Starting young
Naween was born in Sri Lanka. He moved to
Bahrain as a baby, living there for 16 years. His dad, Wimal,
introduced him to Scrabble at the age of six. Naween caught on fast. He
won the strongly-contested Gulf Championship at the tender age of 12.
Naween went on to win that title another three times, before moving to
Melbourne to study accounting at Deakin University in 1999. In
Australia, Naween quickly established himself as a top-class player in
the local Scrabble scene. He has been ranked #1 much of the time since
then.
When Naween's dad visited him in Melbourne, both father
and son competed in Masters level at a local Scrabble tournament.
Naween Fernando vs Andrew Fisher,
Victorian Championships, Melbourne, June 2003
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Having a go
Naween enjoys cricket, table tennis, and the occasional
night out on the tiles. At university, he was renowned for wearing
sunglasses in lecture theatres so that falling asleep was not too
embarrassing. He met some great friends at uni, often over a pool
table.
Naween had a go at skiing for the first time recently.
What's his best skiing skill so far? Falling down! Naween is also a
frequent plane traveller. His tip for scoring more leg room — get
assigned to the bulkhead seat every time by travelling with a mate who
is 200cm tall.
Currently, Naween juggles a busy work schedule with
Scrabble practice games and word study — 15 minutes on the train every
morning really isn't enough! He hopes to see the day when interstate
players get to compete in big tournaments on a regular basis to improve
the level of play and give the rest of the world a run for their words.
Scrabble Highlights:
Australian Champion 2005
Sri Lanka rep at World Championships: 1995 (23rd), 1997 (19th), 1999
(13th), 2001 (11th), 2003
Victorian State Champion 2002, 2003, 2005
NSW State Champion 2003
Winner, City of Sydney Masters 2001
Bahrain Champion 1990, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996
Gulf Champion 1992 1994 1995 1997
Winner, Channel News Asia 1999
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