Gateway’s Adheesha wins national scrabble title
View(s):Adheesha Disanayake of Gateway College, Colombo was crowned the national champion for 2024, securing first place in the prestigious tournament organised by the Scrabble Federation of Sri Lanka. The event, held from December 6 to 8, was supported by Cloud Solutions International. Over 50 of the country’s top scrabble players gathered to compete in 24 intense rounds.
Adheesha
Ilham
Inam
Adheesha dominated the competition, winning 20 out of his 24 games. His performance was so exceptional that he was officially declared the champion before the tournament even concluded. At just 16 years of age, Adheesha not only claimed the national title but also emerged undefeated at the Junior National Scrabble Championship, marking his second national title of the year. This rare achievement, holding both the national senior and junior titles, is an exceptional feat in the world of competitive scrabble.
Adheesha’s remarkable accomplishments extend beyond national borders. Having successfully defended his Under-16 World Championship title for two consecutive years, he went on to finish as the second runner-up at the World Youth Scrabble Championship 2024. Furthermore, he was crowned the Asian Youth Champion after clinching victory at the Asia Cup Youth Tournament in India earlier this year.
The scrabble team of Gateway College, Colombo as a whole performed impressively at the National Championship. Notably, 11-year-old Inam Irshad secured second runner-up position, while Ilham Irshad finished in ninth place. Both Inam and Ilham have represented Sri Lanka on multiple international platforms. Inam Irshad also holds the current World Under-12 Championship title and the Asian Under-12 Championship title, further cementing his place as a rising star in scrabble.