OTYMPIAD NEWS

Issue 1 Tuesdary 19 August

LeT BaTTLE CoMMENcE! CoNreNrs Sir Brian Tovey launched the first ever the neck, and convey the message that Mind Sports Olympiad with this cerebral striving is something that Let Battle Commence!..... L rousing cheer, setting in motion the everyone can and should do. A Maximum Resuh ...... 1 - - first day of a record-setting 39 leader in The Times captured and Age Heresy 1 ...... 2 international mental events. The carried message: Early C\imax...... 2 the urgency of this Chairman of the MSO mounted the 'Modern interest in sport and physical Do you uant to be stage of the Royal Festival the fitness S7e on TV?...... 2 Hall to borders on the obsessional. strains of Copeland's Fanfarefor tbe worship at the temple of the Doing the Knouledge...... 2 body. Cornmon Man, with cameras from But the exercise of the mind is as Press Gang ...... 2 Britain Out of tbrs \Vord...... 2 to Japan immortalising the essential to our well-being as our inaugural event. score The Fibonacci morning of sit-ups. Honing Sir Brian touched on the increasing mental and Cha\\enge ...... 2 history of logic, agility the Royal Festival Hall, built in the expanding memory, heightens Phantom of the it context of the Festival Britain staves Opera ...... 2 of and adaptability and off premature Interztiew witb 'symbolising the recovery of this senility. The ancient world knew this country after years of war'. The RFH well. was for rnens sand in corpore Dorn inic O'Brien...... J It has hosted events dedicated music, sano that prayed.' Results Section ...... 4 to Juvenal opera, poetry, art festivals, Today's E2tents...... ,..,.....,, 4 and now this unique gathering of intellectual Maximum Result warriors from around the world. Sir The first day of the event Brian hoped that the Mind Sports featured the setting of an unbeatable Olympiad, the first of its kind record, though it is more likely to be anywhere in the world, would act as a recorded in Ripley's Belieoe It or Not symbol of 'new recovery, and a new than the Guinness Booh of Records. The source of inspiration'. round one pairing between Nick Chess Faulkes of Bermuda and Alec Aslett opened the event with a ceremonial ended 1-1, with chief arbiter Stewart first move that also demonstrated the Reuben awarding both players a win. 'Mind Sports were in desire to make the Olympiad an nervous finish resulted in Aslett danger of being an enclaae A instant tradition. The winner of this convinced he had mated his opponent, of tbose who raere year's chess competition will close the while Faulks was equally certain he intellectually superior, but first MSO with a reply to Keene's had won the game on time. Since this it's eoeryrnan. It is move. The game will continue, a pair conflict was noticed too late to check egalitarian. Everyone bas of moves per year, and all of us here the evidence at the scene, Reuben a brain - so let's use it' - look forward to a long, hard struggle judged amicable solution Tony Buzan,The the most Guardian in this particular duel. would be to award both players the The attention of the international point. This result stands, though the press and media seems to justify the computer pairing program protested organisers' enthusiastic lobbying for vigorously, delaying the second round. the attractions of mental competition. Brain expert Tony Buzan and memory master Dominic O'Brien were ro besieged by interviewers surprisingly kan la eager to direct their attention above Efrt- _l

The lst Mind Sports Olympiad at the Royal Festiaal Hall utitb Skandia OlympiadNews Tuesday 19 August

