More than 150 contestants from 20 different countries took part in the Spanish-language Scrabble World Championship in Granada, Spain last month.
News of the winner of the tournament sent shockwaves across Spain, as Nigel Richards does not speak Spanish at all. writes "The Guardian".
"An incredible humiliation" was how one news presenter described the event this week, while another report labeled it "the height of absurdity".
But for those who have followed Richards, a New Zealander living in Malaysia known as the Tiger Woods of Scrabble, the achievement seems fitting.
"This is someone with very special and incredible abilities. He is a talented person", said Benjamin Olaizola for "Cadena Ser". He finished second to Richards at the Tour of Spain.
"We are talking about a New Zealander who has won many English-language championships - at least five of them," Olaizola said.
The Spanish title wasn't the first time Richards showed off his Scrabble skills in a language he doesn't speak. In 2015, he won the World Cup in French despite not being able to speak or understand French.
He is said to have memorized the entire French Scrabble dictionary in nine weeks.
"He doesn't speak French at all - he just learned the words," his friend Liz Fagerlund told the New Zealand Herald at the time.
In 2018, he won the Francophone tournament again. Richards is regarded as the greatest player of all time in the game.
He plays over three decades in this game.
