World Memory Championships
Encyclopedia
Memory sport
Memory sport, sometimes referred to as competitive memory or the mind sport of memory, is a competition in which participants attempt to memorize the most information that they can then present back, under certain guidelines...
in which competitors memorize
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....
as much information as possible within a given period of time. The Championship has taken place annually since 1991 and has been staged by various organisations. The first winner was Dominic O'Brien
Dominic O'Brien
Dominic O'Brien is a British mnemonist and an author of memory related books. He is the eight time world memory champion and works as a trainer for Peak Performance Training....
.
The World Championships consist of ten different disciplines, where the competitors have to memorize as much as they can in a period of time:
- One Hours Numbers (23712892....)
- 5 Minute Numbers
- Spoken Numbers, read out one per second
- 30 Minutes Binary Digits (011100110001001....)
- One Hour Playing Cards (as many decks of cards as possible)
- Random Lists of Words (House, playing, Orphan, Enyclopedia....)
- Names and Faces (15 minutes, world record: 195 names)
- 5min Historic Dates (fictional events and historic years)
- Abstract Images (black and white randomly generated spots)
- Speed Cards - Always the last discipline. Memorize the order of one shuffled deck of 52 playing cards as fast as possible. World record: 21.90 seconds.
Venues and Winners of World Memory Championships
| Year | Venue | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | London |  Dominic O'BrienDominic O'Brien Dominic O'Brien is a British mnemonist and an author of memory related books. He is the eight time world memory champion and works as a trainer for Peak Performance Training.... |
| 1992 | London | Dominic O'Brien Dominic O'Brien Dominic O'Brien is a British mnemonist and an author of memory related books. He is the eight time world memory champion and works as a trainer for Peak Performance Training.... |
| 1994 | London | Jonathan Hancock Jonathan Hancock Jonathan Bruce Hancock is the Founder of The Junior Memory Championship. A two-time Guinness World Record-Holder and former World Memory Champion, he also spent fifteen years working as a radio presenter on BBC Radio Oxford... |
| 1995 | London | Dominic O'Brien Dominic O'Brien Dominic O'Brien is a British mnemonist and an author of memory related books. He is the eight time world memory champion and works as a trainer for Peak Performance Training.... |
| 1996 | London | Dominic O'Brien Dominic O'Brien Dominic O'Brien is a British mnemonist and an author of memory related books. He is the eight time world memory champion and works as a trainer for Peak Performance Training.... |
| 1997 | London | Dominic O'Brien Dominic O'Brien Dominic O'Brien is a British mnemonist and an author of memory related books. He is the eight time world memory champion and works as a trainer for Peak Performance Training.... |
| 1998 | London | Andi Bell Andi Bell Andi Bell is a three-time winner of the World Memory Championships. He used a method similar to Method of loci.-References:... |
| 1999 | London | Dominic O'Brien Dominic O'Brien Dominic O'Brien is a British mnemonist and an author of memory related books. He is the eight time world memory champion and works as a trainer for Peak Performance Training.... |
| 2000 | London | Dominic O'Brien Dominic O'Brien Dominic O'Brien is a British mnemonist and an author of memory related books. He is the eight time world memory champion and works as a trainer for Peak Performance Training.... |
| 2001 | London | Dominic O'Brien Dominic O'Brien Dominic O'Brien is a British mnemonist and an author of memory related books. He is the eight time world memory champion and works as a trainer for Peak Performance Training.... |
| 2002 | London | Andi Bell Andi Bell Andi Bell is a three-time winner of the World Memory Championships. He used a method similar to Method of loci.-References:... |
| 2003 | Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million... |
Andi Bell Andi Bell Andi Bell is a three-time winner of the World Memory Championships. He used a method similar to Method of loci.-References:... |
| 2004 | Manchester Manchester Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater... |
Ben Pridmore Ben 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... |
| 2005 | Oxford Oxford The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through... |
 Clemens MayerClemens Mayer Clemens Mayer is a German memory sports person. He was World Memory Champion in 2005 and 2006. He uses the Method of loci. He originally intended to be an Olympic runner, but decided to go into memory sports after watching Gunther Karsten on German television.- References :... |
| 2006 | London | Clemens Mayer Clemens Mayer Clemens Mayer is a German memory sports person. He was World Memory Champion in 2005 and 2006. He uses the Method of loci. He originally intended to be an Olympic runner, but decided to go into memory sports after watching Gunther Karsten on German television.- References :... |
| 2007 | Bahrain Bahrain ' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is... |
Gunther Karsten |
| 2008 | Bahrain Bahrain ' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is... |
Ben Pridmore Ben 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... |
| 2009 | London | Ben Pridmore Ben 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... |
| 2010 | Guangzhou Guangzhou Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port... |
 Wang FengWang Feng (mnemonist) Wang Feng is a Chinese mnemonist. On December 5, 2010 he won the 19th World Memory Championships in Guangzhou, China with a record score of 9486 points, taking him to the top of the world rankings.... |
| 2011 | China China Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture... (TBA) |
See also
- Eidetic memoryEidetic memoryEidetic , commonly referred to as photographic memory, is a medical term, popularly defined as the ability to recall images, sounds, or objects in memory with extreme precision and in abundant volume. The word eidetic, referring to extraordinarily detailed and vivid recall not limited to, but...
- Grand Master of MemoryGrand Master of MemoryFirst awarded in 1995, the title Grand Master of Memory is awarded to people who are able to successfully negotiate the following three memory feats:*Memorise 1,000 random digits in an hour*Memorise the order of 10 decks of cards in an hour...
- List of world championships in mind sports
- Memory sportMemory sportMemory sport, sometimes referred to as competitive memory or the mind sport of memory, is a competition in which participants attempt to memorize the most information that they can then present back, under certain guidelines...
- Method of lociMethod of lociThe method of loci , also called the memory palace, is a mnemonic device introduced in ancient Roman rhetorical treatises . It relies on memorized spatial relationships to establish, order and recollect memorial content...
- MnemonistMnemonistThe title mnemonist refers to an individual with the ability to remember and recall unusually long lists of data, such as unfamiliar names, lists of numbers, entries in books, etc. Such individuals have also been described as possessing an eidetic memory, although whether such abilities are innate...