EuroQuest IX Winners
Nov. 19, 2011

Convention Directors John Weber and Norman Rule are to be congratulated for the best Euroquest conference run to date. Euroquest 2012 set a host of records during its continuing evolution with several new faces gaining momentum and attention in the quest for BPA laurels. An attendance of 340 was a 10% increase over our initial year at the Pikesville Hilton and meant that the convention has now more than doubled in size since its inaugural edition in 2003 and has us once again searching for additional space options. This year's event had a truly international flavor, as attendees representing four different continents, from as far away as Australia, Israel and Rumania, converged at the Hilton Pikesville near Baltimore for four days of fun and competitive gaming. This year's program was jam-packed with tournaments, new game demos and a variety of other activities in a welcoming environment. Tournament attendance swelled as well, with eight of 11 returning main events setting all-time highs, with the remaining three nearing their previous highwater marks. The Hot New Game for 2011—7 Wonders—led the way with an all-time Euroquest single event attendance record of 80, shattering the old mark of 68 set by Ticket to Ride in 2009 when that tournament doubled as a qualifier leading to the World Championships sponsored by Days of Wonder. Ticket to Ride attendance also broke that old mark, by 10, with a total of 78, while Stone Age tied the old mark at 68.

Dramatic finishes were the order of the day with new attendees playing a leading role. Heading into the finals on Sunday, Haim Hochboim of Israel stood atop the HLS leaderboard with 28 points, while advancing to the final of Ticket to Ride, guaranteeing even more points. Thus, it seemed likely that the HLS Trophy- which had made it all the way to Seattle and back in 2010 (in the custody of Randy Buehler) - might travel even further afield this year. Former HLS winner Rob Kircher's bid for a second brass plate on the trophy ended when he flamed out in the Settlers final, finishing fourth. However, all was not lost for the host country as the Power Grid final also featured Daniel Eppolito, another EQ rookie but WBC veteran, who was still in contention, bidding for his second event win after having captured the Ra title. The Power Grid game, which took a long time to complete, went Dan's way, enabling him to surge past Haim in the HLS standings. At this point the pressure shifted to Haim, as only a first or a second in the Ticket to Ride final could tip the balance in his favor. However, it was not to be, and the HLS Trophy went to Dan Eppolito who amassed a record total of 33 HLS points. Haim Hochboim (30 points) finished second, followed by California's Bill Zurn, who zoomed to third place overall with a win in the final event to finish - 7 Wonders. Bill's 28 HLS points were good for third place ahead of a trio of former Siegelman Trophy winners: 2007's Rob Kircher (25 points); defending Champ Randy Buehler (25 points) and 2009's Sceadeau D'Tela (24 points) who came in fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively.

Harold Siegelman Award

Daniel Eppolito, CA
33 pts

Haim Hochboim, Israel
30 pts

Bill Zurn, CA
28 pts

Rob Kircher, RI
25 pts

Randy Buehler, WA
25 pts
 

Dan's two wins in Power Grid and Ra were matched by Ben Scholl, who was also a double winner in Agricola and Puerto Rico. Like Dan, Ben was attending his first Euroquest. Haim Hochboim put himself near the top of the Siegelman charts with a win in Dominion, followed by a runner-up finish in Agricola, assuring that there was going to be some "wood" on the plane back to Israel. Haim's countryman, Aran Warszawski, was not to be outdone, taking top honors in Princes of Florence, which was the first event to finish. Bill Zurn (7 Wonders), Vien Bounma (St. Petersburg) and Jim Castonguay (Thurn and Taxis) rounded out the list of first-time EQ champions. Only the Settlers, Stone Age and Ticket to Ride titles were retained by prior EQ Champions. Brian Reynolds took his fourth Settlers of Catan title, making him only the second six-time event winner in history (his other two Euroquest wins coming in Princes of Florence); he also became the first to win the same EQ tourney four times (after already becoming the first three-peat in this category in 2009). Stone Age was won by Virginia Colin, who now had a different event win to go with two prior titles in Ticket to Ride. Sceadeau D'Tela won Ticket to Ride to become only the second player to win four different EQ tournaments.

A complete listing of tournament winners from EQ 2012 follows:

 

Ben Scholl, PA > 41

Haim Hochboim, Israel > 54

Daniel Eppolito, CA > 57

Aran Warszawski, Israel > 34

Ben Scholl, PA > 58

Daniel Eppolito, CA > 42

Bill Zurn, CA > 80

Vien Bounma, NJ > 47

Brian Reynolds, PA > 55

Virginia Colin, VA > 68

Jim Castonguay, MD > 45

 Sceaudeau D'Tela, NC > 78

For a complete pictorial review of Euroquest as seen from the camera of Eric Haas, see http://www.flickr.com/photos/erichaas/sets/72157627983277005/

For a more detailed account of Euroquest 2012's other activities see http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/7813495#7813495 and http://euoquest.gamesclubofmd.org/ for additional information as it becomes available.

The winners and laurelists for all events are listed on their respective event AAR pages at http://www.boardgamers.org/yearbook11

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