interplanetary knock-out

2020-2021


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.

When the month's winner is known, the captain of that team receives the IKO trophy from the Archon's hands at the Stadium's podium, in a brief, moving ceremony, after which the team-captain holds the trophy aloft and the stands erupt with cheers and a sea of waving arms/tentacles/wings...


august 2021 - the 60th tournament

first round, 1-5 august 2021:

no.1 seed:  Saturn  9      vs.      no.17 seed:  Europa  9

no.9 seed:  Neptune  9      vs.       no.25 seed:  Io  3

no.5 seed:  Amalthea  13      vs.       no.21 seed:  Ganymede  5

no.13 seed:  Uranus  7       vs.      no. 29 seed:  Leda  4

no.3 seed:  Vulcan  14      vs.       no.19 seed:  Planet X  3 

no.11 seed:  Pluto  6        vs       no.27 seed:  Vesta  4

no.7 seed:  Mars  10     vs.       no.23 seed:  Pallas  4  

no.15 seed:  The Sun  10        vs.      no.31 seed:  Ceres  2

no.2 seed:  Jupiter  14       vs.      no.18 seed:  The Moon  5

no.10 seed:  Venus  6       vs       no.26 seed:  Titan  7

no.6 seed:  Asteroid Progenitor  7      vs.      no.22 seed:   Triton  7

no.14 seed:  Earth  12       vs.     no.30 seed:  Mimas  3

no. 4 seed:  Pellucidar  7     vs.      no.20 seed:  Comets  6

no.12 seed:  Mercury  10      vs.     no.28 seed:  Ariel  2

no.8 seed:  The Reefs of Space  3      vs.     no.24 seed:  Callisto  6

no.16 seed:  The Asteroids  11      vs.      no.32 seed:  Icarus  0

Replays, 6 August 2021:

no.1 seed:  Saturn  3      vs.      no.17 seed:  Europa  3

no.6 seed:  Asteroid Progenitor  1      vs.      no.22 seed:   Triton  2

A second replay of Saturn vs Europa, 7 August 2021:

no.1 seed:  Saturn  3      vs.      no.17 seed:  Europa  2

second round, 6-10 august 2021:

no.1 seed:  Saturn  12      vs.      no.9 seed:  Neptune  10     

no.5 seed:  Amalthea  13      vs.       no.13 seed:  Uranus  14

no.3 seed:  Vulcan  6      vs.       no.11 seed:  Pluto  6       

no.7 seed:  Mars  12     vs.       no.15 seed:  The Sun  7   

no.2 seed:  Jupiter  17       vs.      no.26 seed:  Titan  6

no.22 seed:   Triton  5     vs.      no.14 seed:  Earth  4    

no. 4 seed:  Pellucidar  9     vs.      no.12 seed:  Mercury  15 

no.24 seed:  Callisto  7      vs.      no.16 seed:  The Asteroids  11 

Replay, 11 August 2021:

no.3 seed:  Vulcan  1      vs.       no.11 seed:  Pluto  0 

quarter-finals, 11-15 august 2021:

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

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

no.2 seed:  Jupiter       vs.       no.22 seed:   Triton         

no.12 seed:  Mercury      vs.       no.16 seed:  The Asteroids   

After the first day's play:

Saturn  0    Uranus  0
Vulcan  1    Mars  6
Jupiter  2    Triton  1
Mercury  5    The Asteroids  4  

After the second day's play:

Saturn  3    Uranus  2
Vulcan  3    Mars  8
Jupiter  5    Triton  2
Mercury  9    The Asteroids  6  

After the third day's play:

Saturn  4    Uranus  3
Vulcan  5    Mars  10
Jupiter  6    Triton  3
Mercury  11    The Asteroids  10 

After the fourth day's play:

Saturn  9    Uranus  6
Vulcan  8    Mars  14
Jupiter  10    Triton  3
Mercury  15    The Asteroids  14

After the fifth day's play:

QUARTER-FINAL RESULTS, AUGUST 2021

no.1 seed:  Saturn  11      vs.      no.13 seed:  Uranus  11 

no.3 seed:  Vulcan  10       vs.       no.7 seed:  Mars  16     

no.2 seed:  Jupiter  12      vs.       no.22 seed:   Triton  4     

no.12 seed:  Mercury  17     vs.       no.16 seed:  The Asteroids  18 

Replay, 16 August 2021:
no.1 seed:  Saturn  5      vs.      no.13 seed:  Uranus  1 

semi-finals, 16-20 august 2021:

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

no.2 seed:  Jupiter        vs.        no.16 seed:  The Asteroids   

After the first day's play:

Saturn  5    Mars  1
Jupiter  4    The Asteroids  5   

After the second day's play:

Saturn  8    Mars  2
Jupiter  7    The Asteroids  7   

After the third day's play:

Saturn  10    Mars  5
Jupiter  10    The Asteroids  11   

After the fourth day's play:

Saturn  11    Mars  7
Jupiter  11    The Asteroids  11

After the fifth day's play:

SEMI-FINAL RESULTS, AUGUST 2021

no.1 seed:  Saturn  13      vs.       no.7 seed:  Mars  9     

no.2 seed:  Jupiter  16      vs.        no.16 seed:  The Asteroids  15 

the final, 21-25 august 2021; result out 26 aug:

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

After the first day's play:
Saturn  7    Jupiter  5   

After the second day's play:
Saturn  11    Jupiter  6   

After the third day's play:
Saturn  14    Jupiter  8   

After the fourth day's play:
Saturn  20    Jupiter  13

After the last day's play:

CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL RESULT, AUGUST 2021

no.1 seed:  Saturn  26      vs.       no.2 seed:  Jupiter  20    

So the winner of the 60th Interplanetary Knock-Out, August 2021, is

Saturn

While the Ringed Planet fans float exuberantly round the stadium, pundits all over the System are a-chatter.  "Well, you gotta hand it to the Saturnians.  Sure, last year they were beaten in five finals by the Jovians.  But, by Space, they've made up for it this month.  A convincing win, and this is the point at which they join their fellow gas-giant in the select category of those who have won four times in succession..."

Khol Kor is getting used to his role by now, as the blue-skinned humanoid strides to the podium to receive the Orrery from Zendexor...

Altogether the trophy-tally now is as follows: 14 for Jupiter, 12 for Mars, 11 for Saturn, 10 for Venus, 5 for Mercury, 3 each for The Asteroids and Titan, and 1 each for Vulcan and Uranus.


july 2021 - the 59th tournament

first round, 1-5 july 2021:

no.1 seed:  Pellucidar  38      vs.      no.17 seed:  Neptune  12

no.9 seed:  Venus  15      vs.       no.25 seed:  Europa  7

no.5 seed:  Saturn  14      vs.       no.21 seed:  The Sun  9

no.13 seed:  The Asteroids  9       vs.      no. 29 seed:  Umbriel  2

no.3 seed:  Asteroid Progenitor Planet  24      vs.       no.19 seed:  Earth  10 

no.11 seed:  Mars  20        vs       no.27 seed:  Leda  5

no.7 seed:  Mercury  14     vs.       no.23 seed:  The Moon  9  

no.15 seed:  Titan  3        vs.      no.31 seed:  Oberon  2

no.2 seed:  The Reefs of Space  27       vs.      no.18 seed:  Planet X  13

no.10 seed:  Pluto  19       vs       no.26 seed:  Io  6

no.6 seed:  Amalthea  12      vs.      no.22 seed:   Uranus  9

no.14 seed:  Pallas  5       vs.     no.30 seed:  Ariel  3

no. 4 seed:  Jupiter  24     vs.      no.20 seed:  Ganymede  13

no.12 seed:  Triton  5      vs.     no.28 seed:  Ceres  4

no.8 seed:  Vulcan  13      vs.     no.24 seed:  Comets  7

no.16 seed:  Callisto  3      vs.      no.32 seed:  Vesta  2

second round, 6-10 july 2021:

no.1 seed:  Pellucidar  39      vs.      no.9 seed:  Venus  16     

no.5 seed:  Saturn  18      vs.       no.13 seed:  The Asteroids  15      

no.3 seed:  Asteroid Progenitor Planet  26     vs.       no.11 seed:  Mars  19       

no.7 seed:  Mercury  15    vs.       no.15 seed:  Titan  6       

no.2 seed:  The Reefs of Space  25       vs.      no.10 seed:  Pluto  13      

no.6 seed:  Amalthea  13      vs.      no.14 seed:  Pallas  8      

no. 4 seed:  Jupiter  23     vs.      no.12 seed:  Triton  9     

no.8 seed:  Vulcan  16      vs.     no.16 seed:  Callisto  10     

quarter-finals, 11-15 july 2021:

no.1 seed:  Pellucidar        vs.       no.5 seed:  Saturn       

no.3 seed:  Asteroid Progenitor Planet       vs.       no.7 seed:  Mercury     

no.2 seed:  The Reefs of Space         vs.       no.6 seed:  Amalthea       

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

After the first day's play:

