Dice in the Pacific
By John Pack
Victory or Defeat in the Pacific? With 13 seconds left in
the tournament, we still didn't know which it would be. Even
the dice didn't know. Dan Henry missed his flight. So did I.
Together with a large portion of the tournament field, we waited
to know the final outcome. I talked and joked with friends while
I waited - my 1-5 record allowing me to do so without worrying
about how I'd finish.
Dan,
however, was on the line - sweating, nerves frayed from a close,
hard-fought, eight-turn game at the end of three grueling days
of intense back-to-back games against the world's best cardboard
admirals... With 13 seconds to go, his flag dropped. In their
tight game, Ray Freeman would have the board all to himself for
13 seconds.
But it wasn't enough. Thirteen seconds later Ray's flag dropped
too and the championship game was an automatic draw. It was
enough to preserve the lead Dan held going into the final match
and leave Ray clinging to second-place.
Dan Henry becomes the first ever to win back-to-back championships
(with a total of three to his name) - winning with a 5-1-1 record!
Dan's victory also shows that a player who prefers the Allies
can perform well repeatedly - provided he exacts a high bid from
his opponents!
Jim
Eliason was in the lead after four rounds, but he lost his last
two matches after sitting out one round to play in his team
event. His decision ensured that the ultimate winner would have
at least one loss!
Surprising newcomers is a tradition in VIP tournaments. This
year Tim Tow and John Strand joined WBC competition for the first
time and both made it into the Top Six!
The use of the optional adjustments seems to have gained widespread
acceptance - with few players electing blanket refusal of all
adjustments. The CPO withdrawal adjustment, which prevents a
USN disaster due to Turn 1 location uncertain rolls, was very
popular.
My favorite moment came when, to thunderous applause, Mike Kaye
was presented with the first Top Ten Invitational PBeM Plaque
and the PBeM World Championship Trophy. With more than 75 players
involved in email competition - including players from eight
foreign nations from Asia to Africa and all but one of the AREA
Top 20 - the email event is an
intense, two-year championship! Check www.gameaholics.com
for more information - a new tournament starts this September
15th!
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