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Such is the popularity of Lost
Cities, that some heats were forced to improvise to find
sufficient tables, games or even floor space to participate. |
Since Ivan Lawson took the GM reins,
Lost Cities has become the largest two-player event at
WBC. What's more amazing is that he actually finds time to play
himself! |
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The ladies acquitted themselves
well in Lost Cities. Not only did 50 of them play, they
were four of the six laurelists. |
Hey, they let Laurie out to
play games! The Junior's Room Monitor did yeoman's work all week
with the younger set. |
Rounding the Bases ...
"And the number of the counted shall be 185 - it shall
not be 186, neither shall it be 184, but 185 shall be the counting."
WHEW!!! In 2008, as in years before, they came to
Paradise in search of something Lost, some in groups, some in
waves, and some alone, some bearing gifts and some empty-handed,
but, in the end, they were all paired and prepared for competition
... 53 pairs in the first heat, 60 in the second, 25 in
the third and 37 in the last heat. In all, 104 explorers tested
fate in more than one heat. With three expeditions scoring
bonuses, Sam Atabaki posted the highest overall score of 344.
Good feeling for this GM to see so many families continue
to play in this tournament, usually registering together and
some bringing friends. You may recall one family - Claire,
Eric, and Sam Brosius, all making the SE rounds last year, only
to fall one by one to the eventual champion, Jarett Weintraub. In
fact, Jarett also defeated one of their friends, Andy Latto (archive
that name), in the championship round.
There was only one game tied at the end of regulation this
year, but it was a remarkable struggle. Wayne Schmittberger
and Laurel Stokes managed to engage in their own extended duel
as they recorded tie scores at the end of the first and third
hands, requiring a fourth hand, in which they tied again! In
their fifth hand, Wayne prevailed with a score that belied the
closeness of the contest, as he was able to score a decisive
expedition with three handshakes and a bonus.
32 advanced to the single elimination rounds with 17 compiling
three or more wins. Cally Perry, Claire Brosius, and Kathy
Kilroy won in all four heats. David Meyaard and Andy Latto
(!) advanced into the semi-finals, familiar territory for them,
and were joined by Cally Perry and Lexi Shea, newcomers to these
heights. Many present noted that it was an All New-England
semi-final. David lost to Cally, and was overwhelmed in
his subsequent bid to achieve third place in the consolation
game against Lexi. That left a championship game between two
friends. Apparently exhausted by their efforts to survive
the preceding five SE rounds, Cally and Andy trudged through
a pedestrian Final round. Among their expeditions, they combined
for no bonuses and four expeditions with three handshakes
that yielded a total of 51 points! Trailing by 17 points
as he entered the last hand, the 2007 runner-up, Andy Latto,
prevailed with a winning score of 122 to 99 to become the alltime
leading Lost Cities laurelist and complete his four-championship
week.
Thanks to everyone who played and, especially, who brought
a copy of the game to share, as well as those who bought a copy
in order to play. This has happened each year! On a down
note, this year marked the first time that a borrowed game was
not returned, so signout sheets will become mandatory. However,
as they worked well this year, preprinted labels for all who
have played since 2007 and the method for quicker pairings and
starts will be enhanced and employed next year. On a final
note, the results are being logged into AREA by the tireless
Ed Menzel as I compose this AAR. See you at WBC 2009. In
the meantime, hope everyone pursues some happiness.
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Wayne Schmittberger finished second
in 2006 but was unable to advance that far this year. The editor
of GAMES magazine has been a WBC regular in recent years.
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Andy Latto beats Cally Perry in the
Final. The two friends made the trip from Massachusetts together
only to meet in the Final some 185 players later.
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