Scrabble giant Gruzd will now always be in Masters

Scrabble South Africa has renamed its prestigious Masters Tournament after the late political analyst and SA Jewish Report writer Steven Gruzd, recognising his role in elevating the local game on the international stage. 

The newly named Steven Gruzd Masters Tournament celebrates not only competitive excellence but the lasting impact Gruzd has had on the Scrabble community as a player, organiser, mentor, and ambassador for the game. 

Gruzd was a prominent South African researcher, writer, and policy analyst who headed the African Governance and Diplomacy Programme at the South African Institute of International Affairs. He was also one of South Africa’s leading competitive Scrabble players, representing the country internationally and winning many African titles. 

Gruzd was murdered in March 2026 after being kidnapped in Johannesburg in what police and community security organisations described as an “express kidnapping”, a criminal kidnapping carried out for ransom and robbery. He was reported missing after attending a meeting in Corlett Gardens and, despite a large search involving police and community security groups, found dead the following day. Five suspects were arrested in connection with the kidnapping and murder. 

His death prompted tributes from colleagues, friends, the policy community, and Scrabble players across South Africa and beyond, who remembered him as an intellectual, mentor, family man, and passionate advocate for the game of Scrabble. 

Gruzd was the chairperson of Gauteng Scrabble and, as such, second on the national executive as vice-chairperson, involved in developing and upholding the national constitution. His tragic death left a large gap in the South African Scrabble community. 

In honour of Gruzd, Scrabble South Africa named its most prestigious annual tournament, held on 15 and 16 June in Cape Town, after him. The tournament brings together the 10 best wordsmiths in South Africa to hammer it out over a series of 18 games played over two days. 

“Renaming the South African Masters, the Steven Gruzd Masters is an honour that I believed Steven deserved,” said president of Scrabble South Africa Ike Obidike. “I got suggestions to rename the South African Nationals for him, but I felt that Steven represented excellence, the very best of Scrabble, and the Masters is the very top of competition where the very best compete. That you have to qualify by being among the best 10 players in the country is the sort of excellence to be associated with Steven. I was not going to spare anything to immortalise his name.” 

“He was a calm, intelligent, and mature voice on the committee, and he has left a Steve-sized gap that will never be filled,” said Scrabble South Africa treasurer Debbie Dooley. 

Gruzd was a child prodigy and started playing Scrabble as a young boy. He once came 10th in the World Championship. He travelled the world for Scrabble and represented South Africa in team and individual competitions. 

Everyone Gruzd encountered through Scrabble explained what a humble, knowledgeable, and supportive player he was and that he was always there with a smile. 

“Seeing his picture in a frame, with his smiling face ‒ that is the face that would be walking around the tournament ‒ with a few words of encouragement or a slight kick in the butt for making stupid mistakes. His love of words, his dedication to the game, and the friendships he built around it will be remembered every time a game of Scrabble is played at the Johannesburg Club and at any tournament,” said fellow Scrabble player Roshelle Pillay. 

“As a player, he was always a gentleman and a great mentor. He had incredible recall, and his tactical board skills put him on the podium at every competition. He was selected to represent Scrabble SA regularly at various international tournaments, and while he won his place to compete, very little funding was available to assist him in representing us as we continue to struggle to be recognised officially as a sport,” Dooley said. 

This year’s winner was Trevor Hovelmeier from Gauteng. “His win secured his prestige as he became a 10-time winner of this tournament and simultaneously secured Gauteng the victory over Western Province as the overall winner. Both achievements would have Stevo feeling proud, as they do us, his forever Scrabble family,” said Dooley. 

Gruzd’s sister, Sarah Nothard, and her husband attended the tournament’s prize-giving and presented the awards, including a brand-new trophy sponsored by Wilfred Gruzd, Steven’s father. 

“Other than his family, I don’t think Steve loved anything more than Scrabble. It was his passion, his happy place, and often an escape where he could use his brilliant mind and simply be himself,” said Nothard. “I know he would have felt deeply honoured that all of you have come together to play in this tournament over the past two days in his memory. The friendships, laughter, competition, and shared love of the game would have meant the world to him.”