A 20-year-old Indian student, Vishvaa Rajakumar, has won the Memory League World Championship by recalling the order of cards, numbers, names, images, and words. Mr Rajakumar was able to remember the order of 80 random digits in just 13.50 seconds. He was even able to recall 30 images in just 8.53 seconds, as per the official website of Memory League World Championship.
Mr Rajakumar, who is from Manakula Vinayagar Institute of Technology in Puducherry, was up against 16 people in the Championship, which is conducted online.
The participants were briefly shown 80 random numbers on the screen. Next, they were required to write those down on the ‘recall sheet’.
As per the official website, “16 competitors from the top of the Memory League world rankings will compete remotely in a double-elimination tournament to determine the 2025 Memory League World Champion. All competitors begin in the Main Bracket. If a competitor loses a match in the Main Bracket, they drop to the Repechage Bracket. If they lose a match in the Repechage Bracket, they are eliminated.”
Speaking to the New York Times, Mr Rajakumar opened up about how he prepared for the competition. As per the 20-year-old, the key is “hydration.” He said, “Hydration is important because it helps your brain. When you memorise things, you usually sub-vocalise, and it helps to have a clear throat.”
“If you don’t drink a lot of water, your speed will be a bit low. If you drink a lot of water, it will be clearer and you can read it faster,” he added.
When asked about his memory palace, Mr Rajakumar explained that it starts with his room, followed by the kitchen, hall, veranda, and bathroom.
Mr Rajakumar also discussed his plans, including becoming a memory trainer and creating a memory institution in India to teach other people these techniques.
The Memory League World Championship, a fast-paced memory game tournament, was held from January 5 to February 2. Each match in the contest has five rounds and the player who wins the most number of rounds becomes the world champion.
