Here’s the latest news from the Weasels.
Seis de Mayo
Seven of the most interesting men in the world will gather on Wednesday at the Red Lion for a bonus Diplomacy bar game. The guest of honor is Charlie Sweet from Milwaukee, an active player on webdiplomacy.net who is in town for a technology conference. (Ex-pat Peter Yeargin is here for the same conference and may make a cameo.) If you’re around on Wednesday, stop by the Lion for a bite and a beer. Interesting men prefer to play Dip in front of an audience.
Two More Needed
We have five players signed up for Dan Burgess’ house game in Downers Grove on Saturday. That number includes Dan, which means we definitely need two more but could use three more to make the game happen. Who’s in? Nelson Flynn is planning to drive down from Madison for this one, and Amanda Baumgartner is coming from nearly as far. If we’re going to disappoint them, let’s do it on the board not off.
Dan’s game starts at 11.
Let’s Play Two
We’re still sitting on 11 players for next Wednesday’s standard Red Wednesday at the Red Lion. We have 11 signed up for that one. We need three more players for a clean two boards, but we can make it happen with just one or two more if it comes down to it. Who’s in?
Toby is the New Thomas
In the very first World Diplomacy Championship back in 1988, Englishman Toby Harris finished 12th out of 188 competitors. So began a 27-year quest for the crown. Toby finally won the world championship yesterday in Milan with a 10-center British board-top on the top board. (Finishing second on the top board — and third overall — with eight centers as Turkey was defending champion Thomas Haver of Columbus, Ohio.)
I’ve only played with Toby once, in the second round of the 1999 World Masters email tournament. I can remember my teammate Jim Burgess telling me that Toby was the best player in the world. In the years since then, Jim never wavered from that claim.
I’ve never met Toby in person, although we were suite mates at DixieCon last summer. Like many of you, I’ll look forward to meeting him and perhaps playing with him next summer when we host WDC. He’s a true legend in the international hobby. The dates for next year’s WDC, by the way, will be June 24-26. We’ll get a website up soon.
Hroom, Hroom!
But first there’s this year’s Moot. The dates again are June 13-14, and we’ll be in the Atrium at the University of Illinois-Chicago, 700 S Halsted. Preregistration will close on May 28 and is the only way to secure a room in the dorm. Singles will cost $41 per night; doubles, $30. In either case, you’ll be sharing a bathroom with another room. The website lists other housing options for those who are done with dorm-style living.
Upcoming Games
- May 6 at the Red Lion in Lincoln Square, beginning at 6:30 p.m. until no later than 11. Have seven; standbys welcome.
- May 9 at Dan Burgess’ home in Downers Grove, beginning at 11 a.m. Have five; need two more!
- May 13 at the Red Lion in Lincoln Square, beginning at 6:30 p.m. until no later than 11. Have 11; need three more for a second board!
Sign up for games here, on Meetup, or by emailing War Weasel Dan Burgess (danburgess67@gmail.com).
Important Dates
- June 13-14: Weasel Moot IX!
- Aug. 7-9: North American Diplomacy Championship at the Philadelphia Massacre.
Up Next on the Tournament Circuit
- DixieCon: May 22-24 in Chapel Hill. (http://dixiecon.com/)
- Weasel Moot: June 13-14 in Chicago. (http://windycityweasels.org/wm9)
Dues Are Due
Dues for 2015 are now due. We’ve kept our rates the same. A regular membership will cost you $25; the student rate is just $10. Dues will get you $5 off at Weasel Moot, eligibility for club awards and the Weasel Royale championship game, and–when we think of it–first crack at our house games. Dues pay for our club awards, the Meetup group, our website, and the Royale award and hosting subsidy. Please consider paying dues today. You may do so via PayPal right here or by giving cash to a member of the Sneak. Thank you to the 24 Weasels who have paid up so far. We appreciate your support.
Help Needed!
Speaking of your support, the Sneak is looking for someone familiar with Joomla — or enough spare time to become familiar with Joomla — to help with some updates to the back end of our website. Also, we need help converting Matt’s rating system to a searchable, web-based database. Please email us at wcwsneak@gmail.com if you can help with or have questions about either project.
That’s all for this week.
Jim
