The XMT draw

Qualifying is over and done with, and people have confirmed whether they're going to San Diego or not. So these are the 24 qualifiers for the Extreme Memory Tournament! There follows a run-down of their results in the previous two XMTs, along with my made-up and entirely unofficial, unendorsed ranking. And my own notes from a purely personal perspective about how I think they'll do in 2016!

Johannes Mallow
2014: 2nd - 2015: 1st - Made-up ranking: 2nd

Event	Score	Time (sec)	Year
Cards	52	24.66	2015
Images	30	22.94	2015
Names	22	60.00	2015
Numbers	80	21.01	2015
Words	47	60.00	2015

The reigning champion - where do you go after winning the big prize? I'm wondering if he'll not be quite so driven this year; he's already got great personal bests in everything too. But he does have a fierce friendly rivalry going with Simon, so perhaps they'll drive each other on to greater things...

Boris Nikolai Konrad
2014: QF - 2015: 2nd - Made-up ranking: 3rd

Event	Score	Time (sec)	Year
Cards	52	41.02	2015
Images	30	19.29	2015
Names	21	60.00	2014
Numbers	80	38.05	2015
Words	47	57.73	2015

I'm pretty certain Boris would just love to outdo both the top Germans this year and finally take his place as number one! You could never accuse him of lacking enthusiasm and excitement for the competition, and he really is scary in all five disciplines when he's at his best. Maybe Boris's year this year?

Simon Reinhard
2014: 1st - 2015: 3rd - Made-up ranking: 1st

Event	Score	Time (sec)	Year
Cards	52	23.34	2015
Images	30	27.45	2015
Names	28	60.00	2015
Numbers	80	26.24	2015
Words	49	60.00	2014

The consummate pro; set the top score in three disciplines both previous years, and you wouldn't bet against him doing the same again, or better. Everyone's hoping to somehow avoid Simon in 2016...

Alex Mullen
2014: n/a - 2015: 4th - Made-up ranking: 6th

Event	Score	Time (sec)	Year
Cards	52	34.92	2015
Images	30	60.00	2015
Names	25	60.00	2015
Numbers	80	25.70	2015
Words	42	60.00	2015

Surprised everyone with fourth place at the XMT last year, then surprised everyone with first place at the WMC... after that, you can't surprise people any more, so now he's just going to be expected to win everything. Time to add the XMT to his list of honours?


Katie Kermode
2014: n/a - 2015: QF - Made-up ranking: 7th

Event	Score	Time (sec)	Year
Cards	39	60.00	2015
Images	30	43.57	2015
Names	25	60.00	2015
Numbers	80	60.00	2015
Words	47	60.00	2015

Star of the British team, I sort of have a side bet on Katie being the first to record a perfect 30 names and 50 words this year. Still a bit weak in the numbers and cards, but getting better at a steady rate...

Christian Schäfer
2014: QF - 2015: QF - Made-up ranking: 5th

Event	Score	Time (sec)	Year
Cards	52	48.81	2015
Images	30	25.85	2015
Names	21	57.79	2015
Numbers	80	37.55	2015
Words	47	59.88	2015

Two quarter-finals in a row, and still a bit overshadowed by the more senior Germans (this is what you get when you look about twelve years old - poor guy will be constantly getting asked for ID in you-can't-drink-until-you're-21 America), Christian is deservedly in the top six seeds and in with a real chance of doing something extra-special this time round.


Enkhjin Tumur
2014: n/a - 2015: QF - Made-up ranking: 8th

Event	Score	Time (sec)	Year
Cards	52	37.17	2015
Images	30	14.40	2015
Names	20	60.00	2015
Numbers	80	32.88	2015
Words	30	60.00	2015

The images master; he took it to new levels that nobody else had dreamed of last year, which is a hugely admirable thing - in memory, people are often subconsciously constrained by knowing what the world record is, and aim to beat it by a tiny little bit. Not so for Enkhjin. But his performance in 2015 has opened the way for everyone else to start knocking up to ten seconds off their times, making us wonder - what has he got up his sleeve this year?

Lance Tschirhart
2014: n/a - 2015: grp - Made-up ranking: 20th

Event	Score	Time (sec)	Year
Cards	52	42.42	2015
Images	30	60.00	2015
Names	17	60.00	2015
Numbers	80	50.13	2015
Words	29	60.00	2015

Some sensational performances in training and qualifying, Lance is one of those people who puts an excessive amount of work into his practice. I think last year he was more focused on the US Open and Memo Games the following week, so maybe this year we'll see a vast improvement in those personal bests...

Johannes Zhou
2014: n/a - 2015: R16 - Made-up ranking: 9th

Event	Score	Time (sec)	Year
Cards	52	50.14	2015
Images	30	21.24	2015
Names	22	60.00	2015
Numbers	80	60.00	2015
Words	38	54.81	2015

A very dangerous opponent all round, he's always up there with the best scores in everything; might well get closer to the grand final this time.

Marwin Wallonius
2014: grp - 2015: R16 - Made-up ranking: 16th

Event	Score	Time (sec)	Year
Cards	52	56.70	2015
Images	30	23.64	2015
Names	21	60.00	2015
Numbers	80	59.64	2015
Words	37	60.00	2015

Steadily improving over the last few years, he's now one of the absolute best in the world, though he's underperformed at the XMT in the past. I have a feeling this is a major focus for him in 2016, so we should all be afraid...

Yanjindulam Altansuh
2014: n/a - 2015: R16 - Made-up ranking: 19th

Event	Score	Time (sec)	Year
Cards	52	50.17	2015
Images	30	21.40	2015
Names	23	57.74	2015
Numbers	80	60.00	2015
Words	47	60.00	2015

Another one capable of much better scores than the personal bests above - I wouldn't be surprised to see Yanjaa up there with the group winners this time around.


Purevjav Erdenesaikhan
2014: n/a - 2015: n/a - Made-up ranking: n/a

Event	Score	Time (sec)	Year
Cards
Images
Names
Numbers
Words

Just fractionally missed out on qualifying in 2015, and so made extra sure of it this year with scores including a lightning-fast 18.06 seconds in numbers. Solid scores in all the other disciplines, too.


Tsetsegzul Zorigtbaatar
2014: n/a - 2015: n/a - Made-up ranking: n/a

Event	Score	Time (sec)	Year
Cards
Images
Names
Numbers
Words

Getting down into the people who I don't know much about, now. But hey, that's the great thing about these competitions - meeting new friends!

Shi Binbin
2014: n/a - 2015: n/a - Made-up ranking: n/a

Event	Score	Time (sec)	Year
Cards
Images
Names
Numbers
Words

Star of the Chinese memory championships, fifth in the WMC last year, It'd be good to see a big Chinese contingent coming to XMTs in future, let's hope this is the start of something big!

Anudari Adiyasuren
2014: n/a - 2015: n/a - Made-up ranking: n/a

Event	Score	Time (sec)	Year
Cards
Images
Names
Numbers
Words

Another Mongolian mystery woman (to me, anyway).

Bat-enkh Shijir-Erdene
2014: n/a - 2015: n/a - Made-up ranking: n/a

Event	Score	Time (sec)	Year
Cards
Images
Names
Numbers
Words

And now a Mongolian mystery man! The Mongolians all train together and drive each other to keep on improving, so the whole gang of them are to be feared...


Melanie Höllein
2014: n/a - 2015: n/a - Made-up ranking: n/a

Event	Score	Time (sec)	Year
Cards
Images
Names
Numbers
Words

Another German memory master joins the XMT lineup! Melanie's improving fast, all round.

Sengesamdan Ulziikhutag
2014: n/a - 2015: n/a - Made-up ranking: n/a

Event	Score	Time (sec)	Year
Cards
Images
Names
Numbers
Words

Leading light of the Mongolian championships, making his first attempt on the XMT.

Ben Pridmore
2014: QF - 2015: R16 - Made-up ranking: 17th

Event	Score	Time (sec)	Year
Cards	52	26.73	2015
Images	30	23.55	2015
Names	15	60.00	2015
Numbers	80	58.47	2015
Words	47	60.00	2015

A bit of training, who knows, I might scrape through the group stage again...

