You are a top-notch Scrabble player in the final game of the tournament that could send you to the world championships.

You are also 103 points behind, it’s your turn, and there are no tiles left. What do you do?  

If you are long-time Scrabble player Walker Willingham, you take a moment to smell the flowers.

With the 104-point play “wisterias,” the Bainbridge resident won the game and first place in a tournament last month to qualify for the World Scrabble Championship on October 19-24 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

“There were a lot of close games, and a lot of it depends on luck,” Willingham said of his victory. 

“I was actually outscored in the end…but ended up winning the most (10 out of 15) games which made me the champion.”

Luck may have been a factor, but Willingham has 15 years of experience in tournament Scrabble play behind him and works diligently at the game, studying words at least five hours a week – an investment he plans to double in preparation for the world competition.

Willingham originally became interested in Scrabble when his wife, Molly, refused to play the game with him, suggesting that he join a competitive Scrabble club in Seattle instead.

“If my wife had played Scrabble,” Willingham joked, “I never would have played competitively.”

After playing every week with his Scrabble club in Seattle for a while, Willingham began playing in area tournaments.

Molly says her husband has become “obsessed (with Scrabble), especially these past four years” – going so far as to set up a few Scrabble games wherever he goes on vacation.

“There is really a subculture of Scrabble players,” he said. “We are all word freaks, and there is a buzz that goes along with playing competitively.”

And although his wife will not play the game with him, his 10- year-old son Holden will occasionally challenge his father – provided he gets to use a Scrabble dictionary.

Willingham’s love for Scrabble has led to a few adjustments to family activities, however.

“We have hosted guests for tournaments, and I will travel across the country and stay with other people, too,” he said. 

On the island, Willingham holds monthly Scrabble gatherings at his home – where the focus, he insists, is on having fun.

“If all you find yourself doing in studying (words) and not enjoying it, then it isn’t worth it,” he said.

It’s that principle that Willingham believes has made him so successful.

“I have had very good luck with the game because I don’t have any particular expectations,” he said.

“(In the qualifier), I played loose, and just to have fun.”

In October, Willingham and the second- and third-place finishers will join 13 other Americans in the world championship, where he will compete among the world’s top 100 players from over 40 countries.

“My goal is to stay out of the bottom quarter,” he said

“Maybe I will make it to the top half, but I will be a little surprised, although I was surprised about winning this last tournament as well.”