The week after Word Cup is a time for reflecting on the week that was. It's a time to congratulate people who deserve congratulations; it's a time to thank those who deserve thanks.

Wellington was able to sit out the final round with a well-earned bye as the dust settled in round 31. On the featured table, Enoch Nwali defeated Josh Castellano to seal second place; meanwhile Eta Karo downed Josh Sokol for third.

Wellington Jighere appears to be the favorite for now - he's a game up on the field with three left. But with a veritable horde of top experts still within a win or two of first place, this race is far too close to call.

Today, the two biggest movers were Josh Castellano, who improved to 15-6 and maintained his hold on first place, and Wellington Jighere, who moved to 14-7.

Josh Castellano followed up his 6-1 performance yesterday with a 5-2 day today, putting him in sole possession of first place. But 3 other players - Dave Wiegand, David Whitley, and Wellington Jighere - remain near the top.

We are live from sunny St. Louis, where a field of 61 CSW competitors got down to business today for the start of Word Cup 2025. We're now 7 games in, and a star-studded leaderboard is already taking shape.

We've got 63 CSW players registered, 1 awesome city ready to host us, and 31 games of Scrabble over 4.5 days on the docket. It's here. It's happening. All that's left to do is pack your bags and head to St. Louis.

Word Cup 2025 is now less than two months away. To be precise, seven weeks from right now, we'll be midway through the tournament. We're getting mighty close to go time. I can almost taste the St. Louis-style BBQ.