Fun is the name of the game at the 2002 Risk
Tournament. Keith, the GM, enthusiastically greets the
crowd and encourages a good time be had by all the
players. Keith wears his well-known purple hat and the
new addition of a Maryland tie tied around the hat.

Attendance is up over 50% as Risk hits a new record of
forty-five players. We see the return of Steve Dickson, the
2001 WBC Risk champion and Craig Melton, the 2000
WBC Risk Champion. Finalists from previous years,
Tom Agustino, Matt Evinger, Alan Hayes, Tito Lightburn,
Bill O’Neal, and Bill Place, return for another shot at the
wood. The first heat sees five boards with six players
each and one with five players for a total of thirty-five. The
second heat sees two boards with six players and four
boards with five players for a total of thirty-two. Due to
the large turnout only players with at least one first place
win and that play both rounds have a chance of advancing
to the final. Turn order options in the final were seeded
according to tournament advancements. Finalists were
also given color choices and a selection of a stack of Risk
cards for initial troop placement according to tournament
seeding.

The final consists of Scott Fenn with two first place wins in
the preliminary heats. Tom Stokes advances with a first
and second place showing. Robert Paul, James Long and
Phil Rennart all advance with a first and third place
showing. Bill Place is the only returning previous finalist to
advance in this years’ final with a first and fourth place
showing.

Scott starts the final off by sweeping through Africa,
capturing the continent and guarding with about four
armies on the borders. James sweeps through South
America and guards the borders with five armies. Thomas
has a large force of all his armies in China and just takes
one territory for his Risk Card. Phil has one large force in
Central America and takes one territory. Robert lays claim
to Australia and guards the border with twelve units. Bill
has one large contingent of troops in Alaska and takes one
space.
Players stress friendly moves and attacks so as not to
make enemies too quickly.

In the second round all players take one territory and
those with continents reinforce their borders. In round
three, James negotiates peace with Phil along the Central
America and Venezuelan borders of North and South
America. This negation gives Phil the freedom to sweep
through North America and holds the borders of Alaska
with six, Greenland with two and Central America with
two Armies. Thomas negotiates peace with Bill, who now
has his one large force of twelve in Yakutz. Bill attacks
Robert in Irtursk, rolling poorly and loses extra forces.

In round four, James renegotiates his peace treaty with
Phil saying Phil has to commit move forces to defend
Central America in order for him to hold up his end of the
peace treaty. Robert turns in the first set of Risk cards
of four armies and places them with his other troops in
Siam giving him twenty-two armies. Robert decides to
attack Thomas in China in an attempt to remove him from
the game. Robert is successful and takes Thomas’ four
Risk cards for a total of five cards. Bill turns in the second
set of Risk cards so he is not a target for the other players
and he receives six armies. Bill moves what forces he has
left to Siberia to try to stay out of everyone’s way.

In round five: Scott turns in for eight armies and reinforces
the Middle East and Southern Europe.
James turns in his Risk cards for ten armies and reinforces
Great Britain. James with a large force in Great Britain and
in Venezuela decides to ignore Phil who is quietly
amassing large forces in North America by getting five
extra armies per turn. Phil just takes one territory for a
Risk card. Robert turns in a set of Risk cards for twelve
armies and decides to try and remove Bill from the game.
Robert rolls below average and Bill rolls incredibly well
fending off Robert’s attack, but leaving Bill with only nine
armies left on the board. In round six Scott decides to try
to finish what Robert started by trying to remove Bill form
the game. Bill again rolls extremely well and Robert just
barely removes Bill from the game with only two armies to
spear. Phil turns a set of Risk cards for fifth teen armies
and places them in Alaska with his other forces. Phil
decides to try to eliminate Robert from the game and has
little trouble doing so.
Phil gets three Risk Cards from eliminating Robert.

Scott turns in the next set of Risk Cards for twenty armies
in round seven. Scott places some of his new forces in the
Ukraine in an attempt to break the North America
continent from Phil. Scott fails to break North America
because he split off too many of his initial extra forces in
Afghanistan. James turns in a set of Risk cards for
twenty-five armies. Heavy negations take place amongst
the three remaining players.
Phil agrees to not use his forces to attack James but
instead with use five forces to attack James and will try to
break the African continent from James as well, if James
leaves North America in Phil’s possession. Again James
mistakenly decides not to attack Phil. Phil has a matched
set of Risk cards and turns in for thirty armies plus thirteen
more for his board position. Phil thinks he will be unable
to remove Scott from the game, breaks the agreement
with James and does not attack Africa.

Scott takes one territory in round eight. James tries to
figure out if Phil has a matched set of Risk Cards amongst
his four total cards in order to determine his strategy for
his turn. Again James does not attack Phil. (Three times a
charm, I always say.) Phil does have a matched set of
cards and turns in for thirty- five plus eight for Phil’s board
position and places all his men in Kamchatka. Phil decides
to try and remove Scott form the game. Scott rolls very
well at in the initial battles, but Phil’s armies overpower
Scott, removing him from the game. Phil receives Scott’s
four Risk cards and work on removing as many of James
armies in Great Britain with the remaining units from the
battle with Scott. Phil now has six Risk cards. In the final
round James decides to try and remove as many of Phil
units as possible. (A little too late now I would think.) On
Phil’s turn he reveals that he has two-matched set of Risk
cards, which would give him eighty five armies were he to
turn them in. James concedes the game to Phil.
Phil Rennert is the WBC-2002 Risk champion.
Submitted by:
Keith Levy, Risk Game master