(posted 7175 days ago)A yen for Monopoly
Sep 3 2004
By Domenic DonatantonioSouth London Press
A MAD-KEEN Monopoly enthusiast is hoping to pass go, collect £5,000 and go directly to Tokyo by winning the British Monopoly Championships today.Kamman Janpiam, 28, from Kennington Road, Lambeth North, is joining 64 board-game businessmen on HMS Belfast, moored at Morgans Lane, Tooley Street, London Bridge.
Kamman, who aptly works as a credit controller, had to answer 34 questions on the rules of the famous game to get through to the knock-out contest.
If he wins, he will receive £5,000 in prize money and an all-expenses paid trip to the World Monopoly Championships in Tokyo, Japan, from October 7-11.
He plays with his pals in the local Thai Pavilion restaurant in Kennington Road.
Kamman said tactics were crucial to beating the opposition.
He said: "It's best to be friendly to your opponents. It's strange, you have to co-operate with them in order to beat them."
Kamman admitted that luck plays a part.
He said: "The most common dice rolls are a seven or a six. So it's good to have the orange properties [Bow Street, Marlborough Street, Vine Street] because people go to 'jail' a lot in the game."
The contestants will each play three 90 minute knockout rounds.
MONOPOLY FACTS
The longest Monopoly game ever played was 1,680 hours (70 days)Longest game in a bathtub: 99 hours
Longest game underwater: 45 days
Longest game played upside-down: 36 hours
The most expensive Monopoly board ever made was put together by jewellery designer Sidney Mobell, of San Francisco. It was made for a million dollars out of gold and precious stones in 1988.
The largest outdoor game ever played used a gameboard 938ft wide by 765ft long.
Over £15million of Monopoly money is printed in the UK.
The game has been printed in 26 languages, including French, Afrikaans, Spanish, German, Catalan, Hindi, Arabic and Norwegian.