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...

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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.

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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.

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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  4 

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   5 

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   5 

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   7 

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  4 

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  4 

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  9 

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        

no.3 seed:  The Asteroids         vs.       no.7 seed:  Uranus      

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

no. 4 seed:  Saturn       vs.      no.16 seed:  Pluto          

After the first day's play:

Pellucidar  4    Venus  1
The Asteroids  1    Uranus  1
Jupiter  5    Mercury  4
Saturn  0    Pluto  2     

After the second day's play:

Pellucidar  6    Venus  4
The Asteroids  2    Uranus  2
Jupiter  8    Mercury  8
Saturn  2    Pluto  3     

After the third day's play:

Pellucidar  8    Venus  12
The Asteroids  4    Uranus  9
Jupiter  13    Mercury  13
Saturn  3    Pluto  6     

After the fourth day's play:

Pellucidar  11    Venus  13
The Asteroids  5    Uranus  11
Jupiter  17    Mercury  15
Saturn  7    Pluto  12

After the fifth day's play:

QUARTER-FINAL RESULTS, OCTOBER 2020

no.1 seed:  Pellucidar  15      vs.      no.5 seed:  Venus  25

no.3 seed:  The Asteroids  11       vs.       no.7 seed:  Uranus  20    

no.2 seed:  Jupiter  26       vs.      no.6 seed:  Mercury  23 

no. 4 seed:  Saturn  15     vs.      no.16 seed:  Pluto  20 

semi-finals, 16-20 october 2020:

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

no.2 seed:  Jupiter         vs.      no.16 seed:  Pluto  

After the first day's play:

Venus  4    Uranus  2
Jupiter  3    Pluto  1  

After the second day's play:

Venus  9    Uranus  5
Jupiter  7    Pluto  3  

After the third day's play:

Venus  15    Uranus  10
Jupiter  16    Pluto  6  

After the fourth day's play:

Venus  17    Uranus  14
Jupiter  20    Pluto  7

After the fifth day's play:

SEMI-FINAL RESULTS, OCTOBER 2020

no.5 seed:  Venus  18      vs.       no.7 seed:  Uranus  14   

no.2 seed:  Jupiter  22       vs.      no.16 seed:  Pluto  8

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

no.5 seed:  Venus        vs.       no.2 seed:  Jupiter        

After the first day's play:
Venus  3    Jupiter  1        

After the second day's play:
Venus  7    Jupiter  5        

After the third day's play:
Venus  9    Jupiter  6        

After the third day's play:
Venus  14    Jupiter  11

After the fifth and last day's play:

CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL RESULT, OCTOBER 2020

no.5 seed:  Venus  16      vs.       no.2 seed:  Jupiter  12  

So the winner of the 50th Interplanetary Knock-Out, October 2020, is

Venus

The run of Jovian victories, which although remarkable was getting to be monotonous, has been broken by the Venusians at last - as it was once broken earlier in the year by the Saturnians.  The diverse interplanetary crowd in Ceres Stadium were, on the whole, on the Venusians' side, even the Martians and Mercurians cheering when the trophy was handed to the Princess Duare by Zendexor - thus evincing a sentiment of Inner-Planet solidarity.  Venus alone has successfully "flown the flag" for the Inner Planets this year, with her wins in January and now.  (Those two finals, be it noted, are the only ones in the history of the tournament so far to pit the Planet of Love against the Giant Planet.)

It remains the case, though, that whatever may happen in the two remaining months of 2020, this will go down in System history as the Jovians' year; they have won seven out of the ten trophies so far, an unequalled achievement.

The trophy-tally now is as follows: 12 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.

