Latest News

SCHOOL MEMORY CHAMPIONS ASTOUND THE EXPERTS!

HANNAH WARD (14) of Roade School Sports College, Roade, Northampton has just been crowned the first UK Schools Memory Champion

The competition is the brainchild of eight times World Memory Champion Dominic O’Brien, Chief Arbiter of the World Memory Sports Council PhilChambers and Tony Buzan, co-founder of the World Memory Championship, best selling international author and lecturer on the Brain and its workings – all renowned figures in the world of Mind Sports.

It’s been a tense and nail-biting time for over 300 secondary school students as they waited for the judges to announce the overall winners of the very first Schools Memory Championship, with the Awards ceremony for the winners held at The Park Inn Hotel, Northampton, on Monday 2nd June.

Joining Gold Medal winner Hannah Ward on the podium, were Silver Medallist DAVID LUCK (14) from Huxlow Science College, Wellingborough and Bronze winner ELLEN BILTCLIFFE (14) from Magdalen College School, Brackley. The competition is sponsored by Aimhigher, a national government initiative to encourage students into higher education. The Aimhigher programme is run by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), with support from the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS). Inspire, the Ascot-based educational and training consultancy, and has been co-ordinating the event.

“The UK Schools Memory Championship has been created to help pupils discover the Mind Sport of Memory and to develop their mental skills to aid them with their studies,” explains competition co-founder Dominic O’Brien. “The five Memory disciplines have been chosen to closely correspond with those of the World Memory Championship, whilst being easily transferable to school subjects. “With exam success dependent on making good use of one’s memory, mastering memorisation techniques early on is a great platform for success” adds Dominic.

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Train your memory - Saturday 16th August 200812:30pm – 5:00pm
Strand Palace Hotel, Conference Centre.

 

An afternoon of inspiring, entertaining and enlightening seminars that constitute a rare opportunity to learn from three of the most prominent speakers in the field of Memory Training.Tony Buzan: Multi-million selling author, learning guru, polymath and Holanthropist. Described as “The biggest name in Memory” by the New Yorker. 

Phil Chambers: Author, international speaker, reigning World Mind Mapping Champion and Chief Arbiter of the World Memory Sports Council. Dominic O’Brien: Eight times World Memory Champion, Grandmaster of Memory, author, media personality and speaker.

Places limited – Advance booking is strongly advised. 

Email phil@worldmemorychampionships.com

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Experience first-hand the genius of Tony Buzan, international memory maestro and the creator of Mind Maps, as he lectures in London - for the first time in over a decade.

 

World renowned expert on the brain and its awesome capability, Tony Buzan, will be holding his first open course in London, England for more than a decade – at Savoy Place, London WC2 - on 15th July 2008.

 

The one-day course, entitled MIND MAPS, MEMORY AND CREATIVITY promises to be a power-packed day, in which Tony will explain and demonstrate how two of the human brain’s most powerful attributes – Memory and Creativity - can be elevated from the ordinary to the infinitely extraordinary, using the wizardry of Mind Maps®.

 

For further information on Tony Buzan’s one-day public course MIND MAPS, MEMORY AND CREATIVITY, or to book a place, please visit www.buzantraining.co.uk, call the Bookings Department on 01628 482765 or email events@buzantraining.co.uk. Book before 15th May and receive a 10% discount on the full course price (£295 + VAT).

 

Mind Mapping fans may also like to attend one or both of the other two courses in this series which are also priced at £295 + VAT:

 

Wednesday 16th July:

SPEED READING AND KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT

In just one ground-breaking session, Tony teaches you to increase the speed of your reading by up to 400%, improving your concentration and comprehension – and supercharging your ability to retain information. He explains how your eyes and brain absorb information - and offers practical techniques and exercises so that you can put your new skills to use straight away.

 

Thursday 17th July:

DRILLING DOWN INTO MIND MAPS: PRESENTATION SKILLS

In this highly detailed and immensely informative workshop, Hilde Jaspaert - Buzan Master Trainer and Buzan Regional Director, Europe - outlines how everyone, regardless of their level of education and experience, can increase their learning potential, memory, notetaking, creative thinking, problem-solving ability… and self confidence – with especial emphasis on developing and delivering presentations in a clear and interesting way.

