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Cooper Komatsu Aces Scrabble, Too

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Cooper Komatsu, left, and Jem Burch

For all you Scrabble lovers:

“Lucky 13” – comprised of eighth grader Cooper Komatsu of Culver City Middle School and his seventh grade partner Jem Burch of Van Nuys — won the North American School Scrabble Championship.

Cooper and Jem became friends four years ago over a shared love of the game.

Competing in a field of 85 fourth-through-eighth grade teams from all over the United States and Canada, Cooper and Jem withstood eight rounds over a period of two days to win it all.

They played their games on Saturday and Sunday at the spectacular Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA, in a space overlooking a New England Revolution soccer match.

After all their practice and studying, “Lucky 13” won $10,000, trophies, and the bragging rights of being the best fourth through eighth grade student players in North America.

Cooper Komatsu, right, and teammate Jem Burch
Cooper Komatsu, right, and teammate Jem Burch

Favorite bingos (50-point bonus plays) included “awaited”, “docilely,” and “agnosia,” which Merriam-Webster defines as “a loss of ability to recognize familiar objects.”

The boys’ high win was 521 points, with an average score of 452 points per game.

Cooper is passionate about Scrabble as a tool for memory, math, word knowledge, and fun. He wants to share his interest with other students his age, perhaps by starting a high school club next year at Culver City High School.

Now that the tournament is over, he is ready to switch back to studying for the Scripps National Spelling Bee, which will take place in National Harbor, MD, on May 25 and 26. The Bee will be televised on ESPN.

Cooper also looks forward to finishing off his eighth grade year at Culver City Middle School with a trip to Magic Mountain and other end-of-middle-school festivities.

This year has truly been his Lucky 13.

Ms. Komatsu, mother of champion Cooper, may be contacted deborahkomatsu@me.com

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