no.1 seed: Mars 39 vs. no.17 seed: Amalthea 31
no.9 seed: Vulcan 25 vs. no.25 seed: Ariel 7
no.5 seed: Saturn 25 vs. no.21 seed: The Reefs of Space 21
no.13 seed: Asteroid Progenitor 17 vs. no. 29 seed: Leda 14
no.3 seed: Jupiter 34 vs. no.19 seed: Iapetus 16
no.11 seed: The Moon 22 vs no.27 seed: Io 9
no.7 seed: Pellucidar 25 vs. no.23 seed: Callisto 13
no.15 seed: Pluto 19 vs. no.31 seed: Ceres 8
no.2 seed: Venus 38 vs. no.18 seed: Comets 13
no.10 seed: The Sun 34 vs no.26 seed: Oberon 8
no.6 seed: The Asteroids 27 vs. no.22 seed: Ganymede 9
no.14 seed: Neptune 23 vs. no.30 seed: Titania 8
no. 4 seed: Mercury 26 vs. no.20 seed: Triton 32
no.12 seed: Earth 24 vs. no.28 seed: Umbriel 2
no.8 seed: Titan 17 vs. no.24 seed: Europa 14
no.16 seed: Uranus 24 vs. no.32 seed: Styx 6
Last month's first-round shock was the Comets' victory over Venus; this time the Venusians - paired again with the Comets - had their revenge, while the role of 'shocked' went to the Mercurians, who lost to Triton.
no.1 seed: Mars 34 vs. no.9 seed: Vulcan 14
no.5 seed: Saturn 26 vs. no.13 seed: Asteroid Progenitor 13
no.3 seed: Jupiter 24 vs. no.11 seed: The Moon 12
no.7 seed: Pellucidar 19 vs. no.15 seed: Pluto 9
no.2 seed: Venus 22 vs. no.10 seed: The Sun 16
no.6 seed: The Asteroids 31 vs. no.14 seed: Neptune 14
no.20 seed: Triton 18 vs. no.12 seed: Earth 15
no.8 seed: Titan 17 vs. no.16 seed: Uranus 15
no.1 seed: Mars vs. no.5 seed: Saturn
no.3 seed: Jupiter vs. no.7 seed: Pellucidar
no.2 seed: Venus vs. no.6 seed: The Asteroids
no.20 seed: Triton vs. no.8 seed: Titan
After the first day's play:
Mars 6 Saturn 2
Jupiter 6 Pellucidar 1
Venus 7 The Asteroids 1
Triton 0 Titan 3
After the second day's play:
Mars 9 Saturn 3
Jupiter 7 Pellucidar 2
Venus 9 The Asteroids 5
Triton 0 Titan 6
After the third day's play:
Mars 15 Saturn 5
Jupiter 8 Pellucidar 4
Venus 11 The Asteroids 9
Triton 3 Titan 7
After the fourth day's play:
Mars 20 Saturn 9
Jupiter 12 Pellucidar 7
Venus 13 The Asteroids 14
Triton 6 Titan 10
QUARTER-FINAL RESULTS, AUGUST 2018:
no.1 seed: Mars 25 vs. no.5 seed: Saturn 14
no.3 seed: Jupiter 15 vs. no.7 seed: Pellucidar 14
no.2 seed: Venus 17 vs. no.6 seed: The Asteroids 19
no.20 seed: Triton 10 vs. no.8 seed: Titan 11
no.1 seed: Mars vs. no.3 seed: Jupiter
no.6 seed: The Asteroids vs. no.8 seed: Titan
After the first day's play:
Mars 10 Jupiter 5
The Asteroids 6 Titan 3
After the second day's play:
Mars 15 Jupiter 9
The Asteroids 9 Titan 6
After the third day's play:
Mars 29 Jupiter 22
The Asteroids 17 Titan 13
After the fourth day's play:
Mars 34 Jupiter 32
The Asteroids 22 Titan 16
After the fifth day's play:
SEMI-FINAL RESULTS, AUGUST 2018
no.1 seed: Mars 37 vs. no.3 seed: Jupiter 33
no.6 seed: The Asteroids 28 vs. no.8 seed: Titan 19
So, for the third time in history, we're in for a Mars vs. Asteroids final. Mars won in February 2017; the Asteroids won in November.
no.1 seed: Mars vs. no.6 seed: The Asteroids
After the first day's play:
Mars 6 The Asteroids 7
After the second day's play:
Mars 9 The Asteroids 11
After the third day's play:
Mars 14 The Asteroids 13
After the fourth day's play:
Mars 16 The Asteroids 17
After the fifth day's play:
Latest:
FINAL RESULT, 25 AUGUST 2018
no.1 seed: Mars 20 vs. no.6 seed: The Asteroids 17
So the winner of the 24th Interplanetary Knock-Out championship, August 2018, is
Mars
This has surely turned out to be the most dramatic of finals, with four changes of place. The Martians had to catch up twice, and clinched the trophy with their last surge. But it was no fluke result. It is fitting that the highest overall scorer and number 1 seed should win the championship.
Kli Yang, crew-member of the space-vessel Upskadaska City and current IKO team captain, held the trophy aloft in his tentacles while rolling his eyes in different directions over the crowd.
It is a specially special occasion for the Red Planet as their team has finally equalled the 6-trophy score of their great rivals the Venusians. Between them, those two neighbours of Earth have notched up exactly half of the 24 championships held so far.
Also, the Martians now join the select class (previously including only the Venusians and Mercurians) of those who have won the trophy on two consecutive months.
Trophy numbers now as follows: 6 each for Venus and Mars; 4 for Mercury; 2 each for the Asteroids, Jupiter and Saturn; 1 each for Vulcan and Titan.
no.1 seed: Mars 39 vs. no.17 seed: Asteroid Progenitor Planet 13
no.9 seed: The Moon 11 vs. no.25 seed: Io 4
no.5 seed: Saturn 19 vs. no.21 seed: Callisto 7
no.13 seed: Iapetus 6 vs. no. 29 seed: Titania 4
no.3 seed: Titan 15 vs. no.19 seed: Amalthea 5
no.11 seed: Earth 11 vs no.27 seed: Oberon 5
no.7 seed: Mercury 11 vs. no.23 seed: Triton 9
no.15 seed: The Reefs of Space 8 vs. no.31 seed: Cerberus 2
no.2 seed: Jupiter 16 vs. no.18 seed: Uranus 12
no.10 seed: Pellucidar 12 vs no.26 seed: Ceres 1
no.6 seed: The Sun 9 vs. no.22 seed: Ganymede 8
no.14 seed: Neptune 11 vs. no.30 seed: Ariel 4
no. 4 seed: Venus 10 vs. no.20 seed: Comets 12
no.12 seed: Vulcan 10 vs. no.28 seed: Pallas 4
no.8 seed: The Asteroids 14 vs. no.24 seed: Europa 4
no.16 seed: Pluto 17 vs. no.32 seed: Styx 3
Venus beaten by the Comets - whatever next!! Meanwhile, the Martians surge early; maybe too early, unless they can keep it up (as last month shows, it's the late surger who wins).
no.1 seed: Mars 22 vs. no.9 seed: The Moon 9
no.5 seed: Saturn 19 vs. no.13 seed: Iapetus 5
no.3 seed: Titan 11 vs. no.11 seed: Earth 8
no.7 seed: Mercury 16 vs. no.15 seed: The Reefs of Space 5
no.2 seed: Jupiter 19 vs. no.10 seed: Pellucidar 8
no.6 seed: The Sun 7 vs. no.14 seed: Neptune 2
no.20 seed: Comets 8 vs. no.12 seed: Vulcan 8
no.8 seed: The Asteroids 15 vs. no.16 seed: Pluto 7
Replay necessary between Comets and Vulcan.
SECOND-ROUND REPLAY, 11 JULY 2018:
no.20 seed: Comets 1 vs. no.12 seed: Vulcan 5
no.1 seed: Mars vs. no.5 seed: Saturn
no.3 seed: Titan vs. no.7 seed: Mercury
no.2 seed: Jupiter vs. no.6 seed: The Sun
no.12 seed: Vulcan vs. no.8 seed: The Asteroids
After the first day's play:
Mars 6 Saturn 4
Titan 4 Mercury 4
Jupiter 5 The Sun 3
Vulcan 5 The Asteroids 0
After the second day's play:
Mars 8 Saturn 5
Titan 6 Mercury 10
Jupiter 9 The Sun 13
Vulcan 6 The Asteroids 1
After the third day's play:
Mars 20 Saturn 10
Titan 9 Mercury 15
Jupiter 15 The Sun 20
Vulcan 16 The Asteroids 8
After the fourth day's play:
Mars 34 Saturn 13
Titan 13 Mercury 23
Jupiter 20 The Sun 25
Vulcan 23 The Asteroids 13
RESULTS OF THE QUARTER-FINALS, JULY 2018:
no.1 seed: Mars 39 vs. no.5 seed: Saturn 16
no.3 seed: Titan 16 vs. no.7 seed: Mercury 26
no.2 seed: Jupiter 25 vs. no.6 seed: The Sun 27
no.12 seed: Vulcan 26 vs. no.8 seed: The Asteroids 15
no.1 seed: Mars vs. no.7 seed: Mercury
no.6 seed: The Sun vs. no.12 seed: Vulcan
After the first day's play:
Mars 3 Mercury 3
The Sun 5 Vulcan 2
After the second day's play:
Mars 9 Mercury 9
The Sun 11 Vulcan 5
After the third day's play:
Mars 14 Mercury 11
The Sun 14 Vulcan 8
After the fourth day's play:
Mars 20 Mercury 13
The Sun 16 Vulcan 10
After the fifth day's play:
SEMI-FINAL RESULTS, 20 JULY 2018:
no.1 seed: Mars 29 vs. no.7 seed: Mercury 19
no.6 seed: The Sun 21 vs. no.12 seed: Vulcan 17
So, we're in for a Mars - Sun final.
This is the Solarians' third successive final - a distinction previously achieved only by the Mercurians during November 2016 - January 2017. The first of those finals was won by Mercury and it remains to be seen whether the Sun can win this one... against a Martian team which appears to have re-discovered its old power.
no.1 seed: Mars vs. no.6 seed: The Sun
After the first day's play:
Mars 5 The Sun 3
After the second day's play:
Mars 15 The Sun 7
After the third day's play:
Mars 28 The Sun 10
After the fourth day's play:
Mars 37 The Sun 12
After the fifth and last day's play:
FINAL RESULT, 25 JULY 2018
no.1 seed: Mars 43 vs. no.6 seed: The Sun 13
So the winner of the 23rd Interplanetary Knock-Out championship, July 2018, is
Mars
Tars Tarkas, guaranteed to impress the crowd in Ceres Stadium (he is fifteen feet tall, after all), strode forth to hold up the trophy. Martians intermingled their cheers with mutters of "About time, too" - it is nine months since the team last won the championship, and there is a feeling that this long delay is against the natural order of things. The people of the Red Planet feel about the IKO as the Brazilians feel about the soccer World Cup - i.e. that a smashing victory is the very least they ought to expect. (This one was smashing enough; 43 is the highest score ever achieved in an IKO Final.) In the Martian view, therefore, it was high time they won it again, and moreover they ought now to win it again and again without further delay, so as to surpass those interlopers the Venusians who by some strange means have won more championships than the Martians.
The tall of trophies now is as follows: 6 for Venus, 5 for Mars, 4 for Mercury, 2 each for the Asteroids, Jupiter and Saturn, and 1 each for Vulcan and Titan.
The poor Solarians, like the Dutch in the soccer World Cup, must endure being defeated finalists three times, with no trophies as yet.
no.1 seed: Mars 16 vs. no.17 seed: Pluto 14
no.9 seed: Saturn 25 vs. no.25 seed: Umbriel 5
no.5 seed: Mercury 20 vs. no.21 seed: Ganymede 8
no.13 seed: Neptune 15 vs. no. 29 seed: Pallas 7
no.3 seed: The Sun 17 vs. no.19 seed: Comets 8
no.11 seed: The Moon 16 vs no.27 seed: Oberon 7
no.7 seed: Vulcan 20 vs. no.23 seed: Callisto 16
no.15 seed: Asteroid Progenitor Planet 11 vs. no.31 seed: Ariel 7
no.2 seed: Venus 15 vs. no.18 seed: Iapetus 18
no.10 seed: Earth 11 vs no.26 seed: Ceres 10
no.6 seed: Jupiter 19 vs. no.22 seed: Triton 9
no.14 seed: Uranus 9 vs. no.30 seed: Titania 10
no. 4 seed: The Asteroids 16 vs. no.20 seed: The Reefs of Space 8
no.12 seed: Pellucidar 15 vs. no.28 seed: Io 8
no.8 seed: Titan 18 vs. no.24 seed: Europa 8
no.16 seed: Amalthea 10 vs. no.32 seed: Styx 9
no.1 seed: Mars 17 vs. no.9 seed: Saturn 18
no.5 seed: Mercury 15 vs. no.13 seed: Neptune 9
no.3 seed: The Sun 15 vs. no.11 seed: The Moon 14
no.7 seed: Vulcan 10 vs. no.15 seed: Asteroid Progenitor Planet 9
no.18 seed: Iapetus 7 vs. no.10 seed: Earth 17
no.6 seed: Jupiter 17 vs. no.30 seed: Titania 0
no. 4 seed: The Asteroids 16 vs. no.12 seed: Pellucidar 13
no.8 seed: Titan 11 vs. no.16 seed: Amalthea 3
After the sensational Round One defeat of mighty Venus by Iapetus, Round Two has seen the further surprise of those same Iapetans' robust defeat by the Blue Planet, Earth.
no.9 seed: Saturn vs. no.5 seed: Mercury
no.3 seed: The Sun vs. no.7 seed: Vulcan
no.10 seed: Earth vs. no.6 seed: Jupiter
no. 4 seed: The Asteroids vs. no.8 seed: Titan
After the first day's play:
Saturn 2 Mercury 3
The Sun 3 Vulcan 2
Earth 1 Jupiter 4
The Asteroids 1 Titan 2
After the second day's play:
Saturn 4 Mercury 5
The Sun 6 Vulcan 4
Earth 2 Jupiter 7
The Asteroids 4 Titan 7
After the third day's play:
Saturn 6 Mercury 6
The Sun 10 Vulcan 7
Earth 6 Jupiter 12
The Asteroids 7 Titan 11
After the fourth day's play:
Saturn 14 Mercury 13
The Sun 14 Vulcan 12
Earth 9 Jupiter 21
The Asteroids 12 Titan 17
After the fifth day's play:
QUARTER-FINAL RESULTS, JUNE 2018:
no.9 seed: Saturn 15 vs. no.5 seed: Mercury 16
no.3 seed: The Sun 16 vs. no.7 seed: Vulcan 14
no.10 seed: Earth 11 vs. no.6 seed: Jupiter 22
no. 4 seed: The Asteroids 14 vs. no.8 seed: Titan 19
That Saturn-Mercury match was a cliff-hanging epic, with two overtakings. Since Mercury won, we're in for a Mercury-Sun semi-final match with the same contestants as last month's final.
And now, for the time time since last September, we have a semi-final line-up which includes two teams who have not yet won the championship.
no.5 seed: Mercury vs. no.3 seed: The Sun
no.6 seed: Jupiter vs. no.8 seed: Titan
After the first day's play:
Mercury 3 The Sun 2
Jupiter 3 Titan 2
After the second day's play:
Mercury 6 The Sun 5
Jupiter 11 Titan 6
After the third day's play:
Mercury 10 The Sun 9
Jupiter 16 Titan 30
Shock Titanic Surge Stuns System.
After the fourth day's play:
Mercury 13 The Sun 16
Jupiter 25 Titan 38
Another overtaking, in this unprecedentedly dramatic semi-final. It looks as though, for the first time since February 2017 (i.e. fourteen competitions ago), we may get a final in which both teams have not previously won a trophy. In other words, a final which is bound to give us a new first-time champion. We shall shortly see...
It's worth noting, though, that the Mercurians - even if they get knocked out this round - can take satisfaction in having achieved the longest run of victories (13 in a row) in the history of the tournament. (Venus, after winning two consecutive trophies in December 2016 and January 2017, got knocked out in the Feb quarter-finals; thus their run was 12 victories in a row.)
After the fifth day's play -
SEMI-FINAL RESULTS, JUNE 2018:
no.5 seed: Mercury 14 vs. no.3 seed: The Sun 24
no.6 seed: Jupiter 28 vs. no.8 seed: Titan 46
So it has happened. This result has really set the System buzzing. Now we're in for a final in which, whatever happens, we'll have a new first-time champ.
Just goes to show - anything can happen when you get surges...
no.3 seed: The Sun vs. no.8 seed: Titan
After the first day's play:
The Sun 0 Titan 1
After the second day's play:
The Sun 5 Titan 8
After the third day's play:
The Sun 10 Titan 10
After the fourth day's play:
The Sun 10 Titan 13
After the fifth and last day's play -
no.3 seed: The Sun 13 vs. no.8 seed: Titan 14
So the winner of the 22nd Interplanetary Knock-Out championship, June 2018, is
Titan
All the methane monsters are bubbling like mad, and snowy ant-like creatures cavorting in unison with them, plus a crowd of other Titanics of all shapes and sizes as all the OSS versions of that Saturnian moon join in to celebrate their momentous win. The inhabitants of other moons are happy too, for this is the long-awaited occasion - the first time a satellite has won the championship. Some doubters thought it would never happen, but here we are at Ceres Stadium applauding the furry Harper of Titan as it waves the System Trophy aloft.
Sure, the win was narrow - but so was their loss, likewise by just one point, in their final against Mars exactly a year ago.
The tally of trophies is now as follows: 6 for Venus, 4 each for Mercury and Mars, 2 each for the Asteroids, Jupiter and Saturn, and 1 each for Vulcan and Titan.
no.1 seed: Venus 23 vs. no.17 seed: Neptune 13
no.9 seed: Earth 16 vs. no.25 seed: Oberon 4
no.5 seed: Jupiter 12 vs. no.21 seed: Ganymede 3
no.13 seed: Uranus 12 vs. no. 29 seed: Umbriel 5
no.3 seed: Mercury 14 vs. no.19 seed: Callisto 6
no.11 seed: Iapetus 11 vs no.27 seed: Ceres 5
no.7 seed: Pellucidar 14 vs. no.23 seed: Europa 4
no.15 seed: Titan 12 vs. no.31 seed: Ariel 2
no.2 seed: Mars 16 vs. no.18 seed: Amalthea 9
no.10 seed: The Moon 12 vs no.26 seed: Titania 3
no.6 seed: The Asteroids 17 vs. no.22 seed: Triton 11
no.14 seed: The Reefs of Space 7 vs. no.30 seed: Leda 3
no. 4 seed: Saturn 15 vs. no.20 seed: Comets 9
no.12 seed: Vulcan 14 vs. no.28 seed: Pallas 5
no.8 seed: The Sun 12 vs. no.24 seed: Io 4
no.16 seed: Pluto 10 vs. no.32 seed: Styx 4
no.1 seed: Venus 34 vs. no.9 seed: Earth 21
no.5 seed: Jupiter 25 vs. no.13 seed: Uranus 18
no.3 seed: Mercury 18 vs. no.11 seed: Iapetus 13
no.7 seed: Pellucidar 23 vs. no.15 seed: Titan 23
no.2 seed: Mars 29 vs. no.10 seed: The Moon 25
no.6 seed: The Asteroids 30 no.14 seed: The Reefs of Space 16
no. 4 seed: Saturn 19 vs. no.12 seed: Vulcan 20
no.8 seed: The Sun 18 vs. no.16 seed: Pluto 16
Re-play needed between Pellucidar and Titan after their unusually high-scoring draw...
SECOND-ROUND REPLAY, 11 MAY 2018:
no.7 seed: Pellucidar 3 vs. no.15 seed: Titan 2
no.1 seed: Venus vs. no.5 seed: Jupiter
no.3 seed: Mercury vs. no.7 seed: Pellucidar
no.2 seed: Mars vs. no.6 seed: The Asteroids
no.12 seed: Vulcan vs. no.8 seed: The Sun
After the first day's play:
Venus 3 Jupiter 0
Mercury 6 Pellucidar 3
Mars 2 Asteroids 2
Vulcan 4 Sun 4
After the second day's play:
Venus 7 Jupiter 3
Mercury 7 Pellucidar 6
Mars 3 Asteroids 3
Vulcan 7 Sun 5
After the third day's play:
Venus 11 Jupiter 3
Mercury 14 Pellucidar 7
Mars 4 Asteroids 5
Vulcan 10 Sun 8
After the fourth day's play:
Venus 19 Jupiter 11
Mercury 20 Pellucidar 11
Mars 24 Asteroids 14
Vulcan 14 Sun 17
Two dramatic overtakings - the Martian surge really one for the books.
After the fifth day's play:
QUARTER-FINAL RESULTS, MAY 2018
no.1 seed: Venus 22 vs. no.5 seed: Jupiter 18
no.3 seed: Mercury 24 vs. no.7 seed: Pellucidar 15
no.2 seed: Mars 34 vs. no.6 seed: The Asteroids 20
no.12 seed: Vulcan 16 vs. no.8 seed: The Sun 23
no.1 seed: Venus vs. no.3 seed: Mercury
no.2 seed: Mars vs. no.8 seed: The Sun
After the first day's play:
Venus 2 Mercury 4
Mars 3 The Sun 1
After the second day's play:
Venus 3 Mercury 7
Mars 5 The Sun 4
After the third day's play:
Venus 5 Mercury 13
Mars 10 The Sun 6
After the fourth day's play:
Venus 5 Mercury 17
Mars 10 The Sun 6
After the fifth day's play:
SEMI-FINAL RESULTS, MAY 2018
no.1 seed: Venus 6 vs. no.3 seed: Mercury 20
no.2 seed: Mars 11 vs. no.8 seed: The Sun 21
The shock to end all shocks - the Solarian surge! The odds against Arbol beating Malacandra were in the 1000's-to-1. But it has happened. It just goes to show, the timing of surges is crucial, and that anything can happen in a knock-out competition.
The reigning champions, the Mercurians, are also doing remarkably well this year, having reached their third final in 5 months, and being in reach of their third championship in that period; moreover, on their way up they've just beaten six-times-champions Venus.
The final is going to be furnace-hot. The only possible hotter one would have been a Sun-Vulcan final...
no.3 seed: Mercury vs. no.8 seed: The Sun
After the first day's play:
Mercury 4 The Sun 3
After the second day's play:
Mercury 6 The Sun 6
After the third day's play:
Mercury 8 The Sun 8
After the fourth day's play:
Mercury 12 The Sun 11
After the fifth and last day's play:
no.3 seed: Mercury 17 vs. no.8 seed: The Sun 14
So the winner of the 21st Interplanetary Knock-Out championship, May 2018, is
Mercury
Had the Sun won, there would have been an explosion of interest in the addition to the Hall of Fame. Since victory went to the Mercurians, the focus now is on them, and this result is likewise interesting: a fourth championship for the little world that now equals mighty Mars in the number of trophies (4), must say something significant about.. er... something. Like, perhaps, small worlds compensate by being crowded with closeness to the Infinite, which presses down upon their close horizons in the sense conveyed in Valeddom.
Meanwhile, all eyes rest on the podium where James Baron - taking time off before his optimistic attempt to make a Brightside Crossing - lifts the trophy on behalf of all Mercury's explorers.
The System distribution of trophies is now: 6 for Venus, 4 each for Mercury and Mars, 2 each for the Asteroids, Jupiter and Saturn, and 1 for Vulcan.
no.1 seed: Jupiter 13 vs. no.17 seed: Pluto 8
no.9 seed: Earth 16 vs. no.25 seed: Io 5
no.5 seed: Iapetus 20 vs. no.21 seed: Europa 10
no.13 seed: Amalthea 14 vs. no. 29 seed: Styx 6
no.3 seed: Mars 14 vs. no.19 seed: The Reefs of Space 12
no.11 seed: Pellucidar 19 vs no.27 seed: Titania 4
no.7 seed: Mercury 18 vs. no.23 seed: Ganymede 7
no.15 seed: Triton 8 vs. no.31 seed: Leda 5
no.2 seed: Venus 19 vs. no.18 seed: Neptune 8
no.10 seed: The Sun 17 vs no.26 seed: Oberon 5
no.6 seed: Saturn 13 vs. no.22 seed: Callisto11
no.14 seed: Uranus 13 vs. no.30 seed: Umbriel 4
no. 4 seed: The Asteroids 13 vs. no.20 seed: Comets 9
no.12 seed: Vulcan 14 vs. no.28 seed: Cerberus 4
no.8 seed: The Moon 12 vs. no.24 seed: Ceres 5
no.16 seed: Titan 14 vs. no.32 seed: Ariel 5
no.1 seed: Jupiter 24 vs. no.9 seed: Earth 15
no.5 seed: Iapetus 18 vs. no.13 seed: Amalthea 10
no.3 seed: Mars 18 vs. no.11 seed: Pellucidar 15
no.7 seed: Mercury 15 vs. no.15 seed: Triton 12
no.2 seed: Venus 15 vs. no.10 seed: The Sun 16
no.6 seed: Saturn 20 vs. no.14 seed: Uranus 16
no. 4 seed: The Asteroids 17 vs. no.12 seed: Vulcan 13
no.8 seed: The Moon 15 vs. no.16 seed: Titan 9
One fantastic upset - the champions Venus knocked out by the Solarians in a close-fought match.
no.1 seed: Jupiter vs. no.5 seed: Iapetus
no.3 seed: Mars vs. no.7 seed: Mercury
no.10 seed: The Sun vs. no.6 seed: Saturn
no. 4 seed: The Asteroids vs. no.8 seed: The Moon
After the first day's play:
Jupiter 3 Iapetus 7
Mars 3 Mercury 3
The Sun 3 Saturn 5
The Asteroids 5 The Moon 2
After the second day's play:
Jupiter 14 Iapetus 14
Mars 8 Mercury 8
The Sun 8 Saturn 10
The Asteroids 7 The Moon 6
After the third day's play:
Jupiter 17 Iapetus 14
Mars 14 Mercury 16
The Sun 15 Saturn 13
The Asteroids 15 The Moon 11
After the fourth day's play:
Jupiter 20 Iapetus 15
Mars 18 Mercury 17
The Sun 16 Saturn 16
The Asteroids 16 The Moon 14
After the fifth day's play:
QUARTER-FINAL RESULTS, APRIL 2018:
no.1 seed: Jupiter 20 vs. no.5 seed: Iapetus 16
no.3 seed: Mars 20 vs. no.7 seed: Mercury 25
no.10 seed: The Sun 16 vs. no.6 seed: Saturn 17
no. 4 seed: The Asteroids 17 vs. no.8 seed: The Moon 15
This has been a superb semi-final, with its catch-ups and overtakes and close runs and a dramatic late surge by Mercury to beat the Martians. And now, amazingly, we have a semi-final round in which all four contenders have won the trophy exactly twice before.
no.1 seed: Jupiter vs. no.7 seed: Mercury
no.6 seed: Saturn vs. no. 4 seed: The Asteroids
After the first day's play:
Jupiter 7 Mercury 5
Saturn 5 The Asteroids 3
After the second day's play:
Jupiter 7 Mercury 8
Saturn 6 The Asteroids 7
After the third day's play:
Jupiter 9 Mercury 12
Saturn 12 The Asteroids 8
After the fourth day's play:
Jupiter 9 Mercury 15
Saturn 12 The Asteroids 10
After the fifth day's play:
SEMI-FINAL RESULTS, APRIL 2018
no.1 seed: Jupiter 11 vs. no.7 seed: Mercury 16
no.6 seed: Saturn 14 vs. no. 4 seed: The Asteroids 12
no.7 seed: Mercury vs. no.6 seed: Saturn
After the first day's play:
Mercury 3 Saturn 1
After the second day's play:
Mercury 5 Saturn 3
After the third day's play:
Mercury 9 Saturn 5
After the fourth day's play:
Mercury 10 Saturn 7
After the fifth and final day's play:
no.7 seed: Mercury 16 vs. no.6 seed: Saturn 13
So the winner of the April 2018 Interplanetary Knock-Out is
Mercury
Lonely crystal entities from Darkside, salamandrine lizards from Hotside and telemorphic humans from the Twilight Belt tinkle, creep and jostle to the front of the crowd at Ceres Stadium to watch Toach Mnuvax of Vutu hold aloft Mercury's third IKO trophy.
After twenty tournaments the score of championships is now:
6 trophies for Venus, 4 for Mars, 3 for Mercury, 2 each for the Asteroids, Jupiter and Saturn, and 1 for Vulcan.
no.1 seed: Jupiter 26 vs. no.17 seed: The Reefs of Space 8
no.9 seed: The Sun 13 vs. no.25 seed: Ganymede 8
no.5 seed: Mars 19 vs. no.21 seed: Ceres 9
no.13 seed: Titan 8 vs. no. 29 seed: Styx 6
no.3 seed: Saturn 16 vs. no.19 seed: Amalthea 14
no.11 seed: Earth 15 vs no.27 seed: Oberon 5
no.7 seed: The Asteroids 20 vs. no.23 seed: Callisto 7
no.15 seed: Triton 15 vs. no.31 seed: Cerberus 5
no.2 seed: Iapetus 24 vs. no.18 seed: Comets 13
no.10 seed: The Moon 18 vs no.26 seed: Umbriel 6
no.6 seed: Venus 22 vs. no.22 seed: Europa 7
no.14 seed: Pluto 13 vs. no.30 seed: Ariel 6
no. 4 seed: Mercury 21 vs. no.20 seed: Pallas 8
no.12 seed: Uranus 8 vs. no.28 seed: Titania 8
no.8 seed: Vulcan 13 vs. no.24 seed: Io 8
no.16 seed: Neptune 10 vs. no.32 seed: Leda 6
The Uranians were unexpectedly held to a draw by the team from their planet's own moon Titania, so a replay will be necessary.
It's worth a note that the two highest scorers in this first round were the previous month's finalists, Jupiter and Iapetus. It just goes to show, continuity can make itself felt, despite the chancy nature of a knock-out tournament.
REPLAY OF FIRST-ROUND MATCH, 6 MARCH 2018:
no.12 seed: Uranus 8 vs. no.28 seed: Titania 2
no.1 seed: Jupiter 32 vs. no.9 seed: The Sun 25
no.5 seed: Mars 22 vs. no.13 seed: Titan 14
no.3 seed: Saturn 26 vs. no.11 seed: Earth 20
no.7 seed: The Asteroids 29 vs. no.15 seed: Triton 14
no.2 seed: Iapetus 24 vs. no.10 seed: The Moon 22
no.6 seed: Venus 27 vs. no.14 seed: Pluto 17
no. 4 seed: Mercury 26 vs. no.12 seed: Uranus 22
no.8 seed: Vulcan 19 vs. no.16 seed: Neptune 15
no.1 seed: Jupiter vs. no.5 seed: Mars
no.3 seed: Saturn vs. no.7 seed: The Asteroids
no.2 seed: Iapetus vs. no.6 seed: Venus
no. 4 seed: Mercury vs. no.8 seed: Vulcan
After the first day's play:
Jupiter 4 Mars 6
Saturn 4 The Asteroids 2
Iapetus 5 Venus 3
Mercury 1 Vulcan 3
After the second day's play:
Jupiter 7 Mars 10
Saturn 7 The Asteroids 5
Iapetus 7 Venus 3
Mercury 3 Vulcan 5
After the third day's play:
Jupiter 7 Mars 15
Saturn 8 The Asteroids 5
Iapetus 9 Venus 3
Mercury 7 Vulcan 5
After the fourth day's play:
Jupiter 12 Mars 22
Saturn 16 The Asteroids 8
Iapetus 9 Venus 9
Mercury 14 Vulcan 6
After the fifth day's play:
QUARTER-FINAL RESULTS, 15 MARCH 2018:
no.1 seed: Jupiter 17 vs. no.5 seed: Mars 27
no.3 seed: Saturn 20 vs. no.7 seed: The Asteroids 13
no.2 seed: Iapetus 13 vs. no.6 seed: Venus 16
no. 4 seed: Mercury 19 vs. no.8 seed: Vulcan 11
An eye-brow-lifting round. Most people had put their money on the Jovians, who were the big scorers in the first two rounds, but now a Martian resurgence has knocked out the champions, to give the Red Planet team their first semi-final place since four tournaments ago. Meanwhile the Venusians, historically the mightiest team with five championships to their credit, came up from behind to beat last month's second-placed Iapetans.
