Turing Monopoly Board

10 September 2012, 11:17 | Updated: 10 September 2012, 11:28

A new version of Monopoly's been launched to celebrate the life of Alan Turing, whose codebreaking work at Milton Keynes' Bletchley Park helped shorten World War II.

The Alan Turing Monopoly Board has been developed from a unique original board in the Bletchley Park Museum that Turing played on in the 1950s.  That was hand-drawn by William Newman, son of Turing’s mentor, Max, over sixty years ago.

In this special edition, the squares around the board and revised Chance and Community Chest cards tell the story of Alan Turing’s life.

Alan's face also adorns the game's £10 note.  Bletchley Park sits in the prestigious 'Mayfair' position on the board and instead of houses and hotels, there are huts and blocks, mimicking the buildings at Bletchley Park where teams of codebreakers worked to crack German messages.

“Bringing this board to life has been one of the most exciting and unique projects we’ve been involved with here, and we’re thrilled to see it finally available for others to enjoy,” said Iain Standen, CEO of the Bletchley Park Trust.

Peter Griffin, Development Director EMEA, Winning Moves, added “We hope fans of Turing across the globe will enjoy playing on this very special edition of Monopoly. Through play, they will find out more about Turing’s remarkable life and his crucial role shaping the society we enjoy today. As an ex-student of Kings College, where Turing himself studied, this was an honour to help develop.”

The commercial board has been kindly supported by Google, which has bought the first 1,000 units as a donation to the Bletchley Park Trust. The board is initially exclusively available from the Bletchley Park website, and from the Museum Shop.