hannibal: rome vs carthage   

Updated Nov. 23, 2013

Omens Pre-Con
2013 WBC Report  

 2014 Status: pending 2014 GM commitment

Keith Wixson, NJ

2013 Champion

 

Event History
1996    Thomas Drueding      58
1997    James Doughan      52
1998    Karsten Engelmann      52
1999    Jung Yueh     46
2000    James Pei     41
2001    Aaron Fuegi     35
2002    Peter Reese     41
2003    Keith Wixson     44
2004    Chris Byrd     46
2005    Nick Anner     39
2006    Jim Heenehan     34
2007     James Pei     31
2008     Jim Heenehan     43
2009    Keith Wixson     54
2010     James Pei     50
2011    Lyman Moquin     55
2012    Steve Worrel     50
2013    Keith Wixson     43

PBeM Event History
2001     Aaron Fuegi     37

WAM Event History
2003    Stuart Tucker    11
2004    James Pei    19
2005    Chris Byrd    21
2006     Jim Heenehan    12
2010    Keith Wixson    14
2011    James Pei    14
2012     James Pei    19
2013    James Pei    16

 Laurels

Rank  Name              From  Last  Total
  1.  James Pei          VA    13    440
  2.  Keith Wixson       NJ    13    385
  3.  Jim Heenehan       PA    12    254
  4.  Chris Byrd         CT    13    247
  5.  Lyman Moquin       DC    11    102
  6.  Randall MacInnis   NJ    13     97
  7.  Steve Worrel       VA    12     96
  8.  Peter Reese        VA    06     94
  9.  Stuart Tucker      MD    12     76
 10.  Henry Rice         TX    13     72
 11.  Gary Andrews       NY    08     62
 12.  Nick Anner         NY    05     60
 13.  Aaron Fuegi        MA    01     60
 14.  Jung Yueh          MA    99     50
 15.  Michael Sosa       DE    13     48
 16.  Scott Moll         VA    06     48
 17.  Mark Giddings      NY    01     40
 18.  Kyle Greenwood     HI    09     36
 19.  Derek Miller       VA    05     36
 20.  Doug White         PA    04     36
 21.  David Dockter      MN    02     36
 22.  Craig Melton       VA    03     34
 23.  Randy Pippus       on    13     30
 24.  Roderick Lee       CA    11     30
 25.  Charles Hickok     PA    03     30
 26.  Jim Doughan        PA    06     24
 27.  Eugene Lin         WA    05     24
 28.  Jim Eliason        IA    03     24
 29.  Tim Hall           UT    05     22
 30.  Michael Mitchell   GA    12     21
 31.  George Seary       NY    99     20
 32.  Doug Mercer        MD    04     18
 33.  Ed Rothenheber     MD    02     18
 34.  Phil Barcafer      PA    99     15
 35.  Martin Sample      NH    10     12
 36.  Larry Luongo       NJ    08     12
 37.  Matthew Bacho      MD    04     12
 38.  Ahmed Ilpars       tu    07     11
 39.  Raymond Gorka      NY    07     10
 40.  Robert Vollman     al    00     10
 41.  Marvin Birnbaum    NY    13      9
 42.  Bill Pettus        MD    11      9
 43.  Paul Gaberson      PA    06      8
 44.  Grant LaDue        NY    13      6
 45.  Tim Miller         GA    13      6
 46.  Terry Coleman      CA    10      6
 47.  Marc Berenbach     MA    09      6
 48.  Andy Latto         MA    08      6
 49.  Thomas Richardson  VA    06      6
 50.  Robert Hassard     NJ    02      6
 51.  John Rinko         VA    99      5
 52.  Peter Putnam       PA    10      3
 53.  John Firer         WI    01      3
 54.  Trevor Bender      CA    01      2

2013 Laurelists                                          Repeating Laurelists: 

Henry Rice, TX
2nd

Chris Byrd, CT
3rd

James Pei, VA
4th

Randy Pippus, on
5th

Grant LaDue, NY
6th

Past Winners

Thomas Drueding, PA
1996

James Doughan, PA
1997

Karsten Englemann, VA
1998

Jung Yueh, MA
1999

James Pei, TX
2000, 2007, 2010

Aaron Fuegi, MA
2001

Peter Reese, VA
2002

Keith Wixson, NJ
2003, 2009, 2013

Chris Byrd, CT
2004

Nick Anner, NY
2005

Jim Heenehan, PA
2006, 2008

Lyman Moquin, DC
2011

Steve Worrel, VA
2012
   

Chris Byrd vs Gary Dickson

Stuart Tucker and Jim Heenehan vs Nicholas Pei and Ben Gardner

James Pei vs Michael Ussery

GM Stuart Tucker with his last two unbeaten players.

Another Three Time Winner ...

Ed Note: I've always maintained that this event is the epitome of what the ideal WBC tournament should be: a well stocked veritable shark pool of skilled players - any one of whom can rise to the top in a given year. 2013 was again no exception as two stalwart players battled their way to the Final to enhance their resumes - but a return trip next year will remain a challenge - as it should be.

