Excel excellence lands Jacobson in world championship

It may not be a mainstream competition, but the Microsoft Excel World Championship (MEWC) has a significant global following, culminating in quarter, semi, and final rounds broadcast live on ESPN. Having dominated the qualifiers in South Africa, actuary Adam Jacobson is ranked number one in the country and will compete in the quarter finals in Las Vegas in December. 

Having developed an interest in Excel while studying, Jacobson has been using the tool throughout his career, developing a passion for the problem-solving functionality it offers. 

“It’s the primary software used in the financial and actuarial industries,” he says. With 15 years’ experience in life insurance and reinsurance pricing, Jacobson says that competitive Excel has added a whole new dimension to his expertise. Head of retail pricing at global reinsurance company Munich Re, he is always working on improving his skills, which he believes necessitates measuring them against other Excel aficionados. 

“I started looking online for ways to test myself, and through social media, I discovered this huge world of Excel Esports,” he recalls. Having entered his first MEWC-linked competition in March last year, through the monthly matches that followed, he began gaining confidence. “On average, about 500 people worldwide enter each month and there are around 50 to 100 South Africans who compete. I’m currently ranked number one in South Africa and I’ve got my world ranking up to about 45.” 

Finishing on top at the South African competition and claiming the number one spot globally in a qualification round along the way, he has received a sponsored trip to Las Vegas to compete in the quarterfinals of the World Championship in December. 

“I’m over the moon,” he says. “When I first watched it, I was in awe at what these guys were doing. But by putting my mind to it and learning the tricks, I knew I’d be able to get there myself.” 

The MEWC transforms a common office tool into a dynamic global sport, the ultimate test of the logical thinking skills of the “spreadsheet athletes” who compete. Competitors use Excel for 140 problem-solving challenges, all of which must be completed within 30 minutes. They are judged on the accuracy and efficiency of their solutions. “You have limited time to solve as many problems using Excel as fast as you can, so you have to be quick,” Jacobson explains. 

“It generally includes games, anything from cricket to darts or chess, or it could be financial modelling or music. It’s quite crazy what you can do in Excel, people can’t believe it.” For instance, competitors can solve LinkedIn logic puzzle game Tango in Excel or decode binary data streams to extract music-related metrics, notes, channel lookups, and instrument appearances.” 

“Adam has gone toe to toe with some of the world’s best Excel competitors and proven that he belongs among the elite,” says the team behind MEWC South Africa. “To see a South African flag flying this high on the global Excel Esports stage makes us incredibly proud.” 

Jacobson says the entire competition in Las Vegas will take place over a few days, with the quarterfinals, featuring 97 players, happening on 1 December. Players will compete in two 30-minute games, and their scores will be combined to determine who qualifies for the next round. The top 16 go through to the semifinals the next day, which is immediately followed by the finals. 

The winner takes home $20 000 (R332 318). Prize money is also awarded to the top 50 players. The MEWC takes place live in the HyperX Arena before a live audience and is broadcast in real time on ESPN and YouTube. 

As the South African representative, Jacobson will be running through a tunnel before he takes to the stage. “You have your computer in front of you and all the competitors have their screens projected up on big screens. There’s a timer and they track your score.” 

While the competition remains quite niche, it’s becoming seriously competitive worldwide, Jacobson says. “A friend of mine was at a hotel in Miami last week, and he said they were showing the MEWC in the lobby. It’s really grown.” 

Jacobson encourages others to investigate what’s out there in terms of alternative competitions that test online efficiency. “If you’re the best runner or cricketer in the school, for example,” he says, “you’ll start working your way up to the area, provincial, and national teams. Yet a lot of people have other skills, and they never find out just how good they are at them as they’re not aware of opportunities to compete.” 

Jacobson says he’d love to make the semifinals of the competition and be in the top 16 players in the world. “I like to win,” he says. “The MEWC is not just about being the best though, it’s for people who can really think fast, who can do the most correctly in the shortest amount of time.” 

He says competitive Excel has sparked much curiosity among family, friends, and colleagues. “It’s incredible to be part of the MEWC South Africa community and it’s time to bring this sport to the Olympics,” he says.