I Was Winning the World Scrabble Championship. Then Disaster Struck.

I recently competed in the 2023 World Scrabble Championship and had many incredibly exciting games. In this video, I break down my pivotal round 26 game against eventual finalist Harshan Lamabadusuriya, which needs to be seen to be believed!
For more Scrabble content from me, follow my Twitch channel:
/ wanderer15
I also have a weekly show on the official Scrabble Twitch channel (Tuesdays 3-5 PM ET)
/ scrabble
Play Scrabble at playscrabble.com!

[@axcertypo]

This was heartbreaking to witness. Many of us were watching this game live, and when you played BACH, I knew something was off. Someone found the KIV(A)S sequence and I knew it was GG. Then Harshan, who had also seen the winning move, inexplicably switched his play with over 6 minutes left to do the math. I was on the edge of my seat. The Scrabble Gods had given you a second chance. Then disaster struck. In that moment we knew you had mistracked. It's near impossible to recover from something like that, and the fact that you had the drive to finish strong and continue to play at an elite level after this game is a testament to your willpower. Your Will power. You will be back.

[@Adegbite]

Please where do you watch these live games

[@kieran9499]

Maybe he thought Nek wasn't a legal word? Only reason I could think for the switch

[@burtdanams4426]

Holy cow man, you're a legend already for being one of the few youtubers who is actually one of the best in what they are talking about. So interesting to see these breakdowns, both the objective gameplay and the subjective analysis of the situation and mindgames.

[@wanderer15]

Appreciate the kind words & thanks for tuning in!

[@SantiPowerShow26]

Now play in the ​world plz @@wanderer15

[@Kosmicd12]

That's gotta be hard looking back. But amazing job on your first one, and thanks for telling this story! Love your vids

[@wanderer15]

Thank you so much! Also, I've watched a bunch of your videos (and noted your cameos on Summoning Salt's SMB videos) and I have so much respect for you as a speedrunner and content creator.

[@hridaysamtani5797]

You had an amazing run, Will! A top 10 finish is a great result 👏

[@wanderer15]

Thanks! 👍

[@randylegamer8725]

Indeed. I love that inspirational ending. Losing is from improving!

[@hridaysamtani5797]

@@wanderer15 Of course! Thanks for sharing your story and creating awesome Scrabble content :)

[@juliaamiri7689]

heartbreaking, but definitely still a performance to be proud of! i’ll be rooting for you at the next world champs

[@wanderer15]

Thank you very much!

[@Sam-oz8pn]

7th place in the world is literally amazing, and super interesting to hear your analysis from a first person perspective this time! Rooting for you next time around

[@artmoore4457]

Heartbreaking Day 4s in both events in Las Vegas. Watching Jackson Smylie lose his place a week earlier and then both you and Wellington fall from the top two was stunning. Still, a fantastic showing and quite big of you to share your pain here.

[@wanderer15]

Painful as it was, I think it makes a great story (which is why we're here)! Thanks for the kind words.

[@mymyscellany]

Momentum is a real thing. And I think the ability to will yourself to believe or a disbelieve a narrative is a trait off the highest level of competitors. I play several non scrabble games, one of them is bridge, and yes, sometimes you really do just miscount basic things after checking them in your head a million times. This sort of rare error does just happen. The ability to shake it off is just so critical. You also sometimes just get unlucky. I'm glad you said you played well in the remaining games, giving yourself that credit. Thanks for making this video and we all believe in you!

[@eighthcoda]

That was a brutal game, but an amazing video! It encapsulates just how hard Scrabble can be, and how easily the little things can snowball-- vocabulary doubt distracting you from the position at hand, tile tracking mistakes that have nightmarish consequences. These things seem especially likely to happen late in the tournament, when fatigue has begun to set in. I had several moments like that on Day 4 of Nationals this year that left me feeling demoralized and disoriented. But I also recalled how in 2019, I was the recipient of those gifts; they can happen to anyone. You'll get 'em next time!

[@wanderer15]

Thanks - yeah, I'm sure this game is very relatable to essentially everyone, even elite players like yourself. It's the feeling that these types of mistakes are "simple" that hurts. But I often think that Scrabble is a collection of countless simultaneous tasks, some extremely difficult, most simple - the sheer number of them makes it difficult to stave off events like these with 100% success.

