Winner crowned in first ‘Meeples on Main’ Carcassonne Tournament

A therapist from Baptist Health Corbin became the champion of the first-ever “Meeples on Main” Carcassonne Tournament in downtown Corbin Saturday, beating out nine other competitors to win a custom sculpted trophy and other prizes.

Ben Bess narrowly edged out News Journal Editor Mark White 96-93 in the finals of the tournament, capping a perfect 6-0 run through the 10-player field.

“I love board gaming. It is my favorite hobby, and organizing this tournament is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time because I know there are like-minded people out there,” said Trent Knuckles, News Journal Publisher and organizer of the tournament. “

Carcassonne is one of my favorite games and is perfect for a tournament format because it plays fairly quickly, is great for two players and isn’t too complex, yet rewards good play,” he added. “I was really pleased with the way things turned out. This was sort of a trial balloon to see how things would work out. I definitely intend to do more tournaments in the future.”

Carcassonne is ubiquitous. It can be found in many “big box” stores as well as specialty shops.

The base game has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide. The theme of the game is based on a scenic medieval French fortress city with iconic walls and towers that provide a striking profile against the backdrop of the beautiful and verdant countryside. It is a huge tourist attraction in France and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In the board game, players draw square tiles that depict various elements of the southern French countryside and place them together in the center of the table: green pastures, roads, portions of cities and cloisters.

Players use small, colorful wooden pieces called “meeples” (miniature people) to place on the tiles, hoping to finish cities, roads and other features in order to score points. The player with the most points at the end of the game wins.

The first four rounds of the tournament were played in Swiss format to determine the top four players who then advanced to the knockout rounds.

Bess and White ended up being the top two seeds. Bess had a 4-0 record after preliminary rounds, and White was 3-1.

Local residents Alan Dugger and Terra Canada rounded out the top four. Both had 2-1-1 records. Dugger and Canada played to a tie in the first round.

The tournament was held at You and Me Coffee and Tea, located on Main Street. Results from preliminary rounds can be found online at www.challonge.com/meeplesonmain. Results from the semifinals and finals can be viewed at www.challonge.com/meeplesonmainchamps.