Konami has announced plans for a World Championship Qualifier event for its continuing hit trading card game Yu-Gi-Oh!  The event will be held at Navy Pier in Chicago, IL on July 13th and 14th.
 
The tournament will name the North American Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game Champion as well as the North American Dragon Duel Champion.  Winning Duelists will earn the right to participate in the Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship, which will be held in Las Vegas, NV on August 10th and 11th.
 
The tournament will be by invitation only, and is expected to draw more than one thousand fans of the card game.  For fans that were unable to secure an invitation, there will be a "Last Chance Qualifier" and a "Last Chance Dragon Duel Qualifier" held on Friday, July 12th.  The tournament will feature two days of elimination matches, with the finalists competing at the Final Round table on Sunday afternoon.
 
Konami is offering numerous prizes for the match.  All attendees will receive special World Championship Qualifier 2013 card sleeves and game mats.  Tournament winners will receive travel and accommodations for the World Championship, complete card sets, Super Rare promo cards, even table computers and competition jerseys.
 
Players can participate in a number of side events, including sealed deck tournaments, "Win-a-Mat" matches, "Attack of the Giant Card!!" events, and Team Duels. 
 
Darren Dunstan and Eric Stuart, voice actors from the animated series, will both be on hand giving autographs.
 
Yu-Gi-Oh! events continue to draw large crowds.  In March, an event in Long Beach was recognized by Guinness World Records as the largest trading card game event (see "Guinness Certifies Largest TCG Event").