Blair Morgen, Deb Davidson, Cal Perry, and Harald Henning play at Table 10 as a heat gets underway.	Our 2008 finalists led by 2005 Champ Arthur Field go for the gusto having run the gauntlet to the big game.

In 2008, the juggernaut known as Saint Petersburg continued another year of triple-digit attendance; 106 different players in three heats.  Even with a high rate of returning players from previous years, many new faces were seen.  The assigned times and room could not have been a better choice for the tournament.

The Final Board found Rob Flowers, former champ Arthur Field, Norman Herrick, and Cary Morris in a neck-and-neck race to the last round.  Power cards Mistress of Ceremonies, Judge, and Observatory dared not show their heads until near the end, making it an exciting game.  Arthur took advantage of an early Gold Smelter Upgrade, followed by a Lumber Mill upgrade for Rob for easier money managements. Rob also took a slight lead in number of workers early for a better edge going into building and noble-buying phases. Two-thirds of the way through, Arthur led with four nobles, followed by Rob and Cary with three, and Norman with but one.  Seeing the pressure of a looming game end, the purchase of nobles was fast and furious as Rob and Norm increased their nobles to five each, Cary with seven (unique nobles), and Arthur with nine (also seven unique nobles).  The final scores were 84 for Norman (1st), 74 for Cary (2nd), and a tie of 73 for Arthur and Rob. Arthur (third) edged Rob out of third place by a $4 cash tie breaker.

As a first time GM at WBC, Steve Quade strived to get the people into game play as soon as possible.  A simple check-in process of using large index cards and a large collection box seemed to move the line of attendees along.  Setting up large, colorful numbered stands helped get people to their boards and into their seats once the random assignments were selected.  The entire check-in and seating process was down to seven minutes for the 52-attendee heat.  A random drawing door prize at each heat was a pleasant surprise.  Arthur Field generously supplied actual gifts from Saint Petersburg that were handed out to finalists.  Assistance from Rodney Bacigalupo, Arthur Field, and last year's GM, Dan Mathias, was greatly appreciated and helped to smooth the organization.

This could also be called the "year of the suggestion" as many long time players supplied their opinions on how to improve the tournament.  All suggestions were heard and now are being weighed for including in next year's event.  Suggestions included adding a quarter-final, changing to a round tournament format, increasing the cost of the power cards for the first two rounds, removing the power cards, or excluding the power cards for two rounds.  Each suggestion has its merits and will be considered.