Martus rules USJ-R scrabble tourney

CEBU, Philippines - Teodoro Martus, Jr. showed the form that made him the country's No.1 scrabble player to rule the University of San Jose-Recoletos Open Scrabble Tournament last Saturday at the auditorium of USJ-R Basak Campus.

Martus finished the tournament with six wins in eight games and a spread of 415 points.             

Interestingly, Martus clinched the title despite losing in his first round match by default. "I had an important meeting to attend to at that time. Luckily though I was able to catch up my games after the first round," he said.

Juwar Ayuno, who defeated Dart Eslao in the penultimate round, took the second place honors also with six wins, while Eslao collected five victories to settle for third place.

Renante de la Cerna and Jullence Labalan occupied the fourth and fifth spots, respectively.

In the youth division, USJ-R posted a 1-2 finish, with Michael Benedict Tuba claiming the top honors anchored on a perfect 5-0 record and 352 spread points.

Tuba's teammate Francis Dianne Lim wound up second with a 4-1 slate and a spread of 371 points, while Louis Tan from the University of San Carlos (USC) placed third with four wins and a spread of 155 points.

In the elementary A category, Jullifer Tuba, an honor student of USJ-R, bested fellow Josenian Franz Banguiran, 435-343, in the final round to snatch the crown with a perfect 5.0 points.

Gene Therese Montes, also of USJ-R, beat Lovelyn Catarinin from the University of the Visayas (UV), 394- 304, to settle for second place, while Trixie Joyce Martinez landed at third with four victories and 240 spread points.

Trishia Lyn Martinez stole part of the show by lording it over in the elementary B class followed by Jenikah Shane Belbes and Yurri Mayol.

All the top three winners received a signature medal and a certificate of participation, which were handed out by event organizer Jun Zarco.