waterloo [Updated October 2002]

WAT   3 prizes Experienced  Cont Heats 
 Rnd1 Heat1 18   Rnd1 Heat2 10
  Rnd1 Heat3 9   Rnd1 Heat4 9    
  Round 2 9 Round 3 16Final

  Valley

Rob Beyma. MD

2002 Champion

2nd: John Clarke, FL

3rd: Marty Musella, VA

4th: Forrest Pafenberg, VA

5th: Ivan Lawson, MD

6th: Greg Smith, PA

Event History
1991    Kevin McCarthy      17
1992    Rob Beyma      16
1993    Larry Lingle      16
1994    Joe Beard      18
1995    Joe Beard      10
1996    Bruno Sinigaglio      10
1997    Phil Evans      18
1998    Rob Beyma      16
1999    Chuch Stapp     17
2000    Rob Beyma     10
2001    John Clarke     18
2002    Rob Beyma     20


AREA Ratings


GM: Steve Likevich

Past Winners

Kevin McCarthy - OH
1991

Rob Beyma - MD
1992, 1998, 2000

Larry Lingle - PA
1993

Joe Beard - AZ
1994-1995

Bruno Sinigaglio - AK
1996

Phil Evans - VA
1997

Chuck Stapp - PA
1999

John Clarke - FL
2001
 

Another Grognard Classic returns to the Century

The 2002 WBC Waterloo tournament was played using a swiss format followed by two rounds of single elimination . Players could play one game per day, Tuesday through Friday, with the best four players squaring off for the semi-finals and eventual championship game. The 20 participants received points for wins, losses, factors eliminated and factors lost. Scores from the best two performances were used to determine the best four players.

During the preliminary rounds, a total of 21 games were played. The French player won nine. As usual, there were several hard-fought noteworthy games and some unexpected upsets. In fact when one game ended there were less than five factors left on the board and in another there were none! Due to the more flexible format, many more folks were able to rekindle their love affair for this classic game.

After the Swiss Rounds, the best overall player performances were as follows:

Forest Pafenberg 2114.

Rob Beyma 2097.

Ed Menzell 2083.

Greg Smith 2069.

Ivan Lawson 2059.

Marty Musella 2051.

John Clarke 2050.

Larry Lingle 2017.

The final four would have been the top four performers, however, certain events and conflicts caused Ed, Greg and Ivan to decline. As a result, others on the list moved up to fill the vacancies and go for the plaque.

Semi-Finals

The semi-finals stacked Forest Pafenberg's French against John Clarke's PAA for a second time at this convention. Forest bid zero to play the PAA to assure that he would have the French a second time. Unfortunately for Forest, two times was once too much as John defeated Forest handily to advance to the final.

In the other semi-final game, Rob Beyma's PAA defeated Marty Musella's French. Rob's 6 bid to play the PAA was enough to secure his choice. The game was close until 7PM of the first day, when Marty rolled poorly on his attacks, while Rob rolled well on his counterattacks. Things went downhill for Marty at that point and he surrendered after the 3PM turn on the second day.

The Championship as chronicled by Napoleon Beymapart

John Clarke won the bid with +10 for the PAA. Rob Beyma bid 7. I too believe that the PAA side holds an advantage in Waterloo but not quite as much as John does.

My plan was to maneuver on the first day, extend the PAA line, probe for weaknesses, and not give John any easy counterattacks. I went with my standard French setup and a near usual opening move. Noticing the sizeable Prussian reinforcements heading towards Nivelles, I decided to turn the French left into primarily a diversionary force while making the main assault in the Quatre Bras / Tilly sector. The French moved major forces down the Tilly corridor and started infiltrating the woods to the east and north of Quatre Bras. The PAA player spread out his forces and expended a few well-timed 1-factor delay units.

The PAA launched the first major attack of the game on the 7PM turn with a 3-1 (EX) in the Quatre Bras slot. The French responded on the 7AM turn on the 17th with two 3-1s on the Quatre Bras front and a 3-1 on a Prussian 5-4 south of Nivelles - all resulting in DRs. The PAA player realizing that the fast moving French cavalry on the right was going to flank his line near Wavre, started pulling back towards the Lasne river. The French pulled some of their flank forces in to put heavy pressure on the PAA Quatre Bras position. A second French 3-1 south of Nivelles on the 9AM turn resulted in a DE although a 2-6 cavalry unit died on a 1-3 soak-off. The PAA finally forced the French back across the river on the far west edge but failed to cash in when a French 4-6 retreated on a 4-1 attack. The losses at the end of day 1 were six French and 16 PAA factors.

The French picked up the pace of the attack on the 17th. By late morning the PAA forces were withdrawing to Genappe and were deployed along the Lasne. The French Quatre Bras forces were linking up with the right flank infantry which had flanked the Genappe river line. 26 factors of French cavalry were descending on a weakly defended section of the Lasne river line defenses. A small French force had pushed through the gaps in the woods just west of Nivelles. At the end of the 11AM turn, the losses were 10 French and 29 PAA factors. Note: The losses are actual combat losses and do not include the 10 factors that the PAA had to remove. At this point the PAA player began making a series of low odds attacks, mostly out of frustration. This essentially ended the game. The French had significant factor superiority at this point and the time to use it.

 GM      Steve Likevich  [1st Year]   NA 
    NA   NA

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