Spanish Champion Takes Monopoly's Top Hat

He got out of jail free. He built houses and developed hotels. And when he finished passing Go, he scooped a lot more than £200.

A lab technician from Madrid turned property tycoon at the weekend when he won the world Monopoly world championship in Tokyo, amassing an empire of which Donald Trump would have been proud.

Antonio Zafra Fernández, 36, clenched his fists and leapt out of his seat when the only other player left, Bjorn Andenaes of Norway, landed on Tennessee Avenue and could not afford the Spaniard's demand for $950 (£530) rent.

"I'm extremely happy, and so proud," said Mr Fernández, who, like his challengers, wore a tuxedo for the final.

He was awarded $15,140 (£8,400) in prize money - the amount of cash contained in Monopoly's original US version. He said the money would probably go on a new car, but added: "It's not about the money. I'm going home as a champion, which doesn't happen often in a person's life."

The two-day event - which takes place every four years - was attended by the champions of 38 countries.

Mr Fernández gained an early advantage over his challengers, snapping up high-yield properties.

Monopoly was dreamed up in 1934 by Charles B Darrow, an unemployed man from Pennsylvania. His idea was rejected by Parker Brothers, who cited dozens of playing flaws. But the company relented a year later after 5,000 sets produced by Darrow and a printer friend flew off the shelves of a Philadelphia department store.

Monopoly became the best-selling game in the US that year. More than 250m sets have been sold since, making it the world's most popular board game, and the world championships have been taking place since 1973.

The runner-up, Mr Andenaes, who prepares for matches by memorising endgame probabilities, cursed his bad luck.

"I was just throwing the dice," he said. "Second sounds great, but it's so far from being champion."

The previous world champion, Yutaka Okada of Japan, went out early on, along with the British champion, Adrian Prince.

The tournament's chief judge, Phil Orbanes, said luck had played a big part in deciding the outcome. "If luck is in your favour and you're a skillful player, you almost always win. It's like real life."