Grand Master Allan Oyende secured his second victory in the National Scrabble Kenya (SK) Championships series after emerging champion at the tournament that concluded today in Nakuru.

The event served as the final qualifier for players seeking places in the upcoming Pan African Scrabble Championships (PANASA), set for November.

Oyende revealed that Michael Gongolo proved to be his toughest challenger throughout the two-day competition.

The champion endured a difficult start, losing his opening two matches to Kuria Githinji and Tony Ochola in Games One and Two respectively.

However, Oyende recovered strongly, putting together an impressive winning streak from Games Four to Eleven before coming up against Gongolo. The pair faced each other five times during the tournament, with Gongolo winning four of those encounters.

“Gongolo gave me a hard time at the championships, but I had to retreat, re-strategize and rebuild well before beating him in the last game for victory. I was almost losing it until the final match,” said Oyende.

The two rivals met in Games 11, 13, 16, 17 and 18. Gongolo emerged victorious in the first four meetings, but Oyende had the final say, winning the decisive last encounter to seal the championship title.

“I have played in four qualifiers, winning two and finishing fourth and sixth in the others, which has helped me qualify for PANASA in November,” added Oyende.

Seed six Bernard Koyyoko finished second overall, while Gongolo settled for third place.

Premier Round 18 Standings

Intermediate Round 18 Standings

Open Round 16 Standings

Students Round 10 Standings