monty's gamble: market garden [Updated Nov. 2007]  

2007 WBC Report   

  2008 Status: pending December Membership Trial Vote

David Long, NC

2006-07 Champion

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Laurels Rio Grande Games

Event History
2003    Walter Garman     11
2004    Mike Rinella     20
2005    Jim Eliason     22
2006     David Long     16
2007    David Long    14

PBeM Event History
2006    Tod Whitehurst     31
2007     Tod Whitehurst     29

 Laurels

Rank  Name              From  Last  Total
  1.  David Long         NC    07     84
  2.  Tod Whitehurst     VA    07     70
  3.  Jim Eliason        IA    07     51
  4.  Mike Rinella       NY    07     42
  5.  Rob Mull           CO    07     33
  6.  Andrew Cummins     UK    07     28
  7.  Ken Dunn           MD    06     21
  8.  Walter Garman      MD    04     16
  9.  John Haas          DE    07     13
 10.  Anthony Daw        UT    07     12
 11.  Todd Treadway      VA    06     12
 12.  Jim Eliason        IA    04     12
 13.  Buck Markowitz     DC    06     12
 14.  Scott Moll         VA    07     11
 15.  Allen Hill         MD    06      9
 16.  Bob Jamelli        PA    04      9
 17.  Paul Nied          KS    05      6
 18.  John Haas          DE    06      6
 19.  Michael Kaye       MD    06      4
 20.  Chris Roginsky     PA    03      4
 21.  Trevor Bender      WA    07      3
 22.  Charlie Budzinski  NJ    06      3
 23.  Todd Bogan         VA    05      3
 24.  Joel Tamburo       IL    03      3

2007 Laurelists

Anthony Daw, UT
2nd

Andrew Cummins, UK
3rd

Jim Eliason, IA
4th

Scott Moll, VA
5th

John Haas, DE
6th


Past Winners

Walter Garman, MD
2003

Michael Rinella, NY
2004

Jim Eliason, NY
2005

David Long, NC
2006 - 2007

An interesting feature of the Monty's Gamble event is the special prize awarded to the earliest capture of a bridge by both sides.

Despite its shorter playing time, Monty's field slipped into Trial range this year and will require voing support to return in 2008.

Twice as Nice ...

Results this year returned to the form book with the games being evenly split between Germans and Allies with little bidding for either side and what bidding there was not seeming to generate any particular advantage. Last year's winner David Long in a small but strong field knocked out Designer Mike Rinella, 2005 winner Jim Eliason, GM Andrew Cummins and Finalist contender Antony Daw to csuccessfully defend his title and prove 2006 was no fluke..

Both Arnhem and Nijmegen fell to either side in only a third of the games, reflecting improved play on either side with Germans managing to shift reinforcements through a contested Arnhem and Allies managing a win without the Nijmegen victory points.

The trend in play was for games to go down to the wire, with results being in doubt up to the final few dice rolls. My game with John Haas displayed this where I lucked through to the third round requiring a pair of +2 results on the last dice of the game to clear Nijmegen and gain the advantage by killing the defenders (Sorry John!). The dice had their revenge in my third round against David Long, where in a vivid final day his Allies captured Nijmegen, my Germans cleared Arnhem, propped up Oosterhout and needed to clear Wyler for the defensive win. Long flooded the area with allied targets and the day ran out of impulses for my Germans before their attack could go through.

David's Allied victory in the Final versus Antony Daw was technically interesting with a good Allied start and strong play (use of Advantage for double impulse to seize Son Bridge). Generating an overwhelming Allied advantage, 30th Corps blew through the Germans on the first day with the Eindhoven VP and four units in Uden by day end and 1st Airborne having seized the Arnhem bridge. The Allies took Wyler & Best on the run while Daw's Germans failed a large assault into Arnhem on the 18th. By the start of the 20th, the Allies went on the defensive with the required 10VP's. The turn started on impulse 5 and the Germans needed to infiltrate a pair of Allied VP locations to counter the position. Allied air bombardments and XXX corps barrages neutralised this possibility leaving the Allies in control of the field for their victory.

The special prize for fastest German recapture of Arnhem went to Allen Hill on a truly speedy 18th impulse A, whilst Dave Long's 20th 1st impulse gave him the win for Allied fastest capture of Nijmegen.