Age Heresy I scorers in the numerical part of the Lamabadusuriya in a game against The English veteran Michael J. Countdoutn test. Peter Horlock which resulted in a Franklin ended the first day of Anyone interested in entering score of 574-102. Flarshan clearly play with a perfect score of 3/3, the Co untdou?z competition, has an excellent grasp of English, his final victim being England's which is free of charge, should fill but his mother tongue is newest grandmaster, Aaron in a form obtainable from the Singhalese! Summerscale. registration desk. The 50 available places will be allocated on a first The Fibonacci Challenge Early Climax? come, first served basis. Entries Thomas Naylor, the inventor of Current British co-champions will only be accepted from UK the two-player game Fibonacci, is and Michael residents. marketing his brainchild on level Adams clash tomorrow morning, 2. As well as taking on all-comers, giving the MSO the honour of Doing the Knowledge Thomas is demonstrating and acting as the unofficial final tie- Skandia, the Mind Sports teaching this exciting new mental break. Michael Adams moved on Olympiad sponsors, are well challenge to games enthusiasts to 3/3 with a win against the known for their promotion of young and old. Also on offer is the teenage prodigy Luke McShane, Intellectual Capital. If you would d1,000 Fibonacci Challenge which currently the world's youngest Iike to find out more about this will be awarded to the first person international master. revolutionary concept, visit their to prove a forced win from the A player who will be well worth Knowledge Caf6 on level 3. The starting position for either the first keeping an eye on is the youngster caf6 features an Internet link to player or the second player to Thiruchelvam Thirumurugan, the international brains and games and move. (A forced win is one where current British Under-8 offers a 'Mind Rest' area to no effective defence exists.) Champion. In a busy last week at recuperate from mental battle. Fibonacci has been described as the British Chess Championships The Knowledge Caf6 is open 'an outstanding abstract game' in Flove, Thiruchelvam also tied every day during the MSO from (Angus Lavery rn Games & Puzzles for fifth in the British Under-1.4, 10.004u to 8.00PM. Magazine), and' an intriguin g despite being handicapped by an blend of Chess, Backgammon and early half-point bye. Leonard Press Gang Go' (Bill Hartston in The Barden, chess correspondent of First day media coverage of the Independent). If you would like to The Guardian, Tlte Financial Times Mind Sports Olympiad proved to try your hand at this new Mind and The Evening Sundard, x well be a sensational success, with Sport, you are welcome to visit the as an experienced observer of numerous TV crews and national Fibonacci stand on level 2. junior chess, considers Thiruch- newspaper j ournalists clamouring Thomas Naylor can also be elvam to be the second biggest for copy. Amongst the many TV contacted on 017 I 352 2977, or the talent of his age, after McShane. and radio stations covering the webpage event are: BBC Breakfast News, http : / / dialspace. dial.pipex. co m/ Do You Want to be on TV? Newsroom South East, ITN town/street/xmx54/ Do you watch Countdown? News, CNN, \fTN, London Mark Nyman, a former Vorld Today, TV Tokyo, Nippon TV, Phantom of the Opera Scrabble Champion, is competing British Satellite News, 7 Network The three-dimensional Sculpture in the Scrabble tournament at the Australia, Channel One, BBC puzzles from Really Useful Group Mind Sports Olympiad. Mark is Radio One and BBC'World consist of fine layers of die cut also the producer of Countdown, Service. An international team of cardboard, built from the ground the phenomenally successful TV j ournalists included reporters up in the form of Rodin's Kiss, quiz programme which involves a from: Reuters, Press Association, Venus de Milo, the head, clock, unique test of both numerical and National News Agency, Rex globe, pharaoh and the new verbal ability. Features, Ansa, La Sampa, The edition - Darth Vader's head. On \flednesday afternoon Mark Daily Mail, The Scotsman, TIte They are produced using the latest is inviting 50 of the participants Guardian, The Daily Telegrapb, Tbe scanning technology. and spectators at the MSO to take Sunday Times Magazine andTbe Every day during the OlymPiad a test which could result in an Times. a Sculpture challenge will be held. appearance on Countdoun. The The person who completes the organisers of the MSO are also Out of this Word Sculpture challenge in the fastest offering ten free places in the The first day's Scrabble event time will win two tickets to 'V/'hy lVorld Mental Calculations featured a notable winning margin Phantom of the Opera. not try Championship (to be held on of +72. This impressive feat was your luck at The Really Useful Sunday morning) to the highest achieved by Harshan Group stand on level 2?

