Derby Competition Rules

Event Title - Thirty Minute Cards

Aim To commit to memory and recall as many separate packs (decks) of 52 playing cards as possible.

Time to Memorise 30 minutes

Time to Recall 60 minutes

Memorizing

  1. A number (specified by the contestant), of separate and individual shuffled packs (decks) of 52 playing cards.
  2. Contestants submit the number of completely memorised packs and indicate if the last pack has only been partially committed to memory.
  3. Contestants must make it clear to the adjudicators the number (order) of each pack of cards when they are handed in after being committed to memory.

Recall Paper

  1. Contestants must write down the order of each pack of cards so that the value (eg A,2,3...J.K,Q) and suit (Club,Diamond,Heart,Spade) is clear for each card in each pack.
  2. Contestants must make it clear on their answer sheets, to which pack the list of cards is referring.

Scoring

  1. 52 points are awarded for every pack (deck) correctly recalled.
  2. 26 points are awarded if there is a single mistake in a pack.
  3. 0 points are awarded if there are two or more mistakes.
    FOR THE LAST PACK ONLY
  4. If the last pack is incomplete (eg only the first 38 cards were memorised) but all of the cards recalled are correct, then the points awarded will equal the number of cards recalled (38 in this example).
  5. If the last pack is incomplete and there is one mistake then then the points awarded will equal half the number of cards recalled. (For an odd number of cards the fraction is rounded up eg for 19 cards and one mistake, the score would be 19/2 rounded up equals 10).
  6. Two or more mistakes in the last pack scores 0.
  7. The winner of the event is the contestant with the highest number of points.

World record: 832 cards/16 packs (Ben Pridmore, German Championship 2007)

1000 championship points standard: 676 cards

Calculation factor: 1 card - 1.4793 points