A quick guide to all the games, ancient and modern

Synchronise watches and batten down the hatches. Christopher Warman brings you the complete breakdown of all the action at the Mind Sports Olympiad, from Abalone to Zatre

ABALONE

World Championship: Aug 23-24 (am). Two player strategy game invented by M Lalet and L Levi c.1988. Hexagonal board composed of 61 cells in a regular pattern. Each player (white/black) has 14 marbles in their own colour. You move (push) your own men, either singly or as a line, in any direction. The object is to push your opponent's marbles off the board. A line can only push an opponent's line that has a lesser number of marbles. (Prize fund: £500)

BACKGAMMON

Beginners: Aug 21, 3.30- 9.30pm. Weekend: Aug 21-22, 3.30-9.30pm. Olympiad Championship: Aug 23-27, 3.30- 9.30pm. Weekend: Aug 28-29, 3.30-9.30pm.

BRIDGE

MiniBridge (Bridge for beginners) Aug 24-26 (am). Mixed pairs: Aug 23 (evg). Multiple teams: Aug 24 (day). Pairs championship: Aug 25-26 (day). Open pairs (for those who do not qualify for the pairs championship finals): Aug 26 (pm). Ladies' pairs, mens' pairs, novices' pairs, seniors' pairs: Aug 27 (evg). Swiss pairs: Aug 28 (day). Swiss teams: Aug 29 (day). (Prize fund: £10,000).

BRIDGE ON THE INTERNET

This virtual bridge tournament is for those who are unable to be at the Olympiad. It is an individual tournament. E-mail inquiries to: info@bridgeplayer.com or visit their web site at www.bridge player.com

CHESS

The Olympiad offers 13 chess tournaments. The true enthusiast can play in up to 11. Olympiad championship (30 minute): Aug 23-27 (am). Evening tournaments: Aug 23-24; Aug 25-26. 10-minute tournaments: Aug 21 (am), Aug 22 (am), Aug 28 (am), Aug 29 (am). 5-minute tournaments: Aug 21 (pm), Aug 22 (pm), Aug 28 (pm), Aug 29 (pm). UK Schools Chess Challenge Terafinal (under 18): Aug 28, 9.30am-6.15pm. Entry by pre-qualification only. (Prize fund: £10,000)

Chess Problem Solving: Aug 22 (pm). (Prize fund: £500)

MSO MASTERS

The inaugural MSO Masters, a nine-round chess tournament offering opportunities to achieve international Master and Grandmaster norms. Aug 21-28, 3.30-9.30pm; Aug 29 1.30-7.30pm. (Prize fund: £10,000)

CONTINUO

World championship: Aug 22 (am). Continuo is a pattern-matching tile game, ideally for two players, invented by Maureen Hiron in 1982. Within six weeks of release it was Britain's top-selling game. It has never been advertised but has sold more than five million copies in 37 countries. The game consists of 42 square cardboard tiles, each divided into 16 small squares. Each square is of a single colour and a tile may have either two or three different colours. Players draw tiles and lay down one in turn such that it abuts at least one tile already on the table. The winner is the player with the highest score when all tiles have been played. (Prize fund: £500)

COUNTDOWN

Aug 24, Aug 25 (both by pre-qualification only), Aug 26: 2.15-3.15pm. This tournament is based on the TV programme Countdown and is conducted by Mark Nyman, producer of the programme, who is also a former world scrabble champion. The tournament takes the form of a series of questions which will be used to help to select contestants who will appear on the TV programme.

CREATIVE THINKING

World championship; Aug 22 (am). The Creative Thinking World Championship comprises three tests of 30 to 45 minutes. Contestants will be set a variety of tasks involving imagination and originality. Points will be scored for: Creative Fecundity, the ability to produce a large number of ideas in a limited time, and Pure Originality, coming up with ideas that other people don't consider. (Prize fund: £500)

CRIBBAGE (5-CARD)

British Open Individual championship: Aug 28 (am). British Open Pairs championship: Aug 28 (pm). (Prize fund: £2,000)

CROSSWORDS

The Times Crossword championship: qualifier at 2pm on Aug 21, finals also on Aug 21 at 7.15pm. All participants must have pre-qualified.

DECAMENTATHLON

World championship: Aug 22 (pm). The Decamentathlon is a four-hour challenge in ten different games and mental skills: bridge, chess, creative thinking, draughts 8x8, Go, IQ, Mastermind, memory skills, mental calculations and Othello. Each of the ten is worth a maximum of 100 points. It is possible to win the Decamentathlon even if you are unable to try all 10 sections. The first skill tested is memory. The test consists of two parts: a) memorising a normal, shuffled deck of 52 playing cards; and b) memorising as many digits as possible of a long number. Each of the other nine sections will consist of a written test. In chess, for example, you will be shown positions from games and asked to write down what you think is the best move. (Prize fund: £500).

DIPLOMACY

Aug 21, 10am-9.30pm. (Prize fund: £500). Kiss of death power struggle

DOMINOES

British Straight Pairs open championship: Aug 29 (am); British 5s and 3s Pairs open championship: Aug 29 (pm). (Prize fund: £2,000)

8x8 DRAUGHTS

Beginners tournament: Aug 26 (am); British & Irish open championship: Aug 27 and 28 (day), Aug 29 (am). (Prize fund: £4,000)

10x10 DRAUGHTS

Blitz tournament (10-minute): Aug 21 (day). Rapid Play championship (60-minute): Aug 22-26 (pm). World Blitz championship (10-minute): Aug 27-29 (pm). (Prize fund: £8,000)

ENTROPY

World championship: Aug 23-24 (pm). Two-player abstract strategy game generally considered to be a modern classic. Accorded the rare 6 out of 6 rating by Games & Puzzles Magazine games test panel (1981). Invented in UK by Skirrid International (1980) and subsequently in the US as Vice Versa. Marketed in Germany by Franjos as Hyle.
The marketed game uses a 5x5 board but the version we are using gives a much more sophisticated and skilful game. Board 7x7 and 49 counters, seven each of seven colours. One player is Order, the other Chaos.
All counters are placed in a bag and are drawn, one at a time and unseen, by Chaos who places them on any empty square. Each time a counter is placed, Order can move any one counter on the board, including the one just played, like a rook in chess. The object of Order is to form patterns, horizontally and vertically, which Chaos strives to prevent. A pattern is any line of two or more adjacent counters which is identical if the order is reversed. (Prize fund: £500)

GIPF

Olympiad championship: Aug 29 (day). GIPF Problem Solving championship: Aug 28 (pm). A proprietary game which is gaining support on the Continent. (Prize fund: £500)

GO

Lecture for beginners by Paul Smith: Aug 22, 2pm, followed by a 9x9 beginners' tournament. 13x13 championship: Aug 21 (day). 9x9 championship: Aug 22 (am). Olympiad championship (19x19): Aug 26-28 (day). Rapid play (19x19): Aug 29 (day). (Prize fund: £8,500).

HEXDAME

Olympiad championship: Aug 22 (am). (Prize fund: £500)

INTELLIGENCE

Saturday tournament: Aug 21 (pm). World Intelligence championship (questions set by Mensa): Aug 24, 10-11am; Aug 25, 10am-noon; Aug 26, 10am-noon; Aug 27 (am). (Prize fund: £2,000)

NEW GAMES

Learn new games: Aug 29 (am); Play new games: (Aug 29 (pm). Lectures and simultaneous displays by games experts. The aim is to help people improve their skills and learn more about the games. It will be possible to learn new games in the morning, then play competitively in the afternoon.

LINES OF ACTION

World championship: Aug 25-26 (pm). (Prize fund: £500).
Commonly known as LOA, this is a two-player abstract game invented by Claude Sourcie and first published in Sid Sackson's A Gamut of Games (1969). A cult game in America and Europe, it uses an 8x8 draughts board and men (12 a side). The starting position has the pieces arranged around the perimeter with the corners blank and pieces of like colour facing each other. Pieces move in any direction exactly the number of squares that there are pieces on that line, including the piece moving. Thus, in the starting position, every piece can move exactly two squares. In addition, end pieces can move into the corner (six squares). The object is to combine one's pieces in a single group, posing the problem of when to capture. A player left with a single piece wins.