Queen of the King's Cup

Story from The Malaysian Star Online Friday July 4, 2008 Queen of the King’s Cup By CHEAH S.H. Whiz kid Ong Suanne beats World Scrabble Champion Nigel Richards to score several firsts for Malaysia. ONG Suanne of Penang emerged the champion in the annual King’s Cup Scrabble tournament, a prestigious international Scrabble competition in Bangkok which ended on June 29. The 15-year-old beat World Scrabble Champion Nigel Richards of New Zealand in the final round, to become the first Malaysian, the first female, and the youngest champion ever in the tournament’s 23-year history. Ranked No.2 in Malaysia, Suanne proved that her 12th placing in the World Scrabble Championships last year was no fluke and that she has the ability and temperament to defeat world class Scrabble players. The only people to have held the title in the last 10 years have also held the world title, with the exception of Pakorn Nemitrmansuk, twice world championship runner-up. The laconic and unflappable Nigel Richards of New Zealand, also the reigning world champion, has won the King’s Cup trophy seven times. Richards’ only finals losses in Bangkok have been to Mark Nyman and Panupol Sujjayakorn, both world champions themselves. The King’s Cup is in many ways a more gruelling test than the World Championship itself. The World Championship is played in a quiet, carpeted ballroom and the finals are held in a separate room, and broadcast to the other contestants via CCTV. The King’s Cup is held in a cavernous hall or stadium filled with thousands of milling competitors in the student divisions with continuous loud music in the background. The finals are held onstage and each move is announced to a live audience. Players have been known to succumb to the intense pressure during the final rounds, and the finals itself. Suanne made a splendid World Championship debut in Mumbai, finishing 12th after an extended run at the top. This did not come overnight, indeed. Suanne has had more high-level tournament experience than people thrice her age. She also had a good finish in the tough Causeway Challenge in Johor but since then had been out of practice due to the pressure of school. Nevertheless she was keen to compete, and compete she did. She has a good all-round game but what sets her apart from the crowd is her maturity and steely composure during competitions, a major asset in the hurly-burly that is the King’s Cup. The placing stage of the King’s Cup is a 27-game trial by fire against some of the fiercest opposition anywhere. To expect Suanne to make the finals is like asking one of the best lady tennis players to reach the men’s singles finals at Wimbledon. This is what Suanne managed to do. If the King’s Cup is Wimbledon, then Nigel Richards would be Roger Federer. This is his particular stage. Suanne not only beat Richards, she won in the Scrabble equivalent of straight sets. This being Bangkok, Suanne was mobbed and carried off shoulder high from the field by her supporters after her stupendous victory. The cerebral, male-dominated world of competitive Scrabble saw the birth of a bright new Scrabble star last weekend. Long may she shine. ******************************************************************************* The top prize (besides the King's Cup Trophy) was $6,000 USD. The Tournament has been dominated by Nigel Richards of New Zealand for many years.