[@AllemandInstable]

Now it makes sense why your KZbin Channel seems to be the best medium for spreading and sharing Scrabble to the mass( like me ). You have a deep understanding of the game because you actually are a top player x) Heartbreaking, but I consider myself fortunate to have been recommended this channel, you're doing an awesome job : both as a video maker (story telling, entertainment, informative videos) and communication around Scrabble. amazing

[@PretzelBS]

This guy is basically the Hikaru Nakamura of Scrabble. This channel is about to seriously explode

[@joshdavis3743]

I have to respectfully disagree with that statement.

[@sf7809]

@@joshdavis3743 agreed. hikaru is overated af

[@blinddig7525]

​@@joshdavis3743tbh hikaru was a reigning usa champion and was never the world's same as will

[@GMBeatrixSnapfire]

​@@sf7809huh? overrated? lmao

[@maxm6931]

@@sf7809 As a streamer? Maybe. As a chess player, he can't be overrated, he is easily top 5 atm

[@samhayden2335]

I just discovered your channel a few days ago and I adore it. Scrabble is not a game I profess to know much about but your passion and explanations are curating a new interest in me. Count me as a new fan and new subscriber, and keep up the great work!

[@wanderer15]

Thank you for stopping by and giving Scrabble content a chance! I really appreciate it.

[@lockdownstudio9015]

That's really heartbreaking. I was surprised not to see you in the final. Thanks for this video and sharing your experience. Nevertheless, congratulations on a fantastic tourney. Very well done👏🏼👏🏼

[@Truthmane1]

I can already tell this is going to be 🔥🔥🔥

[@deenhergott8989]

I was fortunate to have time to follow your travails live Will. After three days of dominance it was a bit sad to see you and Wellington fail yo make the top two spots, but this was also testament to the strength of the field of players and the difficulty of the game. No one is perfect and you gave your best. Failing in a critical moment is hard to accept but we are only human after all - you had an amazing run Will, and you know what youre capable of. An amazing result despite your missed opportunity, and thank you for your candid sharing of your experiences at this event -- it was a thrill to watch!

[@joshbanner7398]

You’re a legend regardless Will, appreciate your videos 🤟

[@swift8821]

All you learned is that 3 days of intense scrabble is exhausting.

[@wanderer15]

I had also played two other 31-game tournaments in the previous few weeks!

[@dereklindman6914]

Will, you are an incredible storyteller and a big gift to the scrabble world. Definitely helping to inspire me. :)

[@AmaranthRBY]

It takes a ton of skill to stay at the top of such an event for three days, no matter how lucky you think you're getting. You had a wonderful run and I hope you'll have chances to attend more World Championships in the future! Imagine the viewcount if you're up against Nigel in the 2025 final :D

[@XANDOAndy]

This was one of the few games I actually caught live, and it's nice to hear what was going through your head through it. I wasn't sure that I would enjoy watching a recap of a game I still remember seeing, but the video was still entertaining, and your insights are always appreciated.

[@wanderer15]

Thanks - this one was unique in the "perfect storm" aspect of a bunch of things cascading in the wrong direction, which, while unfortunate for me in the moment, I think makes a really compelling narrative (which is why we're here!)

[@noahjz]

You'll get 'em next time!

[@code_report]

These videos are awesome. Making me definitely wanting to get back into Scrabble : ) Keep them coming : )

[@jwpogue]

A well explained and beautiful video about a very tough game. Good story telling!

[@vincentskater]

Will, you are a Scrabble CHAD !!!!!!!

[@whuds]

Great tournament! Thanks for the high level analysis, your videos are always an informative and entertaining watch :)

[@freebeerishere]

i’m hopeless at scrabble but your videos are so well made and insightful i had to jump down this rabbit hole. awesome stuff 🤠

[@wanderer15]

Thanks for giving my videos a try (and for the very kind words)!

[@pacdiesel6240]

I found your channel and now all I've been doing the last few days is playing Scrabble. Good content and excellent editing to show people how the game is played!

[@aabdnn]

I love your videos with expert commentary. It is heartbreaking when a tracking error results in a loss. You are an awesome player, and awesome content creator. I have shown some of your videos to my friends, and they are starting to see Scrabble in a different light.

