empire of the sun [Updated October 2005]

	2005 WBC Report    2006 Status: pending 2006 GM commitment
Bob Heinzmann, FL 2005 Champion Offsite links: AREA Ratings	Event History 2005    Bob Heinzmann     26	Laurels Rank Name From Last Total 1. Bob Heinzmann FL 05 40 2. John Chabonneau NH 05 24 3. Steve Campbell NH 05 16 4. Dave Casper CA 05 12 5. John Leggat CA 05 8 6. Frank McNally MA 05 4
2005 Laurelists John Charbonneau, NH 2nd Steve Campbell, NH 3rd Dave Casper, CA 4th John Leggat, CA 5th Frank McNally, MA 6th First Time Out of the Box It is fitting that with WBC moving to a new venue there should also be the inauguration of a new tournament. This was the first Empire of the Sun tournament with the chance for someone to be the first champion. From a field of 26, Bob Heinzeman maneuvered and fought his way through five rounds of fierce competion to become our first plaque winner. The format revolved around the yearly tournament scenarios with bidding for sides. Fighting in progression through the first three rounds 1942, 1943, and 1944. The last two rounds reprised the 1942 (semifinals) and 1944 (Final) scenarios. With the game having been released only three months earlier the dearth of experience left the field wide open. Round 1 saw a very evenly matched set of results with fortune favoring aggressive play and use of big card combinations, such as an Ambush with submarine support generating a Midway outcome and subsequent Allied victory. The 1942 scenario is also the optimal beginning for the campaign scenario and it was the scenario with which most players had the most experience - limited though that was. The 1943 scenario was virgin ground for most and is a particularly tough road for the Allies. Conservative bids and aggressive Japanese play in the China-Burma-India theater saw the Burma Road cut and Northern India overrun. This resulted in a Japanese sweep in Round 2. The 1944 scenario surprised the majority as a balanced fight that required very aggressive Allied play tempered by economy of force by Japanese defenses vying for victory. This scenario also saw a very even distribution of outcomes with Casper, Charbonneu, Leggat, Campball, McNally, and Heinzeman as the last half dozen making it into the money rounds. The last two rounds saw more fierce competition enhanced by the earlier round experiences with the 1942 and 1944 scenarios. The Final pit Heinzman (Allies) versus Charbonneau (Japanese) with the decisive moment being reached when Saipan/Tinian fell to the Allied advance. Next years tournament should be an even tenser contest with another year of play and thought bringing new strategies and energies to the contest. I look forward to seeing you all there in 2006.
GM      Mark Herman [1st year]   NA    NA   NA