London, 25 August 2026 — The 30th Mind Sports Olympiad is in full swing in London, with world champions, elite all-rounders and a new generation of junior competitors producing standout performances across chess, backgammon, Scrabble, Catan, Carcassonne and dozens of other mind sports.

The nine-day festival, running from 22–30 August at Mercure London Earls Court, has brought together players from around the world. The event is open to spectators free of charge, with visitors welcome to watch world-class competition throughout the week.

55-strong Korean junior delegation makes immediate impact

A delegation of 55 junior competitors from the Korean Mind Sports Olympiad arrived in London on Sunday night and immediately began collecting medals across a remarkable range of games.

One of the early successes was Seungbin Yu, who won junior gold in the 6×3-point Backgammon competition. By Tuesday night, Yu had also climbed to 23rd place overall in the Pentamind standings, making him the highest-placed junior.

South Korea also swept the junior podium in the Abalone World Championship. Dahoon Han took junior gold while finishing second overall, Ye Jun Kang took junior silver and third overall, and Ji Ho Lee completed the junior podium with bronze.

Korean juniors have collected medals across events including backgammon, Boku, Mensa Connections, Hare & Tortoise, Lines of Action, Lost Cities, Kingdomino and Rummikub.

Vincent Frochot crowned Abalone World Champion

France’s Vincent Frochot captured the Abalone World Championship, finishing ahead of the exceptionally strong Korean junior contingent.

The championship is one of a number of world titles being decided during the Olympiad, bringing together specialists and all-round mind-sports competitors from across the globe.

10-year-old defeats former World Champion in Carcassonne

The Carcassonne 2-Player competition featured an exceptional field containing three former Carcassonne World Champions: Bogdan Curcan, Daniel Angelats and Matt Tucker.

Romania’s Bogdan Curcan took gold, Tung Yat Cheng of Hong Kong, China won silver, and former World Champion Daniel Angelats took bronze.

One of the event’s most memorable performances came from 10-year-old Constantine Popov, who won the junior gold medal and, along the way, defeated former Carcassonne World Champion Matt Tucker.

TAMPIONS scores 149 in Scrabble

Scrabble produced one of the opening weekend’s standout individual plays, with TAMPIONS scoring an impressive 149 points.

The word-game competition forms part of a much wider programme spanning classic board games, abstract strategy games, card games, puzzles and creative-thinking disciplines.

Pentamind race takes shape

The race for the Pentamind, MSO’s signature test of all-round mind-sports ability, is gathering momentum.

As of Tuesday night, England’s James Heppell leads with 469.24 points, ahead of Michael Alishaw on 426.39 and Estonia’s Andres Kuusk on 420.97.

Kuusk is the defending champion and a seven-time Pentamind champion, having won seven of the last eight editions.

Natasha Regan currently sits fourth overall on 417.33 and is the highest-placed woman, while South Korea’s Seungbin Yu is the leading junior.

The Pentamind rewards versatility rather than mastery of a single discipline, with competitors counting their five best performances from five different games.

Historic Backgammon World Championships reach decisive stages

The World Team Backgammon Championships have produced a series of striking international encounters.

In the opening round, Cyprus defeated Turkey in a match played in a friendly spirit, while Wales defeated England.

England’s captain, Chris Rogers, is also a former Countdown Champion of Champions, an especially fitting crossover at the Mind Sports Olympiad, where Countdown itself features on the programme later this week.

The Women’s World Team Championship has reached the semi-finals, with Iran facing Gibraltar and the USA playing Norway.

In the open championship, the eight quarter-finalists are Belgium, Greece, Germany, Wales, Japan, Romania, Austria and the Netherlands, illustrating the international breadth of the competition.

The team events form part of a historic week for backgammon, with both the World Team and Individual Championships being staged in the UK for the first time.

Attention now turns to the Individual Backgammon World Championship, which begins on Thursday, with the new World Champion set to be crowned on Sunday evening. The championships form part of what is expected to be the largest backgammon tournament ever staged in the UK.

Elite chess and Vera Menchik Memorial

Chess has been one of the major attractions of the Olympiad, with more than 200 players competing in the Rapid, alongside large Blitz fields and more than 30 Grandmasters and International Masters across the chess programme.

The programme also includes the Vera Menchik Memorial, a special women’s invitational honouring Vera Menchik, the first Women’s World Chess Champion. Menchik’s life was cut short in 1944 when she was killed in London by a German flying bomb during the Second World War.

Raymond Keene, one of the original founders of the Mind Sports Olympiad, attended the Olympiad and played the ceremonial opening move of the chess tournament, providing a fitting link between MSO’s origins and its 30th edition.

Chess action has also been broadcast online, allowing viewers around the world to follow the competition from London, with highlights and footage available for media use.

Catan and modern board games draw international fields

Catan has also been among the headline attractions, with competitions spanning Classic Catan, 2-Player Catan and Cities & Knights.

In the main Catan competition, Rudolfs Lagzda of Latvia took gold, ahead of Vytautas Pazera of Lithuania and George Altshul of Great Britain.

Footage from the Catan competition is available for broadcasters.

Success across disciplines

Results across the opening days have demonstrated the versatility at the heart of the Mind Sports Olympiad.

Hong Kong’s Tung Yat Cheng followed his Carcassonne silver by winning Azul gold, while leading Pentamind contender Andres Kuusk has already won the Boku World Championship and recorded strong results in International Draughts and Lines of Action.

Competitors move between entirely different disciplines throughout the Olympiad, culminating in the Pentamind competition to identify the strongest all-round mind-sports player.

Come and watch

The 30th Mind Sports Olympiad runs until Sunday 30 August at Mercure London Earls Court and is open to spectators free of charge.

Visitors can watch competition across chess, backgammon, board games, card games, puzzles and other mind sports, with multiple events taking place throughout each day.

ENDS

Notes to editors / media

Broadcast-quality footage, photographs and B-roll are available, including:

  • International chess competition and livestream highlights

  • Catan competition footage

  • World Backgammon Championship footage

  • General footage of the Mind Sports Olympiad and venue

  • Medal ceremonies and competitor interviews

  • Junior competition footage

  • Tailored footage featuring competitors and medal winners from individual countries

Interviews with organisers and selected competitors can also be arranged.

Press contact

Etan Ilfeld
CEO, Mind Sports Olympiad
Email: mindsportsolympiad@gmail.com

Mind Sports Olympiad
Mercure London Earls Court
London, United Kingdom
22–30 August 2026