[@Hottodoggu.]

That's heartbreaking... But your record is still nothing to scoff at. Keep going!!

[@asliuf]

congrats on an incredible tournament!

[@ZahraIsMyDog]

Amazing tournament. I’m sure you were exhausted mentally as well. It’s tough going into the last day in the lead!

[@ericfox7021]

I love these game analysis videos! The editing is top notch.

[@gusser9]

Terrific video, terrific playing!

[@jamietown8002]

amazing vid as always

[@OneNamedLucas]

Tough break but still an amazing finish! If anything, it's a sign you need to get to more World's tournaments! Congrats on a strong finish and look forward to more videos!

[@reaganabroad4952]

I love your recaps. More please!

[@tjtennisicmroll2k]

wow, heartbreaking

[@kevindavidson1896]

Love the channel Will, best scrabble content on youtube by far!

[@feyetho9524]

It is so impressive to watch you play. I can't imagine knowing that many words. You've gotten me addicted to scrabble videos so maybe I will play an actual game sometime in the future. Crossing my fingers that your video on bingo suffixes will help!

[@wanderer15]

Thank you! And Scrabble is a really fun game to play at all levels, and the process of improvement at Scrabble can be really rewarding. Let me know how it goes if you dive in!

[@champkid2k]

Keep the videos going and more frequently it’s cool to watch/hear a pro’s perspective as a complete beginner

[@ilikemoviesandmore]

The amount of skill that goes into high level scrabble amazes me. It seems to combine so many things: different layers of math, vocabulary (I’ve never heard of a lot of words on this board), chess like strategy with setting up your own plays while being aware of your opponent’s possibilities, some psychology, and of course a little bit of luck. So all in all a lot more exciting than I’d ever imagine this game to be. It’s a shame that you didn’t end up winning, but I still think 7th place on a World Championship is something to be very proud of. And many thanks for reintroducing me to this wonderful game. I hadn’t played in years, but since discovering your content some weeks ago I’ve done some games with my partner. We’re very bad, but it’s a lot of fun!

[@wanderer15]

This makes me so genuinely happy, thank you.

[@pererarohini6892]

Good luck for next championship

[@krishradio1]

You did a great job. An amazing run. Congratulations. 👏👏👏

[@wanderer15]

Thanks so much!

[@thomasofnone99]

Chin up, Will. Keep making great content, thanks for being a great inspiration to us

[@kmdewhurst]

I find your content so engaging. You're a great storyteller.

[@csjoholm70]

I look forward to watching you and Alec play for years to come. 😀

[@mmcc1391]

Good job to test yourself in the tournament. Your channel is very interesting too!

[@wanderer15]

Thank you very much!

[@HyperSandwich94]

First thumbnail was funny and good. BUT THE NEW THUMB IS AMAZING PLEASE DON'T CHANGE IT AGAIN *may the algorithm bless you*

[@gxzmic]

Waiting for Wirtual to comment 😊

[@SerielThriller]

I can’t read or write but it’s great to see you do so well with such elegant words used.

[@AlexDings]

Watching that on stream was the only time I can remember seeing you actually upset about a loss, which I think we could all understand very well. I can also relate to the weird feeling where tracking manually makes me feel like I need to rewatch some Sesame's Street because apparently I have lost all ability to count like a normal adult, I think we've all been there during a tense endgame 😅

[@wanderer15]

Regarding my being upset - yeah, I do usually take this sort of thing in stride. But part of it was that my stated goals of "just having fun" and "taking one game at a time" were more difficult to keep in focus the longer I remained at the top of the standings. It's only natural when you're in 1st that long to start believing that hey, this might be it - which makes the disappointment sting a little extra. Appreciate the commiserations!

[@henrysimonds4640]

KZbin goat

[@jukappa]

Subscribed, liked and commented to ease the pain!

[@wanderer15]

Thank you & welcome!

[@brenzotheanalog6285]

Hah ~ Ed referenced this game last week when I played BUSHMEN one column over in a club game

[@shaddr_4975]

Heart breaking stuff man, but don't be too upset! Use that drive for the next World Championships and smash 'em out of the park! You have amazing skill and honestly blew my mind when I seen some of the words you play.. I'm used to family Scrabble and watching your videos has made me so keen to get into it and learn a whole lot more! Thankyou for that :)

[@wanderer15]

Really appreciate the kind words!

