ALL EYES ON SPORTACCORD WORLD MIND GAMES

World Mind Games Logo 300x226Mind Sports enthusiasts have been tuning in to follow all the action from Beijing, China this week, where the first SportAccord World Mind Games are now underway in the Chinese capital, featuring Bridge, Go, Draughts, Chess and Xiangqi.

It’s the type of environment in which poker players would thrive – intense competition in Mind Sports that appeal to a devoted following, travelling from all corners of the world to compete against the very best.So far the competition has been fierce with the Netherlands and the United States took top honours in the most recent events, winning the Bridge Teams Series.

The Netherlands won the men’s category with a 178-76 IMP victory over USA in Monday’s final. USA took the silver medals while Norway, which defeated China by 129-100 in the third place play-off, took the bronze.

In the women’s event the United States topped the qualifying stage and won the final 166-77 against Great Britain, who settled for silver. The home nation China took the bronze by defeating France by 91-67 in the third place play-off match.

Away from Bridge the SportAccord World Mind Games’ Cultural and Social Programme featured a simultaneous match between Draughts masters Alexander Schwartzman and Alexander Presman. The pair were watched intently by visiting primary school students, who were also among the eager crowds watching the Xiangqi competition earlier in the week.

The first World Mind Games seem to have been a great success and the International Federation of Poker, which has been observing events in Beijing, hopes to be a part of any future Games.

Since its formation in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 2009, the IFP has worked towards obtaining Mind Sport status for poker. The past two years have been spent working closely with the International Mind Sports Association (IMSA), earning observer status along with Xiangqi.

Fans of Mind Sports can follow the action on the SportAccord World Mind Games website which also hosts a live stream of events in Beijing, full details of which can be found at: http://www.worldmindgames.net/en/.