Oxford resident Evan Berofsky placed 31st out of 108 competitors from 25 countries at the 2014 World Scrabble Championship held in London, England Nov. 19-23.
‘I had a great time and I hope I did local people proud,? said the 38-year-old.
His record at the tournament was 13 wins, 10 losses and one tie.
‘I’m not disappointed by this as I finished with a winning record at the worlds for the first time in three attempts,? Berofsky wrote in an e-mail to the Leader.
‘I’m looking to build on that,? he added in a phone interview. ‘Usually, after a tournament, I lay off the studying. (But since London), I’ve been going at it basically every day (to build my vocabulary).?
Berofsky previously played in the 2003 world championship in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and the 2007 event in Mumbai, India. Both times he finished 12-12.
He is planning to once again represent Canada, his native land, at the 2015 world championship in Perth, Australia.
Even though the 2014 world championship was an open event, meaning anyone could enter, the competition was still fierce.
‘The top competitors from around the world were there,? Berofsky said.
Three former world champions were among the players and Berofsky faced all of them. He beat one and lost a close game to another.
Berofsky noted that had he won his last game, he would have finished in 17th place.
‘I know I can get better,? he wrote.
Berofsky is currently preparing for another Scrabble tournament in January. He’ll travel to New Orleans, Louisiana for it.
A competitive Scrabble player for 17 years, Berofsky has competed in the national championships nine times since 1998.
Right now, it appears his record stands at 1,302 wins, 814 losses and nine ties.
Berofsky lives in the village with his wife Amanda Hubble.