The Visor

Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect 200, Unless a World Champion

November 10, 2009

Alexander Salamon

After 275 million copies sold in 106 countries, Parker Brother’s Monopoly has enticed board game enthusiasts for decades.
In fact, the game has become so popular that there is now an official Monopoly world tournament.

Four board game fanatics traveled to Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada, with the mind-set of winning the Monopoly World Championship on Oct. 22. Norwegian 19 year-old Bjorn Halvard Knappskog, 25 year-old Geoff Christopher of New Zealand, 24 year-old Oleg Korostelev of Russia and 26 year-old Rick Marinaccio from Buffalo, New York. Knappskog emerged victorious after monopolizing on light blue properties Oriental, Vermont and Connecticut.
If his opponents avoided his hotels, Knappskog said he would have lost.

“Either they come to me and I get enough money to survive, or I go out,” Knappskog told the associated press of New York’s Daily News.

The 19-year-old Norwegian exited the casino with $20,580 in winnings. This brought me to think, are there other board game world championships?
Yes. Not only is there a Monopoly world tournament, but also a myriad of other board game tournaments including: Scrabble, Risk, Rummikub and Chess – not to mention Checkers. Prizes are awarded to victorious participants while the beaten and downtrodden of the tournaments return home in utter defeat.

So, if looking to roll the dice to win it all in a Monopoly world championship or playing to pass time on a rainy Sunday afternoon, just know $20,580 is up for grabs in Las Vegas.

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