WESPA

Zambia ready for ECASA

Host nation welcomes players



A familiar sound is heard. Tiles crackling against each other as they are being shuffled. Bags are shaking and boards are rotating. Dawn is here. The sun is out and the stage is set.

As Scrabblers prepare for this year's East, Central and Southern Africa Scrabble Championship games, in which 8 countries participate to defend their honour through ratings at both individual and team levels, the Scrabble Association of Zambia (SAZ) cordially welcomes the ECASA region to this prestigious event. It is the second time that Zambia is hosting the event and this year, the Fairmount Hotel in Livingstone (the tourist Capital city of Zambia), will serve as the battle ground from the 30 March - 1 April.

Confirmed participating countries include Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. These are brothers and sisters off the board but once the timer is hit, survival and pursuit of victory is the ultimate goal. We are a family separated by distance but united by hooks, anagrams, stems, power plays and ultimately bingos!

The Scrabble Association of Zambia would like to welcome Scrabble players to participate in this year’s thriller as there will be so much action. Wordsmiths from different walks and cultures will play words that they mutually accept in the game they love. Others will challenge words they don’t know, others will challenge words that they have misread and others challenge words that they actually know but just forgot the words existed.


Team Zambia at ASC 2014

Zambia player photo


Call it excitement, terror, anxiety or whatever happens when you get on that board, timers will be set and running to regulate time on each player so as to have a taste on the skills that different players will bring to the table. It is what it is; the battle of the brains and there shall be awards given to deserving players, given from the 1st to 10th positions. Individual trophies from 1st to 5th, and not forgetting country trophies from 1st to 3rd positions.

Players do not come just for the game and for the trophies but a chance to socialize and learn from different people, improve mental abilities through additional skills as well as sharpening one's strategizing as one will need to strategize on their every letter.

As the days draw closer to the cutting edge, Team Zambia is putting all in place for the battle beforehand. Practice is on and it is intense. The team is ready and they say to everyone else, "bring your best". It will definitely not be an easy one but it is guaranteed to be an exciting one.

We look forward to your arrival. Safe travels and Godspeed as you come to Zambia.

Article with thanks to Karen Mwale