We had five fewer participants than last year, but it was still a good showing nonetheless. There were 22 preliminary games this year, down one from last year's 23. While the Thursday heat had an impressive ten games, Tuesday and Saturday each had but six.

The heats produced 21 separate winners, with Joanne Melton winning twice. 17 of those appeared on Sunday to play in the semi-finals along with three alternates for five 4-player games. Among the players were three past champions, none of whom returned to the Final, although defending champ Rob Kircher came close - finishing sixth. The games were pretty close, with some ending with a tied score or a 1 point difference. The Dragon managed to survive through one game with no bets, secret or otherwise, because no player liked the position of the bets on the other creatures should the Dragon die.

As the finalists (Jordan Flawd, Nick Henning, Olin Hentz, Bruce Monnin, and Greg Thatcher) sat down for the final showdown, I noted that a different Flawd has graced the Final each of the past three years, and wondered if they had another one in training for next year.

The first round was friendly, with no tears shed as the betless and therefore friendless Hydra became the first casualty. The second round was less cordial, as all the remaining creatures had been the recipients of wagers. The one that eventually succumbed was the only one without a first-round bet - the Titan - and cost Greg the first chip of the game. As Nick was the only player with two first-round bets, it didn't take the others long to decide that one of them must go, and so the Unicorn bit the dust next, also costing Bruce and Greg a chip. Possibly in retribution, Greg killed the Cyclops whose bets each belonged to one of the other players.

In the last round a timely play of the Head Referee by Olin revealed secret bets of Jordan and Greg on the Warlock. On his next turn he used his bet to reveal that he had bet on the dead Cyclops in order to convince the others that he hadn't bet on any of the other surviving creatures, which gave him leverage to aid the Warlock's demise a few plays later. Amazingly, Bruce and Nick had also secretly bet on the Cyclops, meaning Olin's nine points still on the table took the match.

For the second year in a row, an alternate managed to become champion, proving yet again it pays to check for openings. Congratulations to our 2006 Champ, Olin Hentz, and thank you all for playing. I hope to see you next year!

In the Juniors event I was ecstatic to have no less than 18 players competing for glory. They played two 5-player and two 4-player games, and the winners would each gain a seat in the Final. Caitlin Jaeger, as the highest-scoring runner-up, also earned a shot to advance, but declined to play further.

The four finalists were: Kaleigh Jaeger, Rebecca Melton, Aurora Pack, and Joshua Weintraub. The competition was steep as all of them played very well. In the end Joshua was the only one whose secret bet (the Cyclops) had survived, but he was still unable to top Rebecca's 11-point spread despite having had her secret bet (the Dragon) die in the final round. Congratulations to Rebecca Melton, our 2006 Juniors Champ!

1st: Rebecca Melton

2nd: Aurora Pack

3rd: Joshua Weintraub

4th: Kaleigh Jaeger

5th: Erin Treadway

6th: Caitlin Jaeger