Sanaullah targets global glory

National scrabble champion will not rest on his surprise laurels

Fresh from stunning the local scrabble circuit by becoming Pakistan's youngest national champion, Sohaib Sanaullah has now set his sights on next month's World Junior Scrabble Championship in England.

Pitted against tournament favourites such as 2013 World Youth Scrabble Championship (WYSC) winner Moizullah Baig, 2016 WYSC runner-up Abdullah Abbasi and defending champ Waseem Khatri, 15-year-old Sanaullah  sprang a major surprise, sneaking with the national championship as his three major rivals finished second, third and fifth respectively.

“It feels great to be a champion but it was not easy to win the national title as our circuit is just so competitive,” Sanaullah told The Express Tribune. “We have Abdullah, Moiz and Khatri and several others who have been to the WYSC before so it was not easy at all. I had to really focus and give my all. I’m now looking forward to the world championship.”

The Generation’s School student started playing scrabble just four years ago, and got his big break two years later when he made it to local championships. During this time he has had to work hard on his game but he says it was worth the effort.

“It’s been a journey," he said. "I used to play recreationally but then two years ago I entered the national championships and since then all I've wanted to do is to improve my game. But this title is just the culmination point as only I know how many games I lost in the last two years to learn and get to this point. I’ve also got a lot of support from the scrabble community. All the seniors cheer for me and my school teachers have been really supportive too."

Next up for Sanaullah are the Junior World Championship, where he will be up against 20 players divided into two groups with Group A featuring experienced players and Group B accommodating newbies.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Scrabble Association (PSA) kicked off the preparations for the World Championships on Friday, with Moiz doubling as the group's coach.

PSA's Director Youth Program Tariq Pervez revealed that the players are working hard, which makes him confident of getting good results in Nottingham, England.

“We have a good pool of youth now, and all our players are very talented," said Parvez. "I’m particularly happy with the way Sohaib [Sanaullah] has developed. I was the happiest person after he entered the national championship as a dark horse before going all the way. We have started our preparations for the World Junior Championship too, and Moiz has taken the reigns as the coach. We are very confident of our players. Khatri will also be going to the World Championships seniors’ event. I feel we're destined for great things in England in August.”