Wellington Jighere

Wellington Jighere (born ) is a Nigerian Scrabble player. He won the World Scrabble Championship 2015, the first win for an African nation. He defeated Lewis MacKay in four straight wins.

Jighere is nicknamed "The Cat in the Hat" for his quiet personality and fondness for hats.

Career Jighere was born , and he grew up in Olomu, the origin point of Scrabble 's rise in Nigeria beginning in the 1970s. He first played using a cardboard version of the game his brother created. As a teenager, his skill earned him a scholarship. He began playing Scrabble tournaments in 2002, after winning games versus friends in the tournament scene. He participated in the 2007 and 2009 World Scrabble Championships, placing seventh and eleventh, respectively. For his win, he received a congratulatory phone call from president Muhammadu Buhari. He then created and sold the Wellyboard, his version of the Scrabble board. He also received a sponsorship from Canon Inc. Despite this, he continued making his living off Scrabble tournament prize money. He planned to appear at the Scrabble event, at the Nigerian National Sports Festival in March 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria caused the competition to be postponed indefinitely. He was unable to find a different job due to the unemployment caused by the pandemic. He unretired in February 2021, appearing at the Nigerian National Sports Festival. 2007 – 3rd place 2009 – 11th place 2015 – winner 2017 – 4th place 2023 – 4th place North American Scrabble Players Championship 2023 32nd National Championship Finals (CSW) – winner African Scrabble Championship / Pan African Championship 2006 – 7th place 2008 – winner 2010 – winner 2014 – 20th place 2016 – 11th place 2022 – 2nd place West African Scrabble Championship 2022 – 3rd place Nigerian National Scrabble Tournament 2019 – winner Asaf Zadok Nigerian National Championship Scrabble In The Jungle Nigeria 2022 – winner Lekki scrabble classic championship 2023 – 2nd place Wellington Classics, Nigeria 2017 – winner