India’s Madhav Gopal Kamath crowned World Youth Scrabble Champion 2025

Mumbai, Sep 2 (IANS) In a historic moment for Indian Scrabble, 14-year-old Madhav Gopal Kamath from Delhi has won the 2025 World Youth Scrabble Championship (WYSC), becoming the first Indian ever to claim a major global Scrabble title.

Madhav, India’s highest-ranked Scrabble player in the world and the reigning national champion, emerged victorious among 218 under-18 players from 18 countries at the 20th edition of the annual tournament held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, organised by the World English-Language Scrabble Players Association (WESPA).

Madhav clinched the championship in the penultimate round, finishing with an impressive 21 wins from 24 rounds.

Like every year, India sent a strong contingent to WYSC, comprising 12 of the country’s best youth Scrabble players, seven boys and five girls, mentored by Mumbai-based player and coach Neeta Bhatia.

Among them, 15-year-old Suyash Manchali from Bengaluru, runner-up at last year’s edition in Sri Lanka, secured fifth place with 17 wins.

The Indian contingent was supported by the Essar Foundation, in partnership with the Scrabble Association of India (SAI) and Wordaholix.

Harvinderjit Bhatia, President, Scrabble Association of India, said: “Madhav’s victory is a historic milestone for Indian Scrabble and a proud moment for the entire community. Over the years, our young players have shown immense promise, and this world title validates India’s growing stature in global Scrabble. We thank Essar Foundation for supporting Team India at WYSC 2025 and helping create the platform for such achievements.”

An Essar Foundation spokesperson said: “We are immensely proud and thrilled by Team India’s historic achievement at WYSC 2025, especially Madhav Gopal Kamath’s extraordinary victory. At Essar Foundation, we believe sports, whether physical or intellectual, have the power to inspire, educate, and unite. Supporting these young Scrabble champions is central to our mission of nurturing talent and creating opportunities for the next generation to excel.”

Commenting on his victory, Madhav said, “To be the first Indian to win a world Scrabble title is a dream come true. I’m grateful for the support of my family, coaches, and teammates, and I hope this inspires many more young players in India to take up the game and believe they can compete at the highest level.”

Earlier this year, Madhav became the youngest ever national champion by winning the 25th National Scrabble Championship in Mumbai, and he is currently ranked 8th in the world across all ages. Having come close at both the WYSC and the Asia Cup Youth Championship in recent years, this landmark triumph marks both his and India’s first global Scrabble crown.

Madhav started playing Scrabble when he was just six years old. His extraordinary aptitude and ingenuity on the board have propelled him into the ranks of the world’s top players, with the potential to break into the global top five before turning 15.

His WYSC victory is expected to give a major boost to youth Scrabble in India and inspire a new generation of players to pursue the sport competitively.

As Scrabble continues to gain recognition as a sport in India, these achievements highlight the immense potential of the country’s competitive youth Scrabble circuit.

The Scrabble Association of India expressed gratitude to Essar Foundation for its partnership, as well as to Assembly Travel for providing backpacks and Black Panther for designing the team jerseys.

–IANS

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