How a Kiwi Beat the French at Their Own Game—of Scrabble

The Player

Nigel Richards is Scrabble’s Bobby Fischer—reclusive, brilliant, and a distinctive champion who just beat the French at their own Scrabble championship.

Published Jul. 23 2015 1:00AM EDT

articles/2015/07/23/how-a-kiwi-beat-the-french-at-their-own-game-of-scrabble/150722-crooker-scabble-tease_b2104d — John Thys/AFP/Getty

The odds of winning the French World Scrabble Championship were seemingly stacked against Nigel Richards, a New Zealander who doesn’t speak the language.

Imagine, then, the collective gasps from French spectators when Richards called out his French-speaking rival for misconjugating a verb during Monday’s final in Belgium.

Or when he spelled out...

Lizzie Crocker

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How a Kiwi Beat the French at Their Own Game—of Scrabble

Nigel Richards is Scrabble’s Bobby Fischer—reclusive, brilliant, and a distinctive champion who just beat the French at their own Scrabble championship.

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Lizzie Crocker