Mack Meller

Meller began playing Scrabble when he was four.^[1] He soon displayed abilities well above his years, with Scrabble expert Joe Edley dubbing a ten-year-old Meller "the next champion".^[1] At that age, he played his first tournament in Ardsley, New York, in 2010, and won the Division 3 title at the event.^[2] In 2011, at age 11, he reportedly became the youngest Scrabble player to attain an "expert" 1600 rating.^[3] He won his first Division 1 title in Stamford, Connecticut, at the end of the year.^[2] By age 12, he was the highest-ranked player in North America under the age of 18.^[1] He reached the 2000-rating mark at age 13 in 2013.^[4]

Meller placed seventh at the North American national championship in both 2013 and 2014,^[5] earning the No. 6 ranking in North America at age 14.^[6] After a third-place finish in 2016,^[7] he was the runner-up to Will Anderson in 2017, bringing him to the No. 3 ranking in North America.^[8] In 2024, he became the North American national champion, winning a best-of-five playoff against Ian Weinstein.^[9] His title defense attempt ended as runner-up to Nigel Peltier in 2025.^[10]

Outside of competition, Meller makes videos about Scrabble on YouTube.^[11]

Meller grew up in Bedford, New York, in Westchester County, the son of Noel and Jessica Meller.^[12] He was homeschooled through Stanford Online High School.^[6] He graduated summa cum laude from Columbia University in 2020.^[13] He later moved to Lexington, Kentucky.^[4]

In other games, Meller won the KenKen tournament in Chappaqua, New York, in 2014.^[6] He collaborates with Pete Muller in creating a monthly meta crossword,^[14] and he placed second in Division D at the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament in 2025.^[15]