Carthage and Rome met on the field of battle for 66 games, with Rome prevailing in 37 of them. 24 players arrived in time for Round 1, a significant dip from the previous year, perhaps due to the altered start day. Consensus prevailed that the pre-con should return to a Saturday start. A total of 33 veterans (including five former champions) and ten newcomers played during the tournament.

Bidding PCs for sides resulted in an average Bid of 1.15 for Carthage, up from last year. In 22% of the games, the PC bid was zero. A bidding war occurred for the choice of Rome in only three games. The highest bid for Carthage was 3, done four times. Rome was sacked twice, Carthage thrice. In one case, Carthage was sacked while Rome was under siege. In eight games, Carthage won by a 9-9 tie in the province count. Carthage forced resignations before Turn 9 on ten occasions, while Rome forced such resignations 11 times. Ten games ended before the arrival of Africanus. Hannibal died in 18 games, with Carthage recovering to win four of them. Africanus died in seven games, all of which Rome lost. Syracuse joined Carthage 34 times, and was consequently sacked by Rome 13 times. On four occasions, Syracuse joined Carthage on Turn 8 or 9, resulting in victory three times. Philip joined Carthage 29 times, only to make peace with Rome on ten occasions. The Messenger Intercept occurred on Turn 9 in eight games, only half of which were won by the Intercepting side. The player with the Messenger Intercept in Turns 7 or 8 was the winner two-third s of the time. Once the Messenger was lost to Philip Makes Peace. Overall, Rome enjoyed the Messenger two-thirds of the time it was dealt.

The card gods blessed the eight top-seeded players in Round 1 with victories, but looked with disfavor upon three of them in Round 2, including GM Stuart Tucker. Third-ranked Jim Heenehan fell in Round 2 to Grant LaDue while seventh-seeded Lyman Moquin lost to Randy Pippus. Keith Wixson survived a close scare against Michael Ussery when his Carthage drew Syracuse on Turn 9 and survived the Messenger Intercepted to secure a 9-9 count with the Truce played on Turn 9.

Nine players entered the third phase of the gauntlet undefeated. Reigning champ Steve Worrel had returned to defend his crown, but fell in Round 3 when matched with top-ranked James Pei. Worrel's Carthaginians gained Syracuse on Turn 9, but resigned. Last year's runner-up, Michael Sosa fell to second-ranked Keith Wixson's Romans by an 11-7 province count after the death of Hannibal in Turn 5 and the fall of Saguntum in Turn 8. Henry Rice's Romans defeated George Young by a 10-8 count benefitting from a Turn 8 Messenger Intercept and despite the death of Africanus in Turn 9. Chris Byrd's Romans sent Africanus and Marcellus into Idubeda, and Hannibal was killed on Turn 9, resulting in an 11-7 count over Randy Pippus. Tim Miller's Romans benefitted from a Turn 9 Messenger Intercept to seize the last three moves and a 10-8 victory over Grant LaDue.

This left four unbeatens for Round 4. Pei played Carthage with a 1 PC bid against Wixson. An unusual Turn 1 invasion of Iberia led to the fall of Saguntum on Turn 4, but eventual expulsion. A second invasion failed with heavy losses, leading Africanus to invade and sack Carthage on Turn 7. 4th-ranked Chris Byrd played Carthage with a 1 PC bid against #17, Henry Rice. Philip joined Carthage on Turn 3, Syracuse on Turn 6, and Carthage ran the count up to 5-13 when Rome resigned in Turn 9.

To bring his record up to 3-1, Heenehan's Carthage survived by relieving Sosa's siege of Syracuse on Turn 9 with an extraordinary naval expedition by Hasdrubal in the face of Storms at Sea. Larry Luongo achieved 3-1 over Pippus's Carthage by virture of three Messenger Intercepts. LaDue also reached 3-1 over Tucker's Carthage, with the sack of Massilia and much activity in Idubeda playing a large role. Worrel improved to 3-1 by defeating Tim Miller's Carthage 9-8, after retaking Syracuse on Turn 5 and making peace with Philip on Turn 6.

In Round 5, four games remained significant in determining medals. Pei's Hannibal DE'd P.Scipio's army at Arminium on Turn 2, and killed Africanus and Fabius on Turn 6, leaving Rome with few CUs and forcing a resignation by LaDue. Pei thus earned fourth place, and LaDue the sixth place Sand plaque. Heenehan's Hannibal failed at the gates of Rome on Turn 8 and couldn't engineer a long Truce, with Pippus forcing resignation in Turn 9. Pippus thus placed fifth and put Heenehan to the sword metaphorically speaking and out of the laurels. Rice's Carthage won a 9-9 tie against Luongo to gain runner-up by virtue of his 4-1 record and a strength of schedule tie-breaker.

The Championship was at stake when two former champs clashed once again. Wixson's Hannibal crossed the Alps on Turn 1, and fought three battles on Turn 2, killing many Romans. On Turn 3, Hannibal defeated Fabius at Falerii, with heavy losses. On Turn 4, Fabius' counterattack met with heavy losses, and Syracuse joined Carthage, while Corsica opted to revolt. Byrd, with few CUs remaining, retired to Capua to admire his third place plaque and dream of what might have been.

 David Metzger vs Bill Edwards
 GM      Stuart Tucker  [12th Year]   NA 
    econedit@aol.com    NA

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