He won Spain’s top Scrabble title without speaking Spanish

Some people are good at Scrabble. And then there’s Nigel Richards, a guy who exists on a completely different plane of existence when it comes to letter tiles, triple-word scores, and mind-bending strategy. This New Zealander, who has long been considered the greatest Scrabble player in the world, just did something so wild it sounds like a glitch in the Matrix: He won the Spanish-language Scrabble World Championship… without actually speaking Spanish.

According to a report by the Associated Press (AP), Richards clinched the title in Granada, Spain, after losing just one game out of 24. Let that sink in. A man who doesn’t know the language beats native Spanish speakers at their own game, all while calmly rearranging tiles like some linguistic Jedi.

How do you beat people in their own language?

Richards isn’t new to this. In fact, he is a five-time English-language Scrabble World Champion. But what sets him apart isn’t just his dominance in English. Back in 2015, he pulled a similar stunt by winning the French-language Scrabble title — again, without speaking the language. He simply crammed the French word list into his brain in 9 weeks and walked away with the trophy.

So, how did he pull off the Spanish win this time? He spent a year memorizing every allowable word in Spanish Scrabble. That’s not just impressive — it’s borderline superhuman. His friend and fellow Scrabble aficionado Liz Fagerlundtold the AP:

“He can look at a block of words together, and once they go into his brain as a picture he can just recall that very easily.”

For Richards, words aren’t words. They’re patterns and sequences — like solving a Rubik’s Cube with letters. And if you’re wondering why he does it, good luck figuring that out. The man is notoriously shy and has zero interest in talking to reporters about his insane accomplishments.

The Scrabble community is shook

Even the organizers of the championship couldn’t believe what they were witnessing. Alejandro Terenzani, a contest organizer, told the AP:

“We certainly expected that he would perform well, but it is perhaps true that he surpassed our expectations.”

Perhaps a bit of an understatement. The defending champion, Benjamín Olaizola of Argentina, who speaks Spanish fluently (obviously), came in second place after winning 18 games. Meanwhile, Richards just quietly dominated the board like it was no big deal.

On YouTube, Scrabble fans break down Richards’ plays with the same reverence baseball fans reserve for replaying an Aaron Judge homer. One video from earlier this year showcases a particularly “godlike” move that’s leaving jaws on the floor:

It’s not just about knowing the words

Winning a Scrabble championship in a foreign language isn’t just about memorizing words. Different languages have different challenges. In Spanish Scrabble, there are thousands more seven-, eight-, and nine-letter words compared to English. Plus, the tile values change depending on the language, meaning you need a completely different strategy.

Richards’ approach is mathematical, not linguistic. His mother, Adrienne Fischer, once told a New Zealand newspaper:

“I don’t think he’s ever read a book, apart from the dictionary.”

Classic Nigel.

Why does he do it?

No one really knows what drives this guy. He doesn’t give interviews, doesn’t seek fame and genuinely doesn’t get what all the fuss is about. As Fagerlund put it:

“He doesn’t understand what all the hoo-ha is about.”

Maybe that’s the magic of it. While the rest of us are out here fumbling for words and trying to remember if “qi” is still a legal play, Richards is quietly breaking brains and racking up world titles.

Ultimately, his victory is a wild reminder that sometimes, it’s not about fluency; it’s about strategy. And when you have a mind that sees words as puzzles, not meanings, the whole world becomes your Scrabble board.

Congrats, Nigel. Or should we say, ¡Felicidades!

To see more of Nigel in action, check out this YouTube video about his win: