Pente March Madness

You all may remember that I enjoy a good board game. You might also remember that I learned a new game, Pente, while I was in Oregon.

Since returning from that trip Jacob and I have introduced Heather and Lori to the game as well. So after having dinner together Sunday night we decided it was high time we had the much anticipated Pente tournament.

This was not something to be taken lightly. We played a "round robin" set of games to then determine where each player would be seeded in the official brackets. I won every game I played in the round robin set, thus earning the top seed. The rest of the round robin games ended in a tie...so Jake, Heather and Lori played another set of games. Trust me when I say it was very intense!

The intensity increased as we approached play off time. Being the first seed was full of pressure and apparently I cave under pressure. Heather and I were set to play and I must admit she beat me. It was a long game...and I think I was sweating. And then I lost and suddenly the pressure was off. It was the only game I lost, thus I was able to take a 2nd place finish.

Lori pulled off a victory against Heather after a very intense game.

And because this was serious Pente play, there was an awards ceremony. Lori was presented with the pineapple trophy while I earned my second place mango and Heather accepted her third place plout. And Jacob was kind enough to take photos of the winners stand.


I gained a greater appreciation for all those sports teams who are highly ranked and then lose in the first round of tournament play. I only lost one game the whole night yet still was only second place. It's wrong I tell you, wrong. Lori wanted me to be sure and mention her 1st place finish was well deserved. Also, I feel the need to mention that she and I played a game after the ceremony and I beat her. She also admitted she was afraid of my skills. I think that statement speaks much more loudly than the second place mango I received.

And...I declare a rematch. We'll be having another tourney soon.

I should also probably be fair and say that the outcome of the tournament was unexpected by all. Jacob usually kicks all of our trash and it was very strange for him not to be on the winners podium.

And the other highlight of the evening was sampling our Tillamook Cheese selection. It was delicious and the favorite of all was the cheddar hot pepper and garlic variety. MMM....MMM...Good.