Christchurch is about to become the wordsmith capital of New Zealand, as Scrabble players from across the country descend on the city this King’s Birthday weekend.

And forget any image of a quiet little board game in the corner of the Burnside Bowling Club.

This is serious stuff.

The New Zealand National Scrabble Championship is the premier event on the country’s Scrabble calendar, and this year’s competition has attracted a strong field of players from around the country.

Organisers say the contest is shaping up to be one of the closest in years.

The player everyone will be watching is reigning champ Dylan Early, a Grandmaster (GM) from Wellington, who has had a huge run of success. Early added the 2025 Masters title to his 2025 Nationals title and is currently ranked number three in New Zealand.

But he will have some formidable challengers trying to take the title from him.

Among them is Howard Warner, a GM from Carterton, who is currently ranked number one in New Zealand. Warner is a 12-time National Champion, 14-time Masters Champion, and has won an astonishing 195 tournaments. His goal of 200 lifetime wins is now tantalisingly close. He is also a three-time world seniors champion.

Also in the mix is a GM from Auckland – Alastair Richards, the 2021 World Champion, who defeated Australian two-time World Champion David Eldar in the finals. Richards is a former New Zealand National Champion and New Zealand Masters Champion, and is currently the country’s highest-rated player. He returns to competitive Scrabble after a short break to spend time with his young family.

Joanne Craig, originally from Timaru and now living in Sydney, is another major contender. Craig won the 2022 National Championship, the last time the event was held in Christchurch, and is currently ranked fifth in New Zealand.

And then there’s Christchurch’s own Lewis Hawkins, New Zealand’s newest Scrabble GM. Hawkins achieved the title in January 2025 and, at just 21, is the country’s youngest elite player. He already has an impressive international youth career behind him, having won the Under 12 category three times at the World Youth Scrabble Championships, as well as the Under 10 and Under 14 categories once each. He is currently ranked sixth in New Zealand.

The championship will also feature one of the sport’s most recognisable names, Jeff Grant, who has won the National Championship 16 times and is known as the “Roger Federer of Scrabble”.

This year’s event has attracted 66 registered competitors from around the country, including players from Mount Albert, Whangārei, Wellington, Whanganui, Christchurch, Dunedin, Hamilton, Masterton, Golden Bay and Taranaki.

The National Championship will be livestreamed with expert international commentators, and with growing global interest in Scrabble, organisers are expecting more than 5000 views by the end of the long weekend.