Pellucidar  1    Saturn  4
Asteroid Progenitor  0    Mercury  0
Reefs of Space  0    Amalthea  4
Jupiter  5    Vulcan  1   

After the second day's play:

Pellucidar  1    Saturn  8
Asteroid Progenitor  0    Mercury  4
Reefs of Space  0    Amalthea  7
Jupiter  6    Vulcan  5   

After the third day's play:

Pellucidar  3    Saturn  10
Asteroid Progenitor  0    Mercury  4
Reefs of Space  0    Amalthea  10
Jupiter  6    Vulcan  8   

After the fourth day's play:

Pellucidar  5    Saturn  18
Asteroid Progenitor  3    Mercury  6
Reefs of Space  2    Amalthea  12
Jupiter  9    Vulcan  10

After the fifth day's play:

QUARTER-FINAL RESULTS, JULY 2021

no.1 seed:  Pellucidar  9      vs.       no.5 seed:  Saturn  25     

no.3 seed:  Asteroid Progenitor Planet  4     vs.       no.7 seed:  Mercury  7   

no.2 seed:  The Reefs of Space  3       vs.       no.6 seed:  Amalthea  13  

no. 4 seed:  Jupiter  13     vs.       no.8 seed:  Vulcan  13     

Replay:
no. 4 seed:  Jupiter  5     vs.       no.8 seed:  Vulcan  6 

semi-finals, 16-20 july 2021:

no.5 seed:  Saturn         vs.       no.7 seed:  Mercury     

no.6 seed:  Amalthea        vs.       no.8 seed:  Vulcan       

After the first day's play:

Saturn  9    Mercury  4
Amalthea  1    Vulcan  6   

After the second day's play:

Saturn  18    Mercury  4
Amalthea  4    Vulcan  10   

After the third day's play:

Saturn  23    Mercury  7
Amalthea  10    Vulcan  15   

After the fourth day's play:

Saturn  32    Mercury  8
Amalthea  12    Vulcan  19

After the fifth day's play:

SEMI-FINAL RESULTS, JULY 2021

no.5 seed:  Saturn  36      vs.       no.7 seed:  Mercury  10   

no.6 seed:  Amalthea  13      vs.       no.8 seed:  Vulcan  27 

the final, 21-25 july 2021:

no.5 seed:  Saturn        vs.       no.8 seed:  Vulcan  

After the first day's play:
Saturn  8    Vulcan  5   

After the second day's play:
Saturn  13    Vulcan  10   

After the third day's play:
Saturn  19    Vulcan  13   

After the fourth day's play:
Saturn  26    Vulcan  18

After the fifth day's play:

CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL RESULT, JULY 2021

no.5 seed:  Saturn  33      vs.       no.8 seed:  Vulcan  23

So the winner of the 59th Interplanetary Knock-Out, July 2021, is

Saturn

The polymorphous crowds of Saturnian supporters, humanoid, avian and nebulous, zip in crazy triumph around Ceres Stadium for the third month running.  The team has achieved such a hat-trick once before: in October, November and December 2019.  This time their score - 33 - was significantly higher.  Otherwise they would not have won, for the Vulcanians' score of 23 was itself higher than the Saturnian scores in the other 5 finals of their two hat-tricks.  No doubt about it, the Ringed Planet seems currently unstoppable, just as the Martians and Jovians seemed in their day.  But as their blue-skinned captain Khol Kor raises aloft the trophy, there's a tinge of solemnity to his smile; he must be asking himself how long the run can last.  Can they win next month too, so as to equal the Jovian record of consecutive wins?  The question must be in everyone's mind...

Altogether the trophy-tally now is as follows: 14 for Jupiter, 12 for Mars, 10 each for Venus and Saturn, 5 for Mercury, 3 each for The Asteroids and Titan, and 1 each for Vulcan and Uranus.

Note there's quite a distance between the Big Four, whose trophy-haul is in double figures, and the next highest winner which is Mercury with just 5.


june 2021 - the 58th tournament

first round, 1-5 june 2021:

no.1 seed:  Venus  15      vs.      no.17 seed:  The Reefs of Space  14

no.9 seed:  Mars  16      vs.       no.25 seed:  Vesta  5

no.5 seed:  Mercury  19      vs.       no.21 seed:  Triton  6

no.13 seed:  The Sun  12       vs.      no. 29 seed:  Ariel  4

no.3 seed:  Saturn  17      vs.       no.19 seed:  Planet X  13 

no.11 seed:  Amalthea  14        vs       no.27 seed:  Io  3

no.7 seed:  The Asteroids  15     vs.       no.23 seed:  Titan  16  

no.15 seed:  Comets  13        vs.      no.31 seed:  Pallas  3

no.2 seed:  Jupiter  18       vs.      no.18 seed:  Neptune  11

no.10 seed:  The Moon  12       vs       no.26 seed:  Ganymede  3

no.6 seed:  Uranus  14      vs.      no.22 seed:   Callisto 

no.14 seed:  Pluto  14       vs.     no.30 seed:  Mimas  1

no. 4 seed:  Pellucidar  12     vs.      no.20 seed:  Europa  7

no.12 seed:  Asteroid Progenitor Planet  9      vs.     no.28 seed:  Ceres  3

no.8 seed:  Vulcan  12      vs.     no.24 seed:  Umbriel  3

no.16 seed:  Earth  11     vs.      no.32 seed:  Oberon  4

second round, 6-10 june 2021:

no.1 seed:  Venus  27      vs.      no.9 seed:  Mars  29      

no.5 seed:  Mercury  27      vs.       no.13 seed:  The Sun  21

no.3 seed:  Saturn  36      vs.       no.11 seed:  Amalthea  18 

no.23 seed:  Titan  28     vs.      no.15 seed:  Comets  11    

no.2 seed:  Jupiter  47       vs.      no.10 seed:  The Moon  20  

no.6 seed:  Uranus  13      vs.      no.14 seed:  Pluto  20    

no. 4 seed:  Pellucidar  192     vs.      no.12 seed:  Asteroid Progenitor Planet  175 

no.8 seed:  Vulcan  20      vs.     no.16 seed:  Earth  14

quarter-finals, 11-15 june 2021:

no.9 seed:  Mars        vs.      no.5 seed:  Mercury       

no.3 seed:  Saturn        vs.       no.23 seed:  Titan 

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

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

After the first day's play:

Mars  0    Mercury  9
Saturn  3    Titan  0
Jupiter  4    Pluto  2
Pellucidar  4    Vulcan  2      

After the second day's play:

Mars  2    Mercury  11
Saturn  4    Titan  0
Jupiter  6    Pluto  4
Pellucidar  5    Vulcan  5     

After the third day's play:

Mars 4    Mercury  13
Saturn  8    Titan  1
Jupiter  10    Pluto  7
Pellucidar  7    Vulcan  8     

After the fourth day's play:

Mars 6    Mercury  15
Saturn  11    Titan  2
Jupiter  16    Pluto  8
Pellucidar  11    Vulcan  11

