BILLY BRAKE SECURES THE TOP SPOT AT THE
Yu-Gi-Oh! CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES IN COLUMBUS

Boasts Back-to-Back Series Wins

El Segundo, CA (October 26, 2011) – With nearly 1,100 Duelists excited by the prospect of winning, the Greater Columbus Convention Center was abuzz with energy at this past weekend’s Yu-Gi-Oh! CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES (YCS). But by Sunday’s end, it was only one Duelist, Billy Brake, who would sound the biggest victory shout of his life as he was crowned Champion of Konami Digital Entertainment’s (Konami) premier-level Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME (TCG) event.

As Duelists from across the country gathered Saturday morning, Round One brought Brake, 21, from Sachse, Texas the first test of his Synchro Heavy Deck, fastidiously constructed over the course of weeks leading up to the YCS. Also looking to get off to a fast start, Baltimore, Maryland’s Alistar Albans, 20, was doing some last minute strategizing with his own Synchro Heavy Deck as he was waiting for the Round to begin. Then, with the Preliminary Rounds of Saturday behind them, both Brake and Albans continued to persevere, battling hard through Sunday morning’s additional playoff rounds on their way to the Finals.

Though both were armed with the first-rate Synchro Heavy Deck, Brake was confident going into Sunday’s Final Round, assured that he could hold off Albans. With precise play and smart risk-taking, Brake persistently and expertly Dueled his way to the title of YCS Columbus Champion. Brake earned an awesome set of prizes that included an Ultra Rare YCS Blood Mefist Prize Card, an exclusive YCS Game Mat, an invitation to the 2012 World Championship Qualifier tournament and much more!

Every Saturday morning, Duelists can watch the all-new Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL animated series as well as classic Yu-Gi-Oh! episodes on TheCW4Kids programming block, the leading Saturday morning kids broadcast network in the United States.  Fans can also view their favorite Yu-Gi-Oh!episodes at www.CW4Kids.com. In Canada, Duelists can watch episodes of Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s every Friday and Saturday on YTV!   For more information on Konami, the Yu-Gi-Oh! CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES or the Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME, please visit www.yugioh-card.com or call 310-220-8630.

About The Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG

The Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME is the #1 trading card game in the world with over 25 billion cards sold. It is a game of strategy, where players create individual Decks of cards collected from Structure Decks 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! TCG.  Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. is the exclusive licensee and rights holder to the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG in North America and Latin America.

About KONAMI

KONAMI is a leading developer, publisher and manufacturer of electronic entertainment properties and traditional trading card games. KONAMI's software titles include the popular franchises Metal Gear Solid, Silent Hill, DanceDanceRevolution and Castlevania, among other top sellers.  KONAMI is also the manufacturer of the wildly popular Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME, which has sold more than 25 billion cards worldwide.  The latest information about KONAMI can be found on the Web at www.konami.com. KONAMI CORPORATION is a publicly traded company based in Tokyo, Japan with subsidiary offices, Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd. in Tokyo, Japan, Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. in the United States and Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH in Frankfurt, Germany. KONAMI CORPORATION is traded in the United States on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol KNM.  Details of the products published by KONAMI can be found at www.konami.com.

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Media Contact:
Don Williams
Williams Group Public Relations
(760) 707-4589