In a defining moment for his scrabble career, Abdulmumin Jimoh made history as the first-ever champion of the Bubbles Invitational Scrabble Tournament (BIST), going undefeated through all 12 rounds.
The 2024 African Championship fourth-place finisher, who recently clinched gold at the 22nd National Sports Festival, stamped his dominance early, securing Table One by Round 6. From that point, Jimoh fended off fierce challenges, including back-to-back wins over former World No. 9 Opeyemi Oloro, to take the top prize in spectacular fashion.
By Round 10, Jimoh had already amassed an unassailable lead in both wins and cumulative points.
“I feel happy! First and foremost, I have to give thanks to God for the opportunity. I don’t think I’m better than any of the players here, but I just believe it’s just my time,” Jimoh said.
With a clean sheet of 12 wins, Jimoh becomes the first scrabble player in recent memory to win a major tournament without dropping a single game.
The highly competitive field included top-tier players from across Nigeria, including Enoch Nwali, the immediate past African Champion. David Ojih (9 wins, +602 points) and Adebola Samuel (9 wins, +474 points) completed the podium in second and third places, respectively.
Co-organiser Femi Awowade praised the quality of play and called for sustained efforts to elevate scrabble’s profile in Nigeria.
Meanwhile, the scrabble community observed a one-minute silence in honor of Team Kano members who tragically died in an auto accident returning from the National Sports Festival.
21 lives were lost in the accident, which cast a somber tone over the otherwise high-spirited event.
The tribute was led by NSF President Olobatoke Aka and veteran Osikhena Ojior, with support from Pan African Scrabble Association President Adekoyejo Adegbesan, Gen. Gold Eburu, and state officials.
