Big wins and devastating losses go down in history for fans and competitors alike. Nostalgic fans will definitively browse their demo archives after reliving some of the moments from years past as we wait for the action to get underway at the 2007 World Cyber Games.

2004: Some amazing moves

Sometimes a single play can define a big competition. It might be a random occurrence, freak luck or borderline divine intervention but as long as it gets the job done it goes down in history.

Emil "Heaton" Christensen had his moment in the water on de_aztec in 2001. David "moto" Geffon later described the events by "Heaton was embarrassing some British guys", as of course he did. It quickly became an .avi-file though, circumventing the international community long before anyone thought of putting "you" and "tube" together.

Reading between the lines in Geffon’s description it’s obvious that he does not feel it was all skill on Christensen’s part, some luck – or mistake on his opponent’s part must have been involved for something so outrageous to occur.

Enter the irony as the 2004 World Cyber Games in San Francisco was defined by Geffon’s actions the same way Christensen made himself and the Winter CPL 2001 famous.

He was left alone against three guys from "SK", defending the A-bombsite on de_inferno. "SK" had the bomb and to make the American captain’s situation even worse, Geffon was stuck behind a box on the site. While he always was a solid player he was never the go-to guy when you needed magic to turn things around.

Needless to say, in that particular situation, Geffon found all the magic in the world as he whirled around. Dancing from side to side, tapping his mouse one button as the Swedes were on the receiving end of his USP. It was all over in a few dramatic seconds, he won the un-winnable round for Team 3D and swept SK off their balance. This was the semi-final and Geffon could later claim the title for team USA in a final nobody remembers. The Beach Boys could sing; "Everybody’s doing a brand new dance now. Come on – Come on - do the Moto-motion".

It was impossible to top the Geffon-dance - the delightful randomness of high-level sports in all its glory.

2005: Kasakh…where?

Everyone present in ’04 agreed - It was a spectacular event in a great city; the players didn’t mind "Condition-Zero" so why would they mind an early, very much unfinished version of "CS: Source" in Singapore.

It was a controversial pick, especially considering the fact that every national qualifier was allowed to choose between Source and 1.6. The obvious result was that 1.6 teams qualified for the event, teams that did not like "the other game" very much. It made for a sub-par competition as many saw it as a vacation and went out drinking after losing as quickly as possible without caring too much about that.
Team 3D did not though, announcing early on that they would focus on preparing themselves like professionals to retain their title. They were the heavy favorites too and breezed through the competition.

Upsets did occur though as a team of very young guys from Kazakhstan excelled beyond anyone’s expectations. Needless to say they made benefit for their glorious nation as they ploughed through opponents from Germany and Russia, earning a shot at the professionals from America.

Their heartwarming passion for their gaming even won over Russia’s finest, Aleksey "LeX" Kolesnikov, as he commented that he wanted to cheer on his Khazakstanian brothers. Sadly the perfect underdogs were overwhelmed in the end.

Team 3D’s big game mentality and experience was too much to handle but K23 proved to everyone that everything is possible. Even in one of the biggest tournaments in the world.
K23 did take home 30 000 USD for their efforts and in a live interview after the prize ceremony one of the players testified as to how unexpected it all was.

A journalist asked what he was going to do with his share of the money. His reply?

"I have no idea; I’ll probably give it to my father".

2006:Dawn of a new era

The Poles in "Pentagram" had been around the international scene for years with the same core of players. Their talent was evident; still they seemed like one of those teams that would never quite "get there". A win at a sub-par "WSVG" tournament in the weeks leading up to the Monza event did not raise eyebrows either, especially considering how hard it is for any one team to win two tournaments alone.

WCG was going to be all about the rebuilt "Ninjas In Pyjamas" from Sweden. The new stars, "zet" and "ins", were shining as the "old" ones had faded away. They ran into trouble in their semi-final though as the Canadians from "EG" welcomed them into a Maple Leaf world of hurt. They took the first map and got 14 rounds on de_train, forcing NiP to buy whatever they could to stay in the game.

Oskar "Ins" Holm was not about to lose though. Equipped with only a desert eagle he took down…everyone. Needless to say the shock was too big to overcome and NiP made their way to the main stage to play the final that seemed so unlikely. EG were heartbroken and rightfully so as they only had a day of second guessing themselves left in Milan. "Ins" monumental play was not enough though as NiP had unknowingly stumbeled into the era of "Pentagram". The Polish flag flew over the racetrack at Monza after an exciting three-map final and the wait was finally over for their players and their community.

The images of the joy displayed last year spring to mind as the re-branded "PGS" make their way into the tournament area in Seattle. On Sunday there will be new moments to go down in the illustrious history of the World Cyber Games.