The 1st WESPA (World English Language Scrabble Players’ Association) Virtual Scrabble Cup 2021 was hosted by Pakistan from 24th January to 7th February. 16 of the best Scrabble nations participated in it. Team Pakistan was represented by 4 Virbaijeeites out of 6 members namely Syed Imaad Ali of 10-D who is the current reigning national champion, Monis Hussain Khan of 8-D, Hasham Hadi Khan (Past Virbaijeiete 2018) and national champion of 2019 and Ali Wasif (Batch of 2020).
League stages
Team Pakistan was dominant throughout the Tournament Clean sweeping Romania, and defeating tough opponents such as Hong Kong and Philippines in Group A. Syed Imaad Ali, Hasham Hadi Khan and Monis Hussain Khan were among the top five players of their group.
Quarter final
Pakistan remained unbeaten in the league stages and excelled into the quarterfinals where it had to face Singapore who was the dominant side of their Group. Pakistan defeated Singapore with a handsome margin courtesy of our Virbaijeeites Imaad and Monis.
Semi final
Pakistan faced Sri Lanka in the Semis and by virtue of some great Scrabble moves, it defeated Sri Lanka 21 points to 15. Syed Imaad Ali won all his six games in the knockout round.
The final
The final was played on 7th February where Pakistan faced Thailand. This time their opponents got the better of them as the final score read Thailand 21 and Pakistan 15. Imaad and Hasham won three matches a piece. Thailand became the 1st Virtual Youth Champion and Team Pakistan stood as Runners Up.
Our other achievers (Qualifiers for the team selection)
Aaish Salahuddin of 10-D, Fawaz Ahmed 5-C, Aehzam Ahmed 5-C and Muhammad Bilal Asher of 3-C also participated in the Virtual qualifiers on 9th January, 2021. They were exceptional and since only members were required to be selected, they were in the squad as stand by players.
Team Pakistan’s journey ended but not before defeating some of the most competitive Scrabble playing nations in the World. Our Virbaijeietes contributed to nearly 80 % of the overall wins of the team. It was a proud moment to see our Virbaijeeites battle hard and fight for the team representing our Nation Pakistan.
VIRBAIJEEITES TOWARDS THAT BEST LIGHT!