---

september 2020 - the 49th tournament

first round, 1-5 september 2020:

no.1 seed:  Pellucidar  13      vs.      no.17 seed:  The Moon  12

no.9 seed:  Planet X  12      vs.       no.25 seed:  Titan  3

no.5 seed:  Saturn  18      vs.       no.21 seed:  Comets  8

no.13 seed:  Amalthea  7       vs.      no. 29 seed:  Oberon  6

no.3 seed:  Pluto  8      vs.       no.19 seed:  The Sun  17 

no.11 seed:  Uranus  12        vs       no.27 seed:  Ceres  2

no.7 seed:  Vulcan  18     vs.       no.23 seed:  Triton  7  

no.15 seed:  Iapetus  12        vs.      no.31 seed:  Pallas  4

no.2 seed:  Jupiter  20       vs.      no.18 seed:  The Reefs of Space  6

no.10 seed:  Neptune  8       vs       no.26 seed:  Europa  5

no.6 seed:  Venus  10      vs.      no.22 seed:   Callisto  12

no.14 seed:  Mercury  15       vs.     no.30 seed:  Io  11

no. 4 seed:  Mars  9     vs.      no.20 seed:  Umbriel  4

no.12 seed:  Earth  7      vs.     no.28 seed:  Ganymede   7

no.8 seed:  The Asteroids  13      vs.     no.24 seed:  Leda  7

no.16 seed:  Asteroid Progenitor Planet  9      vs.     no.32 seed:  Ariel  4

Replay, 6th September 2020:

no.12 seed:  Earth  2      vs.     no.28 seed:  Ganymede   0

second round, 6-10 september 2020:

no.1 seed:  Pellucidar  18      vs.      no.9 seed:  Planet X  14     

no.5 seed:  Saturn  20      vs.       no.13 seed:  Amalthea  14

no.19 seed:  The Sun  16     vs.     no.11 seed:  Uranus  19 

no.7 seed:  Vulcan  22     vs.       no.15 seed:  Iapetus  20    

no.2 seed:  Jupiter  28       vs.      no.10 seed:  Neptune  11 

no.22 seed:   Callisto  9      vs.      no.14 seed:  Mercury  13    

no. 4 seed:  Mars  20     vs.      no.12 seed:  Earth  16 

no.8 seed:  The Asteroids  19      vs.     no.16 seed:  Asteroid Progenitor Planet  10

quarter-finals, 11-15 september 2020:

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

no.11 seed:  Uranus        vs.      no.7 seed:  Vulcan      

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

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

After the first day's play:

Pellucidar  5    Saturn  5
Uranus  3    Vulcan  7
Jupiter  2    Mercury  4
Mars  4    The Asteroids  2        

After the second day's play:

Pellucidar  8    Saturn  8
Uranus  3    Vulcan  8
Jupiter  4    Mercury  5
Mars  8    The Asteroids  5        

After the third day's play:

Pellucidar  9    Saturn  9
Uranus  6    Vulcan  9
Jupiter  6    Mercury  7
Mars  10    The Asteroids  6        

After the fourth day's play:

Pellucidar  11    Saturn  15
Uranus  9    Vulcan  11
Jupiter  11    Mercury  10
Mars  12    The Asteroids  9

After the fifth day's play:

QUARTER-FINAL RESULTS, SEPTEMBER 2020

no.1 seed:  Pellucidar  13      vs.      no.5 seed:  Saturn  20     

no.11 seed:  Uranus  13      vs.      no.7 seed:  Vulcan  14    

no.2 seed:  Jupiter  15       vs.      no.14 seed:  Mercury  13   

no. 4 seed:  Mars  16     vs.      no.8 seed:  The Asteroids  14 

semi-finals, 16-20 september 2020:

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

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

After the first day's play:

Saturn  6    Vulcan  3
Jupiter  8    Mars  5     

After the second day's play:

Saturn  12    Vulcan  6
Jupiter  11    Mars  7     

After the third day's play:

Saturn  20    Vulcan  9
Jupiter  18    Mars  12     

After the fourth day's play:

Saturn  26    Vulcan  11
Jupiter  25    Mars  15

After the fifth day's play:

SEMI-FINAL RESULTS, SEPTEMBER 2020

no.5 seed:  Saturn  33      vs.      no.7 seed:  Vulcan  15    

no.2 seed:  Jupiter  30      vs.      no. 4 seed:  Mars  20    

the final, 21-27 september 2020:

(Note: due to the Archon's absence during an interplanetary crisis, this month's Final was prolonged to 7 days.)

no.5 seed:  Saturn        vs.      no.2 seed:  Jupiter       

After the first day's play:
Saturn  8    Jupiter  8          

After the second day's play:
Saturn  14    Jupiter  12          

After the third day's play:
Saturn  16    Jupiter  15          

After the fourth day's play:
Saturn  19    Jupiter  21

(Fifth and sixth days' plays not recorded.)