After the fifth day's play:

QUARTER-FINAL RESULTS, JUNE 2021

no.9 seed:  Mars  7      vs.      no.5 seed:  Mercury  17     

no.3 seed:  Saturn  14      vs.       no.23 seed:  Titan  5

no.2 seed:  Jupiter  19       vs.      no.14 seed:  Pluto  10   

no. 4 seed:  Pellucidar   14    vs.      no.8 seed:  Vulcan  14

Replay:
no. 4 seed:  Pellucidar   3    vs.      no.8 seed:  Vulcan  4

semi-finals, 16-20 june 2021:

no.5 seed:  Mercury        vs.        no.3 seed:  Saturn       

no.2 seed:  Jupiter         vs.        no.8 seed:  Vulcan  

After the first day's play:

Mercury  2    Saturn  7
Jupiter  4    Vulcan  4      

After the second day's play:

Mercury  8    Saturn  16
Jupiter  10    Vulcan  10      

After the third day's play:

Mercury  11    Saturn  19
Jupiter  13    Vulcan  13      

After the fourth day's play:

Mercury  13    Saturn  24
Jupiter  15    Vulcan  17

After the fifth day's play:

SEMI-FINAL RESULTS, JUNE 2021

no.5 seed:  Mercury  13      vs.        no.3 seed:  Saturn  27  

no.2 seed:  Jupiter  18       vs.        no.8 seed:  Vulcan  20

the final, 21-25 June 2021; result out 26 june:

no.3 seed:  Saturn       vs.        no.8 seed:  Vulcan  

After the first day's play:
Saturn  4    Vulcan  1     

After the second day's play:
Saturn  10    Vulcan  2     

After the third day's play:
Saturn  14    Vulcan  4     

After the fourth day's play:
Saturn  18    Vulcan  10

After the fifth day's play:

CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL RESULT, JUNE 2021

no.3 seed:  Saturn  22     vs.        no.8 seed:  Vulcan  13

So the winner of the 58th Interplanetary Knock-Out, June 2021, is

Saturn

So the Saturnians have retained the trophy, winning it against the Vulcanians more easily than they did in last month's narrow squeak against the Uranians. 

As blue-skinned Khol Kor, ex-Governor of Saturn and now captain/manager of the planetary team, strides to the podium to receive the Orrery from Zendexor, the Saturnians from all other versions of the planet join with those of Captain Future's continuum in celebrating the victory.  Thus, the acephalic Blemphroims and the cloudy races both indicate enthusiasm by various movements appropriate to their physiology...

Altogether the trophy-tally now is as follows: 14 for Jupiter, 12 for Mars, 10 for Venus, 9 for Saturn, 5 for Mercury, 3 each for The Asteroids and Titan, and 1 each for Vulcan and Uranus.


may 2021 - the 57th tournament

first round, 1-5 may 2021:

no.1 seed:  Venus  25      vs.      no.17 seed:  Pluto  13

no.9 seed:  Jupiter  15      vs.       no.25 seed:  Oberon  4

no.5 seed:  Pellucidar  16      vs.       no.21 seed:  Comets  9

no.13 seed:  Asteroid Progenitor Planet  15       vs.      no. 29 seed:  Ariel  4

no.3 seed:  Saturn  16      vs.       no.19 seed:  Io  4 

no.11 seed:  Europa  12        vs       no.27 seed:  Leda  2

no.7 seed:  Amalthea  17     vs.       no.23 seed:  Ganymede  4  

no.15 seed:  Neptune  9        vs.      no.31 seed:  Cerberus  2

no.2 seed:  Mercury  7       vs.      no.18 seed:  Callisto  5

no.10 seed:  Vulcan  8       vs       no.26 seed:  Triton  6

no.6 seed:  The Asteroids  4      vs.      no.22 seed:   Titan  

no.14 seed:  The Moon  10       vs.     no.30 seed:  Ceres  3

no. 4 seed:  Uranus  13     vs.      no.20 seed:  The Sun  9

no.12 seed:  Earth  9      vs.     no.28 seed:  Umbriel   2

no.8 seed:  Mars  9      vs.     no.24 seed:  The Reefs of Space  12

no.16 seed:  Planet X  7     vs.      no.32 seed:  Pallas  3

second round, 6-10 may 2021:

no.1 seed:  Venus  16      vs.      no.9 seed:  Jupiter  13     

no.5 seed:  Pellucidar  15      vs.       no.13 seed:  Asteroid Progenitor Planet  12

no.3 seed:  Saturn  14      vs.       no.11 seed:  Europa  5 

no.7 seed:  Amalthea  7     vs.       no.15 seed:  Neptune  10    

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

no.22 seed:   Titan   4      vs.     no.14 seed:  The Moon  10    

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

no.24 seed:  The Reefs of Space  8      vs.      no.16 seed:  Planet X  8    

Replay, 11 May 2021:

no.24 seed:  The Reefs of Space  4      vs.      no.16 seed:  Planet X  3 

quarter-finals, 11-15 may 2021:

no.1 seed:  Venus        vs.      no.5 seed:  Pellucidar       

no.3 seed:  Saturn        vs.       no.15 seed:  Neptune     

no.10 seed:  Vulcan       vs.     no.14 seed:  The Moon     

no. 4 seed:  Uranus       vs.      no.24 seed:  The Reefs of Space       

After the first day's play:

Venus  5    Pellucidar  5
Saturn  5    Neptune  3
Vulcan  4    The Moon  7
Uranus  5    The Reefs of Space  4     

After the second day's play:

Venus  5    Pellucidar  7
Saturn  7    Neptune  4
Vulcan  7    The Moon  8
Uranus  8    The Reefs of Space  8     

After the third day's play:

Venus  6    Pellucidar  9
Saturn  9    Neptune  4
Vulcan  8    The Moon  10
Uranus  9    The Reefs of Space  9     

After the fourth day's play:

Venus  10    Pellucidar  11
Saturn  13    Neptune  8
Vulcan  11    The Moon  13
Uranus  11    The Reefs of Space  10

After the fifth day's play:

QUARTER-FINAL RESULTS, MAY 2021

no.1 seed:  Venus  13      vs.      no.5 seed:  Pellucidar  14     

no.3 seed:  Saturn  17      vs.       no.15 seed:  Neptune  9   

no.10 seed:  Vulcan  12  vs.     no.14 seed:  The Moon  15   

no. 4 seed:  Uranus  14     vs.      no.24 seed:  The Reefs of Space  11      

semi-finals, 16-20 may 2021:

no.5 seed:  Pellucidar      vs.      no.3 seed:  Saturn       

no.14 seed:  The Moon      vs.      no. 4 seed:  Uranus      

After the first day's play:

Pellucidar  4    Saturn  8
The Moon  4    Uranus  7       

After the second day's play:

Pellucidar  6    Saturn  12
The Moon  5    Uranus  10       

After the third day's play:

Pellucidar  12    Saturn  15
The Moon  6    Uranus  13       

After the fourth day's play:

Pellucidar  15    Saturn  16
The Moon  7    Uranus  13

After the fifth day's play:

SEMI-FINAL RESULTS, MAY 2021

no.5 seed:  Pellucidar  17    vs.      no.3 seed:  Saturn  22  

no.14 seed:  The Moon  12    vs.      no. 4 seed:  Uranus  20    

the final, 21-25 may 2021:

no.3 seed:  Saturn       vs.      no. 4 seed:  Uranus     

After the first day's play:
Saturn  7    Uranus  7      

After the second day's play:
Saturn  10    Uranus  8      

After the third day's play:
Saturn  10    Uranus  10      

After the fourth day's play:
Saturn  15    Uranus  13

After the fifth and last day's play:

CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL RESULT, MAY 2021

no.3 seed:  Saturn  16     vs.      no. 4 seed:  Uranus  15   

So the winner of the 57th Interplanetary Knock-Out, May 2021, is

Saturn

This was a real tentacle-tip-biting final, the Uranians almost managing to catch up and being beaten by one point only - a creditable performance in what is only the second final in their history.  Meanwhile the Saturnians rejoice in their cloudy fashion, swirling about the arena and congealing at random into wavy humanoid shapes.  Part of the cloud-mass solidifies into a mighty individual that takes the name "Captain Adam" for the purpose of reception of the trophy from Zendexor.  Meanwhile the blue-skinned, more human variety of Saturnian, plus the winged Quelus, join in the celebration.

