Memory sport

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Memory sport, sometimes referred to as competitive memory or the mind sport of memory, refers to competitions in which participants attempt to memorize then recall different forms of information, under certain guidelines. The sport has been formally developed since 1991 and features national and international championships. The primary worldwide organizational bodies are the IAM (International Association of Memory) and WMSC (World Memory Sports Council). [1] [2]

Contents

In response to a conspicuous rivalry between two challengers to the same Guinness Book Record, Memory Sports Promotion and Control Ltd., (Company number 3548879) was incorporated on 6 April 1998, by the invigilators Dr Peter Marshall and Ms Anne Perrett. The company operated under the business name The Word Memory Sports Association. [3]

One common type of competition involves memorizing the order of randomized cards in as little time as possible, after which the competitor is required to arrange new decks of cards in the same order.

Mnemonic techniques are generally considered to be a necessary part of competition, and are improved through extensive practice. [4] These can include the method of loci, the use of mnemonic linking and chunking, or other techniques for storage and retrieval of information.

History

Techniques for training memory are discussed as far back as ancient Greece, and formal memory training was long considered an important part of basic education known as the art of memory. [5] However, the development of trained memorization into a sport is only a development of the late 20th century, and even then has remained relatively limited in scope. The first worldwide competition was held as the World Memory Championships in 1991, and has been held again in every year since, with the exception of 1992. [6]

Competitions

Following the establishment of the World Memory Championships in 1991, national competitions have been set up in more than a dozen countries, including the U.S., India, Germany, UK, Italy, Sweden, Australia, Singapore, China, Japan, South Korea, Mongolia, and the Philippines, among others. [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] An up-to-date list of competitions can be found at the International Association of Memory statistics website. [12]

In 2016, due to the dispute between players and the WMSC (World Memory Sports Council), most of the organizations except China and Arabia withdrew from the WMSC and launched the IAM (International Association of Memory). [13] Beginning in 2017, both organizations hosted their own world championships.

The Guild of Mnemonists Ltd was incorporated 6 April 1998, Company number 03541058, [14] to foster communication and technique sharing as well as to develop ethical controls for competitions and guaranteed standards in memory training courses. The Guild has since ceased to function.

Techniques

Competitors describe numerous methods and techniques for improving their memorization skills, with some having published and named their specific methods. These include, for instance, the Dominic system, named after former World Champion Dominic O'Brien, the mnemonic major system, as well as the person-action-object system which involves encoding cards and numbers into sequences of persons, actions, and objects. [15] These methods are sometimes referred to as "mnemotechnics".

O'Brien's Dominic system is a powerful memorizing strategy that combines both traditional and innovative techniques. These include techniques like assigning easily remembered people to unmeaningful things such as numbers, and more known techniques like the memory palace.

Joshua Foer has written, "Though every competitor has his own unique method of memorization for each event, all mnemonic techniques are essentially based on the concept of elaborative encoding, which holds that the more meaningful something is, the easier it is to remember." [16]

Disciplines

Sanctioned memory competitions comply with one of four formats for competition depending on the level. At the World Championship, all ten disciplines are conducted at maximum timing, while at other international competitions some disciplines are shortened to a 30-minute format. As the competitions become more regional, some disciplines are cut while others are shortened.

Decks of playing cards at the World Memory Championships Memory Sports.jpg
Decks of playing cards at the World Memory Championships

According to the World Memory Championship Competitors Handbook, the ten disciplines are as follows:

  1. Names and Faces – "Memorize and recall as many names as possible and link them to the right face."
  2. Binary Numbers – "Memorize and recall as many binary digits as possible."
  3. Random Numbers – "Memorize as many random digits as possible, in complete rows of 40 digits, and recall them perfectly."
  4. Abstract Images – "Memorize and recall the sequence of abstract images in as many rows as possible."
  5. Speed Numbers – "Memorize as many random digits as quickly as possible, in complete rows of 40 digits, and recall them perfectly."
  6. Historic/Future Dates – "Memorize as many numerical historic/future dates as possible and to link them to the correct fictional event."
  7. Random Cards – "Memorize and recall as many separate packs (decks) of 52 playing cards as possible."
  8. Random Words – "Memorize as many random words in complete columns of 20 as possible and recall them perfectly."
  9. Spoken Number – "Listen to, memorize, and recall as many spoken numbers as possible."
  10. Speed Cards – "Memorize and recall a single pack of 52 playing cards in the shortest possible time.

In addition to the traditional competitions organized by the World Memory Sports Council or International Association of Memory, memory athletes often compete at alternative-format competitions. These include the Memory League Championships (formerly the Extreme Memory Tournament), Memoriad, and the MAA Memo Games. [17] [18] [19]

Other types of memory competitions may not feature timed events. For instance, records for the memorization of π (known as piphilology) have been recorded since the 1970s, with the current record holder having produced from memory more than 70,000 digits.

