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American Mensa(R) Names 2009 Mensa Select(R) Winners

Contact: Lauren Fernandez
817/607-0060 

ARLINGTON, TEXAS (4/27/09) – American Mensa, the high IQ society, announces the 2009 recipients of the Mensa Select seal. The Mensa Select seal signifies that a game has been chosen as one of the top five new games in a given year by members of American Mensa.   In alphabetical order, this year’s winners are:

  • Cornerstone - This is a 3-D strategy game requiring a steady hand and clever mind in order to build, climb and race to the top before it all comes tumbling down.  www.goodcompanygames.com
  • Dominion - Players compete to create the best deck of cards by buying action (10 of 25 possible each game), treasure, and victory cards. The deck with the most victory points wins! Order phone: (505) 771-8813.
  • Marrakech - Each player takes the role of a salesperson who tries to outwit the others.  Roll the dice, move Assam, and determine whether you must make a payment to lay a rug. www.fundexgames.com
  • Stratum - Following the layering laws each player tries to cover up their opponent’s pieces. The player with most exposed pieces wins! www.familygamesamerica.com
  • Tic-Tac-Ku - An exciting twist on the age old favorite, Tic-Tac-Toe. The game has nine playing areas. Each player determines in which playing area his opponent may play.  Object: win the most playing areas. www.colorku.com

Mensa Select winners are chosen annually at the Mensa Mind Games® competition. During the competition, Mensa members play and rate new board and card games. The five games that rate the highest are named Mensa Select and may display the Mensa Select seal on their packaging. To learn about past winners, visit www.mindgames.us.mensa.org.

“Mensa gamers had a wide selection of innovative games to play and evaluate during Mind Games this year,” said Dr. John Sheehan, Development Officer of American Mensa. “Mensa Select games are chosen based on a variety of categories including aesthetics, instructions, originality, play appeal and play value. The five games chosen exemplify these qualities and more.”

This year’s Mind Games competition was hosted by Cincinnati Area Mensa and held April 24-26 in Ft. Mitchell, Ky. More than 230 players from every corner of United States reviewed 43 game entries. During the event, Mensa members also filled out thousands of comment cards, which will be returned to the manufacturers. Suggestions from the comment cards are often used to improve the games.

American Mensa is an organization open to anyone who scores in the top two percent on an accepted, standardized intelligence test. The organization has more than 57,000 members in the United States and more than 110,000 members around the world. Members of Mensa attend local and national events, join special interest groups such as astronomy and philosophy, and help out in their communities through various projects. For more information about Mensa, or to apply for membership, visit www.us.mensa.orgor call (800) 66-MENSA.

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Note:  Photos of winners available upon request.  Email Lauren Fernandez at [email protected].