What happens when the final of a Century tournament ends with three of five players tied for the highest score? (The other two players were just one and two points behind the lead.) The answer is: The GM thanks her lucky stars that the rules contain clear cut tiebreakers. One of the finalists-Marty Sample-was already very familiar with calculating tiebreakers, as three out of four players in his semi-final tied for the most influence.

Divergence was clearly the most popular secret bet during the final - because four of five players chose it. (Surprise, surprise... it survived.) The two most popular worlds for secret bases during the tournament were Divergence and Felowi, with 22 and 17 players choosing them. These were also the most popular choices for secret bases among individuals who won or tied for the win in their games. (Divergence is a lady to be respected.)

The least popular world for a secret base was Myrmidon, with only seven players selecting it during the tournament. Even less popular, with only five players using the strategy, was to establish no secret base. Only Trevor Bender pulled off a victory with "No Surprises" strategy. The only player who won even after losing his secret base was Andres Dunn. He beat out two players whose secret bases survived.

Unlike most players who concern themselves with which three worlds will survive to the end, Rob Kircher worried about only one world-and he managed to keep all 12 points alive, winning his heat. Generally, players spread their risk a little more. Divergence survived in 11 of the games played, with Felowi and Erthizonians making it to the end in 10 games each. The world least likely to survive-making it in only 4 games-was Cylor. When it came to secret bases paying off, Divergence took top honors, with the base surviving to the end for 86% of the players who bet on it. Cylor and Ecup Contract were least likely to be worth the effort, only surviving 25% and 33% of the time.

During the tournament, the average score was 8.64, with the maximum score 16, attained by David Buchholz in the final heat, and the minimum score 0 (achieved by only one player this year). In the semis, the average score was slightly higher, at 8.86, but the maximum score was only 14, attained by Rob Winslow.

There were fewer rules questions this year-two demos and no coaching worked wonders. The only real gaffe occurred when a player thought that a hidden Kha ship got final attacks when it was turned over to end the round and matched other face-up ships. It wasn't until after several ships had been destroyed and the players were trying to determine who got spoils of war that the GM was alerted. Happily players were able to sort it back out without too much trouble.

Although allowing Don to schedule the Galaxy tournament gave it an extra plaque this year, we're back to the drawing board for our schedule in 2004. I'll try to come up with a plan that accommodates players a little better. There were ten 5-player games and nine 4-player games during the first round. Similar to last year, anyone who had played in a heat and showed up for the semi-finals had the chance to compete for a place in the final round. Unlike last year, although three Shambedas competed in the semifinals, none of them advanced. They are sure to be back with a vengeance next year.

Thanks to Trevor Bender for his idea to present the "Ender" award to the player who eliminates the most worlds in the tournament. (Ender refers to the Orson Scott Card character of the same name.) This award will be officially added to the Galaxy tournament next year. In the 2003 tournament, there were three instances-none during the first round-when a player caused four worlds to surrender in one game. Because Joel Tamburo managed it once in the semis and again in the finals (taking out 11 worlds overall), I've declared him the unofficial "Ender" for 2003.