Benin – scrabble : “Nic”, le crack en or

This may be the story of his life : a young man who has condemned himself to be eternally first. Nicanor Covi has just won his very first title of champion of Benin in scrabble. Between two stammering lips, it opens.

Behind the dark light of his photochromic glasses, his barely visible eyes were still twinkling. Naturally calm, he has ductile repartee and scarlet passion when it comes to speaking Scrabble, especially this title of champion of Benin that he won on Sunday 17 avril 2022.

At the time of telling, to put words to this exceptional journey, there is excitement in his voice, he caresses his chin then intertwines his fingers. But as often with Nicanor, any lover of beautiful letters that he is, the words are always well chosen, the polished speech and the tone at the borders of the professorial "The hard work conquers all things", he comments, calmly. A Latin expression to sum up his performance : “Hard work overcomes everything. »

The metaphor is well found by the one who has just beaten the president of his federation, Herve Boni, a veteran of the game with his three decades of playing scrabble. An almost Davidic victory that gives panache and color to the triumph. Very early led (2-0) in the game, the one we nicknamed in another life "Nic the death" had to make a spectacular comeback to end up winning 3-2 au tie-break. « Hervé, he is a great champion, a fearsome champion », admits the new sovereign of Beninese classic scrabble with great respect in the remarks. Never far from comparison in language, this time he draws on his footballing culture to illustrate : "It's as if Shakhtar Donetsk faces Real Madrid in the Champions League final for example".

His frenzied joy translated into a small video of only five seconds published on the Facebook page of the Beninese Scrabble Federation without any comment : An onomatopoeia "ouh !!! followed by a co-grammatical gesture, then he gives himself a punch in the hollow of his left hand and ends up letting go "finally champion of Benin ! » all in a dark look, closed face, the frontal nerves on edge. A “body langage” which traces all the suffering of the enarque in the conquest of the grail. "There is in this cry of liberation" he comments, before ending up wearing a frank and childish smile when he rediscovers himself in the video " It is true, he is real with a lot of sincerity” does it glide gracefully.

fighting spirit

If Nicanor hovers today in the firmament of Beninese classic scrabble, it is the result of several years of practice and high intensity training. It's in 2001, that the brand new champion of Benin discovers scrabble. And now, love at first sight. "One evening of 2001, an uncle of mine came with a scrabble box under his arm. And it was my father who was invited to play against him. Then the next night another uncle joined them. I held the table. And that was the episode of every night of my young childhood ". From meeting secretary to buccaneer boss, the footbridge is very quickly traced and everything changes this evening where for the very first time Nicanor, then a simple scrabbler apprentice is invited to put his hand in the bag. " One day, one of my uncles is missing. I was then asked to replace him. This is how I placed my first pawns on the grid. And tonight, i beat them all. It was the click, I said to myself : i'm good at this game ! » At this point in the story, he stops and slips a nostalgic smile. Carelessness coupled with insolence at play will earn little Nicanor his parents' dismissal, one night stands. Probably to avoid another setback against a barely pubescent kid. Dictatorship.

For the next seven years, he makes it his favorite distraction, torturing his classmates all day long. Nicanor then thought he was a little genius of this board game. But he will be taken down from his Jupiterian pedestal when he discovers the harsh reality of competitive scrabble.. First setback for him, it's at university. “During a detection tournament of the federation, I get beaten up in the semi-finals. But then there, beat up ! », he remembers. This is how the one who considers himself a man of challenge joins the club “the intrepid” in 2008 to which he vows loyalty until now. He then only had 21 years when he entered the arena. At the time, the masters of the national scrabble scene were known : Julien Affaton (classic scrabble world champion in 2014) François Xavier Adjovi, Herve Boni, Émile Agbanglassi, Eli Ahinan (died, editor's note), Rodrigue Adjajoungbeta (died, editor's note) and many more who are performing so far.

In the middle of these behemoths of the game, it was necessary for him to clear a path on thorny paths. "I didn't want to be a stooge. So I worked four times harder. At a minimum, I practice since 14 years, minimum four hours of scrabble per day”. A regularity in the effort which allows him to be enthroned on the Beninese scrabble today, he who has already lost two finals in the past in 2016 and 2018. It is therefore for the head of the culture desk of the national television of Benin, a revenge on history and a culmination of almost fifteen years of hard work.

Challenge

With this title in your pocket, this is a first step for Nicanor Covi. Passed the euphoria of the first time, he returns to his training software. be champion, it's like the nectar of the gods. After tasting it, we want more. Africa has been warned, the young crack comes. He will represent Benin at the next African Scrabble Championships in Yaoundé, Cameroon, even if for now, he remains moderate in his expectations. “I may not yet have the level to compete with the ten best on the continent. But I come dangerously and seriously close because I work for. But the real medals for me, it will be in two, three years ". However, he does not go to his continental games to make up the numbers. He knows that Benin, good student in this sporting discipline has been weaned from titles for four years. It starts out long. Why can't he still be the messiah.

But before going to reign on the continent, the Benin champion wants to win duplicate titles next month. The “wild wolf” (His nickname, editor's note) is not satisfied yet. to finish, it's clear, he wants to be world champion. The former champion of the dreaded "budding geniuses" game of the National School of Administration (ENA, previously ENAM) follows in the footsteps of great champions. Fed to general culture by his parents, career teachers, he devoured the family library. Nicanor a lu Birago Diop, Sony Mud Tansy, Alioum Fantouré and many other authors of African literature. In the encyclopedia, he grew strongly. Nicanor knows Hugo and his romanticism, Flaubert and his realism, Zola and his naturalism, Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky and his romantic flights.

He is now a grinding machine. And for him the adventure has only just begun.  “I like to take on challenges. I think life, itself is a challenge in itself. As long as you live there, might as well give your all for everything you love. And everything that I love, it's mind games. Triturate my neurons. Living my life dangerously in the letters. »

Herman Rodrigue AMEGAN