Canadian wins inaugural Asia edition of board game tournament in Singapore
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Mr Wei Wei (in pink) was crowned grand champion after winning at The Castles Of Burgundy in the final of the World Series of Board Gaming Asia on June 2.
ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY
SINGAPORE – After three days of competition, financial analyst Wei Wei was crowned the grand champion of the inaugural World Series of Board Gaming (WSBG) Asia on June 2.
The China-born Canadian beat three opponents at The Castles Of Burgundy in the final in slightly less than three hours.
In that board game, players aim to develop their estate and earn points by building castles or selling goods.
“It feels surreal,” said Mr Wei, 33. “I was lagging behind in the first few rounds because I made a few poor decisions, so I thought that I didn’t have a chance any more, but the tides turned.”
He was among about 100 players who participated in the May 31 to June 2 tournament – the first WSBG event to be held in Asia.
The parent event is held annually in Las Vegas, and satellite tournaments are mainly held in other cities in the US.
Sixteen board games were featured in the Singapore event, and winners of each game competed in the semi-finals on the morning of June 2.
Mr Wei secured his spot in a semi-final by winning The White Castle on June 1, and triumphed over other semi-finalists in Wingspan.
“When it was announced that the game for the grand final would be The Castles Of Burgundy, I was pretty elated because it is one of the games that I’m more familiar with,” he said.
The final game was picked at random out of the pool of games that finalists had not played before the finale.
Mr Wei finished with 139 points – 12 points ahead of the runner-up – and was crowned the grand champion to much applause.
He also won a $1,000 reimbursement for his flight ticket to the 2025 WSBG in Las Vegas in September, which he has already bought event tickets for.
Mr Wei Wei (in pink) making a move during the final game.
Winners of the respective board games in Singapore will also be given a bye, or automatic advancement, to the second round of that game in Las Vegas if they decide to go for the Sept 19-23 event.
Hundreds of board game enthusiasts from different countries crowded Mind Cafe Mega in Prinsep Street during the three-day affair, much to the delight of event organisers Ivan Chen and Lynn Liu.
“The turnout was way beyond our expectations,” said Ms Liu.
“So many people walked in to play casually and just experience the atmosphere, and there were many times we ran out of tables.”
The couple, who competed in WSBG in Las Vegas in September 2024, brought the event to Singapore with the aim of growing the board gaming community in the region.
“I think we’ve achieved what we set out to do,” said Ms Liu. “Many strangers came together to play against or teach each other, so there was definitely a sense of community.”
Taiwanese Joyce Lin, 32, who won The Castles Of Burgundy on June 1, said the tournament was a great opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals.
Her win came as a surprise.
“I’m not the best at the game, so I was just playing to have fun. When I could smell my victory, I was trying my best to contain my excitement and not smile too wide,” said the finance professional, who works in Shanghai.
“The competition was very friendly. Everyone would remind each other if someone forgot to draw or misplaced a game piece,” she said.
“I’ll definitely be back next year.”
