There must be some mistake.

I read through the report about the purported World Scrabble Championships in London, of all places, and there was not a single mention of the actual Championship site, Anna Maria Island, Florida. For the past ten years the top contenders for the Scrabble crown have gathered not for the measly twenty four games in the three days reported happening in London, but for a true marathon ten days of game after game after game. Some limits are offered ("Okay, we'll play best of seven.") but these are hardly ever adhered to with the opponents battling deep into the the recesses of the night. Breakfast conversation is a combination of the latest news headlines and a replays of the great plays of the previous night.
"I got qanat on a triple and she challenged it."
"Wow, Bush's plane crashed in Maryland."
"I still say it looks like you mis-spelled gnat. Pass the milk, please."
"Huge rocks are expected to crash into the earth today."
"So, you played 'zygotes' and then you made 'athletics' out of 'tics' and got fifty points. Is there any cinnamon bread left?"
"You ended up winning anyway."
"Well, of course."
"It says here that New York City got two feet of snow last night."
"That's because I tried to play 'aloe vera' as one word."
"It's not one word."
"I know that now. More coffee?"
"The Chinese Army invaded the US via the Canadian border with Washington last Tuesday. They now occupy all of the Mid-West and are holding Chicago under siege."
"I have to go to the carpet store this morning but we'll play this afternoon, right?"
"If it's not windy, we can play outside."

The pretenders in London seem serious enough. They obviously have some enthusiasm for the game, but pale in comparison to the true champions hunkered down on the Island. AND there are the sunsets.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/21/international/21scrabble.html