The 1st Mind at the R Festiaal Hall uitb Shandia OlympiadNeus Tuesday 19 August

Intenriew with Dominic It seems to me that they could on my brain, taken while I was O'Brien become very popular as they are memorising cards, and it reported Dominic O'Brien, the current completely egalitarian - something that my brain went into the alpha Vorld Memory Champion, is hot everyone can do. Anyone can starc Qhz), which is the perfect favourite to retain his title this scribble numbers down and try to learning state. It is also the state year. Flere he talks to the remember them. You don't need a achieved when you meditate. I Olyrnpiad Nezos production team. chessboard, or Scrabble set, or suppose this is logical, because if Vhat is your impression of the backgammon board. If you know you are concentrating hard for 38 Mind Sports Olympiad? the right techniques anyone can do seconds you can't afford to start It's a big event! It's also rather it. By getting involved in this wondering if you've left the worrying - I feel as if I am being publishing work I am, in a sense, cooker on. fattened up for the kill. But I hope digging my own grave. I eventually to do the killing myself! Of course see myself perhaps devoting all my The events in the L997 Vodd the Mind Sports Olympiad is an time to teaching, becoming the Memory Championship are as excellent event. David Leadbetter of memory. follows: You're competing in the Vhat did you do before memory championship, any concentrating on memory? 1. Memorisation of a 4,000 digit other events? I used to have a job extracting number with one hour No. I am just concentrating on silver from photographic waste. allowed. trying to retain the memory tirle lJnfortunately the price of silver 2. Memorisation of 100 names (the competition is on Thursday plummeted, so I had to do and faces in 15 minutes. and Friday) and am directing all something else. 3. Memorisation of 500 random my efforts in that direction. And what got you started on words in 15 minutes. In the future do you fancy your memory? 4. Memorisation of a 300 digit chances in other events? About ten years ago I saw spoken number, one digit Maybe the IQ or perhaps the Creighton Carvello on Record every two seconds. This is speed reading. I am not fast at the Breakers, memorising a pack of scored by sudden death. If you moment but when I have some cards in 2 minutes 59 seconds. I get the second digit wrong - spare time I will devote my though this was fascinating and you score 2. attention to it. looked into it. It took me three 5. Memorisation of as many packs I/hat other events interest you? months to beat this time, and it of cards as possible in one Mainly the chess and backgammon was a further four years before it hour. but I have spent most of my time became a profession for me. 6. Memorisation of a random '$flhat doing interviews with for example are the practical number, five minutes allowed. CNN, Daily Telegrapl, Newsbeat applications? 7. Memorisation of images on (Radio 1),The Scotsman, BBC 1, If anything is good for the mind, it screen: 40 images are shown GMTV and Sky. is memory training. Memory and memorised. 80 are then How long have you been training develops all cortical skills shown again and the previously preparing for the memory and trains the whole of the brain, seen ones then have to be championships? using both hemispheres. The identified. Six weeks. I have been dealing out techniques of using association, 8. Memorisation of a 1,000 digit lots of cards and flashing lots of imagination and location empioy binary number in half an hour. numbers up on my computer all elements of the brain. 9. Memorisation of a 500 word screen. I have devised my own Are alternative techniques poem, with punctuation, in 15 program to do this. possible? minutes. '\U(hat other things have you This is difficult, because the 10. A surprise competition, 20 been doing recently? established methods are the most minutes. I have been writing a memory natural (the Greeks were using 1 1. Memorisation of one pack of course, comprising four books and them 2,000 years ago). You can cards, in the fastest time 12 audio tapes, which will be tinker with the details but the possible. The competition published in the autumn by essence of the technique remains world record is held by Andy Linguaphone, the language people. the same. Bell (a137 seconds). Dominic's They want to get involved in How has your memory work world record (outside memory and this should be a good helped you in other areas? competition) is 38.29 seconds. vehicle for them. The series will be I am generally more switched on called Super Memory Power. and more focused. My This eoent akes place on Tbursday How do you see the future for concentration is also much and Friday - do yaufanqt your memory competitions? improved. I recently had an EEG chances against Dominic O'Brien?