no.5 seed: Mars vs. no.3 seed: Saturn
no.6 seed: Venus vs. no. 4 seed: Mercury
After the first day's play:
Mars 1 Saturn 2
Venus 4 Mercury 2
After the second day's play:
Mars 7 Saturn 5
Venus 9 Mercury 5
After the third day's play:
Mars 13 Saturn 10
Venus 13 Mercury 7
After the fourth day's play:
Mars 17 Saturn 14
Venus 19 Mercury 11
After the fifth day's play:
SEMI-FINAL RESULTS, 20 MARCH 2018
no.5 seed: Mars 21 vs. no.3 seed: Saturn 17
no.6 seed: Venus 23 vs. no. 4 seed: Mercury 18
no.5 seed: Mars vs. no.6 seed: Venus
So we have a final with the two big hitters, Mars and Venus, like we did last October (which Mars won) and last July (which Venus won). This time, both planets seem equally on form; a case of the irresistible force versus the immovable object - whichever is which.
After the first day's play:
Mars 4 Venus 4
After the second day's play:
Mars 5 Venus 8
After the third day's play:
Mars 7 Venus 14
After the fourth day's play:
Mars 9 Venus 19
After the fifth and last day's play:
THE FINAL RESULT, 25 MARCH 2018:
no.5 seed: Mars 12 vs. no.6 seed: Venus 23
So the winner of the March 2018 Interplanetary Knock-Out is
Venus
Having won for the sixth time, the Venusians have truly established their dominance of the tournament - six tropies out of nineteen; almost a third of the total.
The beautiful princess Duare once more takes the trophy and holds it aloft to frantic cheers from a crowd of supporters from the Planet of Love. Even the fish-men of Myposa flap their gills in appreciation.
The championship-count now stands as follows: 6 for Venus, 4 for Mars, 2 each for Mercury, the Asteroids, Jupiter and Saturn, and 1 for Vulcan.
We are left with a puzzle: why have the results been weighted in this way? How come Venus has done markedly better than its great rival Mars? After a night of heated debate in the taverns of the System, among pundits hunched over their tankards of segir, no theory has yet become widely accepted - except on Venus, of course.
no.1 seed: Io 5 vs. no.17 seed: Pellucidar 9
no.9 seed: Mars 19 vs. no.25 seed: Ganymede 7
no.5 seed: Iapetus 18 vs. no.21 seed: Pallas 11
no.13 seed: The Moon 14 vs. no. 29 seed: Titania 4
no.3 seed: Mercury 16 vs. no.19 seed: Triton 8
no.11 seed: Uranus 19 vs no.27 seed: Ariel 2
no.7 seed: Titan 11 vs. no.23 seed: Europa 9
no.15 seed: Vulcan 13 vs. no.31 seed: Leda 2
no.2 seed: Neptune 13 vs. no.18 seed: The Reefs of Space 9
no.10 seed: Earth 13 vs no.26 seed: Callisto 5
no.6 seed: Venus 12 vs. no.22 seed: Comets 10
no.14 seed: The Sun 15 vs. no.30 seed: Umbriel 9
no. 4 seed: Jupiter 24 vs. no.20 seed: Pluto 18
no.12 seed: The Asteroids 15 vs. no.28 seed: Ceres 6
no.8 seed: Saturn 15 vs. no.24 seed: Oberon 4
no.16 seed: Amalthea 7 vs. no.32 seed: Cerberus 1
no.17 seed: Pellucidar 9 vs. no.9 seed: Mars 14
no.5 seed: Iapetus 24 vs. no.13 seed: The Moon 17
no.3 seed: Mercury 22 vs. no.11 seed: Uranus 7
no.7 seed: Titan 13 vs. no.15 seed: Vulcan 22
no.2 seed: Neptune 7 vs. no.10 seed: Earth 12
no.6 seed: Venus 17 vs. no.14 seed: The Sun 16
no. 4 seed: Jupiter 28 vs. no.12 seed: The Asteroids 11
no.8 seed: Saturn 25 vs. no.16 seed: Amalthea 10
no.9 seed: Mars vs. no.5 seed: Iapetus
no.3 seed: Mercury vs. no.15 seed: Vulcan
no.10 seed: Earth vs. no.6 seed: Venus
no. 4 seed: Jupiter vs. no.8 seed: Saturn
After the first day's play:
Mars 2 Iapetus 6
Mercury 2 Vulcan 4
Earth 1 Venus 2
Jupiter 3 Saturn 2
After the second day's play:
Mars 7 Iapetus 7
Mercury 7 Vulcan 9
Earth 6 Venus 8
Jupiter 5 Saturn 2
After the third day's play:
Mars 9 Iapetus 7
Mercury 8 Vulcan 13
Earth 8 Venus 10
Jupiter 9 Saturn 3
After the fourth day's play:
Mars 15 Iapetus 11
Mercury 11 Vulcan 17
Earth 11 Venus 14
Jupiter 23 Saturn 8
After the fifth day's play the February 2018 quarter-final results are:
no.9 seed: Mars 18 vs. no.5 seed: Iapetus 21
no.3 seed: Mercury 17 vs. no.15 seed: Vulcan 19
no.10 seed: Earth 14 vs. no.6 seed: Venus 17
no. 4 seed: Jupiter 27 vs. no.8 seed: Saturn 15
no.5 seed: Iapetus vs. no.15 seed: Vulcan
no.6 seed: Venus vs. no. 4 seed: Jupiter
After the first day's play:
Iapetus 0 Vulcan 1
Venus 1 Jupiter 3
After the second day's play:
Iapetus 1 Vulcan 2
Venus 2 Jupiter 5
After the third day's play:
Iapetus 6 Vulcan 5
Venus 5 Jupiter 13
After the fourth day's play:
Iapetus 9 Vulcan 7
Venus 9 Jupiter 16
SEMI-FINAL RESULTS, 21 FEB 2018:
no.5 seed: Iapetus 13 vs. no.15 seed: Vulcan 10
no.6 seed: Venus 12 vs. no. 4 seed: Jupiter 19
So we're in for a Iapetus-Jupiter final. And this is the first entirely Outer-Solar-System final ever! (The nearest earlier approach to one was in last September, when we had an Asteroids-Saturn final, but the Asteroids aren't exactly "Outer", they're more "in between".)
no.5 seed: Iapetus vs. no. 4 seed: Jupiter
After the first day's play:
Iapetus 8 Jupiter 11
After the second day's play:
Iapetus 11 Jupiter 14
After the third day's play:
Iapetus 17 Jupiter 19
After the fourth day's play:
Iapetus 20 Jupiter 22
After the fifth and last day's play:
no.5 seed: Iapetus 22 vs. no. 4 seed: Jupiter 24
So the winner of the February 2018 Interplanetary Knock-Out is
Jupiter
So at last, in the 18th competition, the Giant Planet regains the trophy which it won in the very first Interplanetary Knock-Out, way back in September 2016. And about time, grumble the Skeleton Men. Vorion holds aloft the Orrery while a crowd of Morgors snap their jaws in triumph. Other species of Jovian jostle in front of the cameras, demanding recognition - including stocky flipper-men and tank-shaped creatures... while newsmen take the opportunity to ask pointed questions about the whereabouts of John Carter.
Meanwhile the Iapetans, by common agreement, deserve a big round of applause as the runners-up. A mere moon got within 3 points of the championship. It's only a matter of time, pundits agree, before it happens. Iapetus, or Titan, or Earth's Moon will surely get it eventually. The pundits have been expressing such opinions for quite a while.