Records

Memory sport continues to have its records broken rapidly. A recent world speed record for memorizing a deck of cards was 12.74 seconds, held by Shijir-Erdene Bat-Enkh of Mongolia. [20] A recent world record for the most digits memorized in five minutes was 630, held by Andrea Muzii. [21] There are two different up-to-date lists of world and national records: 1. The International Association of Memory statistics website [22] 2. The World Memory Sports Council Official Statistics website [23]

Designations

The highest designation set up by the World Memory Sports Council, which organizes the World Memory Championships, is the Grand Master of Memory. Subclassifications include international grandmaster (IGM), grandmaster (GMM), and international master (IMM). As of November 2016, there are approximately 200 grandmasters in the world. [16]

Abilities

Researchers have looked to discover the differences between brains with superior memory and those with average memory both in structure and capabilities, and whether their capabilities are innate or developed. Some research has found that there are no fundamental differences between brains with superior memory and the average person. Instead many superior memorizers, like those in the World Memory Championships, use mnemonic learning strategies to practice preferential engagement of areas of the brain such as the hippocampus and the medial parietal and retrosplenial cortices which allows them to store and access more information in their working memory.

However, other research into the causal factors of superior memory found that such performance could derive from either the practice of mnemonic strategies or in some cases a natural superiority in memory efficiency. The research also concluded that for those with regular natural ability, the superior memory they gain from using mnemonic strategies is typically limited by the applicability of their strategy to the task at hand. However, users of mnemonic strategies often perform exceptionally well with "less meaningful materials such as numbers."

Well-known competitors

Up-to-date world rankings can be found at the International Association of Memory statistics website. [24]

World champions

Other

See also

Related Research Articles

Piphilology comprises the creation and use of mnemonic techniques to remember many digits of the mathematical constant π. The word is a play on the word "pi" itself and of the linguistic field of philology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Method of loci</span> Memory techniques adopted in ancient Roman and Greek rhetorical treatises

The method of loci is a strategy for memory enhancement, which uses visualizations of familiar spatial environments in order to enhance the recall of information. The method of loci is also known as the memory journey, memory palace, journey method, memory spaces, or mind palace technique. This method is a mnemonic device adopted in ancient Roman and Greek rhetorical treatises. Many memory contest champions report using this technique to recall faces, digits, and lists of words.

The title mnemonist refers to an individual with the ability to remember and recall unusually long lists of data, such as unfamiliar names, lists of numbers, entries in books, etc. Some mnemonists also memorize texts such as long poems, speeches, or even entire books of fiction or non-fiction. The term is derived from the term mnemonic, which refers to a strategy to support remembering, but not all mnemonists report using mnemonics. Mnemonists may have superior innate ability to recall or remember, in addition to relying on techniques.

The art of memory is any of a number of loosely associated mnemonic principles and techniques used to organize memory impressions, improve recall, and assist in the combination and 'invention' of ideas. An alternative term is "Ars Memorativa" which is also translated as "art of memory" although its more literal meaning is "Memorative Art". It is also referred to as mnemotechnics. It is an 'art' in the Aristotelian sense, which is to say a method or set of prescriptions that adds order and discipline to the pragmatic, natural activities of human beings. It has existed as a recognized group of principles and techniques since at least as early as the middle of the first millennium BCE, and was usually associated with training in rhetoric or logic, but variants of the art were employed in other contexts, particularly the religious and the magical.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Pridmore</span>

Ben Pridmore is a former world memory champion, memory sport competitor and accountant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World Memory Championships</span> Annual memory competition

The World Memory Championships is an organized competition of memory sports in which competitors memorize as much information as possible within a given period of time. The championship has taken place annually since 1991, with the exception of 1992. The next World Memory Championship will take place in Vashi, Maharashtra, India for the first time. It will take place at 24 to 26 November It was originated by Tony Buzan and co founded by Tony Buzan and Ray Keene. It continues to be organized by the World Memory Sports Council (WMSC), which was jointly founded by Tony Buzan and Ray Keene. In 2016, due to a dispute between some players and the WMSC, the International Association of Memory (IAM) was launched. From 2017 onward, both organizations have hosted their own world championships.

Johannes Mallow is a German memory sportsman. He is a two-time winner of the World Memory Championships. He studied successfully Communication Technology at the Otto-von-Guericke University of Magdeburg and finalized his PhD thesis in 2016 at the University of Duisburg-Essen. He also works as a mind coach and scientific author.

