The set-up restrictions and victory conditions on this scenario make this a wicked little puzzle. Much is dependent on the LOS rule interpretation: for BN, I use the "as written" rules such that higher elevation is NOT limiting terrain (as such) to units at lower elevation, but does convey a -1 AT fire to units firing from a lower elevation (or assaulting uphill etc.) This scenario would be dramatically different using Doug McNair's "third edition" spotting rules as per C&C II.

Germans set up with the PzIVH & PzVI-red in 2030 on the spur of the 120m ridge. From this vantage, these units can see over all of the criss-crossing hedges at 100m that block the direct path between the British in Baron and the objective hex in Le Bon Repos. The Germans also put the 2xGren in 2332 and the Marder III in 2333. The Marder is a liability and, as it turned out, perhaps should have been simply fled by the German side.

The British set up in LT towns or behind the town in 2624 (from the perspective of the panzers on the ridge), noting that they cannot use town hex 2623.

The problem confronting the British is this: they lose immediately if they lose five steps. The entire road and hedge-laced clear terrain can be seen by the reduced tiger and full-strength PzIVH. So ...

The British captain sets out on foot with his three full strength and one reduced infantry for the German armor, not Le Bon Repos. The SS commander scratches his head for a moment before calling over a platoon of Grenadiers commanded by a obersturmfuhrer to interpose. The other grenadier platoon and, fatefully, the Marder-III platoon enter objective hex 2531.

Turn Two: simply has the British infantry continue to move for position to threaten the Waffen SS armor with an infantry assault. British armor watches the "poor bloody infantry" do its thing: "I dare say, George, do you suppose its true that one can see an 88mm shell coming at one by the air wash in the grass?" The grenadier platoon commanded by Obersturmfuhrer Gottunsdirectfire disrupts one platoon at a range of 400m.

Turn Three: "Right lads, as Nelson said: never mind manoeuvres, go straight at 'em." An SS scharfuhrer commanding a Tiger I watched the British infantry advance. "Gott in himmel! Do they think this is Trafalgar?" Obersturmfuhrer Gottunsdirectfire, perhaps channeling Andrew Jackson, waited until he could see the whites of their eyes ... the MG 42's erupted (rolling a '3' and a '4' on OF killing two steps of infantry). Still, more British infantry was coming undeterred and the German tanks moved to place the slow-moving tigers into the hex with the Grens (to deter or defeat an assault attempt) and the PzIVH moved off the ridge to a position behind a hedge to cover the road to Le Bon Repos.

"Right, Jerry's on the retreat!" exclaimed the British tank commander. "Rev up those engines lads, and let's get to it." Mario Andretti would have sure been proud of the way those Shermans and Fireflies were moving when they passed that crowd ... until the first platoon came screeching up to the town only to be hit by 75mm fire from the Marder three platoon (rolled a '12' for a two-step kill). The Germans were now one step from victory ... but it was not to be: the next Sherman pulled up a bit short and the Marder's missed their +2 shot (-1 for OF) by rolling a '7'. This was quite disturbing as the field to their north became saturated with M4's and a Firefly platoon.

Turn Four: Goddess Initiative smiles on the British. Activating a stack of six tank platoons, two steps of Marder III's are killed and the British win. This activation also killed a PzIVH step