The Sun Also Sets in the East

The third board at the Weasel Pyle for Season 15 provided another intersection of past and future.  Longtime Weasels Chris Kelly and Matt Sundstrom haven’t played much this season, but the club swims in their wake.  Kelly entered as the reigning Weasel of the Year, and Sundstrom is the club’s most decorated player, with three Weasels of the Year and two Royale championships on his resume.  Both had a shot at the Royale with a big score.  Rookie upstart Jay Honnold came into the Pyle looking to defend his spot on the Royale and with an outside shot at Weasel of the Year.  They were joined by a handful of guests, all regulars on the virtual face-to-face circuit that has blossomed this year.

Sundstrom showed why he is considered one of the club’s most formidable players, taking in part in alliances in both theaters in the early game, leading to the eliminations of Turkey and Germany (Natty Shafer in Turkey later regretted that he had missed the opportunity to “Sundstrom” Sundstrom).  

Matt would have coasted to a smooth board-top were it not for Chris Kelly in Austria, who stabbed him for a second time in 1906 and by 1909 was poised to gain the upper hand.  Chris would have coasted to a smooth board-top were it not for Ben Kellman in Italy, who made a Weasel-worthy move in 1909 by taking Vienna and Trieste.

The last few years saw many centers change hands across the board, including some growth from an extremely patient Honnold in England, who never dropped below 3 units but only reached 5 for the first time in 1912.  In the end the board found a stable draw point in Spring 1913, with Kellman and Sundstrom sharing the board top at 9.

Players, care to add your thoughts?

Check out all the moves here.