CAFE’25: 2nd Round

Mark plans his next move while checking on the Russian card hand. The remaining players are also fully concentrated.

Jose Manuel was participating at this table as a reserve player, taking over the role of Friedrich. Mark Luta was playing Russia with an intention to make for his defeat the previous evening, while Loughlin and Ricardo were playing as Austria and France respectively. After encircling and destroying two Austrian generals in Saxony early in the game, José Manuel enjoyed a few relaxed rounds while Loghlin regrouped and conquered Silesia. During these first rounds he kept and advantage in clubs over Russia, confronting Mark both in Pomerania and East Prussia, though eventually he was forced to give this last one up as Russia reinforced there and turned on full attrition mode. Endgame was precipitated first with a subsidy reduction in round 14 which coincided with an Austrian attack on Saxony, where Laughlin started gaining ground by the way of card-intensive combats. Elisabeth`s death and french surrender didn´t slow Laughlin one bit, so that in round 17 he manage to take Radeberg. His last objective. Ironically, that would have been the last round in the game. Neverthless, well done José Manuel!

Situation at game’s end. The Empire was also very close to win.

Both the quality of his adversaries as well as the Cards of Fate were against Carlos playing with Prussia at this table, with Lord Bute becoming Prime Minister already in round 7. After ceding Saxony to Austria early on, Carlos tried to take it back – as he surely must have got hold of a lot of diamonds just then – but in Friedrich defence is stronger than offence and Maurice was able to hold on there with his white pieces and even throw him out of there. Carlos defensive position in Silesia remained unchallenged as Maurice concentrated on an Imperial victory, which he was just one round short of achieving when the game ended. It was Richard Sivél himself who finally got away with the game, showing the command he has over his own design. Carlos gave up all ground to Russia but East Prussia, where he confronted the green pieces with an apparent superiority in clubs, until round 14, when, having himself accumulated enough cards on that suit, Richard was able to launch a decisive battle against Lehwaldt and conquered his last objectives.

Andrew Brown had brought his own reinforcement piece along to the tournament.

Alberto Romero – champion at the previous CAFE – was playing with Prussia at this table and he had a plan: to concentrate his defense against Austria in Saxony, even to the point that one of the Hanoverian generals made it all the way there with a supporting supply train to reinforce the area. France, led by Arnold de Wijs, took this opportunity to send himself a French general to harass Prussia and provide support to Austria. Andrew Brown, in control of the white pieces, was short on diamonds and no amount of French support allowed him to break Alberto’s defense despite having both subsidy reductions in rounds 11 and 17 as well as a long living Elisabeth. This was finally to the advantage of Jorge – newcomer to the tournament – who fought a relentless attrition and was able to take his last objectives in round 21, right before the death of the Tsarina!

One member of the Club Dragón shows interest in Björn’s cards despite not participating in the tournament.

Juan Aguado also adopted a strategy of all-in defence of Saxony, with Hanoverian reinforcement included. The outcome was somewhat different as the Tsarina died on round 10, leaving Guy Atkinson in control merely of Sweden. Björn – playing wiht Austria – took Silesia rather quickly and was soon excerting pressure on Saoxny. Even though he sufferend no subsidy reductions, Juan drew less diamonds than his adversary and ended up losing his last battle on round 12.