After the last day's play:

CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL RESULT, SEPTEMBER 2020

no.5 seed:  Saturn  27      vs.      no.2 seed:  Jupiter  29      

So the winner of the 49th Interplanetary Knock-Out, September 2020, is

Jupiter

Tiers of colourful beings, limbed or tentacled, hold their collective breath.  It is a historic moment in the sporting history of the Solar System, and as Vorion steps up to receive the trophy from Zendexor even the Jovian supporters in Ceres Stadium seem quietened momentarily by awe at their own team's achievements.  Not just that this is a third consecutive victory: after all, earlier this year they achieved a run of four.  Nor is it the even more remarkable fact that Jupiter has been in every single final this year so far, and has won seven out of the nine.  The occasion is momentous because of - The Overtaking.  At long last, Jupiter's trophy-tally surpasses that of Mars.

The trophy-tally now is as follows: 12 for Jupiter, 11 for Mars, 9 for Venus, 6 for Saturn, 4 for Mercury, 3 each for The Asteroids and Titan, and 1 for Vulcan.

---

august 2020 - the 48th tournament

first round, 1-5 august 2020:

no.1 seed:  Pellucidar  28      vs.     no.17 seed:  Mercury  10

no.9 seed:  The Asteroids  12      vs.      no.25 seed:  Triton  8

no.5 seed:  Amalthea  24      vs.      no.21 seed:  Comets  8

no.13 seed:  The Sun  7       vs.     no. 29 seed:  Oberon  5

no.3 seed:  Saturn  13      vs.      no.19 seed:  Asteroid Progenitor Planet  10 

no.11 seed:  The Moon  9        vs       no.27 seed:  Titan  7

no.7 seed:  Mars  20     vs.       no.23 seed:  Umbriel  9  

no.15 seed:  Neptune  11        vs.      no.31 seed:  Ariel  7

no.2 seed:  Jupiter  18       vs.      no.18 seed:  Vulcan  14

no.10 seed:  Uranus  11       vs       no.26 seed:  Europa  3

no.6 seed:  Venus  15      vs.      no.22 seed:   The Reefs of Space  10

no.14 seed:  Earth  13       vs.     no.30 seed:  Pallas  4

no. 4 seed:  Iapetus  15     vs.      no.20 seed:  Callisto  9

no.12 seed:  Io  4      vs.     no.28 seed:  Ganymede   3

no.8 seed:  Pluto  9      vs.     no.24 seed:  Leda  4

no.16 seed:  Planet X  14      vs.     no.32 seed:  Styx  4

second round, 6-10 august 2020:

no.1 seed:  Pellucidar  15      vs.     no.9 seed:  The Asteroids  15     

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

no.3 seed:  Saturn  18      vs.      no.11 seed:  The Moon  15 

no.7 seed:  Mars  18     vs.       no.15 seed:  Neptune  13    

no.2 seed:  Jupiter  20       vs.      no.10 seed:  Uranus  14  

no.6 seed:  Venus  17      vs.      no.22 seed:   no.14 seed:  Earth  20  

no. 4 seed:  Iapetus  13     vs.      no.12 seed:  Io  6 

no.8 seed:  Pluto  10      vs.     no.16 seed:  Planet X  13

Replay, Pellucidar vs The Asteroids:

no.1 seed:  Pellucidar  1      vs.     no.9 seed:  The Asteroids  4     

quarter-finals, 11-15 august 2020:

no.9 seed:  The Asteroids        vs.     no.5 seed:  Amalthea       

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

no.2 seed:  Jupiter         vs.      no.22 seed:   no.14 seed:  Earth   

no. 4 seed:  Iapetus       vs.      no.16 seed:  Planet X  

After the first day's play:

The Asteroids  4    Amalthea  1
Saturn  1    Mars  4
Jupiter  7    Earth  2
Iapetus  1    Planet X  2          

After the second day's play:

The Asteroids  7    Amalthea  2
Saturn  5    Mars  6
Jupiter  9    Earth  6
Iapetus  3    Planet X  6          

After the third day's play:

The Asteroids  9    Amalthea  3
Saturn  9    Mars  7
Jupiter  12    Earth  7
Iapetus  7    Planet X  8          

After the fourth day's play:

The Asteroids  12    Amalthea  7
Saturn  13    Mars  10
Jupiter  21    Earth  10
Iapetus  10    Planet X  11

After the fifth day's play:

QUARTER-FINAL RESULTS, AUGUST 2020

no.9 seed:  The Asteroids  18      vs.     no.5 seed:  Amalthea  11     

no.3 seed:  Saturn  18      vs.      no.7 seed:  Mars  13    

no.2 seed:  Jupiter  28       vs.      no.22 seed:   no.14 seed:  Earth  14 

no. 4 seed:  Iapetus  15     vs.      no.16 seed:  Planet X  15

Replay required.

no. 4 seed:  Iapetus  0     vs.      no.16 seed:  Planet X  3

semi-finals, 16-20 august 2020:

no.9 seed:  The Asteroids        vs.     no.3 seed:  Saturn       

no.2 seed:  Jupiter         vs.      no.16 seed:  Planet X  

After the first day's play:

The Asteroids  7    Saturn  2
Jupiter  5    Planet X  3           

After the second day's play:

The Asteroids  11    Saturn  4
Jupiter  8    Planet X  8           

After the third day's play:

The Asteroids  16    Saturn  8
Jupiter  13    Planet X  13           

After the fourth day's play:

The Asteroids  19    Saturn  14
Jupiter  17    Planet X  17

After the fifth day's play:

SEMI-FINAL RESULTS, AUGUST 2020

no.9 seed:  The Asteroids  23      vs.     no.3 seed:  Saturn  20  

no.2 seed:  Jupiter  27       vs.      no.16 seed:  Planet X  23

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

no.9 seed:  The Asteroids        no.2 seed:  Jupiter        

After the first day's play:
The Asteroids  9    Jupiter  10    

After the second day's play:
The Asteroids  12    Jupiter  13    

After the third day's play:
The Asteroids  13    Jupiter  18    

After the fourth day's play:
The Asteroids  18    Jupiter  19

After the fifth day's play:

CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL RESULT, AUGUST 2020

no.9 seed:  The Asteroids  20      no.2 seed:  Jupiter  21  

So the winner of the 48th Interplanetary Knock-Out, August 2020, is

Jupiter

Well, the Belters almost did it, and played powerfully enough to give the spectators a suspenseful final.  The Jovians are more sedate than usual, partly because they are now so used to winning, and partly out of an unwonted respect for their gallant opponents.

The rivalry which the Jovians are really most preoccupied with is that of the Martians, whom they have finally equalled in the trophy-tally, which now stands as follows:

11 each for Mars and Jupiter, 9 for Venus, 6 for Saturn, 4 for Mercury, 3 each for The Asteroids and Titan, and 1 for Vulcan.

---

july 2020 - the 47th tournament

first round, 1-5 july 2020:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

second round, 6-10 july 2020:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

quarter-finals, 11-15 july 2020:

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

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

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

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

After the first day's play:

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

After the second day's play:

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

After the third day's play:

Jupiter  7    The Moon  7
Pluto  15    Neptune  8
Saturn  8    Uranus  7
Venus  13    Mars  12      

After the fourth day's play:

Jupiter  13    The Moon  8
Pluto  16    Neptune  12
Saturn  17    Uranus  10
Venus  17    Mars  13

After the fifth day's play:

QUARTER-FINAL RESULTS, JULY 2020

no.1 seed:  Jupiter  17      vs.     no.13 seed:  The Moon  9

no.11 seed:  Pluto  18       vs.      no.7 seed:  Neptune  14    

no.2 seed:  Saturn  18       vs.      no.14 seed:  Uranus  11   

no. 4 seed:  Venus  18     vs.      no.8 seed:  Mars  15 

semi-finals, 16-20 july 2020:

no.1 seed:  Jupiter        vs.       no.11 seed:  Pluto        

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

After the first day's play:

