In a stunning display of cognitive skill, Nigel Richards, a New Zealander, claimed victory at the Spanish-language Scrabble World Championship without speaking Spanish.
According to the New York Post, Nigel Richards triumphed in the 2024 Spanish-language Scrabble World Championship despite not speaking the language, demonstrating his exceptional talent across multiple language editions of the game.
Richards, originally from New Zealand and now residing in Malaysia, has established himself as a linguistic strategist in the realm of Scrabble beyond the confines of his native English. On November 17, 2024, in the historic city of Granada, Spain, he competed against the best Spanish-speaking players and emerged victorious by winning 23 out of 24 games.
Rather than relying on traditional language skills, Richards employs a unique method to conquer Scrabble in various languages. He memorizes the dictionary and treats words as images or sequences to recall during the game, engaging with the word list as a system of patterns rather than meaningful text. This approach transformed his gameplay and made him a formidable opponent in any language’s Scrabble scene.
Richards impressed the Scrabble community with his multilingual skills before his Spanish victory. In 2015, he shocked the French Scrabble community by winning the world championship after just nine weeks of studying the French Scrabble dictionary. His ability to adapt quickly to different linguistic challenges further proved itself when he reclaimed the French title in 2018.
Richards' mastery goes beyond playing the game; he also adapts his strategies to fit the peculiarities of each language's version of Scrabble. For the Spanish championship, he adjusted to different tile values and a greater prevalence of long words, including seven-, eight-, and nine-letter words.
Raised without a particular focus on academic language achievements, Richards' mother, Adrienne Fischer, recalls his school years. "I don’t think he’s ever read a book, apart from the dictionary," she said, highlighting her son's unique relationship with language and reading. According to her, Richards never stood out in English at school and did not pursue a college education, instead focusing on developing his mathematical strategies for Scrabble.
Despite his major wins, Richards remains a mysterious figure in the Scrabble community. Liz Fagerlund, his close friend, commented on his elusive nature. “I get lots of requests from journalists wanting to interview him, and he’s not interested,” she said. His lack of interest in publicity and personal fame contrasts sharply with the global recognition he receives. “He doesn’t understand what all the hoo-ha is about,” Fagerlund added, highlighting his indifference to the widespread fame that comes with his achievements.
Richards' gameplay has become a popular subject on YouTube, where fans analyze his strategies like sports enthusiasts would analyze a crucial play in football or basketball. His ability to view a block of words and memorize them as images gives him unmatched recall during gameplay. “He can look at a block of words together, and once they go into his brain as a picture, he can just recall that very easily,” explained an unnamed source, shedding light on his unparalleled skill.
In addition to winning French and Spanish Scrabble championships, Richards also holds five English Scrabble world titles. His adaptability was tested when he managed different word lists and tile distributions between the British and U.S. versions, winning championships in both variants in 2008.
Richards' extraordinary achievements demonstrate his exceptional mental agility and strategic thinking. Liz Fagerlund sums up the community's astonishment, reflecting on Richards' unique abilities: “He can’t understand why other people can’t just do the same thing,” she says, pointing to his singular perspective on learning and competition, which continues to baffle and inspire Scrabble players worldwide.
