Buck Carruthers for K-Band Sports, on the sidelines in the Kool Haus in Toronto. This weekend has been phenomenally exciting. Rob Krueger of the Legion of the Red Fist has won the 2003 Rock Paper Scissors Championships! I must admit, I was rooting for this boy from the start. I'm including the press release which relates the remarkable finals. Whoa. Krueger's inspired play of Fistful o'dollars (Rock, Paper, Paper) let him walk with a fistful of five thou o'dollars--Canadian. Bet you wish you were there!

Toronto, ON – Oct 26, 2003…The World Rock Paper Scissors Society is pleased to announce that Rob Krueger of Ottawa/Toronto team ‘Legion of the Red Fist’ is the new Molson Canadian World Rock Paper Scissors Champion. Krueger beat players from around the world for the Championship trophy, CDN$5,000 in prize money, and the gold medal before a crowd of approximately 900 competitors and spectators in Toronto on October 25th.

In the final game, Krueger played a gambit known as Fistful o’dollars (Rock, Paper, Paper), against Silver Medallist Marc Rigaux’s Avalanche (Rock, Rock, Rock) series.

“Marc and I kept stalemating in the final match, which created a lot of tension on-stage,” said Rob Krueger, 2003 Molson Canadian Rock Paper Scissors World Champion. “I had to block out the noise of the crowd and concentrate on reading Marc’s face. When he threw two rocks in a row, I guessed he was going to complete the Avalanche gambit with a third rock, so I switched strategies at the last second to take the World Championships.”

Patrick Merry took third place after beating top-placing female competitor Christine Wong.

"It was a real nail-biter – and the level of play this year was outstanding," said Douglas Walker, Event Co-Chair and Managing Director, World RPS Society. "Most surprisingly, several highly experienced players were knocked out earlier than expected. Last year’s Champion, Master Peter Lovering, was ousted during the round of 16 by top New Jersey RPS trainer-turned-player Lauren Hood.

Competitors represented regions including the United Kingdom (England, Scotland), The United States (Hawaii, Washington D.C., New York, California, New Jersey, Michigan, Illinois), and Canada (British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec).

As the governing body of the sport of Rock Paper Scissors, the World RPS Society helps to set the strategic direction of tournaments, conferences, symposiums and retreats across the world.