European memory championships 2026
Høje Taastrup 18th – 19th of April 2026
18th - 19th of April 2026
9AM - 9PM
Høje Taastrup, 20 min from Copenhagen
The 10 events
Memory sport is a true mental decathlon, where athletes compete across ten comprehensive disciplines that cover all aspects of human recall.
The 10 events to be completed are:
5 MINUTES NUMBERS
A.K.A “speednumbers”. Memorize as many numbers as possible in 5 minutes. 15 minutes recall time.
CURRENT WORLD RECORD:
Andrea Muzii, Italy: 630 numbers
30 MINUTES BINARY NUMBERS
A.K.A. “long binary numbers”. Memorize as many binaries as possible in 30 minutes. 60 minutes recall.
CURRENT WORLD RECORD:
Munkshur Narmandakh, Mongolia: 6270 binaries
30 MINUTES CARDS
A.K.A. “long cards”. Memorize as many decks of cards as possible in 30 min. 60 minutes recall.
CURRENT WORLD RECORD:
Andrea Muzii, Italy: 1202 cards
15 MINUTES WORDS
20 words in a row, 15 minutes to memorize as many rows as possible. Recall time: 40 minutes.
CURRENT WORLD RECORD:
Katie Kermode, England: 318
5 MINUTES IMAGES
One of the fastest events. Memorize images as many as possible in 5 minutes. 20 minutes recall.
CURRENT WORLD RECORD:
Enrico Marraffa, Italy: 775 images
30 MINUTES NUMBERS
A.K.A. “longnumbers”. Memorize as many numbers as possible in 30 minutes. 60 minutes recall time.
CURRENT WORLD RECORD:
Sylvain Arvidieu, France: 1955 numbers
SPOKEN NUMBERS
The only auditory discipline. The numbers are mentioned at 1-second intervals. 3 trials.
CURRENT WORLD RECORD:
Lance Tschirhart, USA: 456 numbers
SPEEDCARDS (5 MINUTES)
Memorize a deck of cards as fast as possible. Maksimum time 5 minutes. Recall time 5 minutes.
CURRENT WORLD RECORD:
Shijir-Erdene Batenkh, Mongolia: 12,74 seconds
15 MINUTES NAMES / FACES
Memorize as many names as possible in 15 minutes. Recall time: 30 minutes.
CURRENT WORLD RECORD:
Katie Kermode, England: 224 names
5 MINUTES DATES (FICTIONAL)
Memorize the dates of fictional events in 5 minutes. 15 minutes recall.
CURRENT WORLD RECORD:
Prateek Yadav, India: 148 dates
Meet a competitor
Susanne Hippauf is one of the participants you’ll have the chance to meet at the European Memory Championships in Høje Taastrup in April 2026.
Susanne is currenctly ranked 23rd in the world, which marks the highest position she has ever achieved in the worldranking list.
Susanne has participated in numerous major memory competitions, including the World Memory Championships and European Memory Championships.
She is one of many german competitors. We had the opportunity to ask her a few questions.
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
My name is Susanne, I live in Frankfurt am Main in Germany, and i love memory sport. I’m very grateful that I discovered this hobby because it’s incredibly fulfilling. I enjoy building new loci routes, and in this way, even holiday trips with beautiful experiances stay in my memory for a long time.
How long have you been part of the memory sport, and what would you recognize as your biggest achievement?
Ten years ago, I read a book about memory techniques for the very first time and was fascinated by how easily I could memorize long rows of numbers. Shortly after, I competed in a regional tournament in Southern Germany. However, my first major competition was the German Open in Magdeburg in 2018.
My greatest achievements are the 3rd place at the European Championships in 2019, the 2nd place in German Open 2025, and winning the South German Open in 2025.
The best and biggest competition I have ever participated in was the World Championships in Mumbai in 2023.
What are your top 3 tips for newcomers?
I think it’s wonderful that there are always newcomers at every competition and that the community continues to grow.
As a newcomer, it’s important to familiarize yourself with the rules before the competition. For example, in ‘Names and Faces’, it’s helpful to know that you are allowed to write down names twice.
Otherwise, it’s completely normal to be very nervous, especially at your first tournament. Everything is new, and if you have any questions, always feel free to approach the experianced athletes.
What are your favorite memory disciplines?
Historic Dates and long cards.
What do you think about the city of Copenhagen? Why is it worth a visit, and what are your favorite places there? Please give us some tips.
Copenhagen is my favorite city. I love the colorful houses, the diversity, and the friendliness of Copenhagen. You see bikes everywhere, lovely lilltle cafés, and you can easily relax by the sea or at the lakes in the city center. My absolute highlight: Tivoli – one of the oldest and most beautiful amusement parks in the world.
What do you hope to achieve in the European Memory Championships in Høje Taastrup?
I am trying to set new personal bests in the disciplines as well as in Historic Dates.
Thank you, Susanne, and good luck!
