Couple bring world board games competition to Singapore after face-off in Las Vegas

SINGAPORE – The stakes were high for data analyst Ivan Chen as he stared at the cards laid out before him on the table at a Las Vegas hotel on a balmy evening in September 2024.

On the line was a chance at glory and US$25,000 (S$32,100), but Mr Chen and his wife Lynn Liu, both 36, were not gambling in the casino pits of the Nevada town. 

As chance would have it, they were facing off against each other in the first round of a board game called Splendor, after flying halfway across the world from Singapore to compete against thousands at the annual World Series of Board Gaming (WSBG).

Splendor is a card-based board game in which players are gem merchants and race to accumulate points. In Las Vegas, Mr Chen beat Ms Liu, a digital marketing manager, and went all the way to the final round before finishing fourth. 

He said: “Everyone – young and old – can play board games, so there’s a 1 per cent chance you can be a world champion. We thought we had a chance, but we were unlucky.”

The experience, which the couple described as “electrifying and novel”, inspired them to bring the tournament to Singapore in the form of a WSBG satellite event.

“When we were in Las Vegas, we noticed that among thousands of players, not many were from Asia, and we couldn’t find someone we could link up and play with back home,” said Mr Chen. 

The plan to bring together people in Singapore who are passionate about board games began at the start of 2025.

The satellite event – the first of its kind to be held in Asia – is on from May 31 to June 2 at board game cafe Mind Cafe Mega in Prinsep Street. It will feature the same 16 board games as the Vegas event: Acquire, Ark Nova, Azul, Brass: Birmingham, Cascadia, Dune: Uprising, Earth, Great Western Trail, Heat: Pedal To The Metal, Lost Ruins Of Arnak, Ra, Splendor, Terraforming Mars, The Castles Of Burgundy, The White Castle and Wingspan. 

Nearly 100 players from countries such as Singapore, China, Germany and Australia are expected to compete on-site in the tournament.

Each player can compete in up to two board games, and up to 16 players can compete in each game. 

The 16 winners of each board game will then be split into groups of four to compete in the semi-finals on June 2. Games for each semi-final will be picked at random, but the games will not include any that the four competitors played earlier in the competition.

The last four players who remain will compete for the title of grand champion, and they will be given a reimbursement of $1,000 for their flight ticket to Las Vegas for the 2025 games in September. 

Winners of each board game will also be able to skip the first round for that board game if they go to Vegas. 

Mr Chen and Ms Liu, both China-born permanent residents, met at a board game cafe in Hong Kong in 2013.

On the allure of board games, Mr Chen said: “Nowadays, there are a lot of online games, which are probably not that healthy if you get addicted. Board games are a good way for everyone to develop smarts.

“There’s also that face-to-face connection, and strangers might become friends or maybe even husband and wife.”

The window to sign up for the Singapore competition has closed, but casual play tickets are available at wsbgvegas.com/satellite-asia for $20. Ticket holders can meet the competitors and play board games for fun during the tournament.

Board game coach David Tan, 57, said the tournament is a good opportunity to take part in a world-class competition without having to travel. 

Mr Tan, who runs board game courses for children and organises board game parties, will be competing in two games: Acquire and Ra.

He aims to win both. He said: “Some of my young students – fledgling players – want to see their coach play at the WSBG... I’m aiming to win the champion title for either game and, hopefully, inspire my students.”