TOP-CLASS Scrabble players will converge on Swindon on Sunday as part of the lead-up to October's World Championships in Kuala Lumpur.

Highworth Scrabble Club chairman Steve Perry, 53, has organised a charity warm-up tournament at the Nationwide headquarters in Pipers Way, beginning at 10am.

Around 180 players from as far afield as Exeter, Cardiff and Truro are expected to attend and many of them will be in Kuala Lumpur in October.

Mr Perry, of Elm Road in Faringdon, has been an enthusiast of the word game ever since taking son Andrew, now 21, to an after-school Scrabble club as an eight-year-old. Andrew is now a world championship contender, although university studies mean he cannot attend on Sunday.

He said: "It is a fascinating game, a real mix of chance and skill. The appeal lies in creating the best words and the tactics you can use to outsmart other players.

"There are strategies and infinite opportunities and it really does help to increase word power. It is also a very social game, as the regular players on the circuit all know each other.

"There are games almost every week somewhere in England and the really dedicated players will travel long distances to be in a tournament, so we all get to know each other well.

"There is always such a good mix of people at tournaments, ranging from the very young to the very old, and those who play for fun to those, like my son, who are good enough to play in the world championships."

A Scrabble tournament runs along knock out rules, similar to chess tournaments, in which all entrants play six games and the winners of the first game play other winners. Then the winners of that game play other winners and so on until a single winner who has won all six of his games is declared.

Sunday's tournament will feature small cash prizes, but the bulk of the proceeds will go to the Prospect Hospice.