The Pokémon Company International has announced today that it will bring a range of fun Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) matches to SPIEL 2016. For the first time, the Play! Pokémon programme will join Europe’s largest annual tabletop and board gaming fair at Essen, Germany, from 13–16 October. The Pokémon booth (2-C119) will be in Hall 2 at SPIEL, offering fans the chance to battle, hang out with fellow Pokémon players and win great prizes.

The headline event, the SPIEL Special, is a two-day competition that will take place on Saturday and Sunday, 15–16 October. Championship Points will be available to all victorious competitors, as well as a trophy and cool prizes. The SPIEL Special will be a Standard format competition, with Swiss rounds on Day 1 and a single-elimination Top 8 on Day 2. Swiss rounds will be single-game matches, while the Top 8 rounds will be best-of-three. Further rules and regulations for the SPIEL Special will be detailed for attendees at the event.

On Sunday, 16 October, fans will also have the chance to team up with a friend and compete in the Zweilous Cup. In this competition, a player and a chosen partner will have the opportunity to compete for match points, and prizes will be based on the duo’s combined score. Attendees should also sign up for League Challenges, sealed Prerelease-style events, and Win-a-Mat events that are scheduled throughout the weekend.

Pokémon National Championships broadcasters David Hochmann and Julian Scharf will be part of the planned activities as well. Not only will they provide expert commentary for event attendees, but they’ll also allow fans to step into the commentary booth with them and experience what goes into covering Pokémon events.

Finally, it should be noted that some Pokémon TCG events will have an admission fee in addition to the entry cost to SPIEL. Visit the Pokémon booth for details.