World Youth Scrabble Championship (WYSC) — Winners & History
The World Youth Scrabble Championships (WYSC) is where the future of competitive Scrabble takes shape. Since 2006, young players from Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Australia, and beyond have competed for the title of Youth World Champion — and many have gone on to become elite adult players.
2006
First WYSC
19
Editions
🇵🇰
Most Titles
U18
Age Limit
All WYSC Champions
| Year | Champion | Country | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Madhav Gopal Kamath | India | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
| 2024 | Affan Salman | Pakistan | Colombo, Sri Lanka |
| 2023 | Hivin Dilmith | Sri Lanka | Online |
| 2022 | Akshat Sharma | India | Online |
| 2021 | Yagan Gunes | Australia | Online |
| 2019 | Wellington Jighere Jr. | Nigeria | Torquay, England |
| 2018 | Abdullah Abbasi | Pakistan | Dubai, UAE |
| 2017 | Aabid Ismail | Sri Lanka | Subang Jaya, Malaysia |
| 2016 | Sanchit Kapoor | United Arab Emirates | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
| 2015 | Nicholas Hong | Malaysia | Perth, Australia |
| 2014 | Jack Durand | Australia | London, UK |
| 2013 | Moizullah Baig | Pakistan | Prague, Czech Republic |
| 2012 | Michael McKenna | Australia | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
| 2011 | Anand Bharadwaj | Australia | Warsaw, Poland |
| 2010 | Ker Jen Ho | Malaysia | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
| 2009 | Suanne Ong | Malaysia | Johor Bahru, Malaysia |
| 2008 | Charnrit Khongthanarat | Thailand | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
| 2007 | Toh Weibin | Singapore | Mumbai, India |
| 2006 | David Eldar | Australia | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
Data sourced from the Tournament Winners API →
Country Dominance
🇦🇺 Australia (5 titles)
David Eldar (2006), Anand Bharadwaj (2011), Michael McKenna (2012), Jack Durand (2014), Yagan Gunes (2021)
🇲🇾 Malaysia (3 titles)
Suanne Ong (2009), Ker Jen Ho (2010), Nicholas Hong (2015)
🇵🇰 Pakistan (3 titles)
Moizullah Baig (2013), Abdullah Abbasi (2018), Affan Salman (2024)
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka (2 titles)
Aabid Ismail (2017), Hivin Dilmith (2023)
🇮🇳 India (2 titles)
Akshat Sharma (2022), Madhav Gopal Kamath (2025)
🇳🇬 🇹🇭 🇸🇬 🇦🇪 (1 each)
Nigeria (2019), Thailand (2008), Singapore (2007), UAE (2016)
Milestones & Records
🏆 Most titles: Australia leads with 5 WYSC championships — David Eldar (2006), Anand Bharadwaj (2011), Michael McKenna (2012), Jack Durand (2014), and Yagan Gunes (2021).
🇵🇰 Pakistan rising: One of the strongest recent youth Scrabble nations, winning in 2013, 2018, and 2024. Pakistan's pipeline from youth to elite adult Scrabble is now well established.
🇮🇳 India breakthrough: Claimed its first WYSC title in 2022 (Akshat Sharma) and followed it with Madhav Gopal Kamath in 2025 — signalling a new era for Indian youth Scrabble.
⭐ Youth to World Champion: David Eldar won the very first WYSC in 2006 at age 14 — and went on to become the 2017 World Scrabble Champion and current world #1.
🏷️ WESPA Youth Cup: From 2017 onward, the event has run under the WESPA Youth Cup branding while continuing to crown the World Youth Scrabble Champion.
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