[@jamisonr]

Love the insight, shame it went down that way, but I guess you learn and come out better for it. Small comfort compared to the trophy I know.

[@humbertocruz6214]

Rooting for you to win it all next time.

[@lohn2559]

Never had an interest in scrabble before finding your channel. Now I get excited every time you upload.

[@wanderer15]

This makes me really happy, thank you

[@sevenkashtan]

Love your videos.

[@Columbine-en3qc]

Hey Will! I love your videos!

[@jackgallagher4146]

I've never seen scrabble played at this level, super interesting.

[@dolthhaven8564]

gg!

[@dalistrata4]

beautiful love given to a loss. you are a treasure, will

[@bubbagarland]

I watched it all live, what a great report, thanks Will! You wouldn't get this from Nigel :)

[@proterotype]

You’re the ambassador of scrabble

[@thinksummertime218]

You're amazing

[@thefilmfilms]

you'll get em next time Will

[@lildmckay]

The mental stamina that you need for this game is insane. You’ll secure that spot in the finals one day

[@duustinduude6776]

why wouldn’t you just count the O’s there’s less of them to count 😭

[@wanderer15]

I asked myself that many times afterwards...

[@godwinalabi740]

I felt so sorry for you and my countryman Welly dropping off the top on the last day.

[@merrywisdomx]

Congrats on a fantastic showing! I'm glad you have high spirits, even with being so close. How do you determine the optimal move(s) from a given position? Do you use a program of some sort?

[@karinvasu3005]

afaik there are engines but there should be additional analysis beyond just what words are the highest scoring idk

[@wanderer15]

There’s a Scrabble engine called Quackle which is both an extremely strong computer opponent and a very useful tool to analyze Scrabble positions. And thanks for the kind words!

[@muffintentacle9808]

You will get there someday. I'm pretty certain of that.

[@adamwagner145]

quality video!

[@adedayoadeleke2790]

You are an amazing player Will. I'm sure the world championship title is in your future.

[@vbush17]

GG 👍

[@christian9387]

I'm new to Scrabble. Is your mistake of miscounting the letters remaining in the bag and then miscounting the number of Es on the board considered a bad rookie mistake, or is that something that happens often, even by very good players?

[@AlexDings]

Not Will here obviously but I'll answer that because it's a cool question. Look at it this way - when Will made the wrong endgame play, us fellow players who were watching the live broadcast were quick to assume that he must have mistracked, rather than just not realized that Harshan can go out with COVED and he needs to block that. *That* would indeed be a rookie mistake. This isn't, because while experts should be able to do this routinely, it's practically impossible *never* to slip up in that routine under time pressure and stress. We've all been there, which made this so heartbreaking to watch.

[@wanderer15]

Quick answer - both. Miscounting/mistracking is something that happens more than you think it should, but I often think that top-level Scrabble consists of juggling a ton of tasks at once, most of which would be trivial individually, but taken together become really difficult. (That being said, there are some tasks in top-level Scrabble that are in fact devilishly difficult on their own)

[@christian9387]

@@wanderer15 This makes sense. Thank you for the response.

[@squadxzo]

I'm sure Harshan or any other top level player wouldn't have wanted to win against you like that but competitions are competitions you have to take any change you're given. Top 10 still ain't a bad outcome it's just setting up your revenge arc next worlds. Atleast you achieved your original goal which was to have fun.

[@truwigl3582]

A tough loss to be sure. With your fantastic attitude and work ethic, you’ll be even stronger at the next match.

[@vincent21212]

thank you for represent us even though we cant read so good 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[@psymar]

Holy crap. I know the word banjax but I'd never have found it there.

[@chesterapricot3480]

7th in the world wow

[@Lucas__C]

Despite it all, I think it's funny that "jeux" qualifies as an English word 😅

[@DadgeCity]

A lot of the language of games comes from French, so "jeu" was often used in English, especially by upper-class people.

