Ottawa man crowned Scrabble c-h-a-m-p

TORONTO — How does civil servant Adam Logan spell success?

“Gardyloo,” “Eglomise” and “Zoecia.”

The 38-year-old from Ottawa was crowned the 2013 Canadian National Scrabble Champion on Monday in Toronto.

Logan, the 2005 world champion, beat Ross Brown — also from Ottawa — in the best-of-five finals in three straight games.

“This was one of my favourite championships, with most of the drama coming toward the end of the game,” he said in a release from Hasbro, which sells Scrabble.

The Canadian National Scrabble Championship featured 52 of the best Scrabble players from across the country for a weekend of competition at the Bond Place Hotel. The event is organized by Toronto Scrabble Club.

Logan won $5,000 for himself and $2,000 for the charity of his choice. He chose the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Foundation.

Logan will represent Canada at the world Scrabble championships in Prague at the end of the year.

As for the three words at the top of this story, Gardyloo (a Scottish warning call) was worth 68 points; Eglomise (an artistic process using glass) was worth 65 points and Zoecia (an aquatic invertebrate) earned him 34 points.