An exchange of words with Scrabble champ Vannitha

MALAYSIANSKINI | Last month, three Malaysians competed at the 2023 World English Language Scrabble Players Association (Wespa) championship in Las Vegas. The muhibbah group consisted of Vannitha Balasingam, Azmil Abdul Aziz, and Henry Yeo.

Given that she is a three-time national champion, it was perhaps no surprise that Vannitha excelled, finishing as both the top-ranked woman player and the top player from Asia.

As someone who has been devoted to the word game for most of her life, it was fitting that Vannitha was training on a Scrabble application when I met her for an interview. For her, Scrabble is no casual game that one sits down to, but practically a way of life.

Originally from Klang, she pursued her studies in mass communications at Universiti Sains Malaysia, but it wasn’t long before the Scrabble bug bit her...