Marlo Knight
2014: n/a - 2015: grp - Made-up ranking: 10th

Event	Score	Time (sec)	Year
Cards	52	40.77	2015
Images	30	60.00	2015
Names	22	60.00	2015
Numbers	80	60.00	2015
Words	29	60.00	2015

Marlo has just had his first taste of fame and fortune, on Chinese TV! I bet it's inspired him to chase more and more publicity by winning the XMT now!


Johnny Briones
2014: n/a - 2015: n/a - Made-up ranking: n/a

Event	Score	Time (sec)	Year
Cards
Images
Names
Numbers
Words

Actually qualified for last year's XMT (just squeaking in in last place) but had to pull out of the event at the last moment. Did a very impressive 27 names in qualifying this time round.

Jan-Hendrik Büscher

2014: n/a - 2015: n/a - Made-up ranking: n/a

Event	Score	Time (sec)	Year
Cards
Images
Names
Numbers
Words

An entirely new name, from the country that produces memory experts by the dozen. One to watch!

Enkhmunkh Erdenebatkhaan
2014: n/a - 2015: grp - Made-up ranking: 22nd

Event	Score	Time (sec)	Year
Cards	52	38.84	2015
Images	30	25.78	2015
Names	19	60.00	2015
Numbers	74	31.54	2015
Words	22	60.00	2015

Coming back for his second XMT will probably be a help; experience counts for a lot in this brand-new kind of championship.

Everett Chew
2014: n/a - 2015: n/a - Made-up ranking: n/a

Event	Score	Time (sec)	Year
Cards
Images
Names
Numbers
Words

Don't know him, but even the 24th seed is a force to be reckoned with!

For the draw on April 1st (unless the announcement of that date was some kind of April Fool joke) we'll be in four pots as usual, and my unimpressive qualifying performance puts me in pot four. So, given that there's no way I'm going to end up in anything other than a group of death; relatively speaking, what's a good group, and what's a bad group for me?

Pot 1 - Hannes, Boris, Simon, Alex, Katie, Christian

There was a rule last year about how many people from each country could end up in the same group, so I think Katie is probably excluded from my list of potential opponents. Simon is still the one who fills me with most dread out of this lot. You can make arguments for a lot of other people being the group-of-deathiest one among them, but I still always think Simon has the all-round edge; he's just good at everything and almost completely unflappable. Having named Alex as my group-of-life pick last year, only for him to beat me hollow, it'd be nice to avoid him, too, please. If I had to choose, I'd go for Christian - I feel a bit more confident that I could beat him at things like cards, on a good day. Also, it's his birthday today, so that'll make up for the devastation he feels at being my 'easy opponent' choice here!

Pot 2 - Enkhjin, Lance, Johannes Z, Marwin, Yanjaa, Purejav

A lot of people here who've got good results in qualifying but not so good in actual competitions before now - who knows what they'll do this year? Yanjaa scares me with her names-and-words abilities, Lance generally scares me with everything, depending on whether he's taking the competition deadly seriously this year or not. Marwin has tended to underperform in the XMT, so maybe this year he'll go for it and break all the records? I was in a group with JZ in 2015 and just barely narrowly finished ahead of him, so that'd give me confidence this time round. Enkhjin isn't exclusively an images god, so I might be making a fatal mistake when I think I could maybe beat him in everything else... and I don't know Purejav at all, so who knows? I'm thinking all six of them could be good or bad; let's say Lance for the group of death, Purejav for life. The Mongolians who haven't met me yet* tend to be a bit scared of me, so perhaps I'll get an extra point or two there.

*I'm thinking now that I actually have met him, maybe. Never mind.

Pot 3 - Tsetsegzul, Shi Binbin, Anudari, Bat-Enkh, Melanie, Sengesamdan

A lot of unfamiliar people here. The Chinese master worries me, but Sengesamdan possibly even more so. Melanie's the one I'm most familiar with, and so rightly or wrongly the one I would feel most confident about beating...


So, in summary, the group of death - Simon, Lance, Sengesamdan
And the group of life - Christian, Purejav, Melanie