Open Tournament 2016 Round 3

Open Tournament 2016 Round 3
 
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Open Tournament 2016 Round 3

Round 3 / Game 1 (Eylau 206 - 8AM to Noon (8 February 1807)
mantra - French: 7 (23 blocks)
Bangla - Russian: 1 (20 blocks)

The French started out gently pushing at the flanks sniping and eroding the brittle Russian infantry. Within 3/4 rounds of card play the banner count was 3-1 for the French. It was at this moment the Russians started to push heavily on their left with a mix of cavalry and infantry supported by their arty perched on the heights decimating, but not eliminating the French in the field. The French were hurting badly over several rounds of play with many units reduced to a single pip.

The reversal came when the Russian Cuirassiers charged the French LCs and the French were able to play the 'Charge if Charged' card. The French came out better in this exchange and in the next round of play were able to eliminate the Russian CU putting the Banner count at 4/1. Even though the French were shattered on their right the Russians couldn't capitalize on it, try as they may.

Slowly, the French started to push heavily on their left with support attacks in the center. The French LT was able to quickly advance and hold the lone Russian hill (being support by the French LC) on the flank for another VP.

Sensing victory in their grasp the French played the 'Elan' card and were able to eliminate 2 more units and take the central heights.

The game was well fought by Bangla. By luck of dice and card play the Russians were held to a single Banner, but it easily could have been much worse for the French.

Round 3 Game 1
EZPickins (French) 7 Banners 27 blocks lost
Grondeaux (Russian) 6 Banners 28 blocks lost
Most of the early game was on the French fight as the Russians assaulted here. Three of the French infantry units were formed into square limiting my flexibility. I was able to eliminate a pair of units in the other sections mostly due to artillery. The fight continued on my right when my left LC made a dash for the Russian rear on the left. It was able to eliminate an enemy LC and pesky Cos before escaping back behind my line. The Russian HC on this flank then assaulted the FA I had positioned atop a hill on this flank and were repulsed. The Russians switched back to my right flank and quickly eliminated Saint-Hilaire and a LN. He was only one banner from victory at this point. His HC was vulnerable on my left and I could melee it from the vp hill there so I went for it. I was eliminated and I could get the win if I could hold the hill and not lose another unit. He could only bring a FA to bear against my LT on the hill and could not get the flag he needed. His cavalry assault against my 1 strength LN was met by flag when it squared and it was game over. It was an excellent game against an able opponent.

TheMP Russian 7
tlangston French 2
Looks very hard for the French to me? They had all the 'Take Command' cards and yet were still unable to get anywhere. The French banners came at the end of the game. Once the French cavalry attacks on Russian guns failed, it was always going to be hard.

Round 3 Game 2
EZPickins (Russians) 6 Banners, 33 blocks lost (inc. 2 Cossack)
Grondeaux (French) 7 Banners, 25 blocks lost

Another nail-biter and, once again, almost all the action was on the French Right/Russian Left. After some initial maneuvering and skirmishing by both sides, the French got down to business with a Bayonet Charge against the Russians occupying the two hill hexes on the French right. The attack forced the Russians from the hill and left the French in control of one hill hex. The Russian counter-attack left three French units in square, but the French had gained a second hill hex. Continued Russian attacks around the two hills and the Russian left eventually forced four French units into square. At this point, the French were up 6-2. The Russian GR then arrived on the scene and, in conjunction with their ART, drove the French from the two hills, making the score 6-4 in favor of the Russians. Continued fighting around the board eventually left the score at 6-6. The French got their final banner, and the win, by using a Leadership card to melee the weakened Russian GR occupying a hill. An excellent, see-saw battle, just like our first match, with both sides experiencing normal luck. My thanks to John for two great games.

Game 1
Mark McG (French) 7
Dave French (Russian) 0

A quick game where I called up the Old Guard as reserves in turn 1. They went up the hill through the cannister, killed or chased everything nearby off, shrugged off artillery and held their ground. That unit accounts for 2 banners killed, and 1 hill banner.

Otherwise I knocked off 2 Russian LT on the flanks, and held 2 more hills (one very precariously), and was lucky Dave had no Centre cards.




Game 2
Dave French (French) 5
Mark McG (Russian) 7

A much more tightly contested match, where the Russians held the Centre firmly with a 3 unit Grand Battery who did some good work, but was unable to stop the French depradations around the flanks.

Eventually the French took a Right flank hill to take a 5-4 lead, and it was time for the Russians to take the offensive. They exploded out of the Centre with a Forced March, knock out a French cavalry, a infantry in a square and eventually chased down another French Line with an Inspired Leader.

Game 1 I had a drought of Centre (though better than Dave it turned out), whereas Game 2 I had a flood of Centre and no flank card. On the whole though, better cards than my opponent, and pretty good dice.

Round 3 / Game 2 (Eylau 206 - 8AM to Noon (8 February 1807)
Bangla - French: 7 (28 blocks)
mantra - Russian: 1 (18 blocks)

After the first game when Chris (mantra) won 7-1 after my errors of not taking banners when they were there to be taken, I expected Chris to easily make at least two this game, so ensuring at minimum two points. But we were both surprised, and I was extremely lucky. The French attacked on both wings, never once trying to advance in the centre. Chris massed his artillery there and could dominate the centre, all the while taking pot shots at the French infantry. But the attacks on the wings were taking their toll, and with one Russian LT back on his baseline and licking his wounds, the other was taken out in one attack. The Russian then moved his right flank artillery to form a grand battery in the centre, making way for his HC to come to the fore. Next turn they thundered forward and, with support from the artillery on the hill, took out one of the French batteries in a single attack. One banner all, and things looking as expected for me.

But the LC on the French right was able to charge at the Russian Cuirassiers. Despite a first strike against them, they eventually took them out and went on to also take out the Russian LC as well. The Russian infantry cut them off and reduced them to a single block, but Davout somehow managed to dodge a hail of musket balls and roundshot and miraculously brought them back to the French baseline. More poor Russian dice rolling failed to take a banner on the opposite flank and then the French played a Grande Manoeuvre and used it to attack on both flanks. The following turn the final banner was won and somehow this tie would up at one game all, eight banners all.

It was an exciting game, especially Davout's ride, but pretty much throughout Chris' die rolling was atrocious. The two games were played in a great spirit though, over Vassal and Skype, so the logfiles may be a little more difficult than usual to follow.

Round 3 / Game 1 (Eylau 206 - 8AM to Noon (8 February 1807)
Sansmerci- French: 3
Bayernkini- Russian: 7

No logfile, because of Vassal/Java problems.

The result shows not the real hard struggle, it was battled here.
Had bad cards and dice at start of game until mid game.
The only tactic i could used (and was my only hope), i kept most time 2-4 french units into square (most on french right),
until i got better cards at middle of game.
Then i could come back after a 0:3 to the final result of 7:3

Rematch tomorrow 17.00 GMT

Round 3 / Game 2 (Eylau 206 - 8AM to Noon (8 February 1807)
Sansmerci- Russian: 3
Bayernkini- French: 7

What happened to the logfile in the second game?