Altogether the trophy-tally now is as follows: 14 for Jupiter, 12 for Mars, 10 for Venus, 8 for Saturn, 5 for Mercury, 3 each for The Asteroids and Titan, and 1 each for Vulcan and Uranus.


april 2021 - the 56th tournament

first round, 1-5 april 2021:

no.1 seed:  Mars  20      vs.      no.17 seed:  Neptune  12

no.9 seed:  The Asteroids  11      vs.       no.25 seed:  Titan  6

no.5 seed:  Jupiter  19      vs.       no.21 seed:  The Reefs of Space  7

no.13 seed:  Pluto  12       vs.      no. 29 seed:  Umbriel  5

no.3 seed:  Mercury  13      vs.       no.19 seed:  Comets  11 

no.11 seed:  The Moon  12        vs       no.27 seed:  Pallas  4

no.7 seed:  Amalthea  19     vs.       no.23 seed:  Callisto  9  

no.15 seed:  Pellucidar  9        vs.      no.31 seed:  Ceres  8

no.2 seed:  Venus  14       vs.      no.18 seed:  Planet X  10

no.10 seed:  Vulcan  14       vs       no.26 seed:  Ganymede  7

no.6 seed:  Uranus  18      vs.      no.22 seed:   Triton  

no.14 seed:  Europa  18       vs.     no.30 seed:  Ariel  4

no. 4 seed:  Saturn  18     vs.      no.20 seed:  Io  12

no.12 seed:  The Sun  9      vs.     no.28 seed:  Leda   7

no.8 seed:  Earth  11      vs.     no.24 seed:  Oberon  13

no.16 seed:  Asteroid Progenitor Planet  9     vs.      no.32 seed:  Cerberus  7

second round, 6-10 april 2021:

no.1 seed:  Mars  20      vs.      no.9 seed:  The Asteroids  13     

no.5 seed:  Jupiter  15      vs.       no.13 seed:  Pluto  6

no.3 seed:  Mercury  13      vs.       no.11 seed:  The Moon  6 

no.7 seed:  Amalthea  23     vs.       no.15 seed:  Pellucidar  28    

no.2 seed:  Venus  22       vs.      no.10 seed:  Vulcan  12  

no.6 seed:  Uranus  12      vs.      no.14 seed:  Europa  20    

no. 4 seed:  Saturn  10     vs.      no.12 seed:  The Sun  9 

no.24 seed:  Oberon  3     vs.     no.16 seed:  Asteroid Progenitor Planet  16

quarter-finals, 11-15 april 2021:

no.1 seed:  Mars        vs.      no.5 seed:  Jupiter       

no.3 seed:  Mercury        vs.       no.15 seed:  Pellucidar     

no.2 seed:  Venus         vs.      no.14 seed:  Europa     

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

After the first day's play:

Mars  3    Jupiter  5
Mercury  0    Pellucidar  12
Venus  1    Europa  4
Saturn  6    Asteroid Progenitor Planet  3    

After the second day's play:

Mars  5    Jupiter  7
Mercury  1    Pellucidar  13
Venus  4    Europa  6
Saturn  8    Asteroid Progenitor Planet  6    

After the third day's play:

Mars  8    Jupiter  10
Mercury  3    Pellucidar  14
Venus  8    Europa  9
Saturn  13    Asteroid Progenitor Planet  8    

After the fourth day's play:

Mars  10    Jupiter  15
Mercury  5    Pellucidar  17
Venus  11    Europa  10
Saturn  18    Asteroid Progenitor Planet  11

After the fifth day's play:

QUARTER-FINAL RESULTS, APRIL 2021

no.1 seed:  Mars  16      vs.      no.5 seed:  Jupiter  20     

no.3 seed:  Mercury  30      vs.       no.15 seed:  Pellucidar  25   

no.2 seed:  Venus  24       vs.      no.14 seed:  Europa  13   

no. 4 seed:  Saturn  27     vs.      no.16 seed:  Asteroid Progenitor Planet  16

semi-finals, 16-20 april 2021:

no.5 seed:  Jupiter      vs.       no.3 seed:  Mercury       

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

After the first day's play:

Jupiter  3    Mercury  23
Venus  7    Saturn  5      

After the second day's play:

Jupiter  6    Mercury  27
Venus  10    Saturn  7      

After the third day's play:

Jupiter  8    Mercury  27
Venus  11    Saturn  14      

After the fourth day's play:

Jupiter  10    Mercury  29
Venus  12    Saturn  19

After the fifth day's play:

SEMI-FINAL RESULTS, APRIL 2021

no.5 seed:  Jupiter  12    vs.       no.3 seed:  Mercury  29  

no.2 seed:  Venus  15     vs.       no. 4 seed:  Saturn  22    

THE FINAL, 21-25 APRIL 2021; RESULT OUT 26 APRIL:

no.3 seed:  Mercury        vs.       no. 4 seed:  Saturn      

After the first day's play:
Mercury  4    Saturn  5        

After the second day's play:
Mercury  7    Saturn  6        

After the third day's play:
Mercury  8    Saturn  6        

After the fourth day's play:
Mercury  9    Saturn  8

After the fifth and last day's play:

CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL RESULT, APRIL 2021

no.3 seed:  Mercury  10      vs.       no. 4 seed:  Saturn  8    

So the winner of the 56th Interplanetary Knock-Out, April 2021, is

Mercury

Musical vowels sing out from the stands at Ceres Stadium as the melodic Mercurians discovered by Dan Dare celebrate their first tournament win since May 2018.  Another type of Mercurian, the haughty and ruthless Ounavodo, strides to the podium to receive the trophy from Zendexor.

Are the great days of Mercury due to return?  The team won three trophies in the first half of 2018, and languished since.

Altogether the trophy-tally now is as follows: 14 for Jupiter, 12 for Mars, 10 for Venus, 7 for Saturn, 5 for Mercury, 3 each for The Asteroids and Titan, and 1 each for Vulcan and Uranus.


march 2021 - the 55th tournament

first round, 1-5 march 2021:

no.1 seed:  Jupiter  4      vs.      no.17 seed:  Comets  5

no.9 seed:  Mercury  16      vs.       no.25 seed:  Io 3

no.5 seed:  Venus  19      vs.       no.21 seed:  Umbriel  0

no.13 seed:  Earth  8       vs.      no. 29 seed:  Ariel 1

no.3 seed:  Saturn  9      vs.       no.19 seed:  The Reefs of Space  3 

no.11 seed:  Uranus  5        vs       no.27 seed:  Ganymede  3

no.7 seed:  The Moon  11     vs.       no.23 seed:  Titan  4  

no.15 seed:  Neptune  3        vs.      no.31 seed:  Titania  3

no.2 seed:  Vulcan  5       vs.      no.18 seed:  The Sun  7

no.10 seed:  Pellucidar  2       vs       no.26 seed:  Oberon  0

no.6 seed:  Pluto  5      vs.      no.22 seed:   Europa  

no.14 seed:  Asteroid Progenitor Planet  5       vs.     no.30 seed:  Leda  1

no. 4 seed:  Mars  25     vs.      no.20 seed:  Amalthea  6

no.12 seed:  Planet X  7      vs.     no.28 seed:  Styx   0

no.8 seed:  The Asteroids  7      vs.     no.24 seed:  Callisto  4

no.16 seed:  Triton  3     vs.      no.32 seed:  Ceres  2

REPLAY OF DRAWN MATCH, 6 MARCH:

no.15 seed:  Neptune  3        vs.      no.31 seed:  Titania  0

second round, 6-10 march 2021:

no.17 seed:  Comets  7      vs.      no.9 seed:  Mercury  9    

no.5 seed:  Venus  37      vs.       no.13 seed:  Earth  7

no.3 seed:  Saturn  13      vs.       no.11 seed:  Uranus  16 

no.7 seed:  The Moon  6     vs.       no.15 seed:  Neptune  10    

no.18 seed:  The Sun  9     vs.      no.10 seed:  Pellucidar  9      

no.22 seed:   Europa   6    vs.   no.14 seed:  Asteroid Progenitor Planet  8

no. 4 seed:  Mars  13     vs.      no.12 seed:  Planet X  6

no.8 seed:  The Asteroids  11      vs.     no.16 seed:  Triton  5

11th March 2021:  Replay of The Sun vs. Pellucidar.
no.18 seed:  The Sun  1     vs.      no.10 seed:  Pellucidar  2  

quarter-finals, 11-15 march 2021:

no.9 seed:  Mercury       vs.      no.5 seed:  Venus       

no.11 seed:  Uranus       vs.       no.15 seed:  Neptune     

no.10 seed:  Pellucidar        vs.      no.14 seed:  The Asteroid Progenitor Planet 

