power grid [Updated October 2005]  

2005 WBC Report  

  2006 Status: pending 2006 GM commitment

Jim Castonguay, PA

2005 Champion


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Event History
2004    Eric Brosius     84
2005    Jim Castonguay     94

 Laurels

Rank  Name              From  Last  Total
  1.  Jim Castonguay     PA    05     40
  2.  Eric Brosius       MA    04     40
  3.  Gerald Lientz      VA    05     24
  4.  Evan Tannheimer    MA    04     24
  5.  Matt Calkins       VA    05     16
  6.  Tim Swartz         MD    04     16
  7.  Rod Spade          PA    05     12
  8.  Richard Meyer      MA    04     12
  9.  Steve Koleszar     VA    05      8
 10.  Frank Hastings     MD    04      8
 11.  Robert Sohn        NJ    05      4
 12.  Marshall Phillips  VA    04      4
           

2005 Laurelists

Gerald Lientz, VA
2nd

Matt Calkins, VA
3rd

Rod Spade, PA
4th

Steve Koleszar, VA
5th

Robert Sohn, NJ
6th


Past Winners

Eric Brosius, MA
2004


Even More Power ...

The Power Grid tournament at the 2005 World Boardgaming Championships was quite a success. 94 unique and 113 total entries over two heats represented an increase from the 84 entrants in its inaugural year.

The first heat had 16 games, with one five-player table and one table choosing to use the German side of the board. Luckily, we had just enough space and boards for 16 games. Competing with several other tournaments scheduled at the same time, the second heat drew slightly less, with only 12 tables. I played a very close game with Blair Morgen, Tom McCorry and Tom Saal in the second heat. McCorry brilliantly bluffed me into paying too much for the 42 plant on the last turn and won on the tie breaker.

Six of the 19 people who played in both heats won twice; Jim Castonguay, Chris Johnson, John Weber, Phillip Shea, Steve Koleszar and Benoit Groulx. 14 of the other 16 winners appeared for the semifinal, making five tables of four each. At one of the games, Valerie Staton tried a very unorthodox strategy of not building on the first turn. This created a very different dynamic and caused a very slow game. Valerie finished second to Rod Spade, although everyone played a brilliant game.

One of the winners of the semifinal, Steve Koleszar, chose not to advance to the Final due to prior commitments. That left four people in the Final: Jim Castonguay, Rod Spade, Gerald Lientz and Matt Calkins. I asked the finalists if they would like to use the German board and they all agreed. They chose to leave out the brown region in the northeast and the blue region in the southwest. What followed was one of the most resource intensive games I've seen. Several players hoarded coal and caused the market to be depleted by the fifth turn. Bad plant markets caused all players to pass on putting plants up for auction on turns 3, 6, 8 and 10.

The critical point in the game came on the eleventh turn when Jim decided not to build in order to allow him to control the resource market and the build phase for the rest of the game. On the 13th turn, he managed to save enough money to build seven cities, bringing his total number of cities to 17 and ending the game. Gerald also built to 17 cities that turn, but lost to Jim by 17 electros on the tie-breaker. All four players played an excellent game.

Congratulations to Jim Castonguay for winning all four games he played that week and becoming the new Power Grid champion. Thanks to my assistant GMs, Jim Castonguay, Keith Levy and John Weber. Their help was invaluable to a first year GM.

Keith Levy dons goggles and lab coat to get in character to assist GM Jason Wagner.
 GM      Jason Wagner  [1st Year]   NA
   Loquutus@hotmail.com   NA

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