100 different people played 49 games of Puerto Rico to determine that Kevin Walsh is the 2016 champion.
Congratulations Kevin!
2nd through 6th place are: Ben Scholl, Devin Smith, Aran Warszawski, Nathan Wagner & Jason Levine
The tournament has 3 preliminary rounds. Winners and a few of the best non-winners advance to a quarterfinal round that multi-game winners get a bye to skip. The multigame winners and best quarterfinalists form 4 tables for the semifinal round. The 4 winners are matched in the final round.
First, some analysis of the results:
Some seats do better than others, which is why bidding is introduced for elimination rounds and is optional in heats. Seating is random in the qualifying rounds. Seat order is bid on in half point increments for the elimination rounds. Of the 38 games played without bidding, the seats (order of play) won as follows (totals 39 as there was one tie for first in a heat game). The second number is the number of games won with bidding for each seat.
- Seat 1: 8 wins, 2 wins (average bid: 0.25)
- Seat 2: 6 wins, 3 wins (average bid: 0)
- Seat 3: 17 wins, 2 wins (average bid: 1.5)
- Seat 4: 8 wins, 4 wins (average bid: 1.25)
Seat 3 continues to dominate and seat 2 seems to be most handicapped. Only the final game was determined by the points bid. 2 other games would have been ties without the bidding. That assumes the seat orders would have been the same, a big assumption.
There are basically 3 ways to win: build the best, ship the best, balance shipping and building. A somewhat arbitrary sorting of the winning strategies this year gives:
- Building: 19 wins
- Mixed: 17 wins
- Shipping: 14 wins
Transcript of the Final Game
Players, in seat order: Aran Warszawski(Bid 0.5), Kevin Walsh, Ben Scholl(Bid 2.0) & Devin Smith (Bid 2.0)
Building costs: number of coins paid after discounts for privilege and quarries.
Plantations: corn indigo sugar tobacco koffee quarry
| Turn | Seat | Role | Seat 1: Aran Warszawski | Seat 2: Kevin Walsh | Seat 3: Ben Scholl | Seat 4: Devin Smith | Plantations/Boats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Settler | q | k | t | s | st discarded, 4sc |
| 2 | Builder | no build | Small Market (0) | Small Market (1) | Small Sugar (2) | ||
| 3 | Mayor | 1,q | 1,SmMk | 2, c, SmMk | 1, c | 4 on boat | |
| 4 | Prospector | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | Builder | Small Indigo(0) | Small Indigo(0) | no build | no build | |
| 3 | Craftsman | $1, c,c | c | ||||
| 4 | Trader | $1, $1 for c | |||||
| 1 | Captain | $1 | 2c2vp | 2c on 7 boat | |||
| 3 | 3 | Settler | s | s | $1, q | c | ss discarded, ccitk |
| 4 | Mayor | 1, q, i plantation | 1, i, SmI | 1, SmMk, c, q | $1, 2, s, SmSu, c | 4 on boat | |
| 1 | Prospector | $2 | |||||
| 2 | Trader | no trades, $0 | |||||
| 4 | 4 | Builder | Coffee Roaster($5) | Small Sugar(2) | Tobbaco Shed(4) | $1, Factory(6) | |
| 1 | Settler | k | c | c | i | t discarded, c2ist | |
| 2 | Mayor | k up, q | 2, scSmMk | t up, q, SmMk | s up,c, Factory | 5 on boat | |
| 3 | Craft | k | cs | $1, t, t | cs, $1 | ||
| 5 | 1 | Trader | $1, k($5) | s($3) | t($4) | none | Clear trades |
| 2 | Captain | $2, c2vp | t 1vp | cs2vp | 5bt s, 6bt t, 7bt c | ||
| 3 | Mayor | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 on boat | |
| 4 | Prospector | $2 | |||||
| 6 | 2 | Builder | Harbor(7) | $1, Factory(6) | Hacienda(1) | Small Indigo(1) | |
| 3 | Craftsman | k | isc | $1, cct, t | ccs,$1 | ||
| 4 | Captain | cs2vp | 2t2vp, spoil c | 2cs4vp | Clear c(7boat) | ||
| 1 | Settler | $1, q | c | t | i | si discarded, c2itk | |
| 7 | 3 | Trader | k$4 | i$1 | $1, c$2 | 1 empty spot | |
| 4 | Prospector | $2 | |||||
| 1 | Mayor | $1, 2 q | 1, all but SmMk | 1, all but c | 1, all but c | 4 on boat | |
| 2 | Settle | k | q | t | c | 2i discarded, cs3k | |
| 8 | 4 | Craftsman | ki | cis$2 | c2t | $1, cis$2, c | |
| 1 | Captain | $1, k3vp | s1vp, spoil c | 2t2vp | s1vp, spoil ci | clear s boat(5), k on 7 boat | |
| 2 | Builder | $1, Coffee Roaster(5) | Small Sugar(1) | Harbor(8) | |||
| 3 | Settler | s | k | Hc:c, q | c | 2k discarded, s2i2t | |
| 9 | 1 | Captain | i3vp | i1vp | |||
| 2 | Mayor | 1 | $1, 2, not SmMk, c | 1, not 3c, Hc | 1, not 3c | 5 on boat | |
| 3 | Builder | Wharf(7) | – | Guild Hall(7) | |||
| 4 | Prospector | $2 | |||||
| 10 | 2 | Mayor | 1 | 3 | 1, not 3c, hacienda | 1, not 2c | 4 on boat |
| 3 | Builder | Large Indigo(0) | |||||
| 4 | Trader | $2, no trades! | |||||
| 1 | Settler | $1, q | t | HC:i, t | i | is discarded, cistk | |
| 11 | 3 | Prospector | $2 | ||||
| 4 | Captain | $1, no shipping | |||||
| 1 | Builder | Large Sugar(1) | Large Sugar(2) | Small Warehouse(3) | |||
| 2 | Craftsman | ik | $2, 2csik, $3, i | 2ts | 2csi,$2 | ||
| 12 | 4 | Mayor | 1, not 2q | 1, not c | 1, not 2c, Hc | $1, 2, not c | 11 on boat |
| 1 | Craftsman | isk, k | 2cisk$3 | cist | si$1 | ||
| 2 | Captain | 3kts7vp(s) | 3i2k6vp(s) | t1vp(t) | 3cs | t, i clear, 1 space k | |
| 3 | Trader | $1, t$5 | Clear trades | ||||
| 13 | 1 | Craftsman | isk, s | 2cist$3 | cist | 3cis$2 | |
| 2 | Captain | 3s4vp, discard i | 2ck4vp, discard is | t1vp, discard is | 3c4vp, discard 2s | clear all but t | |
| 3 | Builder | Fortress(9) | $1, Residence(7) | ||||
| 4 | Settler | c | t | i | $2, q | st discarded | |
| 14 | 2 | Prospector | $3 | ||||
| 3 | Builder | Construction Hut(0) | Customs House(10) | ||||
| 4 | Captain | t2vp | c1vp | 3c5vp | |||
| 1 | Craftsman | isk, s | cisk$3 | cist | 3csi$2 | ||
| 15 | 3 | Builder | City Hall(9) | Small Indigo(0) | Construction Hut(2) | Triggers game end | |
| 4 | Captain | k2s5vp | 2k2vp, discard 2ci | t1vp, discard si | 3c5vp | ||
| 1 | Trader | $2, i$2 | s$3 | c$1 | |||
| 2 | Mayor | 2 | $2, 4 | 3 | 3 | End Game |
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