The 2000 battle for control of the streets of Chicago involved a record 38 skirmishes as 63 godfather-wannabes (40 in the first heat alone) collided in the only four-round Gangsters Tournament ever!

When the last bit of extortion was done and the last bullet had been fired, Godfather Pitt "Sluggo" Crandlemire emerged to claim sole control of the Chicago underworld for the second year in a row despite wearing a name tag declaring who he was during the whole melee! "Two-timin' Sluggo" is the second champion, after Jason "Sticky Fingers" Wagner, to claim back-to-back titles. Sluggo is the first player to make it to three finals in a row (taking 2nd place in 1998). Will he be the first to take three titles in 2001? 

Starting the tournament off with a bang, Tim "Bite the Bullet" Evinger won the "Roadkill" Award when his gang suffered twelve casualties in shootouts in the very first heat! That didn't stop him from coming back and taking nine more casualties in his next game! Last year's winner, DeeAnn "Roadkill" Gehring, maxed out at just seven casualties.

Not to be outdone, Kevin "Ice Pick" LeRow won the "I think She likes me!" Award in the first quarter-final game ever finished when opposing vamps coaxed, seduced, and otherwise persuaded ten members of his gang to switch sides! If that weren't enough, he lost six more as casualties in shootouts when he ran into Jeff "Stonewall" Finkeldey! As a warm up, "Ice Pick" (or should that be "Hot Stuff?") lost nine more gang members to enemy ladies in earlier matches. He's definitely a ladies' man!

There's no doubt this was the bloodiest, most lawless tournament ever. And with the introduction of the Thursday night Official Squirt Gun Heat, it was also the wettest! Many players had never braved the squirt gun before (including the GM), but found themselves enjoying it enough to want it in every heat (especially with the temperature in that little room)!

Adding a bit of sanity to the bloodbath, "Two-timin' Sluggo,", Anthony Daw, Matt Evinger, Doug Galullo, Fred "The Saint" Gosnell, Bob "Strings" Hamel, Gordon Rodgers, and Nick Smith were each nominated for the sportsmanship award. Fred "The Saint" Gosnell, who also received nominations in 1999, won the award for his patient guidance of novice players, pointing out moves that worked against him when they were in the best interest of the other player, and an overriding desire to make the game enjoyable for everyone all the time! What did he get for his efforts? A pair of "Cement Overshoes" and a trip to the bottom of Lake Michigan, of course!

In the 1:50 am final, Roger "The Banker" Taylor bought the Ambassador's Club, the Pussycat Club, and the Palace Chophouse along with five Racketeers, two Thugs, and the Vamp to start. "Two-timin' Sluggo" went with his patented sneak-up-the-cash opening: Greenwood Park (immediately upgraded), Franklin Hostel, Lou's Diner and a 6/1/1 gang. Alfred "Flash Flood" Wong went with Brizelli's Riverside, the Downtown Bus Station, Taylor's Machine Shop and a 5/2/1 gang. Nick "Slumlord" Smith opened with Brzkowski's Imports, Brandon's Bikeshop, Westgate Hotel and a 5/2/1 gang.

Slumlord dropped to a single move (thwarting his joint buying strategy) before his first turn as Sluggo, Flash Flood, and The Banker vamped to increase their own flexibility. With eight Racks, Sluggo jumped to an early lead -- keeping the public orbiting around and in the Park (which thwarted Flash Flood's one jump joint strategy). The Banker was largely unable to
get them into the nearby Clubs and kicking himself for not getting two blue joints so that he could upgrade; though he was able to extort from local businesses.

With Vamps going nuts, Sluggo needed to move out of Greenwood Park to protect his Racketeer. He declined to go to SMC Cartage Co. because of a nearby Vamp at Brandon's Bikeshop. After his turn, he realized that it was his Vamp! In fact, worry about vamps was a big factor throughout the game. Slumlord commented, when his Vamp was unable to take advantage of a good roll, "She's such a good girl."

Slumlord took Flash Flood down a notch by using a tactic Jim "Mr. Nice Guy" Rochford (one of Flash Flood's own teammates) - buying a joint where a criminal thug is extorting in order to wipe that piece out in successive shootouts. The cops did Flash Flood in by wiping out his vamp ("Welcome to my world!"). Without the squirt gun, he resorted to knocking over a glass of water to soak himself. The game was quickly relocated to another table!

When all was dried and done at 4 am, Two-timin' Sluggo was champion once again with 10 G's. In second place, winning the "Junior Godfather" Award was Roger "The Banker" Taylor. In third place, and gaining honorable mention was another first-timer, Nick "Slumlord" Smith. Al "Flash Flood" Wong took 4th. Come join us next year to see if anyone can unseat
Two-timin' Sluggo!