Jupiter  4    Pluto  2
Saturn  4    Venus  5    

After the second day's play:

Jupiter  7    Pluto  5
Saturn  7    Venus  7    

After the third day's play:

Jupiter  14    Pluto  9
Saturn  14    Venus  13    

After the fourth day's play:

Jupiter  19    Pluto  13
Saturn  19    Venus  15

After the fifth day's play:

SEMI-FINAL RESULTS, JULY 2020

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

no.2 seed:  Saturn  23       vs.       no. 4 seed:  Venus  19    

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

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

After the first day's play:
Jupiter  4    Saturn  3       

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

After the third day's play:
Jupiter  16    Saturn  12       

After the fourth day's play:
Jupiter  22    Saturn  16

After the fifth and last day's play:

CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL RESULT, JULY 2020

no.1 seed:  Jupiter  33      vs.       no.2 seed:  Saturn  25  

So the winner of the 47th Interplanetary Knock-Out, July 2020, is

Jupiter

While the jubilant Jovians in the stands are chanting "Back-To-Nor-Mal", voices are being raised against the way the team is managed.  Some think it unfair that the players are incentivised in a manner not open to those of other planets - i.e. Jovian team-members know that if they lose, Bandolian will condemn them to the arena - but the Jovians dismiss such objections as springing from envy: they aver that other managers just wish they could do the same, and it's up to their societies to be less wimpish.

Anyhow, such inspirational vigor has brought results; Jupiter is steadily catching up with Mars in the trophy tally, which now stands as follows after 47 months of the competition:

11 for Mars, 10 for Jupiter, 9 for Venus, 6 for Saturn, 4 for Mercury, 3 each for The Asteroids and Titan, and 1 for Vulcan.

---

june 2020 - the 46th tournament

first round, 1-5 june 2020:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

second round, 6-10 june 2020:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

11 June 2020 replay of Jupiter vs Vulcan:

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

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

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

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

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

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

After the first day's play:

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

After the second day's play:

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

After the third day's play:

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

After the fourth day's play:

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

After the fifth day's play:

QUARTER-FINAL RESULTS, JUNE 2020

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

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

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

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

semi-finals, 16-20 june 2020:

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

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

After the first day's play:

Saturn  1    Mars  1
Jupiter  5    The Asteroids  3    

After the second day's play:

Saturn  4    Mars  2
Jupiter  10    The Asteroids  5    

After the third day's play:

Saturn  7    Mars  3
Jupiter  16    The Asteroids  7    

After the fourth day's play:

Saturn  13    Mars  9
Jupiter  26    The Asteroids  14

After the fifth day's play:

SEMI-FINAL RESULTS, JUNE 2020

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

After the fifth and last day's play:

CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL RESULT, JUNE 2020

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

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

Saturn

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

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

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

---

may 2020 - the 45th tournament

first round, 1-5 may 2020:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FIRST-ROUND MATCH REPLAY, 6 MAY 2020:

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

second round, 6-10 may 2020:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

After the first day's play:

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

After the second day's play:

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

After the third day's play:

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

After the fourth day's play:

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

After the fifth day's play:

QUARTER-FINAL RESULTS, MAY 2020

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

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

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

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

semi-finals, 16-20 may 2020:

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

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

First day's play blacked out - stats unavailable.

After the second day's play:

Saturn  11    Mars  10
Jupiter  13    The Moon  9     

After the third day's play:

Saturn  18    Mars  16
Jupiter  19    The Moon  16     

After the fourth day's play:

Saturn  26    Mars  23
Jupiter  24    The Moon  20

After the fifth day's play:

SEMI-FINAL RESULTS, MAY 2020

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

After the fifth and last day's play:

CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL RESULT, MAY 2020

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

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

Jupiter

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

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

---

april 2020 - the 44th tournament

first round, 1-5 april 2020:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

second round, 6-10 april 2020

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

quarter-finals, 11-15 april 2020:

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

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

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

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

After the first day's play:

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

After the second day's play:

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

After the third day's play:

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

After the fourth day's play:

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

After the fifth day's play:

