GM Cuccaro interviews candidates for the gulag.	Nope ... it looks just as hopeless from up here too.

The tournament benefited from the increased WBC attendance this year with 13 5-player and one 4-player games in the four heats. Two of the new players in the first heat were at the GM's table. Not wanting to give them a bad experience in their first game, Steve gave up a sure win on Turn 3 by allowing his healthy party chief to be convicted of treason and sent off to Siberia, despite holding the "Alibi" card. (Surely, an experienced player and former champion couldn't have just forgotten to play the card? Inconceivable!) Fortunately for his self-respect, Steve was able to connive his way back to the top, use the card on Turn 9 to fend off an assassination accusation, and cement a much more painful win.

Two players (Greg Crowe and Nick Smith) qualified for the Final by winning two heats, the rest by winning their first heat and playing at least twice. The game started off slowly, with little movement in the Politburo for the first two turns; the KGB chief was completely ineffective at purging, and, judging from the health die rolls, the winter was unusually warm in Moscow. Pete Stein claimed control of the sick Party Chief for the first two turns but was unable to get a wave, rolling 1 on both attempts while Nestor's health worsened. Nestor finally went to his reward in Turn 3, giving Greg Crowe control and the first automatic wave of the game through his healthy Party Chief Karrienko. Unfortunately for Greg, Karrienko soon fell ill, and the next three turns only yielded a failed wave (roll of 4), a Sanitarium visit (Greg was forced to play a "get out of Sanitarium free" card to prevent a Guilty verdict during the Spy Investigation trial, thus keeping him from using it to try to wave), and a second failed wave (roll of 5). The Party Chief finally succumbed to his illness in Turn 7, leaving Steve Cuccaro nominally in charge through a very ill Niewitko, elected while in the Sanitarium. The weakling died on the next turn without ever leaving the Sanitarium, bringing Shootemdedsky to the top and putting Pete Stein in control. Pete rapidly collected two waves (not needing die rolls thanks to a healthy Party Chief), preserved Shootemdedsky from an assassination accusation by play of the Alibi card, and ended the game on the 10th turn when the Politburo was emptied out in the health phase.

The long suffering, self deprecating humor of comrade Stein will now have to be put in abeyance. It is hard to emphasize with the travails of a three-time champion now tied for the lead in Kremlin titles.