They came almost to an end, because of the constant lack of sponsors, but the founding group – headed by David Levy and Tony Corfe – has managed once again to save them. I’m talking about the Mind Sports Olympiad, born in 1997 and now in its sixth edition. After five years in London, the event migrates in the heart of England near Nottingham and takes place in Loughborough for only 5 days between August 14 and 18. Scheduled tournaments for about 60 different kinds of games, from classic (chess, backgammon, draughts, go) to modern boardgames (Settlers of Catan, Lost Cities, Master Mind) to the more purely mental tests (mental arithmetic, intelligence tests).
Note that the movement started with the Mind Sports Olympiad (MSO) and has created affiliated events in many countries, among which one of the most interesting are certainly the “Giochi Sforzeschi”, to be held in Milan at the Palazzo delle Stelline from 5 to 8 December.
It’s Dario De Toffoli’s year: he wins the Pentamind World Championship.
ITALIAN MEDALS
Backgammon Weekend tournament
1 Connor Dickinson
2 Uldis Lapikens
3 Dario De Toffoli
Continuo – World Championship
1 Dario De Toffoli
2 Mathew Cordell
3 David Pearce
Lost Cities – Olympiad Championship
1 Dario De Toffoli
2 Mathew Cordell
3 Ben Haytack
Nubble – British Championship
1 Dario De Toffoli
2 Jan Haugland
3 Nathalie Lecordier
Pentamind – World Championship
1 Dario De Toffoli
2 David Pearce
3 Mathew Cordell
Poker – Canadian Stud
1 Francine Brandler
2 Simonetta Barone
3 John Clark