QUARTER-FINAL RESULTS, APRIL 2020

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

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

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

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

semi-finals, 16-20 april 2020:

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

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

After the first day's play:

Jupiter  4    Venus  3
Saturn  2    Mercury  3             

After the second day's play:

Jupiter  5    Venus  4
Saturn  7    Mercury  4             

After the third day's play:

Jupiter  9    Venus  7
Saturn  9    Mercury  5             

After the fourth day's play:

Jupiter  16    Venus  9
Saturn  14    Mercury  6

After the fifth day's play:

SEMI-FINAL RESULTS, APRIL 2020

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

After the fifth day's play:

CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL RESULT, APRIL 2020

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

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

Jupiter

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

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

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

---

march 2020 - the 43rd tournament

first round, 1-5 march 2020:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

second round, 6-10 march 2020:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

quarter-finals, 11-15 march 2020:

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

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

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

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

After the first day's play:

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

After the second day's play:

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

After the third day's play:

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

After the fourth day's play:

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

After the fifth day's play:

QUARTER-FINAL RESULTS, MARCH 2020

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

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

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

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

semi-finals, 16-20 march 2020:

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

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

After the first day's play:

Saturn  2    Vulcan  0
Jupiter  3    The Asteroids  1             

After the second day's play:

Saturn  3    Vulcan  0
Jupiter  6    The Asteroids  2             

After the third day's play:

Saturn  6    Vulcan  3
Jupiter  12    The Asteroids  4             

After the fourth day's play:

Saturn  8    Vulcan  5
Jupiter  13    The Asteroids  6

After the fifth day's play:

SEMI-FINAL RESULTS, MARCH 2020

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

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

the final, 21-25 march 2020:

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

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

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

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

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

After the fifth and last day's play:

CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL RESULT, MARCH 2020

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

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

Jupiter

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

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

---

february 2020 - the 42nd tournament

first round, 1-5 february 2020:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

6 FEB 2020 REPLAY OF FIRST-ROUND MATCH:

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

So, another replay will be needed.

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

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

second round, 6-10 february 2020:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

quarter-finals, 11-15 february 2020:

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

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

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

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

After the first day's play:

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

After the second day's play:

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

After the third day's play:

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

After the fourth day's play:

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

After the fifth day's play:

QUARTER-FINAL RESULTS, FEBRUARY 2020

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

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

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

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

semi-finals, 16-20 february 2020:

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

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

After the first day's play:

The Sun  4    Jupiter  4
Pellucidar  3    The Asteroids  3           

After the second day's play:

The Sun  7    Jupiter  9
Pellucidar  5    The Asteroids  7           

After the third day's play:

The Sun  7    Jupiter  11
Pellucidar  9    The Asteroids  12           

After the fourth day's play:

The Sun  8    Jupiter  14
Pellucidar  11    The Asteroids  14    

After the fifth day's play:

SEMI-FINAL RESULTS, FEBRUARY 2020

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

After the last day's play:

CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL RESULT, FEBRUARY 2020

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

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

Jupiter

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

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

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

---

january 2020 - the 41st tournament

first round, 1-5 january 2020:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Replay needed for Earth vs The Reefs of Space.

First-round replay, 6 January 2020:

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

second round, 6-10 january 2020:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

quarter-finals, 11-15 january 2020:

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

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

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

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

After the first day's play:

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

After the second day's play:

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

After the third day's play:

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

After the fourth day's play:

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

After the fifth day's play:

QUARTER-FINAL RESULTS, JANUARY 2020

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

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

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

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

semi-finals, 16-20 january 2020:

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

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

After the first day's play:

Saturn  2    Venus  4
Jupiter  0    Mercury  2          

After the second day's play:

Saturn  8    Venus  7
Jupiter  3    Mercury  2         

After the third day's play:

Saturn  9    Venus  12
Jupiter  7    Mercury  3        

After the fourth day's play:

Saturn  16    Venus  21
Jupiter  13    Mercury  9

After the fifth day's play:

SEMI-FINAL RESULTS, JANUARY 2020

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

After the last day's play:

CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL RESULT, JANUARY 2020

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

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

Venus

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

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