2012 World Memory Championships

1st October 2012 12:00

The World Memory Championships 2012 are being held from Friday 14th December to Sunday 16th December, with a preparation day on Thursday 13th December at:

Official Site

Additional volunteer arbiters are badly needed so BUCA members are encouraged to help out.

Here is the full request from David Sedgwick:

Ray Keene recruited me when the Championships were last held in England in 2009. I emerged with a Level 1 Arbiter Certificate (that being the lowest level, of course) and hence I now have an arbiting qualification in three different Mind Sports, the others being Chess and Bridge. The 2010 and 2011 events were both held in China, so I wasn't involved.

Although much of the work might appear mundane - a fair amount of it is akin to marking exam scripts and there is a lot of card shuffling - I nevertheless found it interesting and rewarding. I had no hesitation in volunteering when I knew the Championships were returning to London this year, even though the small honorarium I received in 2009 is not available this time. Unfortunately there is little or no sponsorship this year, so I do mean volunteers.

The present position is that, although there are arbiters coming from Algeria, Australia, China, Denmark, France and Germany, the team is nevertheless likely to be a bit stretched. An extra four or five people would make all the difference.

Although students of any discipline would be very welcome, modern linguists would be especially so. There is one round in which the competitors have to remember words and they are allowed to do this in their own language.

Anyone who is interested, or would like more information, should contact Phil Chambers, Chief Arbiter, at phil@worldmemorychampionships.com. Ray Keene has pointed out that it would be a useful item to include on a CV.