Acquire has been published in many versions ...	... by many publishers.

2009 saw the return of heats rather than continuous play Sunday morning and WBC responded by more than doubling attendance from 31 to 65. 24 games were played over three heats and with the GM partaking only if needed to complete a multiple of four, all preliminary games were 4-player affairs.

Due to schedule conflicts, attrition among the qualifiers was heavy with only 13 qualified semi-finalists and alternates opting to continue to the advanced rounds. Three games were played with the highest percentage runner-up receiving a seat at the Final.

One item of note was the remarkable play of Rich Curtin in the semi-final. Controlling most of the game by making and merging hotels, seemingly at will, Rich was able to overcome his non-participation in the 41+ hotel at game-end. However, his costly mistake of leaving Cliff Ackman a monopoly in Continental proved to be the difference.

The Final was contested by four spanking new laurelists: Dan Eshleman, Marc Beauregard, James Pei and Cliff Ackman as Davyd Field was the only former laurelist able to add to his totals. The Final featured classic opening moves with participants either starting a hotel or playing along the board edge. What players didn't account for were the number of edge tiles other players had. Three hotels were created in corner 12I, two in corner 1I and Festival in corner 12A. Dan created the first hotel but Marc caused the first merger generating a junior bonus for him and senior bonus for Cliff. Dan came back strong with first place in World Wide, a recreation and then merging it again one turn later.

Acquire is equal parts tile play, shrewd stock purchasing and stock trading. Dan had all three Saturday night giving him first place with 50,300.

Commendation to James Pei, whose limited involvement in mergers during the Final crippled his gameplay. Still, James maintained his gracious, stoic manner.

Of the 24 games played, average winning cash total was $50,600. Average runner-ups scored 81% of the winning total, third place 66% and fourth place 53%. In the 24 games, players who created the first chain won only 25% of the time while players placing the opening tile created the first hotel at a 50% clip.

Frank Sinigaglio (left), Steve Shambeda, and Paul Bean match acquisitions with an unidentified lady financier.	The finalists have at it as James Pei (left) proves he can play games other than CDWs ... although apparently not as well.

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"I'm building a hotel for my parents so they can move out of the Poor House."	Gamemaster Kelsey Lee, a graduate of the WBC Juniors Academy, guides her little financiers to Juniors riches.

 Acquire Junior

In the Juniors event, twelve kids decided to build hotels next to Dutch Wonderland. Gregory Breza proved the most successful entrepreneur, followed by Brian Pappas and Kellie Wicks.