UK’s Mani Cheema Wins First World Championships of Warhammer
The UK Warhammer commander, Mani Cheema, defeated his US counterpart, commander John Lennon in a historic battle of the beasts. The finals which were replayed after an initial stalemate, saw the UK commander triumphing over his US adversary.
What a game! There was such tight competition in the first-ever Warhammer 40,000 world finals that the game ended in a draw. This impasse forced both commanders to reset the board for a death rematch. In the rematch, the UK’s Mani Cheema defeated the USA’s John Lennon on turn three, winning the first World Championships of Warhammer.
It was a classic showdown between the Imperium of Man and the Chaos forces of Warhammer 40k. The US commander Lennon led a faction of Ultramarines Space Marines in a battle against the UK commander Cheema’s Chaos forces.
After a gruesome battle, no sure winner was in sight. The final score of 83 to 83 – out of 90 possible points for each player (plus 10 points for fully painted miniatures) – was extremely unlikely to deliver a victory. This required an immediate rematch.
The rematch came to an abrupt ending in the third round, with Cheema shoring up an 80-point lead and Lennon on 35. The two opponents spent some time discussing whether Lennon could feasibly pull back a draw or win. He accepted defeat there and then, declaring Cheema the champion.
Notably, it takes great sportsmanship to have done it the way Lennon did. He could have opted for a longer battle. It could have been a turning point later on. Yet, thumbs up to him.
Furthermore, both players experienced a tough road to the finals. The World Championships of Warhammer were invitational tournaments. In order to enter the World Championships, players must qualify in their home territory. Lennon and Cheema both qualified as national players from the USA and the UK respectively.