Thanks to all at MMP for supporting the competition with prize coupons and to ex-champ Jim Eliason for giving up his time to serve as eliminator and thus avoid the need for a bye.


Monty's Gamble PBeM Tournament:

The second Monty's Gamble: Market Garden PBeM tournament has concluded on schedule. We began with 29 players who were paired at random and were given the flexibility to agree amongst themselves which side to play (we allowed the players to do this throughout the tournament). Some picked randomly, some used bidding, and some were just selected by talking it out - true comeraderie between gamers wanting to enjoy a good game. The net result was 14 wins apiece for Germans and Allies in a testement to play balance. The following account of the Final is courtesy of Jim Eliason.

The initial bombardments flipped all the German units in F and all but two of the FT. Single unit assaults put 7 more CP on the units in F, took the FT in St. Oedenrode to D2 and stalemated against the FT in Grave. I blew both bridges out of St. Oedenrode. Arnhem and Driel were captured and a glider pilot attack on Wolfheze was repulsed. Except for one inconsequential attack by a single 1AB reinforcement, this was the last attack the Allies lost until he had already secured 11 VP. Wyler was taken on impulse 1. I blew all the bridges leading out of Overasselt (including the Grave bridge needing a 6), but infiltrations of Oosterbeek and Arnhem both failed, as did the ensuing assaults. Two air bombardments of Valkenswaard and a single assault overran both it and Eindhoven while a 4-4 attack put 4 CP on Best. The +4 sunset drm prevented the day from ending on impulse 4. With no fresh units left in F I tried an infiltration of Valkenswaard hoping for either a "1" on the infiltration or a +2 on the dice for the assault. The infiltration worked, pinning all the XXX corps depots in Zone F. Tod rebuilt both St. Oedenrode bridges. We both passed on impulse 9.

On the 18th with Oosterbeek and Arnhem both uncontested I moved to the vacant 1AB drop zone. Tod finished off Best and captured a vacant Zeeland. Tod used an airstrike to hit my only fresh point unit on the "island". This would have allowed him to use the unit in Driel to try an assault on Elden, needing just ­1 on the dice to prevent regroups south out of Arnhem. I gambled on an SS corps bombardment needing +2 on the dice, rather than a barrage, which would have taken the unit out for the rest of the turn. I hit his Driel unit, ending that threat. In a nice move, Grave was overrun, and simultaneously, two XXX corps units moved to Overasselt through Herpen. This allowed a single impulse to be used for repair of both Grave and Hatert bridges. Still needing to contest Arnhem, 10 SS units assaulted at +7 but dealt only 6 CP. With 15 Allied steps still in Arnhem, taking the place was not going to be an option. The IISS artillery hit the unit in Beek twice, setting up a possible seizure of the Advantage, and Tod rebuilt the Grave and Hatert bridges. The day ended on impulse 4 with most of Gds division in striking range of Nijmegen and before I could try to kill the Beek infantry.

The 19th was clear. There were no overcast impulses the whole game. With the Poles ready to drop on Elden and only two units in Nijmegen facing a 19 factor attack I had to run five units into Nijmegen first thing. A bombardment and assaults of 19, 15, and 12 overran the city but the assault into Oosterhout was repulsed. I blew the Nijmegen bridge, having failed the attempt just before the last assault. Meanwhile I bombarded the single unit in Wyler several times and retook it with ­1 on the dice; even dice would have also captured the Advantage. As a last gasp I sent six units into Best at +1 but lost 3-11 on the dice. Had that roll been reversed I'd have overrun the area putting the VP back at 9, and giving me a slight chance. But it wasn't to be. Needing to hold both Oosterhout and Wyler (both doubtful) plus retake the Advantage (possible with weak units in Renkum) and contest both Mook and Groesbeek (nearly impossible) I resigned at that point and Tod had successfully defended his Email championship.

So laurels all around to:

1) Tod Whitehurst, VA
2) Jim Eliason, IA
4) Mike Rinella, NY
4) Rob Mull, CO
5) Anthony Daw, UT
6) Trevor Bender, WA

 GM      Andrew Cummins  [4th Year]   NA
   qp05@dial.pipex.com   NA

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