Mind Sports Olympiad

The Mind Sports Olympiad is an olympics for the mind with over 60 different board game competitions ranging from classics like Chess, Scrabble and Go to newer games, including Settlers of Catan, 7 Wonders, Dominion, Magic the Gathering and Carcassonne. Card games figure too, with an amateur poker world championship and bridge, along with a general knowledge quiz, stratego, shogi, and dominoes. Unique events include Tetris (video game) and a Computer Programming Championship, in addition to over a dozen world championships such as Memory, Mental Calculations and Creative Thinking. The most prestigious title is the Pentamind World Championship, which is awarded to the competitor who has the best results from five different competitions. There are also opportunities to learn games and play uncompetitively for free.

The inaugural event was held in 1997 in London with £100,000 prize fund and was described as possibly the biggest games festival ever held. It was the first event of its kind aiming to create an Olympics of the mind, awarding gold, silver and bronze medals for each event. The Mind Sports Olympiad continues to take place every year in England.