January 13th, 2013 - January 28th, 2013

The opening of the final saw all five players at the Auction House for 3 of 4 consecutive turns (bringing up comments about Groundhog Day arriving early) -- with many high and second-high checks spent in the early going (and not too many thieves being able to actually get away with a stolen check). The funniest moment came when four thieves reached for and, ineptly, shredded the check. Discussion turned to who had the “right” piece. Initial movement come via detectives putting three thieves in jail on two different turns. All four of the oldest cards put in an appearance during the game. John Pack reached the first corner after the jail had filled to capacity while Tom DeMarco and Kevin Wojtaszczyk were left without thieves. Missing options can be decisive in this game. Two thief-less players opened the way for John to sprint toward the finish (since exhibits are much safer). Mike Kaltman fell behind while building a huge set but made up the ground by the time John reached the second corner. Then came the massive crime wave -- with Laurie Wojtaszczyk, then Mike, and finally John scoring two, three, and three collectibles with a single thief. Tom had gallantly kept pace just a space or two behind the leader but lost items to every thief during the crime wave. That left him exhibiting, but unable to advance, through the last stages of the game. Kevin built a huge set before moving and rode detectives past the second corner, but didn't move much after detectives brought the criminal element under control. The last move came with John on the final space, his thief having reconnected his full set, and Mike having moved within striking distance. The final move saw John exhibit for five spaces and cross the line while Mike banked on another turn with a fruitless detective. Mike's better set (by virtue of the D-1616) wasn't enough to make up the distance though he also crossed the line for second place. The rest of the Top Six were Kevin, Laurie, Tom, and George Seary. The final took just 15 days to complete -- with some turns taking less than five minutes for all player to log on and complete their selection. It was a breathtaking race all the way to the finish line!

* * Semi-Finals * *

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