Over Seven Hundred Duelists Battle for Chance to Compete in Upcoming Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG World Championship Event in Japan CARLSBAD, Calif., May 19 /PRNewswire/ -- The nation's best Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME Duelists will duke it out for the chance to represent the United States in the upcoming Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG World Championship tournament as Upper Deck Entertainment (UDE) hosts the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG U.S. National Championship tournament in San Francisco, Ca. The National Championship event will be held at the Fort Mason Center on Saturday and Sunday, June 3 & 4, beginning at 9 a.m. (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060519/LAF032 ) The top four finalists will not only earn a spot to represent the United States, but will also battle over twenty-five competing countries from around the world for the coveted title as "Yu-Gi-Oh! King of Games." These countries include Japan, Philippines, Australia, Mexico and Canada to name a few. The Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG World Championship event will be held this Summer in Tokyo, Japan. Several hundred Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG fans earned a spot in the U.S. National Championship tournament by competing and winning previous tournaments in their various regions. Players who are not already qualified can play to win a slot in one of three Last Chance tournaments on Friday, June 2. The top four finishers of the tournament will receive paid travel and accommodations to Tokyo to compete in the Yu-GI-Oh! TCG World Championships. Prizes for the top players include laptop computers with built in DVD players, Apple iPods(TM), Sony PSP's(TM) (PlayStation(R) Portable), and Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG product. The Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG is a game of strategy, where players create individual decks of cards collected from starter sets and booster packs. Two players engage in a Duel while using cards that represent powerful Monsters, magical Spells, and surprising Traps. Duelists with well-constructed Decks, dominating monsters, solid strategy, and good fortune are the victors in the Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME. For more information on the Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME or Upper Deck Entertainment, please visit http://www.yugioh-card.com/; for products or to access the online store, please log onto http://www.ude.com/ or http://www.yugiohchamps.com/. The Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG is a product of the KONAMI CORPORATION, and is distributed worldwide (with the exception of Asia) by the Upper Deck Company. About Yu-Gi-Oh!(TM) The Yu-Gi-Oh!(TM) franchise is based on the Yu-Gi-Oh!(TM) comic series from artist Kazuki Takahashi that first appeared in Japan in 1996. It is currently being serialized in SHONEN JUMP, the monthly manga magazine published by VIZ, LLC. The comic spawned a hit cartoon TV show, a top-selling collectible card game, several videogames and other licensed merchandise. Yu-Gi-Oh!(TM) follows the adventures of Yugi, a young boy who possesses the "Millennium Puzzle" that allows him to transform into the "Game King" whenever he is challenged. About The Upper Deck Company For years, Upper Deck has been hailed as the industry leader in quality sports cards and collectibles, and the same level of excellence can now be seen in the full line of Upper Deck Entertainment products. For additional information about the Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME and Upper Deck Entertainment, please visit the company's Web site at http://www.ude.com/ or http://www.upperdeckstore.com/. The Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME is distributed by Upper Deck Entertainment, a division of The Upper Deck Company, a worldwide sports and entertainment company based in Carlsbad, California. About KONAMI CORPORATION Konami Corporation is a leading developer, publisher and manufacturer of electronic entertainment properties, specializing in the home video game market. Konami Corporation's action and adventure titles include the popular franchises Metal Gear Solid, Silent Hill and Castlevania, among other top sellers. The latest information about Konami can be found on the Web at http://www.konami.com/. Konami Corporation is a publicly traded company based in Tokyo, Japan with subsidiary offices, Konami Digital in the US and Konami of Europe in Frankfurt, Germany. Konami Corporation, the parent company of Konami of America, Inc. is traded in the United States on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol KNM. Details of the products distributed by Konami of America, Inc. can be found at http://www.konami.com/usa. http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060519/LAF032 http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Upper Deck CONTACT: Claudine Ricanor of Upper Deck, +1-760-603-7458, Web site: http://www.upperdeck.com/ http://www.upperdeckstore.com/ http://www.yugioh-card.com/ http://www.konami.com/usa http://www.yugiohchamps.com/

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