Scrabble player caught cheating

We have some troubling news in from our US correspondent (we don't have a US correspondent). Yesterday, at the national Scrabble championships in Orlando, Florida, a competitor was escorted off the premises for cheating.

The young male, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was found in possession of two blank tiles, rumbled when he accidentally dropped them on the floor, at the 350-player event.

Any hardcore Scrabble player will know that a blank tile is essentially gold dust in the word-making world.

According to the report by the Daily Mail, executive director of the National Scrabble Association John D. Williams Jr said cheating is known to happen but at smaller, regional events and it has never happened at national level before.

He said: "The Scrabble world is abuzz. The Internet is abuzz.’

Jason Keller, who is the nine-time Jeopardy champion and is fourth place in the tournament, said it is widely known that competitors will often use minerals known as 'brain boosters' to enhance their performance.

The top prize of the five-day tournament is £6,380, and today is the final day of competition.

(Image: Rex Features)