Natalie passes go and wins through to Monopoly finals

Natalie passes go and wins through to Monopoly finals

3 June 2015

A CROSSGAR woman is one step closer to competing at this year’s world Monopoly championship final in China.

Natalie Fitzsimons booked her place in the UK and Ireland final during a regional heat in Belfast last Saturday and will now be up against 11 other regional winners at The Shard in London next month to see who goes forward to Macu to compete for the world title this September.

A Monopoly enthusiast, Natalie has been playing the classic board game since she was a child and was one of over 100 adults and young people competing at the regional heat at Belfast’s Crumlin Road Gaol.

Natalie (24), who plays the board game with her husband Andrew, went along with him to the former Gaol last Saturday and had no expectation that she would end up being crowned the regional winner.

She also had no idea the regional winner would win a return flight to London and two nights’ accommodation at London’s tallest building where the UK and Ireland finals are taking place.

Natalie won her opening heat last Saturday morning when she used the skill and knowledge acquired over many years to bankrupt her opponent and in the afternoon heat accumulated the highest number of points to be declared the overall winner.

“Like many people, I started playing Monopoly as a child and last year for Christmas I bought my husband the Marvel Comic Monopoly edition which we really enjoyed playing. I recently heard about the regional heat being held in Belfast as part of the world championships on Cool FM and Andrew and I went along last Saturday,” Natalie explained.

“Andrew is much more competitive than me and while I went along for a bit of fun, I ended up qualifying for the UK and Ireland final. I am not at all competitive, but am really delighted my husband and I are off to London next month.”

Ahead of the UK and Ireland finals with a place in the world final awaiting the winner, Natalie admitted that she has no strategy in mind to blow away the competition.

“Something which may help you win one game could be absolutely useless in the next so I don’t have any particular strategy. It’s about keeping your wits about you and a close eye on what your opponent is doing,” she explained.

“Playing Monopoly in a competition is much quicker than it is at home when you play for fun. It is more intense, but the basis of the game remains the same.”

Fresh from last weekend’s success which secured Natalie a special 80th anniversary edition of the hugely popular board game, she admitted many of her friends and families are now very keen to play her.

“I think it is because they want to beat me and tell everyone they defeated the regional champion.” she joked. “They were not that keen before but now are.”

As she looks ahead to the UK and Ireland final next month, Natalie said she will enter the competition with no expectation of winning.

She added: “I am going to have a lovely weekend in London with Andrew and as far as the competition is concerned we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.”

If Natalie is successful, the journey to the world Monopoly championship final will be considerably longer than a short trip across the Irish Sea with winners from Australia, Canada, Chile, Columbia, France, Germany, Japan, Hong Kong, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Scandinavia, Peru, Portugal and Spain competing for defending champion Bjorn Halvard Knappskog’s crown.