Hi all,

On behalf of the MGI team, I’m proud and excited to announce the details of MindGames Premier Championship (MPC 2019). As is customary, the event will feature both scrabble and chess.
With the intent of building on the success of MPC 2018, we are making a few changes this year in order to make the championship more inclusive. This year, the qualifying events will have 3 classes within a single category with separate class prizes for Intermediate & Opens players. Prizes for the qualifying events and the Grand Finale have also been increased by almost 2 MILLION NAIRA for both scrabble and chess.

The structure and format for MPC 2019 are highlighted below;

MPC QUALIFYING SERIES

· Each qualifying event will be single category with three classes to accommodate lower ranked players – NSF rating cut-off is set to 1450 & 1200 for Intermediate & Opens players respectively

· Separate prize distributions for the 3 classes provided we have at least 50 registered players

· There will be 4 qualifying events to be held in Port Harcourt, Enugu, Lagos and Kano.

· All qualifying events will adopt a uniform format for scrabble and chess respectively

· The top 8 finishers from each qualifying tournament will qualify to participate in the MPC 2019 GRAND FINALE

· Top female finisher at each qualifier will also qualify to participate in the Grand Finale event. (If a female player finishes in the top 8, the slot goes to the next in line)

· Best overall performer in the Intermediate category who hasn’t qualified already at the end of all qualifying series will be invited to the MPC Grand Finale

· Best overall performer in the Opens category who hasn’t qualified already at the end of all qualifying series will be invited to the MPC Grand Finale

· 2 wildcards each will automatically be awarded to the partner clubs hosting the qualifying event and the Grand Finale

· Already qualified players will be exempted from taking further parts in the qualifying events

· Foreign-based international players including Nigerian scrabble players in diaspora will be eligible to participate in the MPC Grand Finale (Number MAY be capped)

MPC GRAND FINALE

· The Grand Finale will be an exclusive event for all the eligible players and wildcard awardees

· All qualifiers for the Grand Finale will play in a single category

· The venue for the Grand Finale remains the Lagos Country Club, Ikeja

TENTATIVE DATES

· MPC2019 SERIES 1: April 13, 2019 – Port Harcourt

· MPC2019 SERIES 2: June 15, 2019 – Enugu

· MPC2019 SERIES 3: August 10, 2019 – Lagos

· MPC2019 SERIES 4: October 5, 2019 – Kano

· GRAND FINALE: November 22 – 24, 2019 – Lagos Country Club, Ikeja



Full details of the venues will be released very soon. Please note that chess qualifiers shall take place on the day following the scrabble event at each location.

FORMAT

· Rounds: QF – 12 games, GF – 24 games

· Time Control: QF – 20mins/player, GF – 25mins/player

· Rules: WESPA rules v3

· Lexicon: CSW15 until June 30, 2019, CSW19 from July 01, 2019

· Tournament software: TSH

· Pairings: Lagged Swiss + KOTH

Please note that we have applied for NSF ratings and awaiting confirmation.

PRIZES

· The total cash prize for MPC 2019 is a whopping 7 MILLION NAIRA approximately

· Top prize for class A at each qualifying event will be N100,000

· Top prize for class B (INTERMEDIATE) at each qualifying event will be N50,000

· Top prize for class C (OPENS) at each qualifying event will be N30,000

· Star prize for the MPC 2019 Grand Finale will be N600,000 for scrabble and chess respectively

· Product/material prizes worth over N200,000 to be awarded at the Grand Finale

(See attached for full breakdown of the prizes)

Please note that in a situation where there are less than 50 registered players at any of the qualifying events, the class prizes MAY be scrapped and prizes awarded to 12 players overall. However, the number of qualifiers from the event shall remain 9.

SPONSORS/PARTNERS

We would like to sincerely thank the following sponsors for their continued support toward the success of MPC and the MGI brand. We deeply appreciate your unwavering belief in the vision of MindGames Incorporated.

· Front Page Couture – FPC

· Airpop Foods Ltd

· Panseke Radio

· Lagos Country Club

· Lekki Scrabble Club

· Kano Scrabble Club

· Shell Scrabble Club

· Nigeria Scrabble Federation

· Nigeria Scrabble Friends

Registration for all qualifiers will commence on April 01, 2019. Please note that registration will close approximately 48 hours before the start of each qualifier. More information about MindGames Premier Championship - MPC 2019 will be available on our website - www.mindgamesincorporated.com as soon as possible.



Please follow us on our social media platforms - Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. You can help promote the events by sharing, hash-tagging, tweeting and retweeting.



All enquiries/feedback to be directed to us via info@mindgamesincorporated.com.



If you would like to support our event in any way or form, please contact us via info@mindgamesincorporated.com or reach out to me directly on +353 83 841 9666 (WhatsApp only).



Every little counts!



Be informed. Be prepared. Be victorious.