11-year

Declan Peers has been playing the game since he was eight-years-old.

An 11-year-old is set to take on the world's best players at the Pokemon World Championships in America.

Declan from Portsmouth is set to take part in his the trading card tournament in San Francisco at the end of August.

This is his third time at the world championships having started playing the game aged eight and this time will compete in the 12-year-old and under division with 350-400 other players.

"I'm excited - the goal is to win but I don't really mind how I do as long as I have fun," he said.

Fiona, 44, is 'really proud' of her son who is holding his two medals from prior championships.

Declan has loved the 1990s Japanese invention since he was three year old.

"I remember my mum always telling me I used to go to nursery with like my Pikachu backpack." he says.

He was discovered at his local club aged eight and has since played in numerous Pokémon league cups and challenges across the UK.

"They taught me how to to play and eventually they got me into the championships".

He plays Pokémon's World Trading Game and trains in Portsmouth and at Monster Collectibles in Woolston with his friends of all ages.

"It all just snowballed really" Fiona, Declan's mum explains.

"When he qualified for the first World Championship, it was shock really.

"I foolishly told him wherever the World Championships was going to be I would take him and it turned out it was Hawaii.

So yeah, it turned out to be a very expensive decision to take him but it was worth every penny".

Declan explained: "You have a 60 card deck and you need to try and take all your prize cards by knocking out your opponent's Pokemon.

I'd say it's a mix of 60% chess, 40% poker, kind of like a good mix.".

He has already travelled to lots of major international tournaments including France, Germany, Italy and Czech Republic.

This included him reaching the semi-finals at the Lille Regional Championships and finishing as a finalist at the Stuttgart Regional Championships.

Which ultimately, secured his invitation to the Pokémon World Championships, but for Declan it's not all about winning.

"It's a great community - I'm excited to see my friends.

I know people that have been playing since they were my age and they're now like 40."

And it's a feeling his mum has noticed too with Declan making friends "all around the world of all ages."

"Everyone supports him through from teaching him to play, to giving him deck ideas, to supporting him at events, it's really, really nice."

Declan has been playing in Woolston getting some practice in ahead of the championships

As well as hosting the trading card world championships the San Francisco venue will also host the Pokémon video game and Pokémon Go championships.

Across the weekend there will be 1000 competitors from across the globe. With the finals being held in the Chase Arena.

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