
!No.!!Year!!Stage!!Opponent!!Result |
| style="background:#F2C1D1;"
|1 |1999 |Preliminaries | rowspan="2" | – | rowspan="2" | – |
| style="background:#F2C1D1;"
|2 |2005 |Preliminaries |
| style="background:#d0f0c0;"
|3 |2007 |Finals |{{flagicon|MYS}} Ganesh Asirvatham |3–0 (1) |
| style="background:#F2C1D1;"
|4 |2009 |Finals |{{flagicon|THA}} Pakorn Nemitrmansuk |1–3 |
| style="background:#d0f0c0;"
|5 |2011 |Finals |{{flagicon|AUS}} Andrew Fisher |3–2 (2) |
| style="background:#d0f0c0;"
|6 |2013 |Finals |{{flagicon|THA}} Komol Panyasophonlert |3–2 (3) |
| style="background:#F2C1D1;"
|7 |2014 |Preliminaries | rowspan="3" | – | rowspan="3" | – |
| style="background:#F2C1D1;"
|8 |2015 |Preliminaries |
| style="background:#F2C1D1;"
|9 |2016 |Preliminaries |
| style="background:#F2C1D1;"
|10 |2017 |Quarter-finals |{{flagicon|AUS}} David Eldar |0–2 |
| style="background:#d0f0c0;"
|11 |2018 |Finals |{{flagicon|USA}} Jesse Day |3–1 (4) |
| style="background:#d0f0c0;"
|12 |2019 |Finals |{{flagicon|AUS}} David Eldar |3–1 (5) |
=U.S. National Scrabble Championship=
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
!No.!!Year!!Result!!Runner-up |
| style="background:#F2C1D1;"
|1 |2002 |2nd (1) | rowspan="3" | – |
| style="background:#F2C1D1;"
|2 |2004 |3rd (1) |
| style="background:#F2C1D1;"
|3 |2005 |7th |
| style="background:#d0f0c0;"
|4 |2008 |Won (1) |{{flagicon|USA}} Brian Cappelletto |
| style="background:#F2C1D1;"
|5 |2009 |2nd (2) | – |
| style="background:#d0f0c0;"
|6 |2010 |Won (2) |{{flagicon|USA}} Brian Cappelletto |
| style="background:#d0f0c0;"
|7 |2011 |Won (3) |{{flagicon|USA}} Kenji Matsumoto |
| style="background:#d0f0c0;"
|8 |2012 |Won (4) |{{flagicon|USA}} David Gibson |
| style="background:#d0f0c0;"
|7 |2013 |Won (5) |{{flagicon|THA}} Komol Panyasophonlert |
| style="background:#F2C1D1;"
|8 |2014 |16th | rowspan="3" | – |
| style="background:#F2C1D1;"
|9 |2017 |3rd (2) |
| style="background:#F2C1D1;"
|10 |2018 |2nd (3) |
=French Scrabble=
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
!No.!!Year!!Format!!Opponent!!Result |
| style="background:#d0f0c0;"
|1 |2015 |Classique |{{flagicon|GAB}} Schelick Ilagou Rekawe |2–1 (1) |
| style="background:#d0f0c0;"
|2 |2017 |Blitz Duplicate | rowspan="3" | – |Won (1) |
| style="background:#d0f0c0;"
|3 |2017 |Elite Duplicate |Won (1) |
| style="background:#d0f0c0;"
|4 |2017 |Paires |Won with {{flagicon|FRA}} Hervé Bohbot (1) |
| style="background:#d0f0c0;"
|5 |2018 |Classique |{{flagicon|CIV}} Gueu Mathieu Zingbe |
| style="background:#d0f0c0;"
|6 |2018 |Blitz Duplicate | rowspan="6" | – |Won (2) |
| style="background:#d0f0c0;"
|7 |2018 |Elite Duplicate |Won (2) |
| style="background:#d0f0c0;"
|8 |2018 |Paires |Won with {{flagicon|FRA}} Hervé Bohbot (2) |
| style="background:#d0f0c0;"
|9 |2019 |Blitz Duplicate |Won (3) |
| style="background:#d0f0c0;"
|10 |2019 |Elite Duplicate |Won (3) |
| style="background:#d0f0c0;"
|11 |2019 |Paires |Won with {{flagicon|FRA}} Hervé Bohbot (3) |
=Spanish Scrabble=
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
!No.!!Year!!Format!!Result |
| style="background:#F2C1D1;"
|1 |2024 |Duplicado |2nd |
| style="background:#d0f0c0;"
|2 |2024 |Clásico |Won |
=Other achievements=
- Fifteen-time Thailand International (King's Cup) winner (1999, twice in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019)
- Three-time Thailand International (King's Cup) second (1999, 2005, 2008)
- Twelve-time Singapore Open Scrabble Championship winner (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016)
- Ten-time UK Open winner (2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019)
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.thelastwordnewsletter.com/Last_Word/Archives_files/TLW%20September%202011.pdf The Enigmatic Nigel Richards] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020172055/http://www.thelastwordnewsletter.com/Last_Word/Archives_files/TLW%20September%202011.pdf |date=20 October 2013 }}: A profile by Stefan Fatsis
- [http://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-star-times/features/3778594/A-way-with-words A way with words]: A profile by Tim Hume
- {{cross-tables player|pid=6003|pname=Nigel Richards}}
- [http://www.bhscrabble.co.uk/Nigel_richards_csw.htm Archive of Nigel Richards' games.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170118041941/http://www.bhscrabble.co.uk/Nigel_richards_csw.htm |date=18 January 2017 }}
- {{cite web|url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/2691/Kiwi-wins-world-Scrabble-champs |title=Kiwi wins world Scrabble champs |publisher= Stuff (Fairfax) New Zealand |date= 31 January 2009}}
- {{cite web|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/108203167/kiwi-nigel-richards-wins-world-scrabble-championship-title-for-fourth-time |title=Kiwi Nigel Richards wins world Scrabble championship title for fourth time |publisher= Stuff (Fairfax) New Zealand |date= 30 October 2018}}
- {{cite web|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/europe/70441615/ |title=Kiwi Nigel Richards wins world scrabble championship title for fourth time |publisher= Stuff (Fairfax) New Zealand |date= 22 July 2015}}
- {{cite web|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/70433346/ |title= Kiwi wins French-language Scrabble World Champs without speaking French |publisher= Stuff (Fairfax) New Zealand |date= 22 July 2015}}
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Category:New Zealand Scrabble players
Category:People from Christchurch
Category:World Scrabble Championship winners
Category:New Zealand emigrants