Take my crap out to my vehicle.
Shower, dress, and head down for coffee and then the Ingenious semi at 9:00. My last chance to score a wood. I'm at a table with 3 guys who know what they're doing. The game advances, with a lot of defensive plays. All the other players get one (or more) of their colors to 18, giving them multiple plays, I never do. But my colors are all moving steadily up the chart, while they all have one (or more) problems. I play defensively, trying to block off yellow, which 2 players need. I see an opportunity to end the game, and do. Scores are 11-10-9-9. I have 11. Woo-hoo! A final I make that I can actually play out...
We break for 1/2 hour, as one of the finalists, Bruce Reiff, has to pack up and check out. The final board is me, Bruce, Pete Stein, and Andy Latto (of the 4 woods!). Two Cabbies and a shark playing against me, I'll do my best but I could easily pull 4th. Another defensive game, as no one is letting anyone get something "cheaply." Very excellent play here, the best Ingenious game I've ever had, frankly (guess it makes sense in the finals). Andy makes what will be his last play to get up to 11. I'm also at 11, but Andy has the tiebreaker (his #2 is at 14, mine is at 13). Bruce is next, and there are, potentially, 3 plays left to be made. One of them is on purple, which would bump me up to 12, and the win. Bruce, however, gets orange to 18 on his first play, plays again, and I never get another play. Bummer. Final scores were:
Andy 11/14
Rob 11/13
Bruce 11/12
Pete 9
Wow! About as close as you can get! I tasted victory, but it slipped away in the end. And yes, this was one of Andy's 4 woods! I walk over to registration with Pete, pick up my 2nd place plaque, and am happy to not be going home empty-handed.
(Didn't check on Facts in Five, of course...)
Make the rounds to say "farewell" to buddies I won't be seeing for another year, then head out to the vehicle. Leave the parking lot at around 11:00ish for the 5+ hour drive back to Rochester. Another year of great fun, even if my "wins" were disappointing. But, frankly, while I enjoy winning, having fun is much more important, and I had fun.
6 comments:
Andy 11/14
Rob 11/13
Bruce 11/12
Pete 9
Boy that Pete guy must be some loser. . .
2nd year in a row I make the finals and lay an egg. But it's Ingenious, so how upset can you really get? It's not a real game like say, Kremlin.
Oh, and any final where everybody knows what they're doing is a good game, win or lose.
He'd have won it two years ago. It's obvious that Stein's gaming mojo was in that organ! :-)
I've gotta learn Kremlin for next year. Perhaps I should visit Columbus in October...
And yes, the Ingenious final was an excellent game.
Furthermore, I don't think Pete's gall bladder had much to do with his performance last year, as he was a real wood-pecker after he lost it, eh?
That was just leftover mojo from his gall bladder.
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