Affan wins World Youth Scrabble | The Express Tribune

Pakistan’s 16-year-old Affan Salman secured the World Youth Scrabble title at the championship held in Sri Lanka.

Pakistan has achieved another remarkable feat in the game of words, Scrabble, by winning the World Youth Scrabble Championship for a record fifth time. Salman dominated the competition, winning 19 out of 23 games. Pakistan is now the first country in the world to win the World Youth Scrabble Championship five times. The event featured 138 players from around the globe.

According to a post on official Facebook page of the World English-Language Scrabble Players Association (WESPA), Affan Salman triumphed at the World Youth Scrabble Championship with a record of 20–4 and a spread of +1793, showcasing exceptional skill and strategy.

Other Pakistani players also excelled, with Bilal Ashar finishing 6th and Ibrahim Mansoor 8th, both with records of 16–8. Aehzam Ahmed also secured a top 10 spot. Suyash Manchali from India took second place with a record of 17–7 and a spread of +2364, demonstrating impressive competitive acumen. The championship highlighted Pakistan’s growing strength in Scrabble.

Affan’s brother Ali Salman won the World Youth title in 2022 providing the only instance of two brothers winning the world Youth championship in history.

Pakistan won a host of prizes and awards including the team trophy for being the No. 1 team as four players from Pakistan finished in the top ten.

Bilal Asher finished 5th, Ibrahim Mansoor 8th and Aehzam Ahmed 10th, while, Bilal Asher also won the under 14 title.

Zayan Zaman won the trophy for the highest single move score. The side tournament for adults was won by Waseem Khatri of Pakistan.