Wellington Jighere (born c. 1982[1]) is a Nigerian Scrabble player. He won the World Scrabble Championship 2015, the first win for an African nation.[2] He defeated Lewis MacKay in four straight wins.[3][4]

Wellington Jighere
Bornc. 1982 (age 41–42)
Other names"The Cat in the Hat"
OccupationScrabble player
Years active2002–present
Known forScrabble World Champion (2015)

Jighere is nicknamed "The Cat in the Hat" for his quiet personality and fondness for hats.[5]

Career

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Jighere began playing Scrabble tournaments in 2002, after winning games versus friends in the tournament scene.[6] He was the winner of the 2015 Scrabble World Championship, the first win for an African nation.[7] After winning, he received a congratulatory phone call from president Muhammadu Buhari.[6]

He intended to appear in the World Scrabble Championship 2016, but the French government denied his passport, along with every other member of the Nigerian Scrabble team.[8]

In 2020, he announced his retirement from tournament Scrabble, due to not being paid prize money.[9] He unretired in 2023, making an appearance in the year's World Scrabble Championship.

Achievements

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  • World Scrabble Championships[10]
  • 2023 32nd National Championship Finals (CSW) – winner[11]
  • African Scrabble Championship / Pan African Championship[12]
  • 2006 – 7th place
  • 2008 – winner
  • 2010 – winner
  • 2014 – 20th place
  • 2016 – 11th place
  • 2022 – 2nd place
  • West African Scrabble Championship
  • 2022 – 3rd place[13]
  • Nigerian National Scrabble Tournament
  • Asaf Zadok Nigerian National Championship[12]
  • 2017 – 14th place
  • MGI (Mind Games Incorporated) Scrabble Grand Slam
  • Scrabble In The Jungle Nigeria
  • Lekki scrabble classic championship
  • 2023 – 2nd place[17]
  • Wellington Classics, Nigeria[12]
  • 2017 – winner

References

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  1. ^ Paquette, Danielle (2021-03-30). "He was Nigeria's biggest Scrabble star. The pandemic spelled identity crisis". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  2. ^ Wahlquist, Calla (9 November 2015). "Nigeria's Wellington Jighere almost lost for words after Scrabble world title triumph". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  3. ^ Wang, Yanan (10 November 2015). "With the word 'felty,' for 36 points, Wellington Jighere becomes the first African world Scrabble champion". The Washington Post. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  4. ^ "Nigerian man becomes first African to win the English-Language World Scrabble Championships". The Daily Telegraph. 9 November 2015. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  5. ^ Quist-Arcton, Ofeibea (27 August 2016). "And The No. 1 Scrabble Nation In The World Is ..." NPR. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  6. ^ a b Quist-Arcton, Ofeibea (27 August 2016). "And The No. 1 Scrabble Nation In The World Is ..." WBUR. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  7. ^ "Nigeria celebrates Africa's first English-language Scrabble win". BBC News. 2015-11-09. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  8. ^ Babatunde, Mark (2016-08-30). "Nigerian World Scrabble Champion Denied Visa by French Embassy". Face2Face Africa. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  9. ^ Abankula (3 December 2020). "Wellington Jighere, world scrabble champion quits over unpaid prizes". P.M. News.
  10. ^ "Wellington Jighere". WESPA. World English Language Scrabble® Players Association. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  11. ^ "SPC 2023: Finals". scrabbleplayers.org. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  12. ^ a b c "Wellington Jighere". wespa.org. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  13. ^ Ohanusi, Chinedum. "Eta Karo crowned King of West Africa Scrabble". Radio Nigeria. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  14. ^ "National Champions". Nigeria Scrabble Federation. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  15. ^ "MGI Grand Slam Finals (2022-10-16)". WESPA.org. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  16. ^ Monye, Alex (1 September 2022). "Jighere wins maiden Scrabble In the Jungle Championship". The Guardian (Nigeria). Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  17. ^ Monye, Alex (3 October 2023). "Enoch Nwali wins Lekki scrabble classic championship". The Guardian (Nigeria). Retrieved 13 December 2023.
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