ews

An ant's eye view of Scrabble

Marlene Calleja stands tall in Yearend 1-Day Tournament   Looked at from the top down, there is not much to write home about regarding the Yearend 1-Day Tournament, held on 8 December 2020. The first, second and fourth seeds, Theresa Brousson, Nicky Vella Laurenti and Josephine Mayo, finished first, second and third respectively, the former finishing unbeaten for the second 1-day tournament in a row .   Casting a...

Josefinesse

Josephine Mayo completes successful defense of Summer League title   Scrabblewise, 2019 was a very good year for Josephine Mayo. The lady from Paola finished her fifteenth year of competitive activity as the player with the most games played, a handsome 263 official games of which she won close to two thirds, and as one of the most dynamic movers up the ratings list, which she climbed by a whopping 128 ratings points.  ...

A breather for Fenech, a fillip for Brousson

Brousson takes all while Fenech ends poor run in Independence 1-Day Tournament   After seven rounds played under a shady cool canopy and a bright sunny sky, Theresa Brousson and Moira Fenech were placed just like their pre-Independence 1-Day Tournament ratings had suggested they would be, that is first and second respectively. And yet the verdict, expected though it was, must have felt liberating in different...

A quasi (Ke)WIN for Kevin

Kevin Pirotta is surprise runner-up in Il-Vitorja 1-Day Tournament                       Kevin Pirotta (right) in action   A warm and sunny September day could not have started more brightly for seventh seed Kevin Pirotta as he beat second seed Moira Fenech in the first round of Il-Vitorja...

Last in, first out

A music rehearsal delayed her entry into the tournament to not before the third of seven rounds. But from then on, Maria Scicluna (see image) did not miss a beat,  winning all five of the remaining rounds  to clinch victory in the B Section of the  St Paul's Shipwreck 1-Day Tournament .   None of her fellow participants, all of whom played the full complement of games, managed as many wins as did Scicluna, with...

Diehard David saves best for last

David Delicata Wins 2019 Season-ending Autumn League Defeat, and the ability to bounce back from it, define a true competitor much better than does victory. Time and time again, David Delicata (right in photo) has demonstrated such an ability. In 2018, the six-time national champion rose from some season lows to end the year on a high .    A year later, David did it again after successfully...

Anagrams in word and in deed

Moira And Mario Rise The Ranks In Yearend 1-Day Tournament. With two of Malta’s top three among the participants in the Yearend 1-Day Tournament, the odds seemed heavily stacked in favour of a final table topped by Theresa Brousson and with Charles Micallef following immediately behind.    But after Spring League champion Moira Fenech (top photo) beat both the reigning...

Native and victorious

Muscat & Caruana Come Out On Top In 2-Day Tournament There’s always that something special in the air when Cecil Muscat (photo) and Joseph Caruana, two Maltese veteran Scrabble players and longtime overseas residents, return to their home land and club.   But rarely has this vibe been as strong as it was recently when the two men placed first and second respectively in the 2-day Scrabble Tournament...

Like walkers twitching on a tightrope

SEYCHELL SCRAPES PAST SALIBA THROUGH TO KNOCK-OUT PHASE.   No sooner had Mario Saliba finished thanking his lucky stars for the  narrowest of qualifications to Phase 2 of the Auburn Autumn League than the 3-time National Champion’s prospects of progressing to the final stage hung ominously in the balance.  Seeded second in Group A, Saliba was able to garner only a win and...

Chic, lunar & pyrotechnic

Scicluna & Pirotta are the Stars of Phase 1 of Autumn Scrabble Leagues 2019. The sombre hues of the  Auburn Autumn League  took on a brighter tinge as Maria Scicluna (photo) and Kevin Pirotta (photo) outshone and eclipsed stronger opponents to book their place in Phase 2.  Ranked bottom of her group, Scicluna broke the hierarchy as she won three games out of four off second and third...