Life & Style

New Monopoly champion shares her top tips for winning

IF YOU want to improve your Monopoly skills, the game’s newest champion is sharing her tips to help you conquer the board with your own property portfolio.

Natalie Fitzsimons, 24, from Saintfield, Northern Ireland, became the British and Irish champion on Sunday, after beating three opponents in an hour and a half long final.

The tournament was held at The View From the Shard in London, where she bankrupted second-placed Oli Martin from Bristol, after he landed on two of her properties in a row.

Despite claiming the championship with an impressive run on the board, she says that she was shocked by the win.

“I'm ecstatic to have won, and so surprised! I didn't think I'd even beat my husband in the heats, let alone win the whole thing.

“This was the first time I've ever played Monopoly in a competitive environment and it was certainly pretty tense at times!

“I've always played with friends and family over the years so have collected a few top tips by playing them - but at the end of the day you've got to hope the dice is on your side.”

Ms Fitzsimons will represent Britain and Ireland at the Monopoly World Championships in Macau, China in September, where the overall winner will receive £13,222, the total amount of money included in the board game.

Following her win, Ms Fitzsimons decided to reveal her top tips, in order to help other Monopoly competitors on their way to victory.

Natalie’s Top Tips:

Avoid hotels – It’s better to have three houses rather than build hotels, as the amount that the rent increases per house is limited
Give Park Lane a miss – Although it’s regarded as a must-have square on the board, with its incredibly high rent charges, Park Lane is actually one of the least landed on destinations.
Mortgage, mortgage, mortgage – It’s okay to borrow as this will let you start building your empire, by buying houses to start charging rent.
Jail isn’t all bad – Whilst being in jail early on in the game leaves you out of the running to buy properties, once your competitors have bought houses you may be better off behind bars, collecting your money and not emptying your pockets on expensive rent.
Be tactical – It may be worth your while to purchase that fourth house in order to prevent the other competitors from doing so…