Updates from Eger

[furudo.erika]

Congratulations all round. An impressive performance, especially Neil.

[dickoon]

The final results are now out, both individual and team! Only the first five finishers in the play-off have had their positions redistributed - the other remaining solvers are still ranked by their, er, preliminary ranking. (I think.) The scores for round 15, the final team round, are not shown explicitly, but the final totals are given, and the UK A team finished 11th out of 24 official teams! This is a record in terms of overall position, the previous best being our 12th of (overall) 22 in 2004, and I do not mind a bit no longer being the captain of the UK's most successful WPC team. More importantly, this is the first time that the GBR team has finished in the top half overall, and that's something to be very proud of. I salute you all! The UK B team finished 27th of (overall) 36, so in the top three-quarters, and even that is more impressive than many (most?) of our A teams - so well done, B team, too.

At the risk of saying something that's going to get me in trouble somewhere down the line, I'm pretty sure that this is the first time that the UK has ever beaten Belgium or Canada. (Or, for that matter, Hungary, but their strongest solvers have been, ahem, otherwise engaged this year, so it doesn't really count.) No disrespect to Belgium or Canada - they're both mighty puzzle nations, both well capable and highly deserving of their multiple top-five performances in the past, and I have very high opinions of the solvers that I have met from either company. However, this year, we've proven that we really are already up there with the Belgiums and Canadas of this world, and that's worth celebrating. Of course, you just know that Belgium and Canada will not take this lying down, so to speak, and will both be back with very strong teams next year, so the challenge for the UK is to strengthen its solvers and find more strong solvers to keep fighting off strong challenges. Nevertheless, it goes to show the size of the A-team's achievement.

CONGRATULATIONS!

[berni]

In the teamresults there is still missing round 15 from this morning...

[dickoon]

In the teamresults there is still missing round 15 from this morning...

The scores from round 15 aren't listed explicitly but they are counted in the final total. I get the round 15 scores as being the following:

Code: Select all

USA-A	1560
GER-A	1800
JPN-A	1050
GER-B	1050
SVK-A	750
NED-A	750
POL-A	900
TUR-A	450
CZE-A	1050
FRA-A	750
SRB-A	600
GBR-A	450
RUS-A	900
CRO-A	900
CAN-A	600
UN-05	750
FIN-A	450
BEL-A	450
ITA-A	450
CZE-B	600
ROM-A	300
UN-01	450
FRA-B	300
UN-02	450
EST-A	150
HUN-A	150
GBR-B	750 (yay B-team, beating the GBR-A team by two puzzles...)  ;) 
UN-06	300
IND-A	150
UN-03	600
UN-04	300
TUR-B	150
GRE-A	150
SVK-B	450
UN-07	300
UN-08	759 (apparently, literally - I would have expected a multiple of 150)

[PuzzleScot]

I'll write a bit more when I'm not so tired. I've uploaded about 1/3 of my photos here.
Need to spend some time with family for now. Thanks for all the messages, both private and public.

[emma]

(yay B-team, beating the GBR-A team by two puzzles...)

We were quite pleased with that round, but it's a shame about the two one-cell errors which cost the A team two puzzles.


Good to be back home - although I'm now back to the regular challenges of life such as removing PVA glue from hair...

[PuzzleScot]

I've added captions to the photo gallery. Please let me know if anything written there might be inappropriate - I had my brain-dead humour progressively taking over as I went through them... http://s1081.photobucket.com/albums/j359/ukpuzzles2011/

[euklid]

Corrections/Additions to the pictures' captions:

#18: Hubert Wagner (Germany)
#28: The captain of the German team holding the trophy is Stefan Heine. On the picture of the german A-Team you have (left to right): Michael Ley, Ulrich Voigt, Stefan Heine (captain), Michael Smit, Florian Kirch.
#60: Julian West, Jason Zuffranieri, Michael Ley, Nils Miehe (German B-Team)

Thanks for sharing your pictures,
Stefan L.

[PuzzleScot]

Thanks for the updates.

(left to right): Michael Ley, Ulrich Voigt, Stefan Heine (captain), Michael Smit, Florian Kirch.

If so, then why did Michael get a medal? He was in GER-B. The official website lists Johannes Susen as GER-A captain. Perhaps he didn't turn up, and Michael took the position?

[uvo]

This was the WSC, not the WPC. What euklid wrote is correct.

[PuzzleScot]

Of course! Thanks Ulrich - my mistake...

[gareth]

The final results with scoring corrections and play-off results are now online.

[PuzzlerNickG]

Nice photos Alan.

I particularly like the reminder of the Wrong Puzzles round. Guess who solved the Battleships one!

[PuzzleScot]

Nice photos Alan.
I particularly like the reminder of the Wrong Puzzles round. Guess who solved the Battleships one!

Thanks. Now, now, that was a team round - no individual credits please! Didn't we do well! I'm quite annoyed we didn't get the nurikabe one (TL) to work out, but I wasn't expecting we'd better GBR-A on that round!

[PuzzleScot]

Aside from my own photos, I've found some other albums on Facebook, that you might find of interest:
I have no idea if/which are public, or need you to be friends with to see...

ROE (Official organiser)

A Greek perspective

Tom Collyer's album

[PuzzleScot]

Has anyone used their Eger mug yet? Did you spot the 'deliberate' mistake ?

[gareth]

Ha, a year-long tournament would be quite an achievement...

[Hausigel]

Hi folks,
I just found a photo of the UK team from one of the WSC team rounds. (Actually, I took more than one, but you cannot see much on the others since I avoided using the flash during the rounds.)
Roland

[Nilz]

My photos are now on facebook, though the picture quality (and photographer quality!) is pretty awful.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set= ... 175&type=1
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set= ... 175&type=1

[emma]

Has anyone used their Eger mug yet? Did you spot the 'deliberate' mistake ?

Oops! We'd missed it - shows how carefully I read things.

[PuzzlerNickG]

Has anyone used their Eger mug yet? Did you spot the 'deliberate' mistake ?

It's those pesky neutrinos again.

[puzzlemad]

Just noticed that Ariane has put a piece in the editorial of the last Killer magazine for PM about the WPC, WSC and 24hr - a bit more publicity there!

[puzzlemad]

Apparently the Killer editorial was an edited down version (due to space on the page). The full length version, that went into Sudoku magazine, can be read in Ariane's Blog at www.puzzler.com.