An exchange of words with Scrabble champ Vannitha

 

Last month, three Malaysians competed at the 2023 World English Language Scrabble Players Association (Wespa) championship in Las Vegas. The muhibbah group consisted of Vannitha Balasingam, Azmil Abdul Aziz and Henry Yeo.

Given that she is a three-time national champion, it was perhaps no surprise that Vannitha excelled, finishing as both the top-ranked woman player and the top player from Asia.

As someone who has been devoted to the word game for most of her life, it was fitting that Vannitha was training on a Scrabble application when I met her for an interview. For her, Scrabble is no casual game that one sits down to, but practically a way of life.

Originally from Klang, she pursued her studies in mass communications at Universiti Sains Malaysia, but it wasn’t long before the Scrabble bug bit her.

“I started playing Scrabble seriously around 1999, in my late twenties. But much earlier, my family was into the game, and I used to follow the articles about it that came out in The Star newspaper. I used to see the reports in the papers about all the tournaments they had back then. I was also into crossword puzzles and other word games,” she recalled.

An entry or mid-level player might be satisfied with being able to use the vocabulary they have picked up through literature and scientific books, but to reach the top level, one must make substantial additional efforts.

Memorising two or three-letter words to make connections, and in particular, seven or eight-letter words to score bingos (a bonus when you use all tiles on the rack) are bread and butter for Scrabble players.

“Yes, that is one thing that I have lost. I can’t play for fun with my friends and family because it’s no longer a level playing field. I spend my time memorising these words. You can't run away from that, and you simply cannot rely on your natural vocabulary if you are to reach high levels of Scrabble playing,” she said.

According to Vannitha, at a certain level, it’s no longer just about words but a math game.

“At that point, the words could be just like a string of symbols. So, what you're memorising are these different sets of symbols that relate to each letter. And there are thousands and thousands of them. The math also comes from the probability of what letters your opponent might have.

“You must also gauge what words to challenge because you lose points if you challenge the validity of an opponent’s word.

“A lot of top or emerging players are programmers because there must be a similar skill set in what it takes to be a top player. You can just basically memorize everything without even knowing the language.

“There are very good Thai players who don’t speak English that well and Nigel Richards, who is a multiple world champion in the English language, also managed to win the French World Championship after spending some time memorising the dictionary, despite not speaking French!”

A way of life

So just how much time does Vannitha spend on Scrabble?

“What I have tended to do is have periods of two to three years when I am working. Those have included jobs in advertising, publishing, the legal field, and a stint as a sub-editor in a newspaper.

“When I am working, I probably spend three hours a day on Scrabble. But then there are other times when I take time off and focus full-time on Scrabble. Play and travel and compete until my money runs low. During such times I spend around eight hours a day on Scrabble,” she said.

Indeed, while there is prize money for doing well in tournaments, it is simply not at the rate that makes full-time scrabble-playing a lucrative and sustainable option.

“We are not at that level where tournament organisers are flying us in,” explained Vannitha.

Her training for tournaments includes playing on websites like www.woogles.io, but she derives more from going on applications like Zyzzyva.

“That application was named after what used to be the last word in the Scrabble dictionary although it has since been replaced by Zzz.

“It’s useful to study anagrams of the various bingos, but of course, nobody can memorise them all. Within the game, it is one thing, to know the words. The other thing is seeing it like correctly and quickly because you want to save all your time.”

Asked to describe an exciting game, Vannitha cited a recent game in the WEPSA tournament when she pulled off a win against Romanian Dan Sandu, a fellow Scrabble player of almost 15 years.

“I tend to like to take my time and think, so what happens is that it is very familiar territory for me to use up all my time and be under time pressure. The game against Sandu was one of two games that had a very exciting ending, and on paper, I should have lost it based on the tiles that I drew.

“But I took a gamble and I played a phoney word that I wasn't sure of. This is where Scrabble sometimes becomes like poker. You play a word and then the other player has to decide whether to challenge it or not. He didn't challenge my phony and that's how I won the game."

When asked, Vannitha said that most Scrabble players are mature, but it is not unheard of for a player to take defeat badly and just walk off or even throw a tantrum.

“Each game is different, and you just have to accept it. Sometimes you can overcome bad luck with letters if you’re more skilful, but on other occasions, you simply can’t,” she said philosophically.

Waiting for a chess-like boom

Released in late 2020, the Netflix miniseries ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ did a lot for chess. A dramatic series about an orphaned chess prodigy, it became Netflix's most-watched scripted miniseries, making it Netflix's top show in 63 countries and bagging a string of Emmy awards.

It also sparked a massive increase in interest in chess among young people. Vannitha said it would be great if something like that happened with Scrabble.

“Chess is much older, with an established following. When the Covid-19 lockdowns happened, chess was already popular because everyone was online, and ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ really pushed it to the next level.

“For Scrabble, we've got a few streamers starting to gain traction. In the community, we are trying to get the word out and get our act together on social media and websites. So previously, it's just been us seeing the same faces, year in year out and every year but we can see we are growing. I think finally, we're going somewhere worldwide,” she said.

While she feels the game is growing and very balanced in terms of its appeal to young people and casual players, she concedes that there is a significant gender gap at the top levels.

“Somehow, in the top 100, there are maybe about four or five women. In the top 200, just around 10 are women. There was even a study about it in 2017, but I don’t know if there is a proper and convincing conclusion as to why. I think it was found that men are more willing than women to spend all that time training, but obviously, it's not my case,” said Vannitha.

“Right now, the supporting framework around the game isn’t there. So like me when I play on and off, it’s due to financial constraints. Every time I take time away and then make a comeback, I have to retrain, revise and then try to make some progress again.

“My family thought it was crazy at first when I used to take breaks and quit my jobs for up to two years, but now they are used to it,” she said, noting that Prague was her favourite venue of all the cities she has visited to play Scrabble.

“My main hobbies are travelling and reading. I think a lot of us like to tie the Scrabble competitions in with travelling. Before I used to go hiking and camping. And I love reading, like the style of Milan Kundera, although I must admit the Scrabble training eats into that time too.”

When asked if there was ever a time she wanted to quit, Vannitha said it never crossed her mind.

“If you have read ‘Ithaca’ by Constantine Cavafy, it’s a poem actually based on Homer's ‘Odyssey’. It’s about how it’s all about the journey, and that’s how I feel about it. I’ve not lost the passion. Scrabble mastery is my Ithaca (the destination).

“I obviously am not playing it for fame and riches. If you are prepared to do what it takes to reach the top level and you put in the work, then playing at that level is its own reward,” she said. - Mkini