Boston plays host to the elite Magic: The Gathering(R) trading card game (TCG) players at the Bayside Expo Center, September 12-14. The Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour is the highest level of competition for fans of the popular trading card game, which has a worldwide fan base of over six million players.

The Boston Magic Pro Tour event kicks off the 2003-2004 season and is the first of a five-city international tour on the road to the world championship. Top international players, as well as local players, will compete, in teams of three, for distinguished titles and big prize money, September 12-14.

Open Event

On Thursday, September 11, tournament organizers will hold a "last chance qualifier," an open competition for previously unqualified teams of three to fight for a chance to break into the big money tournament starting on Friday. This is a unique opportunity for locals to vie for a chance to compete with some of the best players in the world for cash prizes.

Fun For Younger Players

The Junior Super Series is a chance for players 15 years and younger to get into the action. The winner of the Junior Super Series tournament will be awarded a $1,000 scholarship, along with entry into the 2004 Junior Super Series Championship for a chance to win $20,000 in scholarship money.

How to Play

Players of the Magic: The Gathering TCG start each match with 20 "life" points and cast cards - creatures, spells, artifacts and lands - from their custom-built decks. They cast cards in an effort to reduce an opponent's life score to zero. For some of the top-ranked players, playing the Magic(R) game has become their full-time job, as they take home thousands of dollars in prize money from Pro Tour tournaments.

Local Stars Vie For Title

Darwin Kastle from Cambridge has been playing for more than nine years and has earned over $140,000. Robert Dougherty from Framingham is currently ranked in the top-10 and has won over $120,000 in Magic tournaments. Both of these elite players will be competing for the top prize this week at the Bayside Expo Center.

The Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour Boston takes place September 11-14, at the Bayside Expo Center in Boston. The following events will be featured:

• Last-Chance Qualifier - Registration open to the public, $70 per three-person team. Event takes place on September 11, with registration at 4:00 p.m.
• Pro Tour - Invitational tournament featuring top international players -- a chance for spectators to watch and pick up tips from the pros. Event takes place September 12-14, beginning daily at 8:45 a.m.
• Junior Super Series - For players 15 years and younger, $15 entry fee. Players can win $1,000 scholarship and entry into the 2004 Junior Super Series Championship for a chance to win $20,000 in scholarship money. Registration at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday and 9:00 a.m. on Sunday.
• Around-the-Clock Tournaments - Open to the general public, $5-$18 entry fee. September 12-14, starting at 12:00 p.m. on Friday, 10:00 a.m. on Saturday and 9:00 a.m. on Sunday, competition continues all night long!

Wizards of the Coast, Inc., a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE:HAS), is a worldwide leader in the trading card game and tabletop roleplaying game categories, and a leading developer and publisher of game-based entertainment products. The company holds an exclusive patent on the method of playing trading card games (TCGs) and produces the premier trading card game, Magic: The Gathering(R), among many other trading card games and family card and board games. Wizards is also a leading publisher of roleplaying games, such as Dungeons & Dragons(R), and publisher of fantasy series fiction with numerous New York Times best-sellers. For more information, visit the Wizards of the Coast website at wizards.com.

Wizards of the Coast, Magic: The Gathering, and Dungeons & Dragons are registered trademarks of Wizards of the Coast Inc. (C)2003 Wizards.