Regarding the number of trophies won, the score now stands as follows:
5 for Venus; 4 for Mars; 2 each for Mercury, The Asteroids, Jupiter and Saturn; 1 for Vulcan.
no.1 seed: Io 82 vs. no.17 seed: Neptune 28
no.9 seed: Saturn 12 vs. no.25 seed: Europa 6
no.5 seed: Mercury 7 vs. no.21 seed: Comets 4
no.13 seed: Vulcan 7 vs. no. 29 seed: Ariel 4
no.3 seed: The Asteroids 6 vs. no.19 seed: Amalthea 12
no.11 seed: Jupiter 14 vs no.27 seed: Pallas 5
no.7 seed: The Moon 6 vs. no.23 seed: Oberon 6
no.15 seed: Uranus 8 vs. no.31 seed: Styx 2
no.2 seed: Venus 10 vs. no.18 seed: Triton 6
no.10 seed: Pellucidar 9 vs no.26 seed: Umbriel 3
no.6 seed: Earth 7 vs. no.22 seed: Ganymede 2
no.14 seed: The Reefs of Space 4 vs. no.30 seed: Titania 4
no. 4 seed: Mars 11 vs. no.20 seed: Pluto 5
no.12 seed: Titan 21 vs. no.28 seed: Ceres 3
no.8 seed: The Sun 10 vs. no.24 seed: Callisto 3
no.16 seed: Iapetus 9 vs. no.32 seed: Cerberus 3
That the team from Io, until now one of the duds of the competition (the Ionians had only ever won 2 games before this) should now smash the record for highest score, which used to be 52 and is now 82... well, it has set the System's sports commentariat into spasms of hyperbolic superlatives. It just goes to show: anything can happen. Anything.
For instance, former champions the Asteroids being beaten by Amalthea...
On another note: we'll have to have replays of the drawn clashes, namely The Moon vs Oberon and The Reefs of Space vs Titania.
6 JANUARY 2018 REPLAYS OF DRAWN FIRST-ROUND MATCHES:
no.7 seed: The Moon 1 vs. no.23 seed: Oberon 1
no.14 seed: The Reefs of Space 1 vs. no.30 seed: Titania 1
These teams seem determined to draw with each other! Another try must therefore be scheduled for the next day.
7 JANUARY 2018 REPLAYS OF DRAWN FIRST-ROUND MATCHES:
no.7 seed: The Moon 3 vs. no.23 seed: Oberon 1
no.14 seed: The Reefs of Space 3 vs. no.30 seed: Titania 1
Again, somewhat improbably symmetrical scores, but this time giving a decision - to general relief.
no.1 seed: Io 31 vs. no.9 seed: Saturn 14
no.5 seed: Mercury 16 vs. no.13 seed: Vulcan 7
no.19 seed: Amalthea 5 vs. no.11 seed: Jupiter 14
no.7 seed: The Moon 7 vs. no.15 seed: Uranus 7
no.2 seed: Venus 13 vs. no.10 seed: Pellucidar 4
no.6 seed: Earth 9 vs. no.14 seed: The Reefs of Space 9
no. 4 seed: Mars 8 vs. no.12 seed: Titan 14
no.8 seed: The Sun 7 vs. no.16 seed: Iapetus 18
So, replays are needed for Moon vs Uranus, and Earth vs the Reefs. Quirky coincidence that the Moon and the Reefs once again drew with their opponents, as they did in the previous round.
The victory of the Titanics over the Martians has injected some extra excitement into the tournament, as has the unprecedented advance of the Ionians into the quarter-finals, where they will confront the Mercurians. Both are examples of smaller bodies defeating larger (especially so in the case of Io beating Saturn). Could it be that the future lies with the smaller bodies, as the public gets jaded with the major planets? On the other hand, the public is always changing too, new page-hitters arriving on the scene continually, and these aren't going to be jaded for a long time yet...
11 JANUARY 2018 REPLAYS OF DRAWN SECOND-ROUND MATCHES:
no.7 seed: The Moon 2 vs. no.15 seed: Uranus 1
no.6 seed: Earth 2 vs. no.14 seed: The Reefs of Space 1
...again that symmetry - this time two 2-1's.
no.1 seed: Io vs. no.5 seed: Mercury
no.11 seed: Jupiter vs. no.7 seed: The Moon
no.2 seed: Venus vs. no.6 seed: Earth
no.12 seed: Titan vs. no.16 seed: Iapetus
After the first day's play:
Io 0 Mercury 3
Jupiter 3 The Moon 2
Venus 2 Earth 2
Titan 4 Iapetus 5
The Ionian Surge appears to have fizzled... while the Saturnian system is now the highest-scoring scene (but without Saturn itself). The politicos are scratching their heads...
After the second day's play:
Io 0 Mercury 10
Jupiter 4 The Moon 4
Venus 7 Earth 4
Titan 6 Iapetus 6
After the third day's play:
Io 2 Mercury 19
Jupiter 13 The Moon 7
Venus 10 Earth 5
Titan 12 Iapetus 9
After the fourth day's play:
Io 2 Mercury 22
Jupiter 15 The Moon 7
Venus 11 Earth 6
Titan 15 Iapetus 18
AFTER FIVE DAYS' PLAY:
QUARTER-FINAL RESULTS, JAN 2018:
no.1 seed: Io 3 vs. no.5 seed: Mercury 23
no.11 seed: Jupiter 17 vs. no.7 seed: The Moon 8
no.2 seed: Venus 12 vs. no.6 seed: Earth 6
no.12 seed: Titan 16 vs. no.16 seed: Iapetus 20
no.5 seed: Mercury vs. no.11 seed: Jupiter
no.2 seed: Venus vs. no.16 seed: Iapetus
After the first day's play:
Mercury 0 Jupiter 1
Venus 1 Iapetus 0
After the second day's play:
Mercury 6 Jupiter 7
Venus 3 Iapetus 1
After the third day's play:
Mercury 16 Jupiter 12
Venus 8 Iapetus 8
AFTER FIVE DAYS' PLAY:
SEMI-FINAL RESULTS, JAN 2018:
no.5 seed: Mercury 25 vs. no.11 seed: Jupiter 19
no.2 seed: Venus 16 vs. no.16 seed: Iapetus 15
Harlei: Oh no not another Mercury-Venus final... Stid: What does it matter? Zendexor: Be positive, both of you! - it must mean something worth knowing. We're in a period of Inner Solar System predominance, looks like... Harlei: But let's hope we don't get a Venusian walk-over like the previous final. Zendexor: No reason why it should be, with the Mercurians the highest scorers in both the quarter- and semi-finals. This could be "Mercury's hour".
no.5 seed: Mercury vs. no.2 seed: Venus
After the first day's play:
Mercury 4 Venus 3
After the second day's play:
Mercury 7 Venus 5
After the third day's play:
Mercury 11 Venus 6
After the fourth day's play:
Mercury 16 Venus 11
After the fifth and last day's play:
no.5 seed: Mercury 19 vs. no.2 seed: Venus 15
So the winner of the January 2018 Interplanetary Knock-Out is
Mercury
Since their last championship win, fourteen competitions ago, the Mercurians have suffered disappointment after disappointment, but now at last they have reclaimed the trophy. The Inner Planet's Twilight Belt glows with runnels of molten lead imported from Hotside to trace out the curlicues in the Noleddern script that proclaim, "We did it!" Toach Mnuvax of Vutu - captain of the team - receives the OSS Orrery at the hands of Archon Zendexor at Ceres stadium, and holds it aloft while crystalline beings from Coldside (who are most comfortable in Cerian conditions) wave their appendages from the stadium's periphery...
