A major International Open Scrabble Tournament will take place in Malta between May 2 and 4 at the Topaz Hotel in Bugibba.

A total of 18 games will be played over the three days. With over 50 participants, it promises to be one of the largest international tournaments of its kind and is likely to become an annual event.

A scrabble competition of this scale has never been played here before. There will be no fewer than 32 highly-rated foreign players hailing from England, Ireland, Scotland, Israel and Romania.

One of the contestants, Simon Rosenstone, from Leeds, is nearly blind but will be here to play in the tournament.

Local players such as Theresa Camilleri, Jojo Delia and David Delicata, who represented Malta at the World Championships last November, will also be taking part, as well as Cecil Muscat, an England-based player with vast experience, and Mario Saliba, president of the Malta Scrabble Club and a Malta representative at previous World Championships.

Meanwhile, the local scrabble calendar has been very busy.

The National League is underway, with Camilleri leading in the first division and David Delicata close behind. Alfred Xuereb is leading in the second division, while Lilian Spiteri and Dominic Borg are jointly on top in the third division.

Three one-day tournaments were also held at the Marsa Sports Cub, Irrera Restaurant, in Ta' Xbiex, and the Bayside Restaurant in Bugibba.

The next one will be played on June 7.

Anyone interested in taking part may contact Charles Micallef on 9929-0209 or by sending an e-mail on cmicallef@parkwell.com.mt