Grand Master of Memory (GMM) is a title previously awarded by the International Association of Memory to people who are able to successfully negotiate the following three memory feats:

Exceptional memory is the ability to have accurate and detailed recall in a variety of ways, including hyperthymesia, eidetic memory, synesthesia, and emotional memory. Exceptional memory is also prevalent in those with savant syndrome and mnemonists.

<i>Moonwalking with Einstein</i> Book by Joshua Foer

Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything is a nonfiction book by Joshua Foer, first published in 2011. Moonwalking with Einstein debuted at no. 3 on the New York Times bestseller list and stayed on the list for 8 weeks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nelson Dellis</span> Memory athlete

Nelson Charles Dellis is an American memory athlete and consultant. He is a five-time USA Memory Champion, holding the record for most wins of the national memory champion title. He is also one of the co-founders of Memory League. Nelson also runs Climb 4 Memory - a nonprofit which "aims to raise funds and awareness for Alzheimer's disease research through mountain climbs around the world."

Chester Santos is a memory expert and motivational speaker best known for winning the USA Memory Championship. He has been profiled in numerous publications and media outlets such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, NBC, CBS, CNN, PBS, Business Week, USA Today, Yahoo! News, Google News, Wired magazine, Reuters and Sports Illustrated. His interview with CNN was featured on the VH1 show “The Best Week Ever”.

The USA Memory Championship is an annual competition that took place every spring in New York City until 2016, and is currently held in Orlando, Florida, after an online qualifier. It was founded by Tony Dottino, President of Dottino Consulting Group, Inc., and Marshall Tarley in 1997. Designed to test the limits of the human brain, the USA Memory Championship is an organized competition in which Memory Athletes (MAs) attempt to memorize as much information as possible in events such as Names and Faces, Cards, Random Numbers, Images, and guest information at a fictional "Tea Party". Since 2018, there is also often an event called Long-Term Memory in which the MAs are given reams of data a month in advance about a wide variety of subjects such as the Period Table of the Elements, Space Shuttle missions, NFL Hall-of-Famers, etc. Participation is open to US citizens who are at least 12 years of age. The competition currently consists of 9 total events, 5 of which are online qualifying events, while the last four events are held at a live event to determine the champion.

Sri Vyshnavi Yarlagadda is an International Grandmaster of Memory. She attained her career-best rank no. 2 in October 2013 in Names and Faces event by the World Memory Sports Council. She is the first Indian to win an open category medal at the World Memory Championships. She achieved this feat by winning the gold medal in Names and Faces event at the 20th World Memory Championship 2011 on 7 December 2011 in Guangzhou, China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex Mullen (memory athlete)</span> Memory athlete

Alex Mullen is an American memory competitor, three-time world memory champion, and physician. The first American to win the world title, he won for three consecutive years the 2015, 2016, and 2017 World Memory Championships and held the IAM world No. 1 ranking from 2016-2019. He was also the 2022 and 2023 Memory League World Champion. Along with his wife, he runs Mullen Memory - a nonprofit which "provides free resources exploring memory palaces as learning tools."

Memory League is a memory competition platform originally founded and created by Nelson Dellis and Simon Orton under the name Extreme Memory Tournament (XMT).

Yänjaa Wintersoul, sometimes known as simply Yanjaa, is a Mongolian–Swedish triple world record-breaking memory champion & Polyglot. She is one of only 22 international grandmasters of memory. She first rose to prominence in memory sports in 2014 by winning the team gold medal as well as first place in names and faces at the World Memory Championships 2014 in Haikou, China during her first year of memory training.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonas von Essen</span> Memory sports player

Baron Jonas von Essen is a Swedish, two-time world memory champion. He was a memory sports player from 2012 to 2015. In April 2019 he co-founded memoryOS, an ed-tech startup developing memory improvement software.

The International Association of Memory (IAM) is an international organization that connects the various national memory sport federations and acts as a governing body of international memory competition. The IAM was founded on 5 July 2016 and has its headquarters in Munich, Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrea Muzii</span> Italian memory competitor

Andrea Muzii is an Italian memory competitor, former speedcuber, 3 times European Memory Champion, who became IAM World Memory Champion in 2019 and IAM World No.1 ranked athlete. He was the first memory athlete to achieve the IAM title of Grandmaster of Memory-Gold.

References

  1. ↑ "International Association of Memory | International Association of Memory". www.iam-memory.org. Retrieved 2017-12-07.
  2. ↑ "World Memory Championships | World Memory Championships". www.worldmemorychampionships.com. Retrieved 2017-12-07.
  3. ↑ Companies House record, number 3548879, South Wales Echo 2 December 1998, p17
  4. ↑ "Contact Us – The World Memory Championships". worldmemorychampionships.com. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
  5. ↑ Foer, Joshua (February 15, 2011). "Secrets of a Mind-Gamer". The New York Times . Retrieved July 6, 2016.
  6. ↑ "World Memory Championships | World Memory Statistics". www.iam-stats.org. Retrieved 2017-01-02.
  7. ↑ "FAQs | USA Memory Championship". USAMemoryChampionship.com. Archived from the original on July 19, 2017. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
  8. ↑ "Grandmaster of memory stays on top". The Hindu. November 12, 2010. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
  9. ↑ Gemma Luz Corotan (August 31, 2010). "Filipino nurse, 'kristo' excel in UK memory tilt". INQUIRER.net. Archived from the original on September 1, 2010. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Memory champs meet for UK contest". BBC News . August 15, 2009. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
  11. ↑ "List of Memory Competitions". Memory Techniques Wiki. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
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  13. ↑ "International Association of Memory | Memory Sports". memory-sports.com. 21 June 2016. Retrieved 2017-12-06.
  14. ↑ http://www.companycheck.co.uk, http://www.ukcorporations.org
  15. ↑ "Person-Action-Object (PAO) System". Memory Techniques Wiki. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
  16. 1 2 "Special Titles | International Association of Memory Statistics". www.iam-stats.org. Retrieved 2016-11-26.[ permanent dead link ]
  17. ↑ "Home | Memory League". memoryleague.com. Retrieved 2019-10-02.
  18. ↑ "Home | Memoriad". www.memoriad.com/. Retrieved 2019-10-02.
  19. ↑ "Home | Memo Games". memory-sports.com. Retrieved 2019-10-02.
  20. ↑ "Speed Cards Record | International Association of Memory Statistics". iam-stats.org. Retrieved 2019-10-02.
  21. ↑ "5 Minute Numbers Record | International Association of Memory Statistics". iam-stats.org. Retrieved 2019-10-02.
  22. ↑ "World Records | International Association of Memory Statistics". iam-stats.org. Retrieved 2019-10-02.
  23. ↑ "World Records | World Memory Statistic". www.world-memory-statistics.com. Retrieved 2019-10-02.
  24. ↑ "World Ranking | International Association of Memory Statistics". www.iam-stats.org. Retrieved 2016-07-05.
  25. ↑ "World Memory Championships | World Memory Statistics". www.world-memory-statistics.com. Retrieved 2016-12-29.
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  28. ↑ "IAM Statistics". iam-stats.org. Retrieved 2023-06-05.
  29. ↑ "IAM Statistics". iam-stats.org. Retrieved 2023-06-05.
  30. ↑ "15 minute Names & Faces Record | International Association of Memory Statistics". www.iam-stats.org. Retrieved 2019-10-02.
  31. ↑ "Yanjindulam Altansuh | International Association of Memory Statistics". www.iam-stats.org. Retrieved 2019-10-02.
  32. ↑ "International Association of Memory Statistics". www.iam-stats.org. Retrieved 2017-12-17.
  33. ↑ "International Association of Memory Statistics". www.iam-stats.org. Retrieved 2017-12-17.
  34. 1 2 3 "List of USA Memory Champions – Memory Techniques Wiki".
  35. 1 2 3 "Special Titles | International Association of Memory Statistics". www.iam-stats.org. Retrieved 2016-11-07.[ permanent dead link ]
  36. ↑ "Simon Reinhard | International Association of Memory Statistics". www.iam-stats.org. Retrieved 2019-10-02.
  37. ↑ "2014 Extreme Memory Tournament | Memory League". www.memoryleague.com. Retrieved 2016-12-29.[ permanent dead link ]
  38. ↑ "2016 Extreme Memory Tournament | Memory League". www.memoryleague.com. Archived from the original on 2017-04-11. Retrieved 2016-12-29.
  39. ↑ "Marwin Wallonius | International Association of Memory Statistics". www.iam-stats.org. Retrieved 2019-10-02.
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  42. ↑ "Huang Shenghua | International Association of Memory Statistics". www.iam-stats.org. Retrieved 2019-10-02.
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  44. ↑ "Shi Binbin | International Association of Memory Statistics". www.iam-stats.org. Retrieved 2019-10-02.
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  47. 1 2 "5 minute Binary Record | International Association of Memory Statistics". www.iam-stats.org. Retrieved 2016-12-17.
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  50. ↑ "Ola Kare Risa | International Association of Memory Statistics". www.iam-stats.org. Retrieved 2016-12-29.
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  52. ↑ "Boris Konrad | International Association of Memory Statistics". www.iam-stats.org. Retrieved 2019-10-02.
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