In one of the most dramatic finishes of the Millennium Cup, Ricky Purnomo faced Alexander Gozali in a clash that swung wildly in the final racks. Alexander dominated much of the game with three bingos and a string of sharp plays, but Ricky nearly pulled off what would have been one of the most spectacular comebacks in his 25+ years of playing.

The game began with Alexander’s relentless offense. He landed three bingos, including a crushing SPOTTIES late in the midgame, alongside a punishing AZAN (49) that followed up his setup play AMIA. By the time SPOTTIES hit the board, Alexander had stormed ahead 430–268, holding a 162-point lead — and effectively 172 after Ricky’s time deficit.

With his rack CILMNSU and one in the bag, Ricky stared down an endgame puzzle against Alexander’s unseen ?EIJNNRU. Instead of damage control, he chose the spectacular route. Dropping LUNS (16), he drew the miracle tile: the blank.

Alexander replied with JUN (31) to extend his lead to 461, but Ricky instantly slammed down Ch(AZAN)IM for a breathtaking 180 points — an out-of-nowhere haymaker that would have flipped the game on its head. With rack points (+8) and the earlier overtime penalty (-10), Ricky’s score should have reached 462–461: a one-point miracle win, achieved without a single bingo.

But fate had one last twist. In the heat of the moment, Ricky fumbled the blank tile while placing it, costing precious seconds. His overtime penalty climbed by another 10 points, dropping his final tally to 452–461 — transforming elation into deflation in the blink of an eye.

Despite the heartbreaking finish, the game will be remembered as a spectacular showcase of boldness, calculation, and the razor-thin margins that define top-level Scrabble. Ricky’s daring Hail-Mary and Alexander’s steady stream of bingos made this clash unforgettable.

Final Score: Alexander Gozali 461 – Ricky Purnomo 452. For a play by play breakdown of the game, do check out Will Anderson’s video on the game. All tournament results in Singapore, including the Millennium Cup results, can be found at Toucanet.com .