The trophy-win totals, world by world, are now as follows:
5 for Venus; 4 for Mars; 2 each for Mercury, the Asteroids and Saturn; 1 each for Vulcan and Jupiter.
no.1 seed: Venus 16 vs. no.17 seed: Triton 4
no.9 seed: Jupiter 10 vs. no.25 seed: Ceres 2
no.5 seed: Titan 10 vs. no.21 seed: Comets 6
no.13 seed: Uranus 11 vs. no. 29 seed: Styx 2
no.3 seed: The Asteroids 16 vs. no.19 seed: Neptune 9
no.11 seed: The Moon 12 vs no.27 seed: Pallas 2
no.7 seed: Earth 12 vs. no.23 seed: Europa 2
no.15 seed: Amalthea 7 vs. no.31 seed: Io 0
no.2 seed: Mars 13 vs. no.18 seed: Pluto 3
no.10 seed: Saturn 11 vs no.26 seed: Titania 2
no.6 seed: Mercury 13 vs. no.22 seed: Ganymede 4
no.14 seed: The Sun 14 vs. no.30 seed: Ariel 2
no.4 seed: Pellucidar 12 vs. no.20 seed: Oberon 3
no.12 seed: Iapetus 6 vs. no.28 seed: Umbriel 5
no.8 seed: Vulcan 13 vs. no.24 seed: Callisto 3
no.16 seed: The Reefs of Space 11 vs. no.32 seed: Cerberus 0
no.1 seed: Venus 21 vs. no.9 seed: Jupiter 11
no.5 seed: Titan 12 vs. no.13 seed: Uranus 8
no.3 seed: The Asteroids 20 vs. no.11 seed: The Moon 13
no.7 seed: Earth 10 vs. no.15 seed: Amalthea 6
no.2 seed: Mars 14 vs. no.10 seed: Saturn 15
no.6 seed: Mercury 14 vs. no.14 seed: The Sun 10
no.4 seed: Pellucidar 11 vs. no.12 seed: Iapetus 10
no.8 seed: Vulcan 12 vs. no.16 seed: The Reefs of Space 10
Some close results here, and an unexpected knockout of the mighty Martians by the redoubtable Saturnians.
no.1 seed: Venus vs. no.5 seed: Titan
no.3 seed: The Asteroids vs. no.7 seed: Earth
no.10 seed: Saturn vs. no.6 seed: Mercury
no.4 seed: Pellucidar vs. no.8 seed: Vulcan
After the first day's play:
Venus 1 Titan 1
The Asteroids 1 Earth 1
Saturn 1 Mercury 4
Pellucidar 2 Vulcan 0
After the second day's play:
Venus 7 Titan 2
The Asteroids 9 Earth 6
Saturn 7 Mercury 10
Pellucidar 8 Vulcan 4
After the third day's play:
Venus 18 Titan 5
The Asteroids 17 Earth 13
Saturn 10 Mercury 20
Pellucidar 15 Vulcan 13
After the fourth day's play:
Venus 20 Titan 7
The Asteroids 19 Earth 16
Saturn 11 Mercury 24
Pellucidar 18 Vulcan 17
QUARTER-FINAL RESULTS, DEC 2017, AFTER FIVE DAYS' PLAY:
no.1 seed: Venus 25 vs. no.5 seed: Titan 10
no.3 seed: The Asteroids 23 vs. no.7 seed: Earth 20
no.10 seed: Saturn 16 vs. no.6 seed: Mercury 25
no.4 seed: Pellucidar 21 vs. no.8 seed: Vulcan 21
The dogged Vulcanians having finally caught up to finish the five days neck and neck with the Pellucidarians, extra time will have to be taken to determine the semi-final line-up.
If the Vulcanians win the play-off, we'll then get, like in October, an all-champions semi-final, i.e. all four teams being previous winners of the trophy.
Meanwhile we're certain to have a Venus-Asteroids semi-final, which looks to be an exceptionally high-scoring, close-fought contest, both teams being currently at the top of their form.
QUARTER-FINAL REPLAY, 16 DEC 2017:
no.4 seed: Pellucidar 4 vs. no.8 seed: Vulcan 1
no.1 seed: Venus vs. no.3 seed: The Asteroids
no.6 seed: Mercury vs. no.4 seed: Pellucidar
After the first day's play:
Venus 5 The Asteroids 2
Mercury 5 Pellucidar 4
After the second day's play:
Venus 12 The Asteroids 5
Mercury 9 Pellucidar 7
After the third day's play:
Venus 17 The Asteroids 9
Mercury 13 Pellucidar 11
After the fourth day's play:
Venus 17 The Asteroids 11
Mercury 13 Pellucidar 11
SEMI-FINAL RESULTS, DECEMBER 2017:
no.1 seed: Venus 24 vs. no.3 seed: The Asteroids 15
no.6 seed: Mercury 15 vs. no.4 seed: Pellucidar 14
So the Mercurians won their match with the same score that the Asteroids lost theirs; a slight irony of the sort common to knock-outs.
Now it turns out that we are in for a December Mercury-Venus final, which, by a startling coincidence, is the same line-up as we had in December last year.
On that occasion, December 2016, the Mercurians were the reigning champions and the favourites, yet they went on to lose to the Venusians, who at that date had not yet won a trophy. This time, December 2017, the Venusians are the favourites...
no.1 seed: Venus vs. no.6 seed: Mercury
After the first day's play:
Venus 3 Mercury 1
After the second day's play:
Venus 4 Mercury 2
After the third day's play:
Venus 6 Mercury 2
After the fourth day's play:
Venus 7 Mercury 2
After the fifth and last day's play:
no.1 seed: Venus 12 vs. no.6 seed: Mercury 8
So the winner of the December 2017 Interplanetary Knock-Out is
Venus
A rather low-scoring final, due doubtless to the strain of the previous rounds during the run-up to Christmas. The exhausted Venusian team staggered onto the dais to receive the trophy - the fifth they have won - and then their captain, Pricess Duare, held it aloft to ragged cheers from the equally exhausted fans.
The Mercurians meanwhile, though missing the prize, felt a bit better from having rallied somewhat during the fifth and last day of play.
The score of trophies, after this 16th competition, is as follows: Venus 5, Mars 4, the Asteroids and Saturn 2 each, Vulcan, Mercury and Jupiter 1 each.
no.1 seed: Mars 17 vs. no.17 seed: Neptune 2
no.9 seed: Vulcan 12 vs. no.25 seed: Umbriel 2
no.5 seed: Mercury 9 vs. no.21 seed: Titania 3
no.13 seed: Iapetus 6 vs. no. 29 seed: Io 2
no.3 seed: Venus 16 vs. no.19 seed: Amalthea 5
no.11 seed: Earth 11 vs no.27 seed: Europa 6
no.7 seed: Jupiter 12 vs. no.23 seed: Pallas 1
no.15 seed: The Reefs of Space 5 vs. no.31 seed: Ariel 2
no.2 seed: The Sun 9 vs. no.18 seed: Comets 4
no.10 seed: Titan 13 vs no.26 seed: Ceres 1
no.6 seed: The Moon 9 vs. no.22 seed: Callisto 3
no.14 seed: Uranus 5 vs. no.30 seed: Styx 0
no.4 seed: The Asteroids 8 vs. no.20 seed: Pluto 6
no.12 seed: Pellucidar 7 vs. no.28 seed: Ganymede 4
no.8 seed: Saturn 7 vs. no.24 seed: Oberon 6
no.16 seed: Triton 3 vs. no.32 seed: Leda 1
No upsets (though Saturn only just managed to beat Oberon!), and once again all the top 16 seeds won. But apart from the few at the top it was generally a low-scoring round; perhaps the OSS teams are in need of an interstellar holiday...