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Welcome to new countries

The Worlds Memory Sports Council welcomes the Phillippines, France, Poland, Slovenia, India and Lithuania as the latest countries to form their own National Memory Sports Council to promote and administer the Mind Sports of Memory. We welcome them on board and look forward to supporting them with thier first memory competitions.

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The Australian Memory Championships

The Australian Memory Championships will take place on 27 and 28^th September, 2008 at the Gold Coast, Queensland and further details will be sent out as soon as possible.

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The UK Open Memory Championships

Venue: Simpsons-in-the-Strand, London (Historical home of Memory Sports)

Dates: 16th-17th August 2008

Timing: 08:45 (for start at 09:00 sharp) - 12:30 Saturday,

08:45 (for start at 09:00 sharp) - 12:45 Sunday

Format: Standard National Competition

Prize giving ceremony: 18th August

Entry fee for competitors - £20.     Entry fee plus Gala dinner £40

Non competitors - Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony £50 per head.

Seminars and Workshops (half day Saturday afternoon only) - £80 

Provisional Schedule:

9:00   Random words             5 min memorisation          10 min recall 

9:30   Binary Numbers           5 min memorisation          15 min recall 

10:00 Names and Faces           5 min memorisation          10 min recall 

10:30 Numbers                     15 min memorisation          30 min recall  

11:30 Cards 10 min memorisation 20 min recall 

12:30 END OF DAY ONE 

9:00 Speed Numbers 5 min memorisation 15 min recall

9:30 Abstract Images 15 min memorisation 30 min recall 

10:30 Historic Dates 5 min memorisation 15 min recall  

11:00 Spoken Numbers Trial 1 100 seconds memorisation 5 min recall

11:30 Spoken Numbers Trial 2 200 seconds memorisation 10 min recall

 12:00 Speed Cards Trial 1 up to 5 min memorisation 5 min recall

12:30 Speed Cards Trial 2 up to 5 min memorisation 5 min recall

 12:45 FINISH  

Media enquiries welcome. Further information from Phil Chambers  phil@worldmemorychampionships.com

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German Memory Championships

Klaus Kolb, the President of the Memory Sports Council of Germany has announced the date of the 11th German Memory Championships which will take place on the 25th / 26th July in Tuttlingen. Further information info@ggk.de

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Polish Memory Championships 2008

In April, 19th 2008 (Saturday) Windmill Foundation (Fundacja "Wiatrak") organizes the second Polish Memory Championships 2008 in Bydgoszcz/Poland. More information: www.mistrzostwapamieci.pl The event will be supervised by the WMSC Chief Arbiter and will be to National Competition Standards

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French Schools Memory Championships

The first French Schools Memory Championships are planned to take place on June 13th 2008 in a small town 13km to the west of Paris called Maisons-Laffitte.  Further information will be published shortly. The organiser is Françoise Thuillier who can be contacted on fmthuillier@wanadoo.fr

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USA Memory Championships

The 2008 USA Memory Championships were be held on Saturday March 8th in Con Edison's headquarters at 4 Irving Place in New York, USA. Please join us in congratulating our seven Finalists:  Chester Santos, Paul Mellor, Ram Kolli, Ronnie White, Jenny Frielle, Daniel Naftalovich and Brice Morey!!! The new USA Memory Champion is Chester Santos and the new USA Memory Champion Team is Hershey. Press inquiries...please contact Renee Sall of Maximum Exposure PR for additional information at 201-315-4337. The results of the USA Memory Championship are not included in the WMSC world rankings as a non standard competition format us used.  http://www.usamemorychampionship.com/ 

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2008 World Memory Championships

 The venue for the World Memory Championships is now confirmed as the Gulf hotel in Manama, Bahrain. The event takes place between the 23^rd to the 26^th of October 2008 and will take place as a part of the Festival of the Mind.Competitors and visitors can book their accommodation direct with the hotel 

Room Type	Single Rate	Double Rate
Superior Room	70	78
Deluxe Room	73	81
Grand Deluxe Room	82	90
Platinum Room	105	115

