Decamentathlon
Encyclopedia
Decamentathlon is a multi disciplined games event that was created as part of the first Mind Sports Olympiad. It was founded to try to find the best games all-rounder in the world and hence possibly the best games player. It was given a prize fund of £
10,000 for the inaugural competition, that equalled
that of the highest funded event at the first MSO sponsored by Skandia
. However, the other events were spread over multiple playing sessions whereas the decamentathlon was held over just a single session. This event was initially hailed as the MSO flagship event. Although, the Mind Sports Olympiad's other new event the Pentamind has since become regarded as the more significant event despite not having a fixed format.
of the mind. The decamentathlon and Pentamind was an attempt to replicate the ideas of the decathlon
and pentathlon
from athletics.
Unlike the Pentamind which has a free format allowing competitors to use different events to each other, the decamentathlon has a fixed format. The decamentathlon comprises
a 4 hour test which is split into 10 events (see below). Each event was either a reduced version of the full event when played in competition or a written paper. Each event carries a maximum score
of 100 points so the maximum possible score is 1000 points.
The complexity of setting the event and marking it has meant that the only place to have held a decamentathlon is the Mind Sports Olympiad where the annual world championship is held.
The decamentathlon is divided into ten tests in the following events:
bridge
, chess
, creative thinking, draughts 8x8 / checkers
, go, intelligence
, mastermind
, memory
, mental calculation
s, othello
.
The memory section is run in a fixed format where competitors have to memorise a single deck of cards and a list of 48 random words (previously the second part was memorisation of a 96 digit number).
From 2008 the decamentathlon world championships was held using a backgammon
test in the place of bridge.
For 2011 the memory section was switched again, the random words section being replaced by a random 50 digit number to be memorised. The othello
and backgammon
sections were also removed in favour of a Sudoku
test and a Word puzzles test.
There have also been issues of marking errors and the official answers not being accurate. This has resulted in medals being changed after they have been presented.
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
10,000 for the inaugural competition, that equalled
that of the highest funded event at the first MSO sponsored by Skandia
Skandia
Skandia is a Swedish insurance company that was started in 1855. It has operations in Europe, Latin America, Asia and Australia. Skandia also operates an internet bank called Skandiabanken....
. However, the other events were spread over multiple playing sessions whereas the decamentathlon was held over just a single session. This event was initially hailed as the MSO flagship event. Although, the Mind Sports Olympiad's other new event the Pentamind has since become regarded as the more significant event despite not having a fixed format.
Format
The Mind Sports Olympiad was described as the OlympicsOlympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
of the mind. The decamentathlon and Pentamind was an attempt to replicate the ideas of the decathlon
Decathlon
The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word decathlon is of Greek origin . Events are held over two consecutive days and the winners are determined by the combined performance in all. Performance is judged on a points system in each event, not...
and pentathlon
Pentathlon
A pentathlon is a contest featuring five different events. The name is derived from Greek: combining the words pente and -athlon . The first pentathlon was documented in Ancient Greece and was part of the Ancient Olympic Games...
from athletics.
Unlike the Pentamind which has a free format allowing competitors to use different events to each other, the decamentathlon has a fixed format. The decamentathlon comprises
a 4 hour test which is split into 10 events (see below). Each event was either a reduced version of the full event when played in competition or a written paper. Each event carries a maximum score
of 100 points so the maximum possible score is 1000 points.
The complexity of setting the event and marking it has meant that the only place to have held a decamentathlon is the Mind Sports Olympiad where the annual world championship is held.
The decamentathlon is divided into ten tests in the following events:
bridge
Contract bridge
Contract bridge, usually known simply as bridge, is a trick-taking card game using a standard deck of 52 playing cards played by four players in two competing partnerships with partners sitting opposite each other around a small table...
, chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
, creative thinking, draughts 8x8 / checkers
Draughts
Draughts is a group of abstract strategy board games between two players which involve diagonal moves of uniform pieces and mandatory captures by jumping over the enemy's pieces. Draughts developed from alquerque...
