See also: Boys' player information.

Rated 2038, Montreal native David Boys enters this Canadian 
SCRABBLE Championship (CSC) a mere rating point behind 
number one seed Adam Logan. The last time a CSC was held, in  
Œ96, David finished 5th after losing three straight games in rounds 
15-17. He is optimistic about his chances for doing well this time 
around. He says, "I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to go after a 
national  championship. I would never have guessed 15 years ago 
that this type of event could be part of my life in _any_ endeavor."

On average, David plays about 10 games a week, many of them at 
Montreal's Club #83, directed by fellow WSC contestant Bernard 
Gotlieb.  He says that most of his "SCRABBLE time" is spent 
studying, playing the Hasbro CD-ROM game, and reading material 
on a SCRABBLE-related Internet mailing list.  He uses both Lexpert 
and Video Flashcards, plus about four or five thousand handmade 
index cards. However, he let slip that perhaps his greatest studying 
is accomplished while soaking in a "nice hot bubble bath."

David's friends describe him a "a genuine good guy" who'll play 
SCRABBLE with anyone, never looking down his nose at lesser 
skilled players. He views every game as a learning opportunity. As 
if to demonstrate this point, when I asked him about the people 
who guided him along the way, he said, "Whoever happened to be 
better than me at any given time over the past 12 years always 
motivated me. I used to think ŒOne day I'll be as good as so and so 
. . . .' So and so changed over the years as I improved.   I am still 
learning new things and being refreshed on old things all the time 
by virtually anyone I play, often regardless of how highly or lowly 
rated they are."

David's SCRABBLE involvement is impressive in both national and 
international play.  In 1996 he won the World SCRABBLE 
Championship  (WSC) in London. In those playoffs, he edged out 
current World Champion Joel Sherman (NY). He remembers game 
5 against Sherman as one of his most outstanding efforts. He 
explains,  "I'm still rather proud I had the presence of mind not to 
plunk down an 89-point bingo (LADYBUGS) with two tiles in the 
bag. Instead I opted to make a 45-point play that guaranteed the 
win. That type of attention to the process of actually winning the 
game is something I often find lacking in my play even today.  I'm 
glad I had it at the right time--even if it made no difference as it 
turned out."

Being an international SCRABBLE champion has its down sides, 
too. Compartmentalizing the vocabularies (there are two 
dictionaries sanctioned during international play) can be tricky. 
David says, "I guess I play one OSW (not the North American 
dictionary) word by accident every 15 games or so. Unfortunately, 
both times I did it at the Chicago National SCRABBLE 
Championships (NSC) in August  actually cost me the game. That's 
unusual, more often than not I either get away with it or the lost 
turn affects only my winning or losing spread. I would guess I can 
expect to lose one game in 60 due to dictionary confusion on 
average, so I don't think it is too much of a problem." 

David, who earned a degree in psychology at Concordia 
University, works as a shipper for a medical supply company in 
Montreal.   Just to prove that he isn't a "one-dimensional 
SCRABBLE junkie," David insists that he also enjoys breathing, 
eating, and sleeping. More seriously, his real outside interests 
include hockey (he's "avid, but not good") and softball. His more 
sedentary activities include poker and reading.