KSSA Indian Open scrabble championship from January 23

Bengaluru: The Karnataka State Scrabble Association (KSSA), in partnership with decision sciences company Mu Sigma, will host KSSA Indian Open 2026, an international scrabble championship, in Bengaluru from January 23 to 26. 

Over 165 players from 13 countries will compete in the tournament across 4 divisions based on expertise level to win trophies and cash prizes totaling Rs 11.6 lakh. 

This includes the current world number 3, Hubert Wee of Singapore, 2017 Scrabble World Champion Akshay Bhandarkar, WESPA (Global governing body of scrabble) Chairman Lukeman Owolabi and 16-year-old Bengaluru boy Suyash Manchali, who won the silver medal at the 2024 World Youth Scrabble Championship and finished 5th at the 2025 edition. 

The special Division D tournament on January 26 is aimed at newbie players to gain exposure to competitive scrabble with its strict time limit of 25 minutes per player and a standard set of rules, according to a news release.