2013 National SCRABBLE Champion Nigel Richards (New Zealand), Between NASPA Copresidents John Chew (L) And Chris Cree (R). Photo: Patty Hocker (NASPA).

Today spelled V-I-C-T-O-R-Y for Nigel Richards, a New Zealander and resident of Malaysia, who was named the winner of the 2013 National SCRABBLE Championship. Richards, a 45-year-old professional SCRABBLE player and reigning World Champion, took home the $10,000 prize and has now won the title five times, four times consecutively. Richards’ final record was 24 wins, 7 losses and 1934 cumulative points.

More than 500 top wordsmiths, coming from as far as Thailand and Great Britain, gathered in pursuit of vocabulary greatness to compete in the intense five-day tournament, which was held July 20 through July 24 at the Riviera Casino & Hotel in Las Vegas, NV. The competitors each played in 31 one-on-one games with specialized equipment including "non-Brailleable" tiles, custom boards, and the Official Tournament and Club Word List. Players competed in one of five divisions, according to skill level and word list, and were ranked based on their victories and the number of points by which they outscored their opponents.

“The National SCRABBLE Championship continues to bring together some of the most skilled competitive SCRABBLE players,” said Billy Lagor, Senior Vice President, U.S. Marketing, Hasbro. “We are thrilled to see such excitement and passion for the game and congratulate Nigel Richards on his fourth consecutive victory, as well as all participants in this year’s tournament.”

In the final round, Nigel Richards had enough of a lead over runner-up Komol Panyasophonlert, a 28-year-old telco employee from Bangkok, Thailand, that he could afford to lose by up to 55 points without losing the championship. Panyasophonlert won their final game 442-421, playing words like SYNERGIA, BEGORAH and BARISTAS to Richards’ AGOROT, SOLEI and PIX and claimed second place with a record of 24 wins, 7 losses and 1868 cumulative points. The top American was third-place Will Anderson, a 28-year-old editor from Croton, NY, who finished with a record of 23-8 and 1623 points.

The first National SCRABBLE Championship took place in New York City in 1978 and this was the first time the event has been held in Las Vegas since 1987. It was organized by the North American SCRABBLE Players Association (NASPA), the nonprofit organization licensed by Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS) to administer competitive play in the United States and Canada. NASPA has over 14,000 players with official tournament ratings who compete in weekly tournaments and at sanctioned clubs across the continent.

The SCRABBLE game has been a family favorite since the 1930s when it was invented by Alfred Mosher Butts, an out-of-work architect from Poughkeepsie, NY. Today, it remains one of the most popular and iconic word games with millions of games played by both competitive and casual SCRABBLE enthusiasts of all ages. The SCRABBLE game has also reached a new community of players in the digital space with more than 15 versions of the digital game from Hasbro licensees including the popular SCRABBLE for iPad and SCRABBLE for iPhone games.

For additional information, photos and commentary on the competition, visit the NASPA website at: http://tinyurl.com/2013NSC

About Hasbro

Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS) is a branded play company dedicated to fulfilling the fundamental need for play for children and families through the creative expression of the Company’s world class brand portfolio, including TRANSFORMERS, MONOPOLY, PLAY-DOH, MY LITTLE PONY, MAGIC: THE GATHERING, NERF and LITTLEST PET SHOP. From toys and games, to television programming, motion pictures, digital gaming and a comprehensive licensing program, Hasbro strives to delight its global customers with innovative play and entertainment experiences, in a variety of forms and formats, anytime and anywhere. The Company's Hasbro Studios develops and produces television programming for more than 170 markets around the world, and for the U.S. on Hub Network, part of a multi-platform joint venture between Hasbro and Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK). Through the company's deep commitment to corporate social responsibility, including philanthropy, Hasbro is helping to build a safe and sustainable world for future generations and to positively impact the lives of millions of children and families every year. It has been recognized for its efforts by being named one of the "World's Most Ethical Companies" and is ranked as one of Corporate Responsibility Magazine's "100 Best Corporate Citizens." Learn more at www.hasbro.com.

SCRABBLE, the associated logo, the design of the distinctive SCRABBLE brand game board, and the distinctive letter tile designs are trademarks of Hasbro in the United States and Canada. © 2013 Hasbro. All Rights Reserved.

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