PASS GO, COLLECT INTERNATIONAL MONOPOLY TITLE; NATIONAL CHAMP FROM SOUTHERN ILLINOIS HEADS TO MONTE CARLO TO COMPETE FOR BIG MONEY

HARRISBURG, Ill. -- Roger Craig has passed "Go" more than most.

He has won tens of thousands of dollars, but he can't spend a dime. It is only play money.

The 35-year-old Harrisburg tire salesman is this nation's Monopoly champion.

He will compete Sept. 13-16 at the world championship in Monte Carlo. This will be his first trip abroad. His wife, Lori, will accompany him.

Players from 38 countries will compete along with the current world champion, who is from the Netherlands.

The competitors include two 14-year-olds and a couple of players in their late 50s. Most are around Craig's age.

They will compete on the U.S. version of the Parker Brothers game with its familiar Boardwalk and Park Place.

In the winner-take-all tournament, the champion receives a silver trophy and a top hat stuffed with real money -- $15,140 in all.

The cash prize reflects the amount of "play money" in a Monopoly game.

"Monopoly is a great game," said Craig. "You push yourself to the limit. You go for broke sometimes."

Craig said, "You have to know which properties to get." He likes the red properties: Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky.

"It is important to buy as much as possible," he said. But you can't go broke doing it.

"I basically try to save money to buy more property or block someone from getting a monopoly," said Craig.

When you have to start selling off houses, you are headed for a loss, he said.

"The iron is my favorite piece," said Craig. The iron is small and other players might not see it hiding behind one of those plastic hotels, he confided.

Craig was about 5 years old when he first played Monopoly. He learned to play the game on visits to his grandmother's home in Harrisburg.

He has one of the original 1935 Monopoly boards, with its wooden houses and hotels. It is the same board that he grew up playing on at his grandmother's house.

Craig has no shortage of Monopoly games. "I probably have about 50 of them."

When you win a Monopoly tournament, you get to take home the board game.

Craig always has enjoyed games. "I guess I have played every board game there is."

But he doesn't just like playing. "I try to win everything I do," he said. "If winning wasn't important, they wouldn't keep score."

At the tournament level, Monopoly isn't just fun and games. "You have to be intense," he said.

Craig knows every rule. Such knowledge is crucial in Monopoly tournaments.

"Basically, the only thing that sets people apart is the knowledge of the rules," he said.

Salesmanship doesn't hurt either. Players make property deals with other players during the course of a game.

A salesman for Raben Tire, Craig has plenty of experience selling tires.

He treats fellow Monopoly players the same way he treats his tire customers.

"I try to be as friendly and nice as I can to all of them."

Craig is a celebrity in Harrisburg. But he hasn't let his success go to his head.

"I'm just an old country boy out in the middle of no place," he said.

Craig played in his first Monopoly tournament in 1987 in Harrisburg. The tournament annually draws more than 100 Monopoly players.

"I think I won the very first year that I played," Craig said.

In February 1995, he won the local tournament. He collected $22,300 in play money over the course of the tournament.

That was the highest dollar total of any player in any of the Monopoly tournaments in Illinois since 1992 and earned him the title of state champion and a trip to the national championship in New York City.

The national championship is played once every four years.

Forty-three contestants participated in the national tournament held last October.

The two preliminary rounds were played on the 80th floor of the Empire State Building.

Craig lost all his play money in the first round. "I landed on Boardwalk three times with hotels on it."

But he came back to win the second round, finishing with $14,000 in play money to advance to the championship game.

The championship game was played by Craig and three other players at the F.A.O. Schwarz toy store.

They were transported to the store in a Rolls Royce.

The preliminary rounds are limited to 90-minute games. Four to five people play on a single board.

The four players who win the most money and property advance to the final round, where there is no time limit.

To win the final round, you have to bankrupt the other players. Craig accomplished that feat in 100 minutes.

Craig passed up a chance to buy Boardwalk, much to the surprise of onlookers.

"Everyone wants Boardwalk and Park Place," said Craig. But he saw Boardwalk as a poor investment because of the cost of buying the property and putting houses and hotels on it.

He did buy Park Place and immediately mortgaged it to keep other players from having a monopoly.

Craig said he had good rolls of the dice in the championship game.

No matter how talented the player, the board game still hinges on the roll of the dice.

Craig hopes the dice roll his way next month. This time, it could be money in the bank.