With files from Claire Theobald

EDMONTON— Having relied on the right combination of strategy and luck for the first four rounds, Hashem Mohammad feared not having any ore would doom his settlement and his chance to take the regional qualifying match for the Catan Canadian National Championship.

“I came for the Catan,” said Mohammed, who secured a seat at the Catan Canadian National Championship in Toronto after beating out fellow competitors at a round-robin tournament hosted at the Hexagon Board Game Café at 10720 82 Ave. in Edmonton Sunday.

Mohammed will be flown to Toronto, put up in a hotel and get a seat to compete at the Catan Canadian National Championship over the Labour Day weekend. The Canadian champ will then head to the Catan World Championship in Cologne, Germany, in November.

Catan, formerly known as Settlers of Catan, was launched in 1997 and has gone on to sell 27 million copies worldwide, as well as spawning spinoffs, card games, and an electronic version.

The resource and development game involves building settlements and cities, which will eventually generate resources. The first to 10 points wins.

“The map changes every time,” said Mohammed. “If you are looking for a new board game, this is one of the best to play with friends.”

Hexagon co-owner Randy Wong said Catan was the game that kicked off the modern era of board games for him 20 years ago. He said he’ll never go back to Monopoly with the wide variety of games out there.

“For me, it is just another way to socialize with friends,” Wong said. “You could always go to bars, but it’s very hard to talk and some people are just awkward in those situations, whereas something like a board game, you’re actively doing something, but it’s still casual.”

The game holds a special spot in Wong’s heart. In fact, the cafe’s logo is based on Catan’s board pieces.

Wong has competed in the past, making it to the semifinals, but it is his first year organizing a tournament. He has travelled to Ottawa-Gatineau and Calgary to compete.

“Some people are super dead serious, others are casual and you can talk about other stuff during the game,” he said.

The winner will need good game intelligence as well as social intelligence.

“A lot of people think it’s just dice rolls, but it’s actually a lot of psychology and wheeling and dealing with people,” Wong said.

Mohammed said his winning Catan strategy is always the same.

“There’s a lot of luck involved, a lot of luck in the dice being rolled, but I try to look at the map and take as much time as I can before placing my pieces. Once I’ve got that figured out, I just take what the map gives me,” Mohammed said. “That’s my strategy, always.”

It’s a strategy he hopes could take his Catan playing from table tops surrounded by friends to the world stage.

Ian Birdsall, marketing manager for Catan Studio, the publisher of the English versions of the game, said the world competition is held every two years.

“There are prizes — including games, promos and a custom trophy we make,” Birdsall said. “Then the world champion is flown back to the next world championships to defend the cup.”

Currently, that title belongs to Will Cavaretta of the United States.

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Birdsall said they are expecting about 70 competitors from more than 40 countries.

With a social dynamic and variable board, no two games are the same, he said. There’s competition, but no conflict, making the game speak to a wide variety of players.

“Even if you don’t win the game, it’s not zero sum — you still built something,” Birdsall said.

Claire Theobald is an Edmonton-based reporter who covers crime and the courts. Follow her on Twitter: @clairetheobald

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