In this year's final, 1998 champion Michael Pustilnik defeated defending champion Robert Frisby. In 1998 Pustilnik defeated Frisby in the first round, and in 1999 Frisby defeated Pustilnik in the first round. What comes around ...

This year Pustilnik started the bidding at 64, and allowed Frisby to play the Germans with a bid of 65. The Germans got off to a poor start by losing a misdeployed 4-10 panzer regiment to a Soviet counterattack on turn two. The Soviets immediately began building a L-shaped line running from the northern map edge south to the Dnepr river a few hexes west of Smolensk, and then east to Smolensk and beyond along the Dnepr. The Soviets also called in seven southwest reinforcements, giving the Germans nine victory points, and deployed about 15 divisions around Roslavl.

The Germans assaulted the Soviet line near Smolensk on turn 3 and began pushing the Soviets back. On turns 4 and 5, three panzer and one panzer grenadier divisions outflanked the Soviet right. The Soviets diverted several divisions to meet this threat, thereby weakening their line near Smolensk. The Germans subsequently penetrated the Soviet line and surrounded Smolensk along with several divisions defending nearby. Soviet counterattacks reduced two German divisions to half strength but failed to relieve Smolensk. The Germans captured Smolensk two turns later. While the Germans reduced Smolensk, the Soviets strengthened the line defending Yel'nya and Roslavl. The Germans assaulted this line before mopping up the Soviet units pinned down north of Smolensk. As a result, nearly half of the German mechanized divisions were pinned down and unable to join the assault. The Soviets' skillful defense prevented the Germans from taking either Yel'nya or Roslavl, though the German spearheads destroyed over 20 divisions and reached the outskirts of both cities. In the end, the Germans achieved only 54 victory points,1 1 short of the needed 65.

The revised bidding system, used for the first time this year, seemed to work well, and most players expressed support for retaining it. Once a player bid a particular victory point level, the other player had the option of bidding that VP level plus one combined with a reduction of up to eleven rifle divisions from the Soviet player's first turn reinforcements. The other
player then had the option of bidding the same VP level with fewer rifle divisions subtracted from the turn one reinforcements. I plan to use a similar bidding system at the 2002 WBC, and would appreciate any suggestions for improving the bidding system further.

This year the Soviets won 75% of the games played. The three victorious German players bid 70, 65, and 64. The defeated German players bid as follows: 70 (minus four Soviet turn 1 reinforcements); 66; 66 (minus five Soviet turn 1 reinforcements); 66 (minus five Soviet turn 1 reinforcements); 66 (minus six Soviet turn 1 reinforcements); 65; 65, and 65.