Graduate Student Leads Pack of More Experienced Experts at 2011 National SCRABBLE® Championship in Dallas

DALLAS, Aug. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- After 28 rounds of non-stop SCRABBLE®, nearly 350 competitors from 40 states and 4 countries are heading into the last day of the 2011 National SCRABBLE® Championship (NSC) being held at the Hotel InterContinental Dallas.  Only one will win the $10,000 top prize and bragging rights among North America's 10,000 tournament players.

Jesse Day, 23, a graduate student from Berkley, CA is in the lead with a win loss record of 20-8, +1308.  This is his 6th Nationals since 2005 when he first started competing in rated tournaments.  In second is Nigel Richards, 44, former National and World champion, from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia with a 20-8, +1143 record. Kenji Matsumoto, 26, from Aiea, HI is in third with a 20-8, +1137 record.

Among the words played today were ALEVIN (a young fish), JAUP (to splash), TZIGANE (a gypsy) and QAT (an evergreen shrub).

The final three games will start at 9:00 AM tomorrow and the $10,000 prize will be awarded to the new champion at approximately 2:30 PM.  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