[@karinvasu3005]

good day will! idk how many times ive rewatched this video already lol you'll definitely come back next time! i do have a request. is it ok to ask for a vods channel? i was looking for some like axcertypo's uploads. i was looking for some of your perspectives in collaborations for instance it might be a good thing to do given ur channel is getting a lot of traction lately

[@wanderer15]

I have those VODs saved, just need to figure out how to use them! (And thanks for all the views!)

[@karinvasu3005]

​@@wanderer15i personally suggest uploading them in full on a separate channel. then if you want to make a video using those vods on this channel, you still can!

[@aarush____]

It’s still an outstanding accomplishment. I thoroughly enjoyed watching your games on stream 🩷

[@wanderer15]

Thank you!

[@gameforce11]

You still are one the top 1% of players Great Feat by itself

[@ryanpatricksmith5795]

I'm curious about what you said in relation to tile counting. It's considered legal to arrive at a count of the remaining tiles by feeling around in the draw bag? If they allow that, I'm suprised they don't just explicitly give you the running count t/o the match.

[@wanderer15]

It is considered legal. The tiles are plastic and injection-molded to prevent feeling the letters you way you could theoretically do with wooden tiles in a typical home set, so it's not really considered to be sneaky to check the count like this.

[@bruce4139]

So i dont know scrabble but i know chess a bit more so not sure if this is soemthing you do in scrabble but did you ask harshan at the end of the game if the word that you were considering challenging qas a legal move or no? (If i recla right uou didnt challenge the word right?)

[@wanderer15]

If you're referring to AGGADIST*, the challenge rule in this game was "5-point challenge," which allows a player to challenge a word without risk of losing their turn. If the word they challenge is valid, 5 points is added to the value of the word. So Harshan was essentially a lock to challenge such a pivotal play, and it would have come off the board and cost me *my* turn instead.

[@bruce4139]

@@wanderer15 oh ok thanks

[@jommy4867]

still can't believe you didn't beat that Hildebrand chump ;-) Maybe next time.

[@shramo]

Still a great result. Next time!

[@toyemeebenezer1889]

I am from Nigeria, i was really rooting for you cos your video help me a lot, you played fantastic well, better result in the next coming world cup. Anderson all the way

[@mattcanik]

As someone who was on the wrong end of a tracking error leading to disaster against.... you... it still didn't make me feel good to watch this happen *to* you. (context: At the 2019 national championship, I failed to correctly block a line, setting up FE which Will triple-tripled through with REDE(FE)ATS for like 140 to win)

[@itsnotjoe173]

hey, i just watched Wirtuals video with you and was just wondering what a bingo in scrabble means and how to get one. just wondering if you or someone could answer

[@wanderer15]

It’s any play that uses up all 7 of your letters in one move. It gets you 50 extra points on top of the normal way you add points, so it’s like a Scrabble equivalent of a home run, touchdown, etc. Thanks for stopping by!

[@hrobertson7575]

😢❤🎉

[@PMartinez55]

It's so hard to play the best move when you're convinced you've made mistakes. Being objective gets even harder as exhaustion sets in from so many games in a few days.

[@michaelmatter1222]

I love how they decided to hold the event in the premier intellectual and cultural center of the US...Las Vegas 🐷

[@aMondayMorning]

Its hosted there because there are tons of convention centers there, and hotels renting out space. It really doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand this.

[@shanilmisra]

Hi, I've been speaking to John Chew and he confirmed that all the WESPAC except for 2015 have not been officially granted World Championship status by Hasbro and/or Mattel. Do you have any reliable sources that state otherwise? Or is WESPAC just an unofficial World Championship in the Scrabble community? Love your work btw!

[@wanderer15]

I would say the players all consider it to be tantamount to the official World Championship - all the same people compete in both. Thank you!

[@mantimirov]

Where can I play scrabble online? Scrabble GO is litered in ads and crashes randomly.

[@Gastogh]

How come David Eldar had such a big positive spread from the very first, even when plenty of others had won more games on day one? On day two he wasn't even in the top ten.

[@DadgeCity]

He had a blowout win in one game - I think his opponent went to pieces.

[@maker0824]

That’s so sad

[@danielzitnik4247]

"LOLZ Harshan owned u bro.....hahaha"

[@wanderer15]

Well done following directions ;)

[@nebraska7891]

rip