Lance Armstrong may soon not have anything on our James Pei as he repeats as the WBC FTP champion for the fifth time against an always feisty David Dockter. James won with the Union in the summer of 1863 when Richmond and Virginia fell.

Here are the basic statistics from the event. We had 35 contestants, which is a new record. The results by round and side were:
Round 1: Union 8, CSA 8
Round 2: Union 5, CSA 3
Round 3: Union 0, CSA 4
Round 4: Union 2, CSA 0
Total prior to the final: Union 15, CSA 15, with the Union taking the odd game in the final.

Sides in the tournament were determined by random die roll with no bidding. It appears that player ability and not side determine the winner, as viewed by the finalists. James' play record in the tournament was Union 3, CSA 2, whereas David Dockter was Union 3, CSA 1 with a loss as the CSA in the final.

As a footnote, the GM faced James in the second round with James' prevailing with the CSA. This six-urn game was the bloodiest dogfight that I have ever seen at BPA. In the early going, the Union successfully prevented any CSA raiding while trading a CSA Kentucky for a Union Missouri. A turn 3 Union 'Eads Gunboats' followed by an 'Admiral Foote' saw the Union repeat history by taking Dover (Fort Henry-Donaldson). This effectively shut down the West for the remainder of the game as Southern lines of communication in Tennessee were cut.

On turn 4, with two cards left, the GM opened up the Shenandoah valley to cut Lee off in West Virginia, but was then slapped with a Forward to Richmond, Minor Campaign combo by the master. In one of the games most dramatic moments McClellan reacted into DC from Manassas on the last CSA activation, to not only save the capital, but destroyed the Army of Northern Virginia in the ensuing battle.

On turn 5 (Summer '62) James lost Richmond for the first time ever when his out of position Eastern armies could not stop a Union counterattack. It was at this point that James went for broke in the East with two CSA armies operating north of two Union armies. The Union kept cutting James' LOC in an attempt to prevent him from successfully raiding. However, his superior mobility (Lee and Jackson-led armies) was very difficult to deal with in a fluid situation.

In the course of some of the toughest fighting, the CSA lost six generals including Longstreet, but managed at the close of 1862 to finally take Washington when the Union lost its ability to maneuver (last four cards were all 1 OC). James won by doubling the Union SW, based on a four-state raid in the Northeast. After defeating the GM, James continued to battle his way into the finals, where David Dockter, the uncrowned other perennial favorite, met him for all the marbles. This was the third straight Pei-Dockter final shootout extending through WAM '04 to WBC '03.

Pei plays a very aggressive Union, even in the early going. Anyone who has played James knows that his basic creed is to attack. James managed to take Florida in 1861, damaging the CSA reinforcement rate. One key element of the Union strategy was to build up a strategic will buffer to cover a potential loss of DC, if that became necessary. This was the thought behind the Western offensive that saw the destruction of Memphis and Nashville as the Union penetrated deep into Mississippi. Successful Southern attacks against the vulnerable Union lines of communication kept this offensive from causing too much damage although the state of Mississippi did fall. Although the Union conducted many operations in the West, the CSA strategy remained focused in the East. In post game commentary Dockter stated that he was playing for an Eastern knockout (capture of DC) as his path to victory.

In the East Pei continued to exploit his numerical superiority by slowly advancing on a broad front in what is known as the blob strategy and managed to stave off several CSA offensives. When 1863 arrived, so did U.S. Grant. The Union quickly built a big army and began to grind its way to Richmond. In a series of bloody assaults Grant's army and the Army of Northern Virginia were mutually eliminated with a back up Union Army of the Potomac getting the nod to attack the Confederate capital. The South was manpower depleted and in a series of maneuvers the Union captured Richmond, which for all intents and purposes ended the Southern bid for independence.

Although Dockter vowed revenge at the next WAM, he acknowledged that James once again outplayed him. The GM would like to thank the participants for their diligence, sportsmanship, and dedication. Over two days, the 31 games played accounted for over 200 hours of solid FTP fun. This is not a tournament for the faint of heart and its continued growth is a great reflection on the high quality and intensity of play that attracts this growing FTP crowd.

2002 PBeM Tournament

Stefan Mecay of Texas proved the best of a field of 46 in winning the second BPA PBeM tournament of For The People. Other laurelists were:

2nd: Baron August, PA

3rd: James Pei, VA

4th: Mark Giddings, NY

5th: Tim Hughes, UK

6th: Paul Risner, FL