air break hiatus to bust the rust

Nicky Vella Laurenti, Frans Farrugia make successful return to Competitive Scrabble in SIT 3.

If it is true that practice makes perfect, it follows that little or no practice breeds imperfection.

Judging by the performance of Nicky Vella Laurenti (photo) and Frans Farrugia in the third Short Interleague Tournament of the season, this statement might be a non sequitur. Making their first competitive foray after many weeks of inactivity, the two veteran players emerged from six swiss rounds played over just two evenings in first and third position respectively, inching up the ratings ladder in the process.

Splitting the two returnees with a second-place finish was Josephine Mayo, whose two losses were, incidentally, to Laurenti and Farrugia. 

The highest-ranked player of the tournament, Laurenti did show signs of rusting, losing quite miserably in the first round to Kevin Pirotta, who went on to place fourth and win the Ratings Prize. But it only got better from there as the Club player-cum-President scored 604 in the penultimate round, the highest game score of the tournament.

(penned & published by Nicky Vella Laurenti, photo credit: John Chew)