 The above rates are on a per room per night basis, exclusive of Breakfast and exclusive of the Service Charge (15%) and Government Taxes (5%).All our rates are quoted in Bahraini Dinars (BD).Please note triples are not available at The Gulf Hotel.  Breakfast will be charged for additional BD 7.500 plus 15% Service charge and 5% Government Levy.The Hotel will be glad to arrange for your guest the transportation from and to the airport with the following rates: Shuttle Bus         BD 4.000 per person per trip. Limousine  BD 8.000 per person per trip 

Contacts:

Ms. Imbi Sarv – Conference & Convention Sales Manager  Tel:  +973 17 746405  Fax: +973 17 710637  Mobile: +973 36551455 E-mail: ccsm@gulfhotelbahrain.com 

Ms. Michelle Carreon – Reservations Group Coordinator Tel:  +973 17 746341.  Fax:  +973 17 712088  Email:  rgc@gulfhotelbahrain.com 

Reference Festival of the mind 2008    Or World memory championship 2008 

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Sunday 20 April - North German Championship, Niebüll, regional standard competition - 5 min names & faces, 5 min numbers, poem, 5 minute binary, 5 min words, historic dates, speed cards.

Probably Sunday 4 May - Cambridge Memory Championship, Cambridge, national standard competition - 5 min words, 5 min binary, 5 min names, 15 min numbers, 10 min cards, 5 min numbers, abstract images, 
historic dates, spoken numbers (100 & 200), speed cards. (Note - still waiting for final confimation)

End of May - Derby Memory Championship! - Organised by Ben Pridmore who says"I'd like to organise another competition here in my home town, I have a nice venue that's relatively cheap and I think it would be popular. I'd really like to do a two-day, international standard competition, like the German championship, but then if I did that I would hate not being able to take part myself...

Early June? - South German Championship, regional standard.

June 13th - French Schools Memory Championship, Maisons-Laffite, Organised by Françoise Thuillier. Further information to follow soon.

Late July 11th German Memory Championships which will take place on the 25th / 26th July in Tuttlingen - , international standard - 30 min numbers, 30 min cards, 30 min binary, historic dates, spoken numbers (100, 200, 300), abstract images, 15 min names & faces, 5 min numbers, 15 min words, speed cards.

UK Memory Championship, national standard.16th-17th August 2008 Simpson-on-the-Strand, London

Australian Memory Championships  27 and 28^th September, 2008. Gold Coast, Queensland. Further details will be sent out as soon as possible. 

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The first Memory Yearbook 2008

The Official handbook for the Mind Sport of Memory 

The World Memory Sports Council, the governing body for the Mind Sport of Memory, is proud to announce the publication of the very first Memory Yearbook 2008. For anyone involved in the sport at a competitive level, this new book is an essential.Every memory competition recognised by the WMSC, is included with the results from each discipline. The full World Rankings are included as are the list of all Grand Masters of Memory.

There are articles from and about the top memorisers in the world plus essential information for anyone wanting to organise a memory competition, including a detailed description of each of the ten memory disciplines. 

There are reports on the year from the National Memory Sports Councils around the world complete with many photographs of competitions and the personalities in the sport. If you have participated in a memory competition during 2007, you are in the book! 

The book also looks back at the way the sport first started with articles for the two founders, Ray Keene OBE and Tony Buzan.  There is also information on becoming a member of the International Guild of Mind Sports Arbiters. 

The book will be available from early 2008 and can be obtained from the World Memory or the Buzan websites price £15 (USD $30) plus post an packing within the UK of £2. Pre-orders are now being accepted and will posted out as soon as the first copies are received. Email the secretary.

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Animated Graph Feature

Have you discovered the animated graph feature on the competition statistics section of the site? You can "replay" a competition, discipline by discipline and see how each competitor fares in relation to the rest. To see this feature, go to "Records and Results" then "Statistics". You will then see a link to "Championships". Select the event you want to see, and you will then have the option of clicking on a tab to select each of the disciplines. The final tab on that line is the "Replay" feature. Depending on the resolution of your computer screen you may need to adjust your view, using the internal scroll bars, to reveal the Replay tab, or the full list of championships. Thanks to our WMSC Official Statistician, Simon Orton for developing this excellent facility.