Michael Gongolo won the penultimate round of Kenya Scrabble circuit last weekend in Ol’ Kalou meeting in Nyandarua County.
Gongolo, who has won two meetings back to back, said he has focused in the last event with the winner leading the Word Warriors, the national Scrabble team at the East, Central and Southern Africa Scrabble Championships (ECASA) next year.
The Acacia club player said that the victory was a good sign coming after winning the Mashujaa Day masters championships title, maintaining the temple to Ol Kalou.
Gongolo was the center of attention, displayed exceptional wordplay and strategic brilliance culminating in his win where he defended his title with scrabble fans were eager to witness the champion’s brilliance on the board.
With a total of 24 players in the premier division, the tournament kicked off with fierce competition and intense battles as they battled in the word masters battle.
As the top player, he was not a surprise winner when he managed to write the words like DEUTZIA scoring more than 150 points and that was evident in day two that Gongolo was the man of the tournament with well calculated moves and extensive vocabulary allowed him to dominate his opponents, securing crucial wins and inching closer to the championship title.
In the final rounds, he faced off against some of the tournament’s most formidable opponents, battling it out with Kenya number one, Allan Oyende, to secure two out of the 3 games they played.
Gongolo won 14 out of 18 games +899 bagging gold, followed closely by former chairman Bernard Amuke with 12 wins +1181 bagging silver while David Kimani bagged bronze with 12 wins +82 .
In the intermediate division, Achan Nichole took first position with 13 wins +1198, followed by Githinji Kuria and Owuor Mark with 12 points each ,in second and third position respectively. In the open division, Mercy Mutahi bagged gold, Mwancha Nick bagged silver while Gachohi Daniel bagged bronze.