Word Cup Day 4: Can Karo close it out?

It's been Eta Karo's tournament to lose for quite a while. The Nigerian Scrabble master first took over the lead yesterday afternoon, in round 19; the field has been chasing him ever since. And it's been a tough chase, with a gaggle of top experts giving him their best shot.

But through it all, Karo has stayed on top. With a 5-2 session today - capped off by three straight wins over contenders Joel Wapnick, Anand Bharadwaj, and Jesse Day - he's only solidified his lead. Karo is now two games up on the field with three to play, which means he's almost certainly just one win away from the title.

Here's how the standings break down:

1. Eta Karo (20-8, +1728)

2. Jesse Day (18-10, +548)

3. Joel Wapnick (18-10, +490)

4. Wellington Jighere (17-11, +1153)

5. Geoff Thevenot (17-11, +898)

6. Rasheed Balogun (16.5-11.5, +613)

7. Anand Bharadwaj (16-12, +458)

8. Waseem Khatri (16-11, +448)

9. Nsikak Etim (16-12, +410)

10. Robert Linn (16-11, +140)

Jesse and Joel will have a chance to come from behind tomorrow, though obviously Eta is a strong favorite as things stand right now.

And of course, no matter what happens, we'll have a rousing competition for spots two through five, all of which offer pretty hefty cash prizes.

Three more games tomorrow. Let's see what happens.