I once contemplated quitting scrabble
Reigning world English Language Scrabble Players’ Association champion, Wellington Jighere has said when he was suspended by the Scrabble Federation of Nigeria, he contemplated quitting the game that has brought him fame and wealth. He spoke to SHOT! on h
David Ngobua
AHmm! well I am feeling good but very normal. I cannot deny it. It is a joyous moment for me, Nigerian and the continent of Africa.
Going into the championship, were you sure of winning the title?
One can never be too sure. It was for me to do my best and hope that I get results that would propel me to where I have reached at the world stage. I did my best and by the special grace of God, I became a world champion.
It was not so easy but it went well. One, we did not get visas in time. Secondly, after getting the visas, we ran into a lot of hiccups on the way to Australia. In fact we did not get a direct flight from Nigeria to Australia. We had to fly to Kula Lumpur in Malaysia where we were to join another flight to Australia. But when we got to Kula Lumpur we landed at airport one but the connecting flight was at airport two and we needed transit visas to get there. In the process, we missed the flight and had to book Malaysia Air at the airport to take us to Australia. We had to do12 extra hours at the airport. In the process, we were rushing and our luggage was even misplaced. It was five days after we reached Australia that our personal belongs were found and brought to us. So it was indeed a rough trip but we thank God for everything.
It was not easy. We were suppose to arrive five days to the championship so we could acclimatise and settle down fully but we arrived a day to the championship. So it was not easy. However, we did our best to adjust.
I played 32 games in the main championship and four in the final round to bring the total to 36. In the process, I played against 129 opponents. I eventually played the final match against English man, Lewis MacKay.
It was a big challenge but I completely outclassed him. We played four games and I won them all so there was no need to continue with the remaining games.
It was through hard work and a dint of luck. I gave my best in the finals. It was it indeed destined to happen. And I was more relaxed than my opponent. Generally, I had a lot of people supporting me. I can tell you that even his fellow Oyibos wanted me to win. I had come a long way. Beginning from 2007 when I made my debut on the world stage in Mumbai and came third, I have been under the radar. Anytime we go for any championship, I have been among those to be seeded. This was my second finals so everybody wanted me to win. It is good that I won on my second attempt.
And I was more relaxed than my opponent. Generally, I had a lot of people supporting me. I can tell you that even his fellow
wanted me to win
I had a lot of difficult matches but I can say matches 25 to 30 were the difficult games. When the player I beat in the finals was clearly leading, there was the need to adjust the pairings so that meant the top players were constantly paired to get the next person who would confront him in the finals. I had to fight my way through. It was like four to five rounds of gruelling matches. I am also surprised that I was able to pull through the matches.
Well I will say for about ten years, this is what I do for a living. So your question is like asking a wrestler how he or she copes with body pains. I have come up with ways to cope with what I call occupational hazard. So I look at constant headache as my own occupational hazard. I have a found a way to deal with it. And let me tell you that the secret of my success is my increased ability to handle stress.
It was so serious that I was suspended for like three years but I had to swallow my pride and get back stronger. At a point I swore that I was not going to play scrabble again. However, after some years, I decided that this is the only thing I am good at. I studied crop science. I am a graduate of crop science under agriculture from University of Benin but this is what I know how to do best. Scrabble is my life. I came to the realisation that I had to fight to get back to the system and I want to say I have no regret taking that decision.
That happened long ago and I think the bottom line is that we have settled all that so need to go over it again. We are moving on.