Oregon Resident Triumphs Over 500 Challengers for Tournament Title and $10,000 Prize

BUFFALO, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Both tiles and tensions ran high at the 2014 National SCRABBLE Championship, where after five days of consecutive play, Conrad Bassett -Bouchard of Portland, OR was named the tournament winner. Bassett-Bouchard, 24, defeated several top SCRABBLE players, including defending four time consecutive champion Nigel Richards, and received a cash prize of $10,000.

The tournament gathered a diverse group of more than 500 passionate SCRABBLE players at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center from locations as far as Thailand, Nigeria, and Great Britain. Competitors played in 31 one-on-one games, and were ranked based on their victories and the number of points by which they outscored their opponents.

For the first time, competitors in the final round were able to play GEOCACHE, a word chosen by fans in the SCRABBLE Word Showdown held on Facebook earlier this year. GEOCACHE and more than 5,000 other words such as HASHTAG, FRENEMY and SELFIE have been added to the fifth edition of Merriam-Webster's Official SCRABBLE Players Dictionary released earlier this month. New words from the Fifth Edition will be sanctioned for use in official club and tournament play on December 1, 2014.

"It is an exciting time for the SCRABBLE brand with the introduction of the new dictionary and this year's National SCRABBLE Championship proved to be one of the highlights of the year," said Jonathan Berkowitz, vice president of marketing, Hasbro Gaming. "We were very impressed by the passion, talent and dedication that we saw from all the players who participated in the event and congratulate Conrad on his amazing victory."

In the final round, Conrad Bassett-Bouchard defeated runner-up Jason Li, a 29-year-old chemistry teacher from Montreal, by over 120 points with a final score of 478-350. Over 25 words were played including MAR, ANNEXE, NAIAD, FLORIGEN, AA, DOCENTS, and BARF.

In addition to the National SCRABBLE Championship, SCRABBLE enthusiasts of all ages are able to compete in official SCRABBLE tournaments, including the annual National School SCRABBLE Championship; open to kids grades 4 through 8. This year's championship, held in April in Providence R.I. welcomed more than 140 SCRABBLE players who competed in teams of two during the exciting two-day event. Players can find out more about tournaments in their area by visiting scrabbleplayers.org and get information on the National School SCRABBLE Championship at hasbro.com/SCRABBLE.

The SCRABBLE game has also reached a new community of players with digital versions of the game from Electronic Arts available on Facebook, iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Android devices. This fall, Hasbro will also introduce the new SCRABBLE ELECTRONIC SCORING game, which makes scoring fun, easy and automatic with a handheld electronic scoring unit.

The National SCRABBLE Championship is organized by the North American SCRABBLE Players Association (NASPA), the nonprofit organization licensed by Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS) to administer competitive play in the United States and Canada. For additional information about the NSC, visit the NASPA website at: http://scrabbleplayers.org/.

About Hasbro

Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS) is a branded play company dedicated to fulfilling the fundamental need for play for children and families through the creative expression of the Company's world class brand portfolio, including TRANSFORMERS, MONOPOLY, PLAY-DOH, MY LITTLE PONY, MAGIC: THE GATHERING, NERF and LITTLEST PET SHOP. From toys and games, to television programming, motion pictures, digital gaming and a comprehensive licensing program, Hasbro strives to delight its global customers with innovative play and entertainment experiences, in a variety of forms and formats, anytime and anywhere. The Company's Hasbro Studios develops and produces television programming for more than 180 territories around the world, and for the U.S. on Hub Network, part of a multi-platform joint venture between Hasbro and Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK). Through the company's deep commitment to corporate social responsibility, including philanthropy, Hasbro is helping to build a safe and sustainable world for future generations and to positively impact the lives of millions of children and families every year. It has been recognized for its efforts by being named one of the "World's Most Ethical Companies" and is ranked as one of Corporate Responsibility Magazine's "100 Best Corporate Citizens." Learn more at www.hasbro.com.

SCRABBLE, the associated logo, the design of the distinctive SCRABBLE brand game board, and the distinctive letter tile designs are trademarks of Hasbro in the United States and Canada. © 2014 Hasbro. All Rights Reserved.

HASGP

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20140813006291/en/

For additional information, images and b-roll footage, please contact:
Hasbro Global Communications
Nicole Agnello, 401-727-5947
Nicole.agnello@hasbro.com
or
LITZKY PUBLIC RELATIONS
Marissa Connelly/Kate Hensler, 201-222-9118
mconnelly@litzkypr.com
khensler@litzkypr.com

Source: Hasbro, Inc.

News Provided by Acquire Media