Scrabble tournament returns after five-year gap

The first UK Open Scrabble Championships to take place in five years have begun.

The seven-day event is playing host to about 100 players from the UK and abroad, with ages ranging from 11 to 90.

About 2,066 games are expected to unfold during the competition at The Holiday Inn Reading-South.

It is the first UK Open since the Covid pandemic, and will use the updated Collins dictionary, which means words such as fav, bruv, fam, and unmute will be applicable for the first time.

Prizes reach as high as £600 for the main event.

But Richard Spencer, from Wokingham, who has been playing at tournament level for eight years, told the BBC his main goal was to enjoy himself and play as well as he could.

He also said he loved the "escapism" of Scrabble.

"I'm quite happy playing eight, nine games in a day. For some outsiders that might seem strange but it's really enjoyable once you're in the scene," he said.

Mary Doyle travelled to the tournament from Wexford, Ireland, and has attended similar events in Prague, Vienna, Berlin, Munich, Bucharest, Oslo, Bordeaux, and the last UK Open in Coventry.

"The first time I saw a Scrabble board was in 1971," she said.

"I worked on a ship taking immigrants down to Australia, and the Scrabble board was onboard, and I couldn't believe it when I saw it, and I loved it from that time."

Tracy Ong, from Oxford, whose 14 and 16-year-old daughters took part, said she was "really looking forward for the girls to get to know new people and get another new experience here".

She added: "The players here are very professional and veteran so I'd say [it's a chance] for them to get up to the next level, and see how other people have their strategies and use their technique to go beyond."

Graham Harding, from Berkshire, said he welcomed the latest additions to the dictionary.

"It's just the way that English moves over the years," he said.

"Whether it's text speak... they've become words on their own merit, so that's why they've made it into the dictionary and will probably get played over the weekend."

Roberta Taylor, from Windsor, said on the way to the Open she and her friends were "discussing new words we've been learning, which is quite a niche area of interest".

She said she was taking part "just to have a good time", describing Scrabble as "quite brutal because there's skill but also a lot of luck".

The event comes to a close on Friday 10 January.

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