World Youth Scrabble Championship: Squad announced for Australia event

Previous edition’s runners-up eye success in event they last won in 2013.

KARACHI: The Pakistan Scrabble Association (PSA) announced an 18-member squad on Sunday for the World Youth Scrabble Championships (WYSC) — starting from October 31 in Australia — at the 27th Pakistan Scrabble Championship, taking place at the Expo Centre in Karachi.

Pakistan last won the world event in 2013 and finished as runners-up last year.



The junior squad includes Mariam Arif, Ahmed Abdullah Abassi, Taha Mirza, Syed Mirza, twins Hassan Hadi and Hammad Hadi, Ali Rashid, Danial Sanaullah, Absar Mustajab and Hamza Shaikh.

Seventeen-year-old Mariam, who has competed at the WYSC three times before and is the most seasoned player for Pakistan in the U18 category, said that even though the players are prepared, they were aware of the expectations they had to meet.

“It’s a great opportunity to show the world that the youth of Pakistan are at the top of their game,” Mariam told The Express Tribune. “The WYSC gets more challenging each year. I’m the most experienced player in the squad but I know that there is pressure. People expect us to do well and hopefully we will deliver.”

Meanwhile, the national championship featured 760 players in Karachi — the highest figure for a PSA event — in six categories.

In the five-round competition, eight-year-old Moonis Muhammad Khan won in the junior-most category, while Badin’s Ashfaq Ahmed Khatti won in the senior-most category.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 5^th, 2015.

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