up front [updated October 2003]  

2003 WBC Report   

 2004 Status: pending 2004 GM commitment

Ray Stakenas II, MI

2003 Champion

2nd: Bruce Young, SC

3rd: Mike Stachowski, NY

4th: Michael Johnson, MA

5th: Bruce Wigdor, NJ

6th: John Emery, SC


Offsite links:

AREA Ratings

boardgamegeek 

PBeM Site

Event History
1991

  
Mark Cohen

  
44
1992

  
Maria Hawthorne

  
43
1993

  
Bruce Young

  
53
1994

  
Bruce Young

  
53
1995

  
Herbert Gratz

  
48
1996

  
William Edwards

  
46
1997

  
John Emery

  
42
1998

  
John Emery

  
55
1999

  
Larry Davidson

  
42
2000

  
John Emery

  
34
2001

  
Bruce Wigdor

  
39
2002

  
John Emery

  
50
2003 

  
Ray Stakenas II

  
38

PBeM Event History
2000    Jeff Mathews      32
2003    -   20

 Laurels
Rank Name

From

Last
Total
 1. John Emery

SC

03
85
 2. Bruce Young

SC

03
82
 3. Ray Stakenas II

MI

03
54
 4. Bruce Wigdor

NJ

03
50
 5. Larry Davidson

CA

02
46
 6. Stefan Hess

NY

01
24
 7. Ken Katano

MD

01
16
 8. Ed Kendrick

UK

00
15
 9. Mike Stachowski

NY

03
12
10. Jeff Paull

OH

00
12
11. Jeff Mathews

CA

00
10
12. Michael Johnson

MA

03
  9
13. Nick Vlahos

IL

00
  9
14. Bari Herman

NJ

02
  8
15. Erick Young

SC

01
  8
16. Scott Russell

MI

00
  6
17. George Young

VT

99
  6
18. Dale Martin

MI

00
  4
19. Don Greenwood

MD

00
  3
20. Alan Arvold

IL

00
  3
21. Frank Arndt

MD

99
  3
22. Brian Devitt

CA

00
  2
23. Robert Mull

CO

00
  1

Past Winners

1991: Mark Cohen - NJ
1992: Maria Hawthorne - VA

Bruce Young - SC
1993-1994

Herbert Gratz - AUS
1995

Bill Edwards - VA
1996

John Emery - SC
1997-1998, 2000, 2002

Larry Davidson - CA
1999

Bruce Wigdor - NJ
2001
 


Another Year, Another Format

It was late in the evening. The battlefield was littered with mortar parts, discarded weapons, smoldering AFVs (one with GM emblazoned on it), the dead, and the dying. One SL, Ray Stakenas II, stood on a hilltop above it all and stopped all who came to tell his tale of Victory. Yet we jump ahead too quickly.

It all started in the predawn hours on Wednesday as the SLs gathered their men. Each man prepared in his own way. One American was seen doing one arm curls with a Mortar Tube. The Quartermasters loaded supplies for the coming day. The Russian, in his haste, neglected to stock enough artillery ammunition.

Thirty-eight folks squared off on Thursday at 9 am and when the dust settled at 11 pm the contest was ended. After five rounds of Swiss, the top eight met in a single elimination final. This years event used a new method for side selection. Once a complete scenario was chosen or defined by alternately selecting its elements, sides were determined by a random draw. As a result, there were a wide variety of Scenarios played (A, B, C, E, F, H, I, L, M, N, T, Q) with the most popular being L with 16 playings of many different match ups. All the nationalities had an opportunity to prove their mettle on the field during the day. Although the French (2) and the Italians (3) were clearly underrepresented.

Running and playing in an event, has always made it hard for this GM to generate much in event lore but some notable happenings stand out. Watching an AFV go up in flames in a valiant cause and those valorous Germans dying as they had clearly not been to fording school have joined my personal memories. Then there was the schwarzeneggerish American whose rage caused him to try to infiltrate an enemy group with his mortar from a stream. Clearly it was a lethal weapon in his hands.

But when all was said and done, the final contest may well have been decided by the Russian Quartermaster. It was the Mighty Bruce Young, two woods and a box of second places, vs Ray, The Air Is Rare Up Here, Stakenas II. Five, that is 5, meaning V, times the Russian commander called for Artillery Support but not a shell was to be found. And with four cards left in Deck 3, four of Ray's Germans dropped into Brush at RC5 to claim Victory. The Stakenas clan may have driven home to Michigan that weekend but one young man flew all the way.

 GM      Bill Edwards  [2nd Year]   2400 New Berne Rd, Richmond, VA 23228
    edwardswbe@comcast.net   NA

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