Scrabble’s Kiwi GOAT wins even in languages he can’t speak

Nigel Richards is considered by many opponents to be the best player in the history of Scrabble. (Image: Norma Garza)

Sun, 16 Feb 2025

By Natasha DangoorNigel Richards is the reigning world champion of Scrabble in Spanish. Just don’t ask him to order a coffee in Madrid. The 57-year-old New Zealander doesn’t speak a word of Spanish. During the deciding match in November’s Spanish World Scrabble Championship in Granada, Richards racked up triple-word scores with ENRUGASE (“to wrinkle up”) and ENHOTOS (an archaic word for “familiarity”), before clinching victory with TRINIDAD and SABURROSA (an obscure word that describes the coated r...

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