64 would-be railroad tycoons showed up to take part in the fourth Union Pacific WBC tournament. Actually it was 65 but one person very graciously offered to drop out to make it an even 64. I was extremely appreciative of that and unbeknownst to the person at the time when they stepped aside it allowed their brother to play who was running a few minutes behind. I continue to run the event as a SE in one evening, since the majority prefer this format . If someone else wants to take over running this event, I will gladly pass the coal shovel.

With the perfect number, all the rounds were 4-player. I want to thank all the participants who brought their game. For a while it was looking like we wouldn't have enough to go around. So don't forget to bring your copy next year.

The table and seating assignments for the semi-final games were random. The tables were

Paul Bolduc, John Wetherell, Luke Koleszar, Mark Guttag

Mike Backstrom, Kathy Stroh, Arthur Field, Steve Vance

Sean McCullough, Barbara Flaxington, Jen Thomas, Tom Stokes

Anne Norton, Rich Zelano, Cathy Kratz, Steve Brooks

It was interesting to see so many return semi-finalists from last year. UNP has some luck involved with how the stocks come out so it's nice to see that strategy can overcome marginal luck. Only the winners advanced and they were Arthur Field, Luke Kolezsar, Sean McCullough, and Cathy Kratz

The final was a very interesting mix of players and included the defending WBC and Euro Quest UNP champion. To ensure no sticky bills, I always watch the final and record the scores at each of the golden trains. I really enjoyed watching this final. A lot of different things were going on from Luke not worrying about competing for UNP above last place to never getting a sense that most of the players knew who the real leader was. Luke grabbed the lead at the second train and never looked back. I think the fact that the final margin wasn't just a few dollars caught a few players off guard. Congratulations to Luke! Hope to see all you engineers again next year.