In TEM #38/39, the following puzzle was posed:

"Adjusting just three units in Alan's or Sam's deployments can eliminate a deficiency that exists in every Soviet setup presented in TEM #38/39. The challenge is to identify the deficiency and describe the adjustment of the three units.

Hints:

1 . The judge (Rick Gayler) mentions the deficiency and alludes to its correction in one of his verdicts.
2. One of the contestants also mentions it.
3. All three units are non-divisional.
4. This change will add at least two divisions to the Soviet defense of Leningrad.

Solution:

The deficiency in question is that all the forward units of the 8th and 11th Armies can be isolated in the surprise turn movement phase. This can be corrected by setting up the 3-2-8 Art X from hex 1B:2020 and the 1-8 M/C III from hex 1B:2121 in 113:2322, and either the 0-1-5 Bdr III from 1B:2222 (Alan Tibbetts) or the 1-6 Eng III from hex 1B:2320 (Sam Dahman) in 1B:2321. This simple redeployment of 8th Army non-divisional units will make sure that the Germans can't isolate any of the forward forces of the 8th and 11 th Armies in the surprise turn since neither of these stacks can be overrun in the surprise turn movement phase. Getting special replacements for these two border armies can mean 6 more replacement points for the Russian player, indeed an offer one ought not to refuse.

I found this brainteaser to be very interesting, so I hope you will feature more of this kind of contest in future issues of the magazine.

Rick's Confession:

How embarrassing. This is indeed the solution I had in mind; unfortunately, it is illegal. The deployment restrictions do not allow Soviet units to be placed in hex 2322, as it is not adjacent to a division!

The only solution I can now come up with is to move Alan's stacks from 2819 and 2919 to 2721 and 2720 respectively. However, this compromises the defense of Kaunas. Any other suggestions?