Monopoly Championship
By Joey Rickert
While Monopoly is fun playing with friends and family, some players need that competitive edge of tournament play. There are four levels of tournaments- local, state, country, and, the best, world. You’re about to hear all about these different tournaments, as well as my favorite tournament story.
After the world championship is completed, cities scramble to find a representative for the state level tournaments. Groups like the Girl and Boy Scouts sponsor the tournaments. Newspapers invite people to participate. Please note that absolutely NO house rules are allowed in any level of tournament play. All contestants play three 90-minute timed games. At the end of each game, assets are totaled. All players add up the three totals and the player with the highest total advances to the State Championship!
At the state tournaments, the person with the highest asset totals in the state is crowned State Champion. Assets are determined as followed: You add together all the cash on hand, you get the full value of any unmorgatged properties you own, you get the mortgage value of any property that is mortgaged, and the full value of any houses or hotels. “Get out of Jail Free” cards have mo monetary value.
The state winners from all 50 states, plus Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico, gather in a large city (like New York City, Chicago, ect.) to play. The event is highly publicized. A Chief Judge is appointed to settle any disputed rules and referee the game. He or she then elects a Chief Banker for the game, usually a banker in real life. Like the local tournaments, a series of three 90-minute games are played and assets are totaled. The four people with the highest totals, as well as the U.S. Champion from the previous tournament, play a true game of Monopoly, with no time limit. The last player alive wins, and advances to the Monopoly World Championship!
National champions from more than 35 countries travel to a well-known city, like Beijing or even Atlantic City. The most recent World Championship was held in Las Vegas! Translators are appointed for those who don’t speak English. Again, like the local and state championships, three 90-minute games are played. Assets are totaled, and the top four players advance to the grand championship. This game, obviously, is played free from time restrictions. The winner is crowned the Monopoly World Champion, and wins an amazing prize. Previous prizes have been a Monopoly game finned with real money, a fabulous vacation, a $10,000 shopping spree, or just cash.
So, this is how to become the Monopoly World Champion. It takes a lot of work, so get practicing! Have fun, and, remember, may the best player win.
Bjørn Halvard Knappskog holds a trophy after winning the Monopoly World Championship. See below for a YouTube video of how he won!