, go, intelligence
Intelligence
Intelligence has been defined in different ways, including the abilities for abstract thought, understanding, communication, reasoning, learning, planning, emotional intelligence and problem solving....
, mastermind
Mastermind (board game)
Mastermind or Master Mind is a code-breaking game for two players. The modern game with pegs was invented in 1970 by Mordecai Meirowitz, an Israeli postmaster and telecommunications expert, but the game resembles an earlier pencil and paper game called bulls and cows that may date back a century or...
, memory
Memory
In psychology, memory is an organism's ability to store, retain, and recall information and experiences. Traditional studies of memory began in the fields of philosophy, including techniques of artificially enhancing memory....
, mental calculation
Mental calculation
Mental calculation comprises arithmetical calculations using only the human brain, with no help from calculators, computers, or pen and paper. People use mental calculation when computing tools are not available, when it is faster than other means of calculation , or in a competition context...
s, othello
Reversi
Reversi is a board game involving abstract strategy and played by two players on a board with 8 rows and 8 columns and a set of distinct pieces for each side. Pieces typically are disks with a light and a dark face, each face belonging to one player...
.
The memory section is run in a fixed format where competitors have to memorise a single deck of cards and a list of 48 random words (previously the second part was memorisation of a 96 digit number).
From 2008 the decamentathlon world championships was held using a backgammon
Backgammon
Backgammon is one of the oldest board games for two players. The playing pieces are moved according to the roll of dice, and players win by removing all of their pieces from the board. There are many variants of backgammon, most of which share common traits...
test in the place of bridge.
For 2011 the memory section was switched again, the random words section being replaced by a random 50 digit number to be memorised. The othello
Reversi
Reversi is a board game involving abstract strategy and played by two players on a board with 8 rows and 8 columns and a set of distinct pieces for each side. Pieces typically are disks with a light and a dark face, each face belonging to one player...
and backgammon
Backgammon
Backgammon is one of the oldest board games for two players. The playing pieces are moved according to the roll of dice, and players win by removing all of their pieces from the board. There are many variants of backgammon, most of which share common traits...
sections were also removed in favour of a Sudoku
Sudoku
is a logic-based, combinatorial number-placement puzzle. The objective is to fill a 9×9 grid with digits so that each column, each row, and each of the nine 3×3 sub-grids that compose the grid contains all of the digits from 1 to 9...
test and a Word puzzles test.
Controversy
There has been controversy over the claim that the event had an inherent English language bias. This was especially on the sections of creative thinking and intelligence. This view is reinforced by there only having been one non-native English speaker to have won the World Championships, Gert Schnider. Although, the fact that three of the winners of the decamentathlon have won the Pentamind in years other than when they won the decamentathlon implies that this bias might be small.There have also been issues of marking errors and the official answers not being accurate. This has resulted in medals being changed after they have been presented.
Champions
The World Championships have taken place as part of the MSO since 1997.- 1997:
A Dyson (England) - 1998: Paul Smith (England)
- 1999: Paul Smith (England)
- 2000:
Gert SchniderGert SchniderGert Schnider is an Austrian professional multi-talented board-game player, e.g. of Chess , Go and Shogi and an Abalone grandmaster....
(Austria) - 2001: Ben PridmoreBen Pridmore-Achievements:Pridmore is the 2009 World Memory Champion, a title he also won in 2004 and 2008. From Derby in the United Kingdom, Pridmore achieved this by winning a 10-discipline competition, the World Memory Championship, which has taken place every year since 1991.He held the official world...
(England) - 2002: David M. Pearce (England)
- 2003: Demis HassabisDemis HassabisDemis Hassabis is a computer game designer, AI programmer, neuroscientist and world-class games player. A child prodigy in chess, he reached master standard at the age of 13 with an Elo rating of 2300...
(England) - 2004: Demis Hassabis (England)
- 2005: Martyn Hamer (England)
- 2006: Mathew J. Cordell (England)
- 2007: Mathew J. Cordell (England)
- 2008:
Alain S. Dekker (South Africa) - 2009: Mathew J. Cordell (England)
- 2010: Mathew J. Cordell (England)
- 2011: Mathew J. Cordell (England)