posted Nov 23rd, 2023 - The outcome of the 8-way competition at the Weembinamic 2023 featured the upset of the traditional leaderboard, after it happened in 4-way at the Weembinamic 2022. The NSL News pointed out with yesterday's 4-way update that the same three 4-way teams were on the podium in the same order that the traditional leaderboard was showing.

The situation in 8-way was still the same as it was in 4-way though, as the winners had no serious opposition with their significant leads on the traditional leaderboard after all ten rounds. They were logically also not eliminated in any of the three 2-round duels. Black Hole Dynos won by 14 points in 4-way, Ultim8 Weembi by 29 points in 8-way.

Ultim8 gave away highscores only in two of the ten rounds, interestingly enough both in the semifinals (Round 8) and finals (Round 10). They were facing After 8 neither in the semifinals nor in the finals, who posted the higher scores in Round 8 and Round 10. However, even After 8's highscores would not have stopped Ultim8 from winning the Weembinami's 8-way competition, neither in the special elimination duel's bracket format nor on the traditional leaderboard.

Martial Ferre's Veloce QRF signature lineup had actually tied the total for the two semifinal rounds with After 8 (45 - 45) and advanced to the finals against Ultim8 with the tie-breaking highest score (24) in the semifinal duel with After 8. Veloce QRF 1 actually finished 15 points behind After 8 on the traditional leaderboard (256 - 241) and had not the slightest chance against Ultim8 in the finals (73 - 59), while they still finished officially in the silver medal position on the podium.

Weembinamic 2023			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	8-way		G,L,E,3		B,14,6		6,2,P		15,4,17		9,D,8		A,21,22		7,1,11		H,19,N,5		18,F,12		M,Q,J,16		Total	Avg
1	Ultim8	FR	36	-1	25		21		35		23		23		27	-1	22	-1	31		42	-3	285	28.5
2	After 8 Weembi	FR	30	-4	20	-3	21		29	-3	18	-1	21		22	-1	23		25		47		256	25.6
3	Veloce QRF	FR	33		19		18		29		19		19	-2	24	-1	21		20		39		241	24.1
4	Rock8 Fullfly	FR	34		19		19		27		20		14		24		20		24		34		235	23.5
5	Veloce QRF 2	FR	24		19		19		28		18		20		22		19		20		35		224	22.4
6	Once FCUKed Pakoi	FR	24		18		18		19		16		17		18		17		23		30		200	20.0
7	Veloce QRF 4	US	25		16		15		22		11		16		16		16		19		26		182	18.2
8	Veloce QRF 3	FR	24		16		14		19		13		15		16		14		17		26		174	17.4
9	UBEND8	UK	21		13		13		17		14		12		16		14		15		25		160	16.0
10	Veloce QRF 8	DE	17		14		12		16		13		13		12		13		9		23		142	14.2
10	Pink Rabbits	FR	20		14		13		16		14		12		12		9		12		20		142	14.2
12	Veloce QRF 6	US	18		11		12		18		12		11		13		13		14		19		141	14.1
13	Veloce QRF 7	UK	12		13		8		14		9		8		10		8		12		12		106	10.6
14	Veloce QRF 9	CZ	15		12		8		11		8		6		8		11		10		14		103	10.3

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Ultim8 at the Weembinamic 2023

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Martial Ferre had obviously no mercy for the other team in his own personal duel. He competed directly against himself in the finals, with Veloce QRF 1, as well as with Ultim8. He founded the international Veloce QRF (Quick Reaction Force) 8-way team for the Paraclete XP Indoor Championship 2015 and has not missed any of the 20 events that the QRF signature lineup has attended ever since.

The Veloce QRF 8-way project has consistently expanded ever since, and eight QRF lineups competed at Weembi Lille last week. Martial Ferre competed in three of the 8-way teams at the Weembinamic 2023 (Ultim8 - QRF 1 - QRF 2) and won gold and silver medals at the same time.

After 8, with former 4-way Women world champion and High Rollers member Christine Malnis in the lineup, was formed in 2017 and has attended twelve 8-way events ever since. Three members of the new Chesspaf 4-way team competed for After 8, as well, and they helped to stop Martial Ferre from winning the additional bronze medal for his personal Weembinamic podium sweep.

After 8 defeated Veloce QRF 2 with Martial Ferre in the duel for the 3rd place by 17 points (72 - 55). Martial Ferre was eventually in three lineups of the four teams in the final two duels for the Weembinamic medals. QRF 2 finished in 5th place on the traditional leaderboard. The Rock8 Fullfly lineup, with members of the three current French national 4-way teams, took the 4th place, eleven points ahead of QRF 2 (235 - 224).

Weembinamic 2023			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	8-way		G,L,E,3		B,14,6		6,2,P		15,4,17		9,D,8		A,21,22		7,1,11		H,19,N,5		18,F,12		M,Q,J,16		Total	Avg
1	Ultim8	FR	36	-1	25		21		35		23		23		27	-1	22	-1	31		42	-3	285	28.5
2	After 8 Weembi	FR	30	-4	20	-3	21		29	-3	18	-1	21		22	-1	23		25		47		256	25.6
3	Veloce QRF	FR	33		19		18		29		19		19	-2	24	-1	21		20		39		241	24.1

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After 8 - Veloce QRF 1 at the Weembinamic 2023

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The Rock8 Fullfly lineup represented the newest generation of French 4-way competitors, while the 8-way winners of Ultim8 were a very colorful combination of former and current 8-way experts and world champions. The Weembinamic 2023 was the 3rd indoor competition for Ultim8, which ended with a new 28.5 team record average.

Martial Ferre, Julien Losantos and Erwan Pouliquen, French 8-way team members of 2002/2003, convinced their new 2003 team mate Emmanuel Sarrazin, 8-way world champion of 2006 and 2008, to join their Ulim8 lineup this year. Julien Degen, Erwan Pouliquen and Emmanuel Sarrazin had won their 8-way world championship titles together at the same two events, more gold medals two years later in Menzelinsk 2010.

Julien Degen, Martial Ferre, Julien Losantos, Erwan Pouliquen and Emmanuel Sarrazin still had three open slots for the Ultim8 lineup at the Weembinamic 2023. Regular QRF 8-way player-coach Marco Arrigo was available and had only one other commitment with the Veloce QRF 3 team. Martial Ferre and Marco Arrigo have worked together with Jeana Billings and Kirk Verner at the 8-way Hell Week camps at Weembi Lille and Paraclete XP for years, and the reigning 8-way world champions of 2021 and 2022 accepted the invitation to the French edition of 8-way Hell Week and Weembinamic 2023. The historic international Ultim8 lineup was complete, and result was the 28.5 average after all ten rounds. Jeana Billings copied Martial Ferre's 8-way gold and silver sweep, as she also filled an open Veloce QRF slot.