Wellington Jighere

Wellington Jighere (born c. 1982 ) is a Nigerian Scrabble player. He won the World Scrabble Championship 2015, the first win for an African nation. He defeated Lewis MacKay in four straight wins.

Jighere is nicknamed "The Cat in the Hat" for his quiet personality and fondness for hats.

Career
Jighere began playing Scrabble tournaments in 2002, after winning games versus friends in the tournament scene. He was the winner of the 2015 Scrabble World Championship, the first win for an African nation. After winning, he received a congratulatory phone call from president Muhammadu Buhari.

He intended to appear in the World Scrabble Championship 2016, but the French government denied his passport, along with every other member of the Nigerian Scrabble team.

In 2020, he announced his retirement from tournament Scrabble, due to not being paid prize money. He unretired in 2023, making an appearance in the year's World Scrabble Championship.

Achievements

 * World Scrabble Championships
 * 2007 – 3rd place
 * 2009 – 11th place
 * 2015 – winner
 * 2017 – 4th place
 * 2023 – 4th place


 * North American Scrabble Players Championship
 * 2023 32nd National Championship Finals (CSW) – winner


 * African Scrabble Championship / Pan African Championship
 * 2006 – 7th place
 * 2008 – winner
 * 2010 – winner
 * 2014 – 20th place
 * 2016 – 11th place
 * 2022 – 2nd place


 * West African Scrabble Championship
 * 2022 – 3rd place


 * Nigerian National Scrabble Tournament
 * 2019 – winner


 * Asaf Zadok Nigerian National Championship
 * 2017 – 14th place


 * MGI (Mind Games Incorporated) Scrabble Grand Slam
 * 2022 – winner


 * Scrabble In The Jungle Nigeria
 * 2022 – winner


 * Lekki scrabble classic championship
 * 2023 – 2nd place


 * Wellington Classics, Nigeria
 * 2017 – winner