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

After the first day's play:

Mercury  0    Venus  3
Uranus  2    Neptune  0
Pellucidar  2    The Asteroid Progenitor Planet  2
Mars  1    The Asteroids  1       

After the second day's play:

Mercury  1    Venus  4
Uranus  2    Neptune  4
Pellucidar  2    The Asteroid Progenitor Planet  4
Mars  2    The Asteroids  5       

After the third day's play:

Mercury  3    Venus  8
Uranus  3    Neptune  4
Pellucidar  5    The Asteroid Progenitor Planet  4
Mars  5    The Asteroids  7       

After the fourth day's play:

Mercury  8    Venus  8
Uranus  5    Neptune  6
Pellucidar  6    The Asteroid Progenitor Planet  4
Mars  7    The Asteroids  7

After the fifth day's play:

QUARTER-FINAL RESULTS, MARCH 2021

no.9 seed:  Mercury  12     vs.      no.5 seed:  Venus  12     

no.11 seed:  Uranus  8     vs.       no.15 seed:  Neptune  8   

no.10 seed:  Pellucidar  9      vs.      no.14 seed:  The Asteroid Progenitor Planet  6

no. 4 seed:  Mars  10     vs.      no.8 seed:  The Asteroids  9 

Two replays necessary...

no.9 seed:  Mercury  5     vs.      no.5 seed:  Venus  4     

no.11 seed:  Uranus  4     vs.       no.15 seed:  Neptune  2   

semi-finals, 16-20 march 2021:

no.9 seed:  Mercury       vs.      no.11 seed:  Uranus      

no.10 seed:  Pellucidar        vs.      no. 4 seed:  Mars      

After the first day's play:

Mercury  5    Uranus  4
Pellucidar  6    Mars  3       

After the second day's play:

Mercury  10    Uranus  9
Pellucidar  8    Mars  7       

After the third day's play:

Mercury  18    Uranus  14
Pellucidar  12    Mars  20       

After the fourth day's play:

Mercury  18    Uranus  14
Pellucidar  12    Mars  23

After the fifth day's play:

SEMI-FINAL RESULTS, MARCH 2021

no.9 seed:  Mercury  22     vs.      no.11 seed:  Uranus  15    

no.10 seed:  Pellucidar  14     vs.      no. 4 seed:  Mars  26    

the final, 21-25 march 2021:

no.9 seed:  Mercury       vs.      no. 4 seed:  Mars      

After the first day's play:
Mercury  2    Mars  3   

After the second day's play:
Mercury  6    Mars  10         

After the third day's play:
Mercury  12    Mars  21         

After the fourth day's play:
Mercury  14    Mars  23

After the last day's play:

CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL RESULT, MARCH 2021

no.9 seed:  Mercury  19     vs.      no. 4 seed:  Mars  25    

So the winner of the 55th Interplanetary Knock-Out, March 2021, is

Mars

At last, the Martians are back!  Eighteen months since they last won the trophy.  A murmur of triumphant relief pervades most parts of the System; forgotten are the days when the Red Planet won so often that people wished for a change... As for the present scene in Ceres Stadium, it is like a firework display with Captain Tweel and his fellow birdlike Martians soaring and plummeting amongst the stands.  Tardos Mors finally imposes some dignified order and nudges Tweel to approach the stand where Zendexor hands him the trophy... the twelfth in the Red Planet's collection.

Altogether the trophy-tally now is as follows: 14 for Jupiter, 12 for Mars, 10 for Venus, 7 for Saturn, 4 for Mercury, 3 each for The Asteroids and Titan, and 1 each for Vulcan and Uranus.


february 2021 - the 54th tournament

first round, 1-5 february 2021:

no.1 seed:  Mars  15      vs.      no.17 seed:  The Sun  9

no.9 seed:  Mercury  12      vs.       no.25 seed:  Io  7

no.5 seed:  Saturn  13      vs.       no.21 seed:  The Reefs of Space  7

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

no.3 seed:  Uranus  12      vs.       no.19 seed:  Planet X  9 

no.11 seed:  The Moon  16        vs       no.27 seed:  Titan  3

no.7 seed:  Venus  12     vs.       no.23 seed:  Ariel  3  

no.15 seed:  Neptune  7        vs.      no.31 seed:  Leda  1

no.2 seed:  Jupiter  11       vs.      no.18 seed:  Asteroid Progenitor Planet  7

no.10 seed:  The Asteroids  7       vs       no.26 seed:  Umbriel  7

no.6 seed:  Vulcan  14      vs.      no.22 seed:   Callisto  6  

no.14 seed:  Triton  8       vs.     no.30 seed:  Pallas  2

no. 4 seed:  Pluto  15     vs.      no.20 seed:  Comets  6

no.12 seed:  Earth  12      vs.     no.28 seed:  Oberon 

no.8 seed:  Pellucidar  10      vs.     no.24 seed:  Ganymede  7

no.16 seed:  Europa  7      vs.     no.32 seed:  Cerberus  1

Replay, 6 February 2021:

no.10 seed:  The Asteroids  4       vs       no.26 seed:  Umbriel  3

second round, 5-10 february 2021:

no.1 seed:  Mars  12      vs.      no.9 seed:  Mercury  13     

no.5 seed:  Saturn  19      vs.       no.13 seed:  Amalthea  10

no.3 seed:  Uranus  19      vs.       no.11 seed:  The Moon  18 

no.7 seed:  Venus  18     vs.       no.15 seed:  Neptune  15    

no.2 seed:  Jupiter  29       vs.      no.10 seed:  The Asteroids  18  

no.6 seed:  Vulcan  13      vs.      no.14 seed:  Triton  18    

no. 4 seed:  Pluto  22     vs.      no.12 seed:  Earth  13 

no.8 seed:  Pellucidar  22      vs.     no.16 seed:  Europa  2

quarter-finals, 11-15 february 2021:

no.9 seed:  Mercury       vs.      no.5 seed:  Saturn       

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

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

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

After the first day's play:

Mercury  4    Saturn  4
Uranus  1    Venus  4
Jupiter  2    Triton  1
Pluto  3    Pellucidar  2         

After the second day's play:

Mercury  7    Saturn  7
Uranus  4    Venus  6
Jupiter  3    Triton  3
Pluto  6    Pellucidar  4         

After the third day's play:

Mercury  11    Saturn  8
Uranus  5    Venus  10
Jupiter  4    Triton  4
Pluto  7    Pellucidar  5         

After the third day's play:

Mercury  11    Saturn  10
Uranus  6    Venus  12
Jupiter  8    Triton  8
Pluto  10    Pellucidar  6

After the fifth day's play:

QUARTER-FINAL RESULTS, FEBRUARY 2021

no.9 seed:  Mercury  11      vs.      no.5 seed:  Saturn  11     

no.3 seed:  Uranus  7      vs.       no.7 seed:  Venus  12    

no.2 seed:  Jupiter  12       vs.      no.14 seed:  Triton  10   

no. 4 seed:  Pluto  14     vs.      no.8 seed:  Pellucidar  10 

Replay, 16 Feb 2021:
no.9 seed:  Mercury  3      vs.      no.5 seed:  Saturn  4     

semi-finals, 16-20 february 2021:

no.5 seed:  Saturn       vs.       no.7 seed:  Venus      

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

After the first day's play:

Saturn  4    Venus  4
Jupiter  1    Pluto  2      

After the second day's play:

Saturn  6    Venus  6
Jupiter  6    Pluto  4      

After the third day's play:

Saturn  10    Venus  9
Jupiter  10    Pluto  7      

After the fourth day's play:

Saturn  13    Venus  12
Jupiter  14    Pluto  13

After the fifth day's play:

SEMI-FINAL RESULTS, FEBRUARY 2021

no.5 seed:  Saturn  15     vs.       no.7 seed:  Venus  18    

no.2 seed:  Jupiter  18       vs.       no. 4 seed:  Pluto  15

the final, 21-25 february 2021; result out 26 feb:

no.7 seed:  Venus       vs.       no.2 seed:  Jupiter        

After the first day's play:
Venus  7    Jupiter  9       

After the second day's play:
Venus  10    Jupiter  10       

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

After the fourth day's play:
Venus  13    Jupiter  15

After the fifth and last day's play:

CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL RESULT, FEBRUARY 2021

no.7 seed:  Venus  14     vs.       no.2 seed:  Jupiter  18  

So the winner of the 54th Interplanetary Knock-Out, February 2021, is

Jupiter

And so, the Jovians are back - with an amazing 3-trophy lead over their closest rivals the Venusians.

Yet it is perhaps not so surprising, given the size of their planet and its consequently enormous talent pool, that they should have managed to draw so far ahead in the fascination stakes.

Certainly the tentacle-waving hexans and grinning skeletal Morgors in the stands appear to think it no more than their due.  However, for the sake of good public relations, they have allowed their more modest representative, Han Du the Savator, to stride - rather than strut - to the podium, to receive the trophy from Archon Zendexor.

The trophy-tally now is as follows: 14 for Jupiter, 11 for Mars, 10 for Venus, 7 for Saturn, 4 for Mercury, 3 each for The Asteroids and Titan, and 1 each for Vulcan and Uranus.


january 2021 - the 53rd tournament

first round, 1-5 january 2021:

no.1 seed:  Saturn  10      vs.      no.17 seed:  Asteroid Progenitor Planet  9

no.9 seed:  Vulcan  11      vs.       no.25 seed:  Callisto  5

no.5 seed:  The Sun  9      vs.       no.21 seed:  Umbriel 3

no.13 seed:  The Moon  8       vs.      no. 29 seed:  Pallas  2

no.3 seed:  The Asteroids  13      vs.       no.19 seed:  Comets  7

no.11 seed:  Venus  10        vs       no.27 seed:  Oberon  3

no.7 seed:  Amalthea  5     vs.       no.23 seed:  The Reefs of Space  7  

no.15 seed:  Earth  9        vs.      no.31 seed:  Ceres  0

no.2 seed:  Jupiter  10       vs.      no.18 seed:  Neptune  9

no.10 seed:  Pellucidar  9       vs       no.26 seed:  Io  7

no.6 seed:  Mars  13      vs.      no.22 seed:   Europa  7

no.14 seed:  Triton  6       vs.     no.30 seed:  Ariel  3

no. 4 seed:  Mercury  8     vs.      no.20 seed:  Ganymede  3

no.12 seed:  Pluto  13      vs.     no.28 seed:  Titan 

no.8 seed:  Uranus  14      vs.     no.24 seed:  Leda  0

no.16 seed:  Planet X  7      vs.     no.32 seed:  Styx  0

second round 6-10 january 2021:

no.1 seed:  Saturn  10      vs.      no.9 seed:  Vulcan  11     

no.5 seed:  The Sun  6      vs.       no.13 seed:  The Moon  10      

no.3 seed:  The Asteroids  14      vs.       no.11 seed:  Venus  13       

no.23 seed:  The Reefs of Space  8     vs.     no.15 seed:  Earth  10      

no.2 seed:  Jupiter  14       vs.     no.10 seed:  Pellucidar  11      

no.6 seed:  Mars  14      vs.      no.14 seed:  Triton  12      

no. 4 seed:  Mercury  12     vs.      no.12 seed:  Pluto  11     

no.8 seed:  Uranus  15      vs.     no.16 seed:  Planet X  8     

quarter-finals 11-15 january 2021:

no.9 seed:  Vulcan        vs.       no.13 seed:  The Moon        

no.3 seed:  The Asteroids        vs.       no.15 seed:  Earth        

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

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

After the first day's play:

Vulcan  3    The Moon  3
The Asteroids  2    Earth  1
Jupiter  2    Mars  5
Mercury  3    Uranus  2             

After the second day's play:

Vulcan  4    The Moon  5
The Asteroids  4    Earth  4
Jupiter  6    Mars  8
Mercury  4    Uranus  6             

After the third day's play:

Vulcan  9    The Moon  10
The Asteroids  9    Earth  7
Jupiter  12    Mars  12
Mercury  11    Uranus  10             

After the fourth day's play:

Vulcan  10    The Moon  13
The Asteroids  11    Earth  9
Jupiter  15    Mars  14
Mercury  12    Uranus  16

After the fifth day's play:

QUARTER-FINAL RESULTS, JANUARY 2021

no.9 seed:  Vulcan  11      vs.       no.13 seed:  The Moon  15

no.3 seed:  The Asteroids  12      vs.       no.15 seed:  Earth  10    

no.2 seed:  Jupiter  18      vs.     no.6 seed:  Mars  16  

no. 4 seed:  Mercury  14     vs.      no.8 seed:  Uranus  17 

semi-finals 16-20 january 2021:

no.13 seed:  The Moon       vs.      no.3 seed:  The Asteroids       

no.2 seed:  Jupiter         vs.     no.8 seed:  Uranus       

After the first day's play:

The Moon  0    The Asteroids  3
Jupiter  1    Uranus  3               

After the second day's play:

The Moon  1    The Asteroids  4
Jupiter  6    Uranus  5               

After the third day's play:

The Moon  3    The Asteroids  7
Jupiter  7    Uranus  6               

After the fourth day's play:

The Moon  6    The Asteroids  9
Jupiter  8    Uranus  8

After the fifth day's play:

SEMI-FINAL RESULTS, JANUARY 2021

no.13 seed:  The Moon  8     vs.      no.3 seed:  The Asteroids  12  

no.2 seed:  Jupiter  11       vs.     no.8 seed:  Uranus  12 

the final, 21-25 january 2021; result out 26 jan:

no.3 seed:  The Asteroids        vs.      no.8 seed:  Uranus  

After the first day's play:
The Asteroids  5    Uranus  9      

After the second day's play:
The Asteroids  6    Uranus  9      

After the third day's play:
The Asteroids  8    Uranus  12      

After the fourth day's play:
The Asteroids  11    Uranus  16

After the last day's play:

CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL RESULT, JANUARY 2021

no.3 seed:  The Asteroids  11      vs.      no.8 seed:  Uranus  17

So the winner of the 53rd Interplanetary Knock-Out, January 2021, is

Uranus

A tremendous yell of triumph resounds from the stands of Ceres Stadium.  This is not only a victory for the Uranians.  In a way it is a huge refresher for the tournament itself, showing all the teams who have so far never won that there is hope for new blood to enter the list of champions.  For now is the first occasion since September 2017 that a new name has been added to that list.

When the arm-and-tentacle-waving has died down a bit, a different murmur of excitement begins to flow amongst the ranks of spectators.  The question that agitates them is, who will step up to receive the trophy?  The Sunnoad of Ooranye?  No, not till over two thousand years have passed will that Uranian ruler be able to leave his world.  Who else, then?

Ah, look who's here - a pair of representatives from the Jamie Ross universe, in which Uranus harbours a civilization that can send its people further afield.  Here come Alisna the Symbiote and Leader Myker, to take from the hands of Zendexor the System Orrery with its multiple revolving spheres...

The trophy-tally now is as follows: 13 for Jupiter, 11 for Mars, 10 for Venus, 7 for Saturn, 4 for Mercury, 3 each for The Asteroids and Titan, and 1 each for Vulcan and Uranus.


december 2020 - the 52nd tournament

first round: 1-5 december 2020:

no.1 seed:  Pellucidar  9      vs.      no.17 seed:  Neptune  16

no.9 seed:  The Asteroids  20      vs.       no.25 seed:  Ceres  2

no.5 seed:  Venus  10      vs.       no.21 seed:  Amalthea  17

no.13 seed:  Mercury  13       vs.      no. 29 seed:  Umbriel  6

no.3 seed:  Asteroid Progenitor Planet  8      vs.       no.19 seed:  Earth  13 

no.11 seed:  Triton  16        vs       no.27 seed:  Io  6

no.7 seed:  Mars  8     vs.       no.23 seed:  Titan  3  

no.15 seed:  The Moon  7        vs.      no.31 seed:  Cerberus  5

no.2 seed:  The Reefs of Space  8       vs.      no.18 seed:  Pluto  14

no.10 seed:  Iapetus  0       vs       no.26 seed:  Comets  4

no.6 seed:  Saturn  22      vs.      no.22 seed:   Planet X  10

no.14 seed:  Ganymede  4       vs.     no.30 seed:  Oberon  5

no. 4 seed:  Jupiter  24     vs.      no.20 seed:  The Sun  11

no.12 seed:  Vulcan  15      vs.     no.28 seed:  Ariel   3

no.8 seed:  Uranus  10      vs.     no.24 seed:  Europa  5

no.16 seed:  Callisto  3      vs.     no.32 seed:  Pallas  4

second round, 6-10 december 2020:

no.17 seed:  Neptune  10      vs.      no.9 seed:  The Asteroids  16    

no.21 seed:  Amalthea  6      vs.      no.13 seed:  Mercury  20      

no.19 seed:  Earth  12      vs.      no.11 seed:  Triton  6       

no.7 seed:  Mars  21     vs.       no.15 seed:  The Moon  14       

no.18 seed:  Pluto  10        vs       no.26 seed:  Comets  13

no.6 seed:  Saturn  20      vs.      no.30 seed:  Oberon  5

no. 4 seed:  Jupiter  20     vs.      no.12 seed:  Vulcan  12     

no.8 seed:  Uranus  13      vs.     no.32 seed:  Pallas  3

quarter-finals, 11-15 december 2020:

no.9 seed:  The Asteroids       vs.      no.13 seed:  Mercury        

no.19 seed:  Earth        vs.      no.7 seed:  Mars      

no.26 seed:  Comets        vs.      no.6 seed:  Saturn       

no. 4 seed:  Jupiter       vs.      no.8 seed:  Uranus       

After the first day's play:

The Asteroids  3    Mercury  3
Earth  1    Mars  1
Comets  0    Saturn  6
Jupiter  2    Uranus  2        

After the second day's play:

The Asteroids  5    Mercury  4
Earth  2    Mars  4
Comets  3    Saturn  13
Jupiter  3    Uranus  3        

After the third day's play:

The Asteroids  6    Mercury  4
Earth  2    Mars  6
Comets  3    Saturn  17
Jupiter  7    Uranus  3        

After the fourth day's play:

The Asteroids  8    Mercury  4
Earth  2    Mars  6
Comets  3    Saturn  22
Jupiter  9    Uranus  3

After the fifth day's play:

QUARTER-FINAL RESULTS, DECEMBER 2020

no.9 seed:  The Asteroids  9     vs.      no.13 seed:  Mercury  4

no.19 seed:  Earth  3      vs.      no.7 seed:  Mars  10    

no.26 seed:  Comets  4      vs.      no.6 seed:  Saturn  30  

no. 4 seed:  Jupiter  12     vs.      no.8 seed:  Uranus  4 

semi-finals, 16-20 december 2020:

no.9 seed:  The Asteroids      vs.      no.7 seed:  Mars      

no.6 seed:  Saturn      vs.       no. 4 seed:  Jupiter      

After the first day's play:

The Asteroids  0    Mars  0
Saturn  2    Jupiter  2     

After the second day's play:

The Asteroids  0    Mars  1
Saturn  5    Jupiter  4     

After the third day's play:

The Asteroids  4    Mars  3
Saturn  10    Jupiter  8     

After the fourth day's play:

The Asteroids  6    Mars  5
Saturn  11    Jupiter  10

After the fifth day's play:

SEMI-FINAL RESULTS, DECEMBER 2020

no.9 seed:  The Asteroids  7     vs.      no.7 seed:  Mars  5    

no.6 seed:  Saturn  13    vs.       no. 4 seed:  Jupiter  13    

Saturn vs Jupiter has run into extra time! 

Replay of semi-final match, 21 December 2020:
no.6 seed:  Saturn  3    vs.       no. 4 seed:  Jupiter  3

Yet more extra time needed!

Replay of semi-final match, 22 December 2020:
no.6 seed:  Saturn  1    vs.       no. 4 seed:  Jupiter  1

And again yet more extra time needed!

Replay of semi-final match, 23 December 2020:
no.6 seed:  Saturn  4    vs.       no. 4 seed:  Jupiter  2

the final, 23-5 december 2020; result out 26 dec:

no.9 seed:  The Asteroids       vs.      no.6 seed:  Saturn     

After 23rd Dec: 
The Asteroids  4    Saturn  8          

After 24th Dec: 
The Asteroids  6    Saturn  9

After the last day's play:

CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL RESULT, DECEMBER 2020

no.9 seed:  The Asteroids  6     vs.      no.6 seed:  Saturn  13   

So the winner of the 52nd Interplanetary Knock-Out, December 2020, is

Saturn

In a year that has been dominated by Jupiter, to the extent that the Jovians have taken eight trophies in twelve competitions, most of the System breathed a sigh of relief that the giant planet was (after several replays) at last knocked out in this month's semi-finals.  Compared to that epic struggle the actual final was rather an anti-climax, yet it is being celebrated as a well-deserved win for the Saturnians who have been the most energetic contenders in the last rounds.  A ragged, exhausted cheer went up from the stands as the spidery Ringed Planet captain, Xagelthad, stalked up to the podium to receive the Curtis Newton Trophy from Zendexor.

The swaying phasmidae from the Asteroids meanwhile could be heard whispering, "September 2017" - taking comfort from memories of the glory days when they did beat the Saturnians in the final.

The trophy-tally now is as follows: 13 for Jupiter, 11 for Mars, 10 for Venus, 7 for Saturn, 4 for Mercury, 3 each for The Asteroids and Titan, and 1 for Vulcan.


november 2020 - the 51st tournament

first round, 1-5 november 2020:

no.1 seed:  Jupiter  14      vs.      no.17 seed:  Earth  11

no.9 seed:  Asteroid Progenitor Planet  7      vs.       no.25 seed:  Ariel  4

no.5 seed:  Saturn  9      vs.       no.21 seed:  Comets  9

no.13 seed:  Iapetus  10       vs.      no. 29 seed:  Io  7

no.3 seed:  Pellucidar  4      vs.       no.19 seed:  Neptune 

no.11 seed:  The Reefs of Space  5        vs       no.27 seed:  Umbriel  3

no.7 seed:  Mercury  6     vs.       no.23 seed:  Ganymede  2  

no.15 seed:  Amalthea  7        vs.      no.31 seed:  Cerberus  5

no.2 seed:  Venus  21       vs.      no.18 seed:  Vulcan  17

no.10 seed:  Uranus  12       vs       no.26 seed:  Leda  3

no.6 seed:  Mars  16      vs.      no.22 seed:   Callisto  3

no.14 seed:  Planet X  9       vs.     no.30 seed:  Pallas  1

no. 4 seed:  The Asteroids  9     vs.      no.20 seed:  Triton  7

no.12 seed:  The Sun  8      vs.     no.28 seed:  Titan   4

no.8 seed:  Pluto  7      vs.     no.24 seed:  Europa  4

no.16 seed:  The Moon  9      vs.     no.32 seed:  Ceres  5

First-round replay, 6 November 2020:
no.5 seed:  Saturn  4      vs.       no.21 seed:  Comets  0

second round, 6-10 november 2020:

no.1 seed:  Jupiter  11      vs.      no.9 seed:  Asteroid Progenitor Planet  7    

no.5 seed:  Saturn  23      vs.       no.13 seed:  Iapetus  8     

no.19 seed:  Neptune  8       vs.      no.11 seed:  The Reefs of Space  5       

no.7 seed:  Mercury  11     vs.       no.15 seed:  Amalthea  10       

no.2 seed:  Venus  8       vs.      no.10 seed:  Uranus  12             

no.6 seed:  Mars  10      vs.      no.14 seed:  Planet X  9      

no. 4 seed:  The Asteroids  13     vs.      no.12 seed:  The Sun  8     

no.8 seed:  Pluto  8      vs.     no.16 seed:  The Moon  7     

quarter-finals, 11-15 november 2020:

no.1 seed:  Jupiter        vs.      no.5 seed:  Saturn       

no.19 seed:  Neptune         vs.      no.7 seed:  Mercury      

no.10 seed:  Uranus          vs.     no.6 seed:  Mars       

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

After the first day's play:

Jupiter  4    Saturn  3
Neptune  3    Mercury  3
Uranus  4    Mars  1
The Asteroids  3    Pluto  5     

After the second day's play:

Jupiter  7    Saturn  6
Neptune  5    Mercury  3
Uranus  6    Mars  7
The Asteroids  5    Pluto  5     

After the third day's play:

Jupiter  11    Saturn  8
Neptune  6    Mercury  5
Uranus  9    Mars  13
The Asteroids  10    Pluto  7     

After the fourth day's play:

Jupiter  16    Saturn  14
Neptune  9    Mercury  11
Uranus  13    Mars  19
The Asteroids  14    Pluto  11

After the fifth day's play:

QUARTER-FINAL RESULTS, NOVEMBER 2020

no.1 seed:  Jupiter  23      vs.      no.5 seed:  Saturn  18     

no.19 seed:  Neptune  13      vs.      no.7 seed:  Mercury  15    

no.10 seed:  Uranus  16        vs.     no.6 seed:  Mars  25  

no. 4 seed:  The Asteroids  18     vs.      no.8 seed:  Pluto  13 

semi-finals, 16-20 november 2020; results out 21 nov:

no.1 seed:  Jupiter        vs.      no.7 seed:  Mercury      

no.6 seed:  Mars        vs.       no. 4 seed:  The Asteroids      

After the first day's play:

Jupiter  5    Mercury  0
Mars  2    The Asteroids  2       

After the second day's play:

Jupiter  7    Mercury  2
Mars  2    The Asteroids  2       

After the third day's play:

Jupiter  10    Mercury  4
Mars  8    The Asteroids  3       

After the fourth day's play:

Jupiter  20    Mercury  8
Mars  12    The Asteroids  6

After the fifth day's play:

SEMI-FINAL RESULTS, NOVEMBER 2020

no.1 seed:  Jupiter  24      vs.      no.7 seed:  Mercury  9    

no.6 seed:  Mars  14       vs.       no. 4 seed:  The Asteroids  8     

THE FINAL, 21-25 NOVEMBER 2020; RESULT OUT 26 NOV:

no.1 seed:  Jupiter        vs.      no.6 seed:  Mars        

After the first day's play:
Jupiter  2    Mars  1        

After the second day's play:
Jupiter  3    Mars  3        

After the third day's play:
Jupiter  32    Mars  16        

After the fourth day's play:
Jupiter  32    Mars  18

After the fifth day's play:

CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL RESULT, NOVEMBER 2020

no.1 seed:  Jupiter  37      vs.      no.6 seed:  Mars  22      

So the winner of the 51st Interplanetary Knock-Out, November 2020, is

Jupiter

In exasperation at the dominance of the giant planet, fans of other teams are spreading a new nickname for the Jovian team: the "Jumpers", derived from the common ejaculation of the spaceways, "Jumping Jupiter!" - expressing dumbfounded dismay.

Bandolian the team captain saunters up to the podium to reach for the trophy like someone routinely retrieving his own coat and hat from a locker.  The hexans and Morgors in the stands adopt a quite casual swagger.  Indeed, last month's victory by the Venusians is almost forgotten now, and we're back in the Jovian era as though it had never ended.

The trophy-tally now is as follows: 13 for Jupiter, 11 for Mars, 10 for Venus, 6 for Saturn, 4 for Mercury, 3 each for The Asteroids and Titan, and 1 for Vulcan.


october 2020 - the 50th tournament

first round, 1-5 october 2020:

no.1 seed:  Pellucidar  54      vs.      no.17 seed:  Amalthea  31

no.9 seed:  Mars  39      vs.       no.25 seed:  Comets  16

no.5 seed:  Venus  34      vs.       no.21 seed:  Triton  14

no.13 seed:  The Moon  20       vs.      no. 29 seed:  Ariel  10

no.3 seed:  The Asteroids  58       vs.       no.19 seed:  The Reefs of Space  49 

no.11 seed:  The Sun  21        vs       no.27 seed:  Leda  8

no.7 seed:  Uranus  15     vs.       no.23 seed:  Io  14  

no.15 seed:  Earth  21        vs.      no.31 seed:  Ceres  8

no.2 seed:  Jupiter  43       vs.      no.18 seed:  Neptune  22

no.10 seed:  Iapetus  11       vs       no.26 seed:  Titan  11

no.6 seed:  Mercury  26      vs.      no.22 seed:   Europa  20

no.14 seed:  Asteroid Progenitor Planet  55       vs.     no.30 seed:  Umbriel  12

no. 4 seed:  Saturn  27     vs.      no.20 seed:  Callisto  21

no.12 seed:  Planet X  21      vs.     no.28 seed:  Ganymede  21

no.8 seed:  Vulcan  14      vs.     no.24 seed:  Pallas  8

no.16 seed:  Pluto  36      vs.     no.32 seed:  Titania  0

Replays, 6 October: 

no.10 seed:  Iapetus  1       vs       no.26 seed:  Titan  1

no.12 seed:  Planet X  4       vs.     no.28 seed:  Ganymede  0

Second replay of Iapetus vs Titan, 7 October:

no.10 seed:  Iapetus  1       vs       no.26 seed:  Titan  1

Third replay of Iapetus vs Titan, 8 October - at last a result:

no.10 seed:  Iapetus  10       vs       no.26 seed:  Titan  3

second round, 6-10 october 2020:

no.1 seed:  Pellucidar  17      vs.      no.9 seed:  Mars  16     

no.5 seed:  Venus  23     vs.       no.13 seed:  The Moon  17      

no.3 seed:  The Asteroids  17       vs.       no.11 seed:  The Sun  16       

no.7 seed:  Uranus  23     vs.       no.15 seed:  Earth  17       

no.2 seed:  Jupiter  21       vs.      no.10 seed:  Iapetus  21      

no.6 seed:  Mercury  23  vs.  no.22 seed:   no.14 seed:  Asteroid Progenitor Planet 12  

no. 4 seed:  Saturn  24     vs.      no.12 seed:  Planet X  18     

no.8 seed:  Vulcan  15      vs.     no.16 seed:  Pluto  16        

Once again, Iapetus gets to be involved in a replay.  11th October:

no.2 seed:  Jupiter  5       vs.      no.10 seed:  Iapetus  4      

quarter-finals, 11-15 october 2020:

no.1 seed:  Pellucidar        vs.      no.5 seed:  Venus