7he lst Mind Sports Olympiad at tbe Royal Festioal Hall uith Skandia OlyrnpiadNeus Tuesday 19 Aupust Day One Leaders Kitajima (]apan) Tooav's EveNrs and Medals Nakajima (|apan) Tastet (France) Aba\one ...... arn Magic - The Gathering Tucci (Italy) Backgammon...... pnt. (Final results and medals) Turner (England) Bridge ....prn 1 S. Dannell (England) gold 11-12 Atkinson (England) t1/2 2 C.l. Tongue (England) silver Parsons (England) Chess ...... am 3 K. Nicholson (Scotland) bronze Chinese Chess ...... pm Bridge Pairs (first session) Draugbts (8x8)...... am Backgammon Beginners 1 P. Hasenson/D. Sherman 286.0 Draugbts (1 0x 1 0)..... (Final results and medals) 2 M. Gold/D. Higginson 282.3 pm 1 R. Biddle (USA) gold 3 M. BeyerlTesselaar 25L.8 Entropy...... prn 2 A. Baron (England) silver 4 S. Dannell/P. Shepperson238.0 Fanorona ...... ,....,,,... pnx 3 P. Martin (England) bronze 5 R. Eaton/A. Salam 237.8 Go (t sx t s)...... prn 6 D. PearcelN. Anderson 230.6 Chess (30 minutes) 7 N. Buxton/K. Manners 225.7 Go (1 9x 1 9) ...... an', (after three rounds) 8 J. Scott/A. Sandberg 223.9 Hare G Tortoise...... am 9 M. Courtenay,/S. Mohandes t-7 M. Adams (England) 222.r 1Q ...... prn K. Arkell @ngland) 10 T. Townsend,/N. Sandquist Japanese Chess...... am M. Franklin (England) 2t3.7 Jigsau Puzzles...... A7r7 J. Hodgson (England) tL P. Hecht-Johansen,/K. Blakset a?n B. Lalic (Croatia) 210.6 Lines of Action...... M. Sadler (England) 12 Bharat/T.1. Nnando 204.4 Magic-Th e Gath ering. a m \Xrall G. (England) OtbeL\o...... pm 8-11 Emms (England) 2V2 Jigsaw Puzzles (after one round) J. Ouari...... prn S. Conquest (England) 1 R. Harwood (England) 200 V. Hadraba (Czech.) (1hr.44 mins) Rummihub...... a.rn \Williams S. (England) 2 A. Smith (England) 200 Scrabble ...... arn (2hrs. 12 mins) Shogi (after three rounds) 9kat...... anl l-2 E. Cheymol (France) 3 Skat (after 72 deals) Trpixt ...... prn T. Hosking (England) 1 Dr D. Beisle (Germany) 1654 3-6 A. Van Osten (Holland) 2 2 H.l. Schindler (Germany) 1519 M Casters (Belgium) 3 N. Schifer (Germany) 1488 S. Lamb (England) 4 K. Poggenklas (Germany)822 M. Sandeman (England) 7-10 F. Pottier (France) Mind Sports Olympiad D. Foster (England) Medal Table after Day One OlvuPrAD D. Hassabis (England) News Trau L. Blackstock (England) Gold Silver Bronze Total Editor: England 1214 Draughts 8x8 round-robin USA 1001 Jon Tisdall (after three rounds) Scotland 0011 Production: 1 R. King (Barbados) 5t/, Byron /acobs and 2 C. McCarrick (Ireland) 4 3 D. Kotin (USA) 3v, @+@+@+@+@ Andreut Kinsman 4 B. Long 21/2 (First Rank Publisbing) 'Nowadays companies are increasingly 5 D. Harwood (England) 2 6 C. Shaffran (Australia) ly't aware of the importance of their intellectual assets which though they 7 D. Edwards 0 - may not register on the balance sheet Othello (after three rounds) - enhance competitiveness.' - The Tirnes 18 August 1997 1.-2 Shaman J editorial, Svekuni 3-10 Cali (France) 2 Brightwell (England) Andriani (France)

The 1st Mind Sports Olympiad at the Royal Festiaal Hall uith Skandia