An 11-year-old boy from Kanagawa Prefecture has won the 42nd World Othello Championship in Prague, making him the youngest winner in the board game championship's history, the Tokyo-based Japan Othello Association said.
Keisuke Fukuchi, a fifth grader in elementary school, won in his debut appearance at the international championship. He broke the previous record for the youngest winner, which was set 36 years ago by a 15-year-old player also from Japan.
Othello originated in Japan and involves placing discs -- each with a black side and a white side -- on a green board divided into 64 squares.
Fukuchi defeated another Japanese player in the semifinals before facing a competitor from Thailand in the final, according to the championship's official website. He captured the title after winning his third and final match 34-30, after a win and a tie in his previous two matches.
About 80 players competed in the championship, including adults, from about 25 countries and regions. It was held Sept. 9-12 in the Czech capital.
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