A yen for Monopoly

A yen for Monopoly

Sep 3 2004
By Domenic Donatantonio

South 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.

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