26 Year-Old From Hawaii Leads After 20 Rounds at 2011 National SCRABBLE® Championship

DALLAS, Aug. 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Kenji Matsumoto, 26, from Aiea, HI is in the lead after 20 rounds and three days of intense word play at the 2011 National SCRABBLE® Championship (NSC).  Nearly 350 SCRABBLE® players from 40 states and 4 countries are competing at the Hotel InterContinental Dallas.

Behind Matsumoto's 15-5 record and +1357 point spread is Nigel Richards, 44, former World and National SCRABBLE® Champion from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia with a 15-5 record and a +862 point spread.  Another former World and National Champion, Joel Sherman, 49, from the Bronx, NY is in third with a record of 15-5 and a +836 point spread.

Some unusual words played today include:  BORTZ (a low-quality diamond), GANOF (a thief), UVEA (a layer of the eye) and WOORALI (an arrow poison).

The NSC competition continues with seven rounds on Tuesday and the final three rounds on Wednesday to decide the 2011 National SCRABBLE® Champion. The $10,000 check will be awarded to the new champion at approximately 2:30 PM Wednesday. Live Internet coverage is featured on www.scrabbleplayers.org.  SCRABBLE® is a trademark of Hasbro in the United States and Canada.

Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS) is a branded play company providing children and families around the world with a wide-range of immersive entertainment offerings based on the Company's world class brand portfolio.  From toys and games, to television programming, motion pictures, video games and a comprehensive licensing program, Hasbro strives to delight its customers through the strategic leveraging of well-known and beloved brands such as TRANSFORMERS, LITTLEST PET SHOP, NERF, PLAYSKOOL, MY LITTLE PONY, G.I. JOE, MAGIC: THE GATHERING and MONOPOLY.  The Hub, Hasbro's multi-platform joint venture with Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) launched on October 10, 2010. The online home of The Hub is www.hubworld.com. The Hub logo and name are trademarks of Hub Television Networks, LLC. All rights reserved.  Come see how we inspire play through our brands at http://www.hasbro.com.  © 2011 Hasbro, Inc.  All Rights Reserved.

SOURCE National SCRABBLE Association