Cebuano wields Girl Power in the war of words

One of the finest and most feared "word wizards" in the country is a Cebuana, and she's Atty. Odette Rio.

Even after making Iloilo her home for almost a decade now, this lady lawyer, proudly considers herself a Cebuana. She attended Colegio dela Inmaculada Concepcion in high school, finished a degree in History at Silliman University and took up her Bachelor of Laws at the University of San Carlos.

The feeling should be mutual for her fellow Sugbuanons, after all the exploits of Rio, daughter to a retired general (deceased) and an Iloilo pension house proprietor, are certainly unique. She is girl power personified in the male-dominated world of competitive scrabble.

Most of us perhaps associate scrabble with a favorite pastime or parlor game during get-togethers, but there is, in fact, a more serious approach to this widely popular board game of two to four players scoring points by forming words from individual lettered tiles. Thousands of hardcore aficionados of the English language and all its intricacies around the world play scrabble competitively, complete with stratospheric scores and even the intensity of a contact sport!

"Top level scrabble IS a man's world. In the US, there are only a few top women players. Why are there few women players at the top of the game? I don't know why," shared Rio. "In the world championship, out of at least 100 players competing, there would be only six to eight female players. Even in the world ranking, the top female player, Helen Gipson from UK, is ranked 54. Top 50 is all male."

Even with the lopsided figures, nowhere will you find the word "discouraged" in the lexicon of Atty. Rio, who currently ranks 65th in the world. She recently landed in the national news after outclassing in a Baguio tournament a distinguished overseas contender who sits among the world's top 10.

When she's not out competing, she's teaching English to Korean students. "I no longer practice law. I enjoy teaching more. The pay is not much but I get to spend some time doing what I love best: playing scrabble. Ha ha! I can't do that if I am practising law. So, you can say I gave up law for scrabble," she said with a laugh.

Wondering how she made scrabble her lifelong passion-and how she has emerged as one of the best? Read on.

The Freeman: How many major titles have you won so far?

I've won two national titles, in 2002 and 2004. I've won many local tournaments, especially in Baguio. Internationally, none, but I usually finish in the top 10.

TF: How many international tournaments have you competed in?

Well, the first international tournament I joined was in 1998, the Asia-Pacific Scrabble Championship. Out of 58 players in the field, I placed 3rd. I was in the World Scrabble Championship in '99 and placed 43rd out of 99 players. I placed 5th in the Bertam's World Scrabble Masters in Penang Malaysia in 2000 out of 64 players. I placed 11th in the Channel News World Scrabble Masters in 1999 out of 99 players.

But, usually, I join the annual King's Cup tournament in Thailand because it features a quality field of players. I've placed in the top 10 in said tournament maybe five times already usually finishing 5th, 6th or 7th. Recently, in December, the Philippines fielded its top five players against the top five of Australia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and India. I placed 10th there. Overall, I must have participated in more than 10 international tournaments usually in Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia.

TF: Tell us about your most recent big win in Baguio.

Well, that Baguio tournament was held to coincide with the Panagbenga Flower Festival. It was an 18-game tournament, but what made it special was the participation of Pakorn Nemitrmansuk from Thailand. He was my toughest opponent. Pakorn was a runner-up in the World Scrabble Championship in 2003 and 2005 and is considered one of the world's best players in SOWPODS scrabble and is rated in the Top 10 in the world.

He and I met nine times in the tournament. Going into the last game, he and I both had 12 wins. Whoever wins the last game becomes the champion. Luckily, I got good tiles and won. I won five times over Pakorn in the tournament, which is unusual since he is one of my nemeses. That was, by the way, my 9th consecutive win in Baguio dating back to June 2004 when I won the National Scrabble Championship there.

TF: How does it feel to excel in a man sport?

Actually, when you play against the other players, they no longer consider your gender. Sometimes, even though my opponent and I are friends, the moment we sit across each other, that friendship ends. Of course, after the game, it's back to normal.

TF: What does it take to be a champ? Care to share your winning secrets?

Ha ha. I guess lots of studying. Also, one needs to have dedication, perseverance and a strong fighting spirit. One must have the will to win despite the odds.

TF: How did you get into scrabble?

I remember playing solitaire scrabble when I was 9 years old. I really loved learning words and playing the game became an obsession. But I first joined a scrabble tournament in 1989 in Manila. Back then, there were not a lot of tournaments. When I went to the US in the 1990's, that was when I sharpened my skills since I got to play against really good players in the East Coast. I managed to achieve an expert rating in the US before I came back to the Philippines. What I really love about this game is the intense competition. I am, by nature, a very competitive person.

TF: How do you train and prepare for a tourney?

I don't play against anybody in Iloilo since there is no scrabble club. So, I don't get to spar against a human player. I do practice a lot against computer players or the bots. I also read my word list everyday at least for an hour. But playing against the bots usually takes me two to three hours a day.

TF: What about leisure time, how do you spend it?

Read, read, read and play, play, play scrabble. To relieve the mental stress, I also play bowling. But my whole life, you can say, revolves around scrabble. But I do need to take up another activity. Maybe golf?

TF: What's going to be next for you?

I'm busy preparing for the 4th leg, which will be held next week. After this tournament, the top 3 players who will represent the Philippines in the World will be officially announced. Based on the current point system, Ronald Credo (Manila) has 59 points, I have 56, Teodoro Martus (from Cebu) has 45 and Nora Labog (Manila) has 35. If all goes well, I have a good chance of making it to the World Scrabble Championships team. The venue for the WSC has not yet been determined, but word has it that India will be the site for this year's WSC.