What’s in a word?

Rebecca Malone

Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2001 | 9:17 a.m.

At age 17 Brian Cappalletto was considered a Scrabble prodigy after he finished fifth in the American National Scrabble Championship.

Fifteen years later Cappalletto now can be called a champion after winning the World Scrabble Championship Monday -- his first -- and a $25,000 prize with it.

Cappelletto and Joel Wapnick, the previous world champion, had the highest scores from the weekend competitions and battled through four timed 50-minute games on Monday to determine the winner. Both men have competed in all five of the previous World Scrabble Championships.

A total of 88 people from more than 40 countries competed Friday through Monday in the 2001 championship.

Cappelletto, 32, an options trader, was the top-rated player for three consecutive years. In addition to his fifth-place finish in 1987, he finished second in the 1991 WSC and the 1995 $100,000 Scrabble Superstars Showdown, and won the 1998 national title in his hometown of Chicago.

About 200 people watched the final rounds at the Venetian, which aired on closed circuit television in one of the hotel's meeting rooms, said John D. Williams Jr., executive director of the National Scrabble Association.

"This was the best competition ever," Williams said. "The caliber of this year's players over the last decade is just incredible. Some of these people are playing in their second or third language."

The amount of countries participating in the World Scrabble Championship has doubled over the past few competitions, with this year's players ranging in age from 15 to 67, Williams said.