The tension was building. Two players were locked in a life-and-death battle for the title of Champion of the Whole World. Okay, it was in Scrabble, but it was still a big deal – for word geeks anyway. Then, the unthinkable happened. The contestant from Thailand launched a violent accusation claiming his opponent from Great Britain was cheating. He told the judges that the man had not only stolen a “G” tile but had hidden it somewhere in his body.
I know; I was stunned too. Sure, we have come to expect cheating from everyone everywhere, but in a Scrabble tournament? Who could fathom this? Fathom by the way is worth 14 points in the Scrabble world if there are no double or triple word or letter scores.
Anyway, the guy from Thailand not only emitted a loud protest, but he also insisted that the judges take the British guy into another room and strip search him to find the hidden “G” spot? Okay, he didn’t really say that, but I could not resist. Come on; it wouldn’t have worked if he took a Q.
Well, since none of the judges were police officers, prison guards, airport security agents or porn stars, none felt comfortable enough to conduct the strip search. It seems no one brought those latex gloves with them in the event that someone hid a tile in the innermost crevices of the human body. Plus, I would guess one would have had to give written consent before the contest agreeing to the possibility of strip searches. Call me old fashioned, but I don’t think a strip search is the type of activity one should be allowed to just spring on another person unless, of course, one is carrying odd objects and is ready to board a plane.
In a not so surprising move, (surprising – 14 Scrabble points), the judges refused to conduct the search, and as there was no other evidence of the hidden “G”, the British contestant walked off with the Win (Win – six Scrabble points). However, Karma might have come knocking because the accused British cheater did not become World Champion. In a later match, he lost to a guy from New Zealand who had won the championship several times before apparently without the help of hidden tiles .
Is the World Championship of Scrabble’s reputation tarnished? No, the tournament will go on and the best wordsmiths in the world will attend. Perhaps, next year the judges should invest in full body x-ray scanner. Just the threat of walking through that device might curb the temptation for anyone to stick a tile where it does not belong.