11th grader bags Grandmaster of Memory award at int'l memory contest

An 11th grader from the Ateneo De Manila University was crowned International Grandmaster of Memory in an international competition after he successfully memorized the order of 12 shuffled decks of cards in one hour, among other feats of memory.

Enzo Castillon bagged the International Grandmaster of Memory award at the World Memory Championships held in Jakarta, Indonesia on December 1-3, 2017. Among his other accomplishments are memorizing 1,240 random digits in one hour, one shuffled deck of cards in 97.27 seconds, and 1,560 binary digits also in one hour, according to a release published on the Ateneo website.

A report on Unang Balita on Tuesday said Castillon has been developing his skill for only four months.

GMA News tested his prowess by giving him two minutes to go through a standard deck of cards, and the student delivered.

He reportedly said associating the cards with other things helps him remember them.

According to the release, Castillon was also ranked 13th out of 35 competitors in the Juniors Division, or the category for players aged 13 to 17. Mongolian athlete Lkhagvadulam Enkhtuya placed first in the same division.

Organized by the International Association for Memory, the competition was joined by 111 memory athletes from 21 countries. — Nicole-Anne Lagrimas/LA, GMA News