no.1 seed: Mars 18 vs. no.9 seed: Vulcan 3
no.5 seed: Mercury 15 vs. no.13 seed: Iapetus 10
no.3 seed: Venus 20 vs. no.11 seed: Earth 7
no.7 seed: Jupiter 13 vs. no.15 seed: The Reefs of Space 5
no.2 seed: The Sun 10 vs. no.10 seed: Titan 12
no.6 seed: The Moon 5 vs. no.14 seed: Uranus 3
no.4 seed: The Asteroids 16 vs. no.12 seed: Pellucidar 9
no.8 seed: Saturn 8 vs. no.16 seed: Triton 6
no.1 seed: Mars vs. no.5 seed: Mercury
no.3 seed: Venus vs. no.7 seed: Jupiter
no.10 seed: Titan vs. no.6 seed: The Moon
no.4 seed: The Asteroids vs. no.8 seed: Saturn
After the first day's play:
Mars 3 Mercury 1
Venus 3 Jupiter 2
Titan 2 The Moon 2
The Asteroids 2 Saturn 1
After the second day's play:
Mars 4 Mercury 3
Venus 5 Jupiter 3
Titan 3 The Moon 3
The Asteroids 4 Saturn 2
After the third day's play:
Mars 5 Mercury 3
Venus 9 Jupiter 4
Titan 7 The Moon 3
The Asteroids 7 Saturn 2
After the fourth day's play:
Mars 10 Mercury 8
Venus 14 Jupiter 7
Titan 9 The Moon 7
The Asteroids 15 Saturn 9
After the fifth and last day's play:
QUARTER-FINAL RESULTS, NOVEMBER 2017:
no.1 seed: Mars 12 vs. no.5 seed: Mercury 11
no.3 seed: Venus 16 vs. no.7 seed: Jupiter 7
no.10 seed: Titan 9 vs. no.6 seed: The Moon 8
no.4 seed: The Asteroids 17 vs. no.8 seed: Saturn 10
no.1 seed: Mars vs. no.3 seed: Venus
no.10 seed: Titan vs. no.4 seed: The Asteroids
After the first day's play:
Mars 0 Venus 2
Titan 4 The Asteroids 1
After the second day's play:
Mars 7 Venus 6
Titan 7 The Asteroids 8
After the third day's play:
Mars 11 Venus 8
Titan 10 The Asteroids 12
After the fourth day's play:
Mars 11 Venus 8
Titan 13 The Asteroids 13
After the fifth and last day's play:
SEMI-FINAL RESULTS, NOVEMBER 2017:
no.1 seed: Mars 19 vs. no.3 seed: Venus 13
no.10 seed: Titan 14 vs. no.4 seed: The Asteroids 17
So for the second time, we have a final between the Asteroids and Mars. On the previous occasion, in February, the Martians won. The Asteroids have been in two other finals since then: once in March, when they lost to the Saturnians, and again in September, when they beat the Saturnians to gain their first trophy.
no.1 seed: Mars vs. no.4 seed: The Asteroids
After the first day's play:
Mars 5 The Asteroids 4
After the second day's play:
Mars 6 The Asteroids 7
After the third day's play:
Mars 6 The Asteroids 8
After the fourth day's play:
Mars 8 The Asteroids 9
After the fifth and last day's play:
no.1 seed: Mars 8 vs. no.4 seed: The Asteroids 9
So the winner of the November 2017 Interplanetary Knock-Out is
The Asteroids
As it did two months ago, the Belt erupts in a frenzy of delirious coruscations.
The Asteroids now have their revenge for their defeats by Mars, in the February final and in last month's semi-final.
The Belters have now won twice, while the Martians have won four times.
And although this time the Asteroids won by only one point, the Martians likewise won two of their trophies - of April (against Jupiter) and June (against Titan) - by just one point on each occasion.
Now, who's coming to pick up the trophy? A golden shimmer... all the spectators shrink back in awe... it is the Master of Asteroid Phocea...
no.1 seed: Mars 21 vs. no.17 seed: Neptune 6
no.9 seed: The Sun 14 vs. no.25 seed: Europa 4
no.5 seed: Jupiter 13 vs. no.21 seed: Triton 9
no.13 seed: Pluto 6 vs. no. 29 seed: Styx 4
no.3 seed: Vulcan 16 vs. no.19 seed: Comets 7
no.11 seed: Iapetus 16 vs no.27 seed: Io 5
no.7 seed: The Asteroids 12 vs. no.23 seed: Pallas 6
no.15 seed: Amalthea 7 vs. no.31 seed: Leda 3
no.2 seed: Venus 16 vs. no.18 seed: The Reefs of Space 9
no.10 seed: Titan 13 vs no.26 seed: Ganymede 6
no.6 seed: Saturn 15 vs. no.22 seed: Titania 8
no.14 seed: Pellucidar 12 vs. no.30 seed: Umbriel 6
no.4 seed: Mercury 9 vs. no.20 seed: Callisto 7
no.12 seed: Earth 12 vs. no.28 seed: Ceres 4
no.8 seed: The Moon 11 vs. no.24 seed: Oberon 9
no.16 seed: Uranus 13 vs. no.32 seed: Ariel 5
One of those rounds in which the judgement of the Seeding Committee has been thoroughly borne out.
no.1 seed: Mars 29 vs. no.9 seed: The Sun 16
no.5 seed: Jupiter 19 vs. no.13 seed: Pluto 8
no.3 seed: Vulcan 16 vs. no.11 seed: Iapetus 13
no.7 seed: The Asteroids 19 vs. no.15 seed: Amalthea 9
no.2 seed: Venus 14 vs. no.10 seed: Titan 13
no.6 seed: Saturn 18 vs. no.14 seed: Pellucidar 12
no.4 seed: Mercury 18 vs. no.12 seed: Earth 14
no.8 seed: The Moon 14 vs. no.16 seed: Uranus 14
Rank mostly prevailed: in each game the upper seed won, except for the draw between the Moon and Uranus, which makes a replay necessary.
REPLAY, 11TH OCTOBER 2017:
no.8 seed: The Moon 5 vs. no.16 seed: Uranus 0
no.1 seed: Mars vs. no.5 seed: Jupiter
no.3 seed: Vulcan vs. no.7 seed: The Asteroids
no.2 seed: Venus vs. no.6 seed: Saturn
no.4 seed: Mercury vs. no.8 seed: The Moon
It's a sign of how much history has been accumulated by the competition, which is now in its fourteenth month: that of these eight quarter-finalists, seven are previous winners of the trophy. Only the Moon has yet to win it.
After the first day's play:
Mars 5 Jupiter 0
Vulcan 2 The Asteroids 1
Venus 3 Saturn 1
Mercury 1 The Moon 5
After the second day's play:
Mars 5 Jupiter 0
Vulcan 2 The Asteroids 1
Venus 5 Saturn 2
Mercury 1 The Moon 6
After the third day's play:
Mars 7 Jupiter 1
Vulcan 4 The Asteroids 6
Venus 8 Saturn 3
Mercury 3 The Moon 8
After the fourth day's play:
Mars 10 Jupiter 7
Vulcan 8 The Asteroids 8
Venus 11 Saturn 6
Mercury 9 The Moon 11
After the fifth day's play the October 2017 quarter-final results are as follows:
no.1 seed: Mars 11 vs. no.5 seed: Jupiter 10
no.3 seed: Vulcan 9 vs. no.7 seed: The Asteroids 12
no.2 seed: Venus 13 vs. no.6 seed: Saturn 7
no.4 seed: Mercury 13 vs. no.8 seed: The Moon 13
A Mercury-Moon replay is necessary, as the Mercurians, showing some of their old fire, came up from behind in quite dramatic fashion to draw with the Selenites. The Jovians meanwhile almost did the same to their old rivals the Martians, in a late surge which, however, wasn't quite good enough for them to catch up with the Red Planet. Bandolian the skeletal Morgor, clashing his dentures, vows his team will do better next time - or else.
QUARTER-FINAL REPLAY, 16TH OCTOBER 2017:
no.4 seed: Mercury 4 vs. no.8 seed: The Moon 3
A dramatic comeback by the Inner Planet.
no.1 seed: Mars vs. no.7 seed: The Asteroids
no.2 seed: Venus vs. no.4 seed: Mercury
After the first day's play:
Mars 4 Asteroids 4
Venus 5 Mercury 4
After the second day's play:
Mars 10 Asteroids 8
Venus 9 Mercury 6
After the third day's play:
Mars 15 Asteroids 8
Venus 11 Mercury 10
After the fourth day's play:
Mars 20 Asteroids 13
Venus 16 Mercury 12
After the fifth and last day's play of the semi-finals, October 2017:
no.1 seed: Mars 27 vs. no.7 seed: The Asteroids 18
no.2 seed: Venus 22 vs. no.4 seed: Mercury 17
So for the second time in history we shall have a Mars-Venus final. In July, the Venusians (seeded no.3) narrowly defeated the Martians (seeded no.2). This time the Martians are no.1. seed and the Venusians no.2. The Martians, favourites to win, are in top scoring form, yet the Venusians are not far behind, and the wisest pundits are hedging their bets. If the Martians do win this one, they will equal Venus' record of four trophies.
no.1 seed: Mars vs. no.2 seed: Venus
After the first day's play:
Mars 1