interplanetary knock-out

2020

[  hall of fame  -  previous years  ]

This is the 32-team 5-round tournament that has been held monthly since September 2016.  Scores are obtained from the number of hits achieved by the relevant pages on the site.  Or to put it another way, the imaginary teams from the literary worlds are vying with each other to be the most interesting.

Each month, then, I choose the 32 highest scorers from the world-pages in the previous month's page-view statistics, seed them accordingly, and send the teams to Ceres Stadium to compete...

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july 2020 - the 47th tournament

first round, 1-5 july 2020:

no.1 seed:  Jupiter  23      vs.     no.17 seed:  Amalthea  11

no.9 seed:  Planet X  8      vs.      no.25 seed:  Titan  3

no.5 seed:  Pellucidar  11      vs.      no.21 seed:  The Reefs of Space  4

no.13 seed:  The Moon  11       vs.     no. 29 seed:  Umbriel  3

no.3 seed:  Vulcan  11      vs.      no.19 seed:  Ganymede  2 

no.11 seed:  Pluto  13        vs       no.27 seed:  Ariel  3

no.7 seed:  Neptune  10     vs.       no.23 seed:  Europa  3  

no.15 seed:  Earth  9        vs.      no.31 seed:  Pallas  4

no.2 seed:  Saturn  15       vs.      no.18 seed:  The Sun  6

no.10 seed:  Mercury  10       vs       no.26 seed:  Io  3

no.6 seed:  Asteroid Progenitor Planet  9      vs.      no.22 seed:   Triton  6

no.14 seed:  Uranus  15       vs.     no.30 seed:  Leda  10 

no. 4 seed:  Venus  16     vs.      no.20 seed:  Callisto  7

no.12 seed:  The Asteroids  10      vs.     no.28 seed:  Oberon  3

no.8 seed:  Mars  13      vs.     no.24 seed:  Comets  6

no.16 seed:  Iapetus  8      vs.     no.32 seed:  Ceres  2

second round, 6-10 july 2020:

no.1 seed:  Jupiter  24      vs.     no.9 seed:  Planet X  10     

no.5 seed:  Pellucidar  15      vs.      no.13 seed:  The Moon  20

no.3 seed:  Vulcan  15      vs.      no.11 seed:  Pluto  18 

no.7 seed:  Neptune  15     vs.       no.15 seed:  Earth  13    

no.2 seed:  Saturn  22       vs.      no.10 seed:  Mercury  15  

no.6 seed:  Asteroid Progenitor Planet  16      vs.      no.14 seed:  Uranus  18    

no. 4 seed:  Venus  23     vs.      no.12 seed:  The Asteroids  18 

no.8 seed:  Mars  16      vs.     no.16 seed:  Iapetus  9

quarter-finals, 11-15 july 2020; results out 16 july:

no.1 seed:  Jupiter        vs.     no.13 seed:  The Moon  

no.11 seed:  Pluto         vs.      no.7 seed:  Neptune      

no.2 seed:  Saturn         vs.      no.14 seed:  Uranus     

no. 4 seed:  Venus       vs.      no.8 seed:  Mars       

After the first day's play:

Jupiter  3    The Moon  2
Pluto  4    Neptune  4
Saturn  3    Uranus  1
Venus  3    Mars  4      

After the second day's play:

Jupiter  5    The Moon  5
Pluto  12    Neptune  7
Saturn  5    Uranus  5
Venus  8    Mars  7      

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june 2020 - the 46th tournament

first round, 1-5 june 2020:

no.1 seed:  Saturn  34      vs.     no.17 seed:  Asteroid Progenitor Planet  21

no.9 seed:  Sun  16      vs.      no.25 seed:  Titan  10

no.5 seed:  The Moon  24      vs.      no.21 seed:  Ganymede  16

no.13 seed:  Pellucidar  15       vs.     no. 29 seed:  Umbriel  7

no.3 seed:  Mars  30      vs.      no.19 seed:  Amalthea  12 

no.11 seed:  Mercury  17        vs       no.27 seed:  Oberon  6

no.7 seed:  Earth  18     vs.       no.23 seed:  Callisto  10  

no.15 seed:  Planet X  16        vs.      no.31 seed:  Styx  5

no.2 seed:  Jupiter  37      vs.      no.18 seed:  Iapetus  16

no.10 seed:  Vulcan  29       vs       no.26 seed:  Europa  14

no.6 seed:  Venus  29      vs.      no.22 seed:   The Reefs of Space  13

no.14 seed:  Neptune  14       vs.     no.30 seed:  Ariel  10 

no. 4 seed:  Asteroids  21     vs.      no.20 seed:  Comets  13

no.12 seed:  Uranus  21      vs.     no.28 seed:  Ceres  6

no.8 seed:  Pluto  15      vs.     no.24 seed:  Io  13

no.16 seed:  Triton  13      vs.     no.32 seed:  Pallas  5

second round, 6-10 june 2020:

no.1 seed:  Saturn  13      vs.     no.9 seed:  Sun  9     

no.5 seed:  The Moon  17      vs.      no.13 seed:  Pellucidar  11      

no.3 seed:  Mars  21      vs.      no.11 seed:  Mercury  11       

no.7 seed:  Earth  14     vs.       no.15 seed:  Planet X  7       

no.2 seed:  Jupiter  17      vs.      no.10 seed:  Vulcan  17      

no.6 seed:  Venus  23      vs.      no.14 seed:  Neptune  10      

no. 4 seed:  Asteroids  14     vs.      no.12 seed:  Uranus  9     

no.8 seed:  Pluto  7      vs.     no.16 seed:  Triton  6     

11 June 2020 replay of Jupiter vs Vulcan:

no.2 seed:  Jupiter  11      vs.      no.10 seed:  Vulcan  2      

quarter-finals, 11-15 june 2020; results out 16 june:

no.1 seed:  Saturn        vs.     no.5 seed:  The Moon       

no.3 seed:  Mars        vs.      no.7 seed:  Earth             

no.2 seed:  Jupiter        vs.      no.6 seed:  Venus       

no. 4 seed:  Asteroids       vs.      no.8 seed:  Pluto         

After the first day's play:

Saturn  4    The Moon  4
Mars  2    Earth  1
Jupiter  11    Venus  3
The Asteroids  3    Pluto  4    

After the second day's play:

Saturn  13    The Moon  8
Mars  6    Earth  6
Jupiter  17    Venus  11
The Asteroids  9    Pluto  7    

After the third day's play:

Saturn  15    The Moon  10
Mars  8    Earth  8
Jupiter  20    Venus  15
The Asteroids  12    Pluto  9    

After the fourth day's play:

Saturn  18    The Moon  12
Mars  11    Earth  9
Jupiter  27    Venus  19
The Asteroids  14    Pluto  9

After the fifth day's play:

QUARTER-FINAL RESULTS, JUNE 2020

no.1 seed:  Saturn  19      vs.     no.5 seed:  The Moon  15     

no.3 seed:  Mars  17      vs.      no.7 seed:  Earth  15     

no.2 seed:  Jupiter   33     vs.      no.6 seed:  Venus  22  

no. 4 seed:  Asteroids  20     vs.      no.8 seed:  Pluto  13   

semi-finals, 16-20 june 2020:

no.1 seed:  Saturn        vs.      no.3 seed:  Mars         

no.2 seed:  Jupiter        vs.      no. 4 seed:  Asteroids      

After the first day's play:

Saturn  1    Mars  1
Jupiter  5    The Asteroids  3    

After the second day's play:

Saturn  4    Mars  2
Jupiter  10    The Asteroids  5    

After the third day's play:

Saturn  7    Mars  3
Jupiter  16    The Asteroids  7    

After the fourth day's play:

Saturn  13    Mars  9
Jupiter  26    The Asteroids  14

After the fifth day's play:

SEMI-FINAL RESULTS, JUNE 2020

no.1 seed:  Saturn  15      vs.      no.3 seed:  Mars  10  

no.2 seed:  Jupiter   29     vs.      no. 4 seed:  Asteroids  14    

the final, 21-25 june 2020; result out 26 june:

no.1 seed:  Saturn        vs.      no.2 seed:  Jupiter       

After the first day's play:
Saturn  5    Jupiter  3     

After the second day's play:
Saturn  12    Jupiter  7     

After the third day's play:
Saturn  15    Jupiter  11     

After the fourth day's play:
Saturn  19    Jupiter  12

After the fifth and last day's play:

CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL RESULT, JUNE 2020

no.1 seed:  Saturn  21      vs.      no.2 seed:  Jupiter  13 

So the winner of the 46th Interplanetary Knock-Out, June 2020, is

Saturn

For a moment the Saturn team and their variously vaporous or reptilian or humanoid fans are stilled with shock, almost unable to believe what they have achieved, even though they had been in the lead during the entire five days of the final.  Right up to the end it had been feared that the redoubtable Jovians would turn the tables yet again.  However, people are beginning to murmur the explanation: namely that even the greatest power eventually tires; the Jovians, having won twenty-four straight matches, could not quite manage the twenty-fifth.

When the fact sinks in, that the many-month record-breaking dominance of Jupiter really is at an end, the stadium comes roaringly alive with thunderous throats and wiggling appendages...

The trophy-tally after 46 months of the competition now stands as follows:  11 for Mars, 9 each for Venus and Jupiter, 6 for Saturn, 4 for Mercury, 3 each for The Asteroids and Titan, and 1 for Vulcan.

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may 2020 - the 45th tournament

first round, 1-5 may 2020:

no.1 seed:  Saturn  14      vs.     no.17 seed:  Planet X  8

no.9 seed:  Iapetus  12      vs.      no.25 seed:  The Reefs of Space  5

no.5 seed:  The Asteroids  20      vs.      no.21 seed:  Pallas  5

no.13 seed:  Earth  12       vs.     no. 29 seed:  Titan  5

no.3 seed:  Venus  19      vs.      no.19 seed:  Neptune  13 

no.11 seed:  Uranus  9        vs       no.27 seed:  Leda  5

no.7 seed:  Mars  17     vs.       no.23 seed:  Comets  3  

no.15 seed:  Asteroid Progenitor Planet  7       vs.      no.31 seed:  Oberon  6

no.2 seed:  Jupiter  10      vs.      no.18 seed:  The Sun  10

no.10 seed:  Amalthea  11       vs       no.26 seed:  Umbriel  6

no.6 seed:  Mercury  13      vs.      no.22 seed:   Triton  9

no.14 seed:  Ganymede  8       vs.     no.30 seed:  Styx  6 

no. 4 seed:  Vulcan  13     vs.      no.20 seed:  Europa  5

no.12 seed:  Pellucidar  10      vs.     no.28 seed:  Ceres   3

no.8 seed:  The Moon  12      vs.     no.24 seed:  Callisto  5

no.16 seed:  Pluto  12      vs.     no.32 seed:  Ariel  5

FIRST-ROUND MATCH REPLAY, 6 MAY 2020:

no.2 seed:  Jupiter  2      vs.      no.18 seed:  The Sun  0

second round, 6-10 may 2020:

no.1 seed:  Saturn  8      vs.     no.9 seed:  Iapetus  7     

no.5 seed:  The Asteroids  9      vs.      no.13 seed:  Earth  10      

no.3 seed:  Venus  18      vs.      no.11 seed:  Uranus  12       

no.7 seed:  Mars  11     vs.       no.15 seed:  Asteroid Progenitor Planet  9     

no.2 seed:  Jupiter  16      vs.      no.10 seed:  Amalthea  6      

no.6 seed:  Mercury  10      vs.      no.14 seed:  Ganymede  7      

no. 4 seed:  Vulcan  7     vs.      no.12 seed:  Pellucidar  12     

no.8 seed:  The Moon  11      vs.     no.16 seed:  Pluto  10     

quarter-finals, 11-15 may 2020; results out 16 may:

no.1 seed:  Saturn        vs.     no.13 seed:  Earth        

no.3 seed:  Venus        vs.      no.7 seed:  Mars      

no.2 seed:  Jupiter        vs.      no.6 seed:  Mercury       

no.12 seed:  Pellucidar        vs.      no.8 seed:  The Moon       

After the first day's play:

Saturn  5    Earth  5
Venus  6    Mars  5
Jupiter  9    Mercury  6
Pellucidar  5    The Moon  5  

After the second day's play:

Saturn  10    Earth  8
Venus  10    Mars  10
Jupiter  13    Mercury  9
Pellucidar  8    The Moon  8  

After the third day's play:

Saturn  12    Earth  11
Venus  13    Mars  15
Jupiter  15    Mercury  9
Pellucidar  9    The Moon  9  

After the fourth day's play:

Saturn  16    Earth  13
Venus  17    Mars  20
Jupiter  17    Mercury  12
Pellucidar  11    The Moon  12

After the fifth day's play:

QUARTER-FINAL RESULTS, MAY 2020

no.1 seed:  Saturn  17      vs.     no.13 seed:  Earth  14

no.3 seed:  Venus  18      vs.      no.7 seed:  Mars  22    

no.2 seed:  Jupiter  21      vs.      no.6 seed:  Mercury  15  

no.12 seed:  Pellucidar  12      vs.      no.8 seed:  The Moon  15 

semi-finals, 16-20 may 2020:

no.1 seed:  Saturn       vs.       no.7 seed:  Mars      

no.2 seed:  Jupiter        vs.       no.8 seed:  The Moon  

First day's play blacked out - stats unavailable.

After the second day's play:

Saturn  11    Mars  10
Jupiter  13    The Moon  9     

After the third day's play:

Saturn  18    Mars  16
Jupiter  19    The Moon  16     

After the fourth day's play:

Saturn  26    Mars  23
Jupiter  24    The Moon  20

After the fifth day's play:

SEMI-FINAL RESULTS, MAY 2020

no.1 seed:  Saturn  37      vs.       no.7 seed:  Mars  32    

no.2 seed:  Jupiter  33      vs.       no.8 seed:  The Moon  27

the final, 21-25 may 2020; result out 26 may:

no.1 seed:  Saturn        vs.        no.2 seed:  Jupiter       

After the first day's play:
Saturn  12    Jupiter  13   

After the second day's play:
Saturn  16    Jupiter  20   

After the third day's play:
Saturn  20    Jupiter  23   

After the fourth day's play:
Saturn  23    Jupiter  26

After the fifth and last day's play:

CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL RESULT, MAY 2020

no.1 seed:  Saturn  29      vs.        no.2 seed:  Jupiter  32 

So the winner of the 45th Interplanetary Knock-Out, May 2020, is

Jupiter

The madly waving Hexans, Morgors and Savators in Ceres Stadium are intoxicated with the rare consciousness of history being made.  A fourth consecutive trophy is a feat never achieved before by any team in the tournament's history.  As the "Jupiter" theme from Holst's "The Planets" swells towards its climax the reformed ex-dictator Bandolian, now captain of his planet's IKO team, strides on skeletal limbs to the podium, where he receives the inscribed orrery from Zendexor.  Meanwhile the Saturnians drift about disconsolately, wondering when their own glory days will return.

The trophy-tally after 45 months of the competition now stands as follows:  11 for Mars, 9 each for Venus and Jupiter, 5 for Saturn, 4 for Mercury, 3 each for The Asteroids and Titan, and 1 for Vulcan.

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april 2020 - the 44th tournament

first round, 1-5 april 2020:

no.1 seed:  Jupiter  15      vs.     no.17 seed:  Planet X  7

no.9 seed:  Ganymede  14      vs.      no.25 seed:  Europa  6

no.5 seed:  The Asteroids  29      vs.      no.21 seed:  Comets  6

no.13 seed:  Amalthea  7       vs.     no. 29 seed:  Titania  4

no.3 seed:  Venus  15      vs.      no.19 seed:  The Sun  10 

no.11 seed:  Neptune  7        vs      no.27 seed:  Ariel  2

no.7 seed:  Mars  19     vs.     no.23 seed:  Callisto  7  

no.15 seed:  Pluto  4       vs.     no.31 seed:  Styx  5

no.2 seed:  Saturn  12      vs.      no.18 seed:  Iapetus  9

no.10 seed:  Asteroid Progenitor Planet  10       vs       no.26 seed:  Io  4

no.6 seed:  The Moon  11      vs.      no.22 seed:   Titan  3

no.14 seed:  Pellucidar  11       vs.     no.30 seed:  Ceres  4 

no. 4 seed:  Mercury  11     vs.      no.20 seed:  Triton  8

no.12 seed:  Uranus  8      vs.     no.28 seed:  Pallas   5

no.8 seed:  Vulcan  13      vs.     no.24 seed:  The Reefs of Space  9

no.16 seed:  Earth  8      vs.     no.32 seed:  Leda  5

second round, 6-10 april 2020

no.1 seed:  Jupiter  17      vs.     no.9 seed:  Ganymede  11     

no.5 seed:  The Asteroids  12      vs.      no.13 seed:  Amalthea  10      

no.3 seed:  Venus  11      vs.      no.11 seed:  Neptune  9       

no.7 seed:  Mars  14     vs.     no.31 seed:  Styx  5

no.2 seed:  Saturn  25      vs.      no.10 seed:  Asteroid Progenitor Planet  10      

no.6 seed:  The Moon  12      vs.      no.14 seed:  Pellucidar  14      

no. 4 seed:  Mercury  18     vs.      no.12 seed:  Uranus  11     

no.8 seed:  Vulcan  14      vs.     no.16 seed:  Earth  11     

quarter-finals, 11-15 april 2020:

no.1 seed:  Jupiter        vs.     no.5 seed:  The Asteroids       

no.3 seed:  Venus        vs.      no.7 seed:  Mars      

no.2 seed:  Saturn        vs.      no.14 seed:  Pellucidar        

no. 4 seed:  Mercury       vs.      no.8 seed:  Vulcan       

After the first day's play:

Jupiter  2    The Asteroids  2
Venus  4    Mars  2
Saturn  6    Pellucidar  2
Mercury  4    Vulcan  2               

After the second day's play:

Jupiter  4    The Asteroids  5
Venus  6    Mars  3
Saturn  8    Pellucidar  3
Mercury  8    Vulcan  7               

After the third day's play:

Jupiter  8    The Asteroids  5
Venus  7    Mars  3
Saturn  11    Pellucidar  4
Mercury  8    Vulcan  9               

After the fourth day's play:

Jupiter  11    The Asteroids  7
Venus  11    Mars  5
Saturn  14    Pellucidar  6
Mercury  17    Vulcan  12

After the fifth day's play:

QUARTER-FINAL RESULTS, APRIL 2020

no.1 seed:  Jupiter  12      vs.     no.5 seed:  The Asteroids  10     

no.3 seed:  Venus  14      vs.      no.7 seed:  Mars  6    

no.2 seed:  Saturn  16      vs.      no.14 seed:  Pellucidar  9    

no. 4 seed:  Mercury  19     vs.      no.8 seed:  Vulcan  13 

semi-finals, 16-20 april 2020:

no.1 seed:  Jupiter        vs.     no.3 seed:  Venus         

no.2 seed:  Saturn        vs.      no. 4 seed:  Mercury      

After the first day's play:

Jupiter  4    Venus  3
Saturn  2    Mercury  3             

After the second day's play:

Jupiter  5    Venus  4
Saturn  7    Mercury  4             

After the third day's play:

Jupiter  9    Venus  7
Saturn  9    Mercury  5             

After the fourth day's play:

Jupiter  16    Venus  9
Saturn  14    Mercury  6

After the fifth day's play:

SEMI-FINAL RESULTS, APRIL 2020

no.1 seed:  Jupiter  21      vs.     no.3 seed:  Venus  13  

no.2 seed:  Saturn  18      vs.      no. 4 seed:  Mercury  10    

the final, 21-25 april 2020; result out 26 april:

no.1 seed:  Jupiter        vs.     no.2 seed:  Saturn       

After the first day's play:
Jupiter  4    Saturn  4          

After the second day's play:
Jupiter  10    Saturn  6          

After the third day's play:
Jupiter  12    Saturn  11          

After the fourth day's play:
Jupiter  16    Saturn  13

After the fifth day's play:

CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL RESULT, APRIL 2020

no.1 seed:  Jupiter  21      vs.     no.2 seed:  Saturn  18 

So the winner of the 44th Interplanetary Knock-Out, April 2020, is

Jupiter

Onto Ceres Stadium stride the Solar System Philharmonic who strike up Mozart's 41st.  In the stands, the multiple limbs of the hexans and the skeletal figures of the Morgors wave an ecstatic accompaniment.  Zendexor stands ready with the trophy: he hands it to the blue-skinned human team captain, the eminent Savator, Han Du.  (Sotto voce, Zendexor makes the usual inquiry about the whereabouts of John Carter, and is given the usual shrug of ignorance.) 

The Jovian team now joins the select company of those who have won the trophy on three successive months.  Thus far, membership of this 'Hat-trick Club' is confined to the Martians (July, Aug, Sept 2018), the Saturnians (Oct, Nov, Dec 2019) and now the Jovians.

The trophy-tally after 44 months of the competition now stands as follows:  11 for Mars, 9 for Venus, 8 for Jupiter, 5 for Saturn, 4 for Mercury, 3 each for The Asteroids and Titan, and 1 for Vulcan.

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march 2020 - the 43rd tournament

first round, 1-5 march 2020:

no.1 seed:  Saturn  19      vs.     no.17 seed:  Neptune  16

no.9 seed:  Pluto  13      vs.      no.25 seed:  Ariel  6

no.5 seed:  The Moon  15      vs.      no.21 seed:  Triton  9

no.13 seed:  Ganymede  17       vs.     no. 29 seed:  Umbriel  0

no.3 seed:  Venus  22      vs.      no.19 seed:  Planet X  12 

no.11 seed:  Earth  13        vs      no.27 seed:  Europa  7

no.7 seed:  Pellucidar  12     vs.     no.23 seed:  Callisto  11  

no.15 seed:  Vulcan  10       vs.     no.31 seed:  Pallas  8

no.2 seed:  Jupiter  25      vs.      no.18 seed:  Asteroid Progenitor Planet  16

no.10 seed:  Mercury  15       vs       no.26 seed:  Ceres  8

no.6 seed:  Mars  15      vs.      no.22 seed:   Titan  8

no.14 seed:  Amalthea  12       vs.     no.30 seed:  Io  2 

no. 4 seed:  Asteroids  25     vs.      no.20 seed:  Comets  11

no.12 seed:  The Sun  15      vs.     no.28 seed:  Oberon  3

no.8 seed:  Uranus  12      vs.     no.24 seed:  The Reefs of Space  11

no.16 seed:  Iapetus  11       vs.     no.32 seed:  Leda  4

second round, 6-10 march 2020:

no.1 seed:  Saturn  15      vs.     no.9 seed:  Pluto  5    

no.5 seed:  The Moon  14      vs.      no.13 seed:  Ganymede  12

no.3 seed:  Venus  11      vs.      no.11 seed:  Earth  6 

no.7 seed:  Pellucidar  11     vs.     no.15 seed:  Vulcan  15   

no.2 seed:  Jupiter  17      vs.      no.10 seed:  Mercury  17      

no.6 seed:  Mars  10      vs.      no.14 seed:  Amalthea  12    

no. 4 seed:  Asteroids  11     vs.      no.12 seed:  The Sun  10 

no.8 seed:  Uranus  9      vs.     no.16 seed:  Iapetus  2 

Replay of drawn second-round match:
no.2 seed:  Jupiter  5      vs.      no.10 seed:  Mercury  2      

quarter-finals, 11-15 march 2020:

no.1 seed:  Saturn        vs.     no.5 seed:  The Moon       

no.3 seed:  Venus        vs.      no.15 seed:  Vulcan    

no.2 seed:  Jupiter        vs.      no.14 seed:  Amalthea     

no. 4 seed:  The Asteroids       vs.      no.8 seed:  Uranus       

After the first day's play:

Saturn  3    The Moon  5
Venus  5    Vulcan  3
Jupiter  5    Amalthea  2
The Asteroids  2    Uranus  3         

After the second day's play:

Saturn  6    The Moon  6
Venus  8    Vulcan  6
Jupiter  13    Amalthea  3
The Asteroids  6    Uranus  5         

After the third day's play:

Saturn  10    The Moon  9
Venus  13    Vulcan  10
Jupiter  20    Amalthea  4
The Asteroids  11    Uranus  6         

After the fourth day's play:

Saturn  15    The Moon  11
Venus  13    Vulcan  12
Jupiter  22    Amalthea  6
The Asteroids  12    Uranus  8

After the fifth day's play:

QUARTER-FINAL RESULTS, MARCH 2020

no.1 seed:  Saturn  17       vs.     no.5 seed:  The Moon  15     

no.3 seed:  Venus  18      vs.      no.15 seed:  Vulcan  19  

no.2 seed:  Jupiter  28      vs.      no.14 seed:  Amalthea  8    

no. 4 seed:  The Asteroids  15     vs.      no.8 seed:  Uranus  11 

semi-finals, 16-20 march 2020:

no.1 seed:  Saturn         vs.     no.15 seed:  Vulcan    

no.2 seed:  Jupiter        vs.      no. 4 seed:  The Asteroids      

After the first day's play:

Saturn  2    Vulcan  0
Jupiter  3    The Asteroids  1             

After the second day's play:

Saturn  3    Vulcan  0
Jupiter  6    The Asteroids  2             

After the third day's play:

Saturn  6    Vulcan  3
Jupiter  12    The Asteroids  4             

After the fourth day's play:

Saturn  8    Vulcan  5
Jupiter  13    The Asteroids  6

After the fifth day's play:

SEMI-FINAL RESULTS, MARCH 2020

no.1 seed:  Saturn  13       vs.     no.15 seed:  Vulcan  9  

no.2 seed:  Jupiter  14      vs.      no. 4 seed:  The Asteroids  8    

the final, 21-25 march 2020:

no.1 seed:  Saturn        vs.      no.2 seed:  Jupiter       

After the first day's play:
Saturn  3    Jupiter  5        

After the second day's play:
Saturn  4    Jupiter  7        

After the third day's play:
Saturn  9    Jupiter  11        

After the fourth day's play:
Saturn  15    Jupiter  20

After the fifth and last day's play:

CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL RESULT, MARCH 2020

no.1 seed:  Saturn  16      vs.      no.2 seed:  Jupiter  21 

So the winner of the 43rd Interplanetary Knock-Out, March 2020, is

Jupiter

The result was expected, for the Jovians had been increasing their lead for the past two days; nevertheless the moment it was confirmed saw an outburst of six-limbed jubilation on the terraces where the hexan fans had congregated, and joyful leapings among the Lopers.  More than the fact that the Giant Planet team has won the trophy for the second consecutive month - they have achieved that feat before, in January-February 2019 - is the satisfaction they feel for having at last beaten the Saturnians in a championship final, for the first time in three such meetings.

The trophy-tally after 43 months of the competition now stands as follows:  11 for Mars, 9 for Venus, 7 for Jupiter, 5 for Saturn, 4 for Mercury, 3 each for The Asteroids and Titan, and 1 for Vulcan.

---

february 2020 - the 42nd tournament

first round, 1-5 february 2020:

no.1 seed:  Venus  15      vs.     no.17 seed:  The Sun  15

no.9 seed:  Asteroid Progenitor Planet  17      vs.      no.25 seed:  Ariel  11

no.5 seed:  Mercury  14      vs.      no.21 seed:  Triton   5 

no.13 seed:  Iapetus  11      vs.     no. 29 seed:  Styx  3 

no.3 seed:  Jupiter  16      vs.      no.19 seed:  Comets  7 

no.11 seed:  Amalthea  11        vs      no.27 seed:  Titan  7

no.7 seed:  Vulcan  13     vs.     no.23 seed:  The Reefs of Space  8  

no.15 seed:  Ganymede  16       vs.     no.31 seed:  Oberon  6

no.2 seed:  Saturn  22      vs.      no.18 seed:  Pluto  28

no.10 seed:  Uranus  16       vs       no.26 seed:  Europa  7

no.6 seed:  Mars  17      vs.      no.22 seed:   Ceres  8

no.14 seed:  Pellucidar  13       vs.     no.30 seed:  Umbriel  5 

no. 4 seed:  Asteroids  21     vs.      no.20 seed:  Neptune  11

no.12 seed:  Planet X  14      vs.     no.28 seed:  Io  3 

no.8 seed:  The Moon  19      vs.     no.24 seed:  Callisto  5

no.16 seed:  Earth  10       vs.     no.32 seed:  Titania  3

The drawn Venus vs Sun game will have to be replayed.

6 FEB 2020 REPLAY OF FIRST-ROUND MATCH:

no.1 seed:  Venus  3      vs.     no.17 seed:  The Sun  3

So, another replay will be needed.

7 FEB 2020, SECOND REPLAY OF FIRST-ROUND MATCH:

no.1 seed:  Venus  2      vs.     no.17 seed:  The Sun  4

second round, 6-10 february 2020:

no.17 seed:  The Sun  13    vs.   no.9 seed:  Asteroid Progenitor Planet  6   

no.5 seed:  Mercury  14      vs.      no.13 seed:  Iapetus  8  

no.3 seed:  Jupiter  28      vs.      no.11 seed:  Amalthea  6 

no.7 seed:  Vulcan  11     vs.     no.15 seed:  Ganymede  8  

no.18 seed:  Pluto  11     vs.    no.10 seed:  Uranus  13  

no.6 seed:  Mars  12      vs.      no.14 seed:  Pellucidar  17    

no. 4 seed:  The Asteroids  17     vs.      no.12 seed:  Planet X  8 

no.8 seed:  The Moon  10     vs.     no.16 seed:  Earth  16 

quarter-finals, 11-15 february 2020:

no.17 seed:  The Sun      vs.      no.5 seed:  Mercury 

no.3 seed:  Jupiter        vs.      no.7 seed:  Vulcan 

no.10 seed:  Uranus      vs.      no.14 seed:  Pellucidar     

no. 4 seed:  The Asteroids      vs.      no.16 seed:  Earth   

After the first day's play:

The Sun  1    Mercury  2
Jupiter  2    Vulcan  2
Uranus  1    Pellucidar  3
The Asteroids  3    Earth  2        

After the second day's play:

The Sun  5    Mercury  5
Jupiter  8    Vulcan  5
Uranus  2    Pellucidar  5
The Asteroids  8    Earth  5                 

After the third day's play:

The Sun  10    Mercury  6
Jupiter  10    Vulcan  6
Uranus  5    Pellucidar  12
The Asteroids  8    Earth  6                 

After the fourth day's play:

The Sun  13    Mercury  7
Jupiter  12    Vulcan  9
Uranus  7    Pellucidar  13
The Asteroids  9    Earth  10

After the fifth day's play:

QUARTER-FINAL RESULTS, FEBRUARY 2020

no.17 seed:  The Sun  14    vs.      no.5 seed:  Mercury  9

no.3 seed:  Jupiter  14      vs.      no.7 seed:  Vulcan  10

no.10 seed:  Uranus  9    vs.      no.14 seed:  Pellucidar  14   

no. 4 seed:  The Asteroids  12    vs.      no.16 seed:  Earth  11 

semi-finals, 16-20 february 2020:

no.17 seed:  The Sun      vs.      no.3 seed:  Jupiter       

no.14 seed:  Pellucidar      vs.      no. 4 seed:  The Asteroids     

After the first day's play:

The Sun  4    Jupiter  4
Pellucidar  3    The Asteroids  3           

After the second day's play:

The Sun  7    Jupiter  9
Pellucidar  5    The Asteroids  7           

After the third day's play:

The Sun  7    Jupiter  11
Pellucidar  9    The Asteroids  12           

After the fourth day's play:

The Sun  8    Jupiter  14
Pellucidar  11    The Asteroids  14    

After the fifth day's play:

SEMI-FINAL RESULTS, FEBRUARY 2020

no.17 seed:  The Sun  9     vs.      no.3 seed:  Jupiter  18   

no.14 seed:  Pellucidar  16    vs.      no. 4 seed:  The Asteroids  17    

the final, 21-25 february 2020; result out 26 feb:

no.3 seed:  Jupiter      vs.      no. 4 seed:  The Asteroids      

After the first day's play:
Jupiter  5    The Asteroids  5                

After the second day's play:
Jupiter  7    The Asteroids  8                

After the third day's play:
Jupiter  17    The Asteroids  13                

After the fourth day's play:
Jupiter  20    The Asteroids  20

After the last day's play:

CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL RESULT, FEBRUARY 2020

no.3 seed:  Jupiter  23   vs.      no. 4 seed:  The Asteroids  21    

So the winner of the 42nd Interplanetary Knock-Out, February 2020, is

Jupiter

For the Jovians, who were beaten finalists in the past two months (losing to Saturn in December and to Venus in January), this month has turned out to be "third time lucky".  While the Out-planet terraces of Ceres Stadium erupt in frenetic abandon, tentacles waving and pads thumping, the Belters slump in moody exhaustion.

Though conscious that both sides have acquitted themselves well in such a close-fought climax to the 42nd IKO, some Belters yet sense the incipient twinge of an inferiority complex with regard to the Jovians.  The record shows that whereas The Asteroids have beaten Venus, Mars and Saturn in previous finals, they have not so far managed to beat the Jovians, but have now been beaten by them twice - the first occasion being last August.

The trophy-tally after 42 months of the competition now stands as follows:  11 for Mars, 9 for Venus, 6 for Jupiter, 5 for Saturn, 4 for Mercury, 3 each for The Asteroids and Titan, and 1 for Vulcan.

---

january 2020 - the 41st tournament

first round, 1-5 january 2020:

no.1 seed:  Saturn  21      vs.     no.17 seed:  Planet X  9

no.9 seed:  Vulcan  19      vs.      no.25 seed:  Europa  6

no.5 seed:  The Asteroids  15      vs.      no.21 seed:  Pluto   5 

no.13 seed:  The Moon  14      vs.     no. 29 seed:  Umbriel  8 

no.3 seed:  Venus  20      vs.      no.19 seed:  Triton  8 

no.11 seed:  Neptune  10       vs      no.27 seed:  Titania  5

no.7 seed:  Amalthea  9     vs.     no.23 seed:  Comets  6  

no.15 seed:  Callisto  2       vs.     no.31 seed:  Oberon  1

no.2 seed:  Jupiter  20      vs.      no.18 seed:  The Sun  6

no.10 seed:  Ganymede  10       vs       no.26 seed:  Titan  5

no.6 seed:  Mars  23      vs.      no.22 seed:   Io  5

no.14 seed:  Uranus  9       vs.     no.30 seed:  Ariel  4 

no. 4 seed:  Mercury  10     vs.      no.20 seed:  Iapetus  7

no.12 seed:  Pellucidar  13      vs.     no.28 seed:  Ceres  6

no.8 seed:  Earth  10      vs.     no.24 seed:  The Reefs of Space  10

no.16 seed:  Asteroid Progenitor Planet  15       vs.     no.32 seed:  Cerberus  2

Replay needed for Earth vs The Reefs of Space.

First-round replay, 6 January 2020:

no.8 seed:  Earth  1      vs.     no.24 seed:  The Reefs of Space  2

second round, 6-10 january 2020:

no.1 seed:  Saturn  19      vs.     no.9 seed:  Vulcan  14     

no.5 seed:  The Asteroids  19      vs.      no.13 seed:  The Moon  14 

no.3 seed:  Venus  15      vs.      no.11 seed:  Neptune  8

no.7 seed:  Amalthea  12     vs.     no.15 seed:  Callisto  10   

no.2 seed:  Jupiter  18      vs.      no.10 seed:  Ganymede  13

no.6 seed:  Mars  9      vs.      no.14 seed:  Uranus  15    

no. 4 seed:  Mercury  17     vs.      no.12 seed:  Pellucidar  8 

no.24 seed:  The Reefs of Space  4   vs.    no.16 seed:  Asteroid Progenitor Planet  18 

quarter-finals, 11-15 january 2020:

no.1 seed:  Saturn       vs.      no.5 seed:  The Asteroids       

no.3 seed:  Venus       vs.      no.7 seed:  Amalthea      

no.2 seed:  Jupiter       vs.      no.14 seed:  Uranus     

no. 4 seed:  Mercury     vs.      no.16 seed:  Asteroid Progenitor Planet   

After the first day's play:

Saturn  5    The Asteroids  4
Venus  2    Amalthea  1
Jupiter  2    Uranus  2
Mercury  4    Asteroid Progenitor Planet  2            

After the second day's play:

Saturn  8    The Asteroids  6
Venus  2    Amalthea  5
Jupiter  5    Uranus  8
Mercury  6    Asteroid Progenitor Planet  4           

After the third day's play:

Saturn  8    The Asteroids  7
Venus  8    Amalthea  10
Jupiter  6    Uranus  9
Mercury  10    Asteroid Progenitor Planet  5           

After the fourth day's play:

Saturn  11    The Asteroids  12
Venus  15    Amalthea  12
Jupiter  11    Uranus  12
Mercury  14    Asteroid Progenitor Planet  7

After the fifth day's play:

QUARTER-FINAL RESULTS, JANUARY 2020

no.1 seed:  Saturn  13     vs.      no.5 seed:  The Asteroids  12     

no.3 seed:  Venus  18     vs.      no.7 seed:  Amalthea  14    

no.2 seed:  Jupiter  14    vs.      no.14 seed:  Uranus  13   

no. 4 seed:  Mercury  18   vs.      no.16 seed:  Asteroid Progenitor Planet  10 

semi-finals, 16-20 january 2020:

no.1 seed:  Saturn       vs.      no.3 seed:  Venus      

no.2 seed:  Jupiter       vs.      no. 4 seed:  Mercury    

After the first day's play:

Saturn  2    Venus  4
Jupiter  0    Mercury  2          

After the second day's play:

Saturn  8    Venus  7
Jupiter  3    Mercury  2         

After the third day's play:

Saturn  9    Venus  12
Jupiter  7    Mercury  3        

After the fourth day's play:

Saturn  16    Venus  21
Jupiter  13    Mercury  9

After the fifth day's play:

SEMI-FINAL RESULTS, JANUARY 2020

no.1 seed:  Saturn  19     vs.      no.3 seed:  Venus  23 

no.2 seed:  Jupiter  17     vs.      no. 4 seed:  Mercury  12  

the final, 21-25 january 2020; result out 26 jan:

no.3 seed:  Venus       vs.       no.2 seed:  Jupiter      

After the first day's play:
Venus  4    Jupiter  4                         

After the second day's play:
Venus  6    Jupiter  6   

After the third day's play:
Venus  9    Jupiter  10        

After the fourth day's play:
Venus  10    Jupiter  11

After the last day's play:

CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL RESULT, JANUARY 2020

no.3 seed:  Venus  15     vs.       no.2 seed:  Jupiter  14

So the winner of the 41st Interplanetary Knock-Out, January 2020, is

Venus

The most dramatic possible ending for a final!  The Venusians, trailing for two days, just manage to put on a last-day spurt and pip the Jovians at the post; at which the stands at Ceres Stadium erupt with a kaleidoscopic polychromatic display of Cytherian enthusiasm.  Nine-foot Grelvi, Perelandrian greenies, fishy Myposans and Havatoon techno-wizards join hands and flippers to dance their triumph.  It's eight months since the Venusians last won, and they have lost two finals since then.  It was high time for a comeback.  Furthermore, the Inner System has only won thrice in the past year; this does something to redress the balance.

The trophy-tally after 41 months of the competition now stands as follows:  11 for Mars, 9 for Venus, 5 each for Jupiter and Saturn, 4 for Mercury, 3 each for The Asteroids and Titan, and 1 for Vulcan.