‘Tiger Woods of Scrabble’ Wins Spanish Championships Even Though He Doesn’t Speak the Language

Mar. 15, 2025

Nigel Richards, Scrabble World Champion.Photo:Jonathan Brady/PA Images via Getty

Jonathan Brady/PA Images via Getty

Nigel Richards is a Scrabble phenomenon!

The New Zealand native claimed the recent Spanish World Scrabble Championships, despite not speaking the language.

Richards, 57, battled more than 150 competitors from over 20 countries to take home the title, per U.K. newspaperThe Guardian.And the man who came second, Benjamín Olaizola, had nothing but good things to say about the victor.

“This is someone with very particular, incredible abilities; he’s a gifted guy,” Olaizola told Spanish radio networkCadena Ser, perThe Guardian.

Nigel Richards in November 2014.Gareth Cattermole/Getty

Gareth Cattermole/Getty

Reutersreports that the New Zealander dominated the competition, which took place on Nov. 16 in Grenada, Spain. The outlet also reported that Richards has won similar competitions in France, but he can’t speak French either!

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Richardsfirst made headlines in 2015when he won the Francophone Scrabble World Championships in Louvain-La-Neuve on Jul. 21.CNNreported at the time that the extent of his French was “Bonjour.”

His friend Liz Fagerlund told the outlet that Richards — who she met in 1996 at the Christchurch Scrabble Club in New Zealand — had spent nine weeks memorizing the French Scrabble dictionary and was “wired” differently.

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Nigel Richards in July 2015.JOHN THYS/AFP via Getty

JOHN THYS/AFP via Getty

In 2018, Richards once again won the French title and is widely viewed as the best player of all time, reportsThe Guardian.

The outlet adds that Richards is intensely private and rarely gives interviews.

Eric Salvador Tchouyo, a world champion Scrabble player from Cameroon,told Radio France Internationaleon Nov. 22, perThe Guardian,that Richards is a “phenomenon” and an “exceptional person.”

“When Nigel Richards sits at a table, everyone loses their nerves, even the biggest champions,” he continued. “Playing against Nigel Richards is like playing against a computer.”

source: people.com