Deja vu struck Auction this year. Two years ago, former champ George Sauer ran a demo and taught a Mulligan round to Arthur Field, who went on to win the wood. This year, 28 people turned out to play the Mulligan round. Among them were several newcomers, who had just learned the game from Field at the demo round. Included in the list of seven immediate qualifiers was newcomer Lisa Gutermuth, who managed to win her Mulligan in an unprecedented four cards even with the enforced Rainbow Rule. Lisa had two Rare Miscellany and managed to buy the next two which appeared immediately. And to think her dad was worried about her sitting at a table with ringers!

In the second heat, 13 more people qualified to join the Mulligan winners. The semi-final saw a very interesting mix of players. Former champs Arthur Field, Ken Gutermuth, George Sauer and Bruce Reiff were joined by several newcomers including Davyd Field, Lisa Gutermuth, David Brooks and Paul Haynes. Due to some no-shows, there were four tables of four players each. David Brooks (another Field demo student) managed to beat both Ken and Arthur to win his table by capturing the rare jewelry set to the astonishment of the table. George Sauer and Bruce Reiff both won through to the finals. In a surprise move, Lisa Gutermuth beat some substantial competition to advance from her semi-final round.

So the finals became a battle of the newcomers versus the old guard. The deja vu experience was complete as both newcomers beat the experienced players. David Brooks carried away the wood, closely followed by Lisa Gutermuth. Lisa had the distinct honor of becoming the youngest player to beat both Bruce and Arthur in the same game.

Assistant GM's postscript: Excellent sportsmanship was exhibited in every round by all players. Beth Bernard and Davyd Field tied for the 16th spot in the semi-finals. Each insisted upon deferring to the other. They finally flipped a coin and Beth won. The 15th player discovered a schedule conflict and had to leave, so Davyd advanced after a fine display of manners. The final was played at a later time by agreement of three players to accommodate the fourth. It was an excellent way to open the Con.