a poem

[written by my grandpa on 24.08.2009]
[language: Polish]
[translation: N/A]


Dla Bartoszka P.

Nasz Bartek to facet niewąski
Pojechał do Warszawy
Wyskrablował mistrza Polski
Szuka sponsora, co sięgnie do wora
By jechać na mistrzostwa świata
A to suma niebylejaka
Może się spełnią marzenia Bartka
Może usmiechnie się do Bartka los
Może zdobędzie upragniony trzos
Gdy już wróci z Malezji z krążkiem złotym
Zagrają fanfary na dalszą ochotę
I będzie skrablował po anglosasku
Od świtu do brzasku...

W dniu imienin
dla Bartoszka
dziadziuś M.
Poznań, 24.08.2009

Malaysia - here I come

`
It's official.

I'm off to Malaysia in November to represent Poland at this year's World Scrabble Championship in Johor Bahru.

It is still something I don't quite believe - the prospect of going so far to play 24 games of Scrabble seems surreal, to say the least.

I'm taking a plane from POZ to MUC, then MUC-SIN and then somehow with a bus number 170 over to Johor Bahru ;)

It's gonna be fun, I hope.

Fight in Walcz

Last weekend I attended my first full Polish Scrabble tournament since Szczecin in March 2008. It took place in Walcz (www.walcz.pl)- a town 120 km NW from Poznan. Although it is quite small it still can boast two lakes direct in the city centre.
The Scrabble tournament was magnificent - great hospitality, highest ever prize money in a Polish scrabble tournament - almost 500 EUR for the winner and prizes for each attendant.
I was 82nd and yet got a book worth about 8 EUR.
It was my second best tournament ever. I won 6 out of 13 games. The highlight was my win against Mariusz Skrobosz - the current ranking list leader. I won by 4 points! My ranking at that time was 100, Mariusz's was 149...
After that tournament my ranking is 103.50 and officially I'm now no 271 in Poland :)

supernova

Between July 31st and August 2nd in Bucharest took place a Romanian qualification tournament for the World Scrabble Championship. Only 5 players participated - that's even one less than in Poland.

The tournament was won by Mihai Pantis, who beat Dan Laurentiu Sandu in the finals with the score of 5-4, ensuring a place in the World Scrabble Championship (WSC) to be held in November in Malaysia.

He will be joined by another Romanian player - Adrian Tamas, who has already qualified for the World Championship.

It is the first time Romania has the right to register 2 players at the WSC. Remarkably both players come from the University Sports Club of Cluj-Napoca.

Go go, Team Romania!

Sources:
http://translate.google.pl/translate?hl=pl&sl=ro&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fu-cluj.ro%2Findex.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26view%3Darticle%26id%3D371

http://translate.google.pl/translate?js=y&prev=_t&hl=pl&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pdaromania.ro%2F2009%2F08%2F07%2Fcolegul-nostru-mihai-pantis-este-%25E2%2580%259Estapinul-cuvintelor%25E2%2580%259D%2F&sl=ro&tl=en&history_state0=

TV

Watch this space:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aw7UdhdOJCg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maRPkqb6wAM



The guy on the right is me - talking about Scrabble on the local TV show on 03.08.2009.

I hope this piece of self-PR helps me find sponsors of my journey to Malaysia for the WSC 2009.

Scrabble deluxe

1. ISC membership (2 years) - 49 USD
2. Books on Scrabble, Collins Official Scrabble Dictionary, dvd's "Word Wars" and "Scrabbylon", score books, Protiles, Scrabble set etc. - 300 USD
3. China timble with Scrabble logo, McDonalds Scrabble Pin, Word Freak button badge, 2 Scrabble beer mats, Smirnoff Scrabble postcard - 25 USD
4. Scrabble Diamond Anniversary Edition - 90 USD
5. Scrabble 60th Anniversary Edition - 60 USD
6. Scrabble 50th Anniversary Edition - 60 USD
7. German Scrabble Set - 25 USD.
8. Travel and accomodation in Warsaw during the tournament (4 days) - 300 USD

Sum total: 909 USD.