Strange

Strip-Search Demand at Scrabble World Championship

by NowPublic Staff | October 17, 2011 at 11:23 am

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Ed Martin Accused of Hiding 'G' Tile

The 2011 Scrabble World Championship was not without its share of controversy. Thai competitor Marut Siriwangso accused British player Ed Martin of squirreling away a G tile, which had apparently gone missing during the game. The irate scrabbler demanded that Martin be strip-searched in order to determine his guilt or innocence.

Ed Martin was not strip searched, though, and he went on to win that match, but later lost to Kiwi player Nigel Richards.

Nigel Richards: 2011 Scrabble World Champion

Nigel Richards as the winner, repeating his 2007 victory and repping New Zealand with a Lord of the Rings-caliber beard.

Nigel Richards beat Australian Andrew Fisher to win the crown in a nail-biting best-of-five showdown; the final match went the distance, with Richards winning the fifth game. Below is a photo of the winning board.

The judges ruled in Mr Martin's favour, sparing him the indignity of a search and seeing a tight defeat turned into victory by a single buttock-clenching point.