Thai man takes world Othello title

TOKYO: A Thai player became the 2016 World Othello Champion on Friday in a contest involving 84 players from 29 counties and regions in the board game's birthplace in the eastern Japanese city of Mito.

"It was exciting as all the competitors were strong," Piyanat Aunchulee, 26, said after clinching the champion's title in the 40th tournament.

Twelve-year-old Masaki Wada from Sendai, the prefectural capital of Miyagi in northeastern Japan, won the championship in the Junior Final for players aged 15 or younger.

"I'm happy with my first victory. I want to keep practising so I can qualify for the world championships again," he said.

The first World Othello Championship was held in Tokyo in October 1977 and has been held every year since. Players taking part this year ranged in age from 9 to 69.

Othello is a game for two players who use black and white pieces on a board. Each player is assigned a colour and the winner is the player who has the most pieces displaying his or her colour when the board is filled.