The world’s largest board game competition has just concluded, and the excitement is still unwinding.
The Mind Sports Olympiad (MSO) is an international event that brings together some of the sharpest minds in the world, young and old, to compete in over 80 board games, from Chess and Scrabble to Backgammon and Settlers of Catan.
It also features world championships for amateur poker and categories like Mental Calculations, Memory, and Creative Thinking.
Founded in 1997 by David Levy, Tony Buzan, and Ramond Keene, this unique celebration of mental skills debuted in London’s Royal Festival Hall. With an impressive prize fund of £100,000, it was the first of its kind to unite game enthusiasts on such a significant scale.
In the years to follow, satellite Olympiads have popped up worldwide, and some events have spawned online, while the main competition continues to flourish in England.
This year produced a notable highlight, with Andres Kuusk taking home his sixth Pentamind title, breaking the previously held record for the most “all-around best player” awards.
Kuusk’s win sets new goalposts for players in events to come.
Mind Sports Olympiad Events Breakdown
The Mind Sports Olympiad has several prominent championships that draw players worldwide each year. Here is a breakdown of each:
Pentamind
The Pentamind World Championship is MSO’s crown jewel, recognizing the best overall game player internationally. Competitors are evaluated across six predetermined categories, with their top five scores counting towards the title. This year’s event occurred on August 28 and resulted in Andres Kuusk’s historic win. Pentamind newcomer Guilherme Neves secured second place, while the legendary five-time champion Ankush Khandelwal finished third.
MSO Grand Prix
The MSO Grand Prix is an online competition born from COVID lockdowns. It was such a hit that it became a mainstay and is now offered to game enthusiasts every year. It consists of 21 premier events, where scores are calculated based on players’ top five performances. This year’s Grand Prix took place from February 2 to March 17.
Poker Events
MSO features six poker events, including 7-Card Stud, 5-Card Draw, Omaha, and Texas Hold Em. The player with the top five Pentamind scores from the poker events takes the Amateur Poker World Championship title. This year’s competitions took place from August 18 to August 25.
MSO Meta-Event Winners of 2024
Meta-events are a prestigious part of the MSO because they reward versatility and strategic thinking across a range of games, making them a true test of a player’s all-around abilities.
Poker
Martyn Hamer (England) dominated this category, scoring 55 points clear of the competition. Tung Yat Cheng (Hong Kong) took the silver, just 0.14 points ahead of Riccardo Gueci.Abstract Games
Florian Jamain (France) triumphed with wins in Amazons and Twixt.Multiplayer Games
Tung Yat Cheng secured five medals, including gold in Gaia Project and Puerto Rico.Imperfect Information
Dani Angelats (Catalonia) narrowly beat Guilherme Neves to claim gold.Backgammon
Martyn Hamer took the crown, winning gold in Backgammon 6x1pt and Nackgammon.Chess
Natasha Regan and James Heppell were awarded a joint gold medal. Peter Finn took the silver, and Milan Petras took the bronze.
Junior, Senior, and Women’s Pentamind Standings
This year, the Mind Sports Olympiad featured thrilling competitions across the Junior, Senior, and Women’s Pentamind categories. Explore the standings to discover the new champions!
Junior Pentamind
Jaehoo So (Korea) took the top spot, finishing 4 points ahead of fellow countryman Harin Lee. Mario Hernández Concepción (Spain), last year’s champion, secured third place.Senior Pentamind
Dario de Toffoli (Italy) successfully defended his title and finished 7th overall in the competition. Riccardo Gueci (Italy) held strong in second place, and Marc Tastet (France) finished in third in the senior category.Women’s Pentamind
The Women’s Pentamind competition saw a dramatic showdown between seasoned champions and emerging talent, ultimately solidifying Natasha Regan (England) as one of the most formidable female competitors in the MSO’s history. Natasha successfully defended her Women’s Pentamind title, continuing her reign as the top female player in the Olympiad.
Madli Mirme (Estonia) delivered an outstanding performance, earning the silver medal. Anda-Bianca Ciocirlan (Romania) demonstrated remarkable versatility, which earned her a well-deserved bronze.
Which Country Won the Most Medals in This Year’s MSO?
Players from England dominated several categories, with notable performances from Martyn Hamer and Natasha Regan.
Celebrating the All-Time MSO Champions
This year’s champion, Andres Kuusk, is no stranger to winning. With six Pentamind titles under his belt, Kuusk surpassed the legendary Ankush Khandelwal and Demis Hassabis, who previously held decades-old records.
Despite his extraordinary achievement, his total score of all time still puts him in third place at 137 points, while Ankush Khandelwal leads with an impressive total of 156.
Here is a ranking of the all-time champions:
More About the Top 5 MSO Winners
Ankush Khandelwal
Khandelwal is a 33-year-old mind sports player from England with five Pentamind titles.
He specializes in poker and chess, taking home a gold medal in the latter this year.
James Heppell
Heppell is a 35-year-old scientific researcher at the University of Southampton in the UK and was the 2015 and 2017 Pentamind World Champion.
His MSO skills encompass a wide range of games, including Backgammon, Texas Hold’Em, and Agricola, in which he won a gold medal this year.
Andres Kuusk
Kuusk is a 43-year-old fintech risk manager from Estonia.
This year, his top scores in Backgammon, Boku, International Draughts, Texas Hold ’em poker, and Entropy earned him his sixth Pentamind World Championship.
David Pearce
Pearce is an English player who has participated in nineteen Mind Sports Olympiads. He has won more medals than any other player and was the Pentamind World Champion in 2007 and 2008.
In 2024, he took first place in the Boku championship.
Dario De Toffoli
This 71-year-old Italian board game designer and gamebook author has won 60 MSO medals and two Pentamind titles.
He’s the foremost expert in Backgammon in Italy, wrote the first Texas Hold’ Em book in Italian, and came in second place in poker this year.
Stay Tuned for the Next Year!
Although the exact date for next year’s Mind Sports Olympiad main event has yet to be set, it is scheduled for August at JW3 in London, England, where it’s been held in years prior.
However, you won’t have to wait that long to get in on the action. The online Grand Prix event kicks off in January 2025.
To register, be on the lookout for information at Mind Sports Olympiad’s official website and follow the accounts on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for updates. In the meantime, be sure to brush up on your gaming skills.
Frequently Asked Questions
Want to know more? Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions about MSO.
How are Pentamind scores calculated?
Pentamind scores are calculated based on a player’s top five performances across different game events. The final score determines the overall champion.
What games are included in the MSO?
There are over 80 board games in the MSO, including classics like Scrabble, Chess, Go, Bridge, and poker. There are also newer games like 7 Wonders and Dominion, as well as exam-based competitions for Sudoku and Memory.
Can I play online?
Yes, you can play online by participating in the MSO Grand Prix, which has over 100 tournaments and seven category competitions in which you can win gold, silver, and bronze medals.
Are there age categories?
In the MSO, players will go head to head regardless of how old they are, making for diverse competition. But the Pentamind event does have a Junior and a Senior championship for players under 18 or over 60, respectively.
What happens if there’s a tie?
While some tournaments have differing rules, generally, in the event of a tie, players will continue to play until a winner is determined.
What are the main meta-events in the Mind Sports Olympiad?
The key meta-events include Abstract Games, Multiplayer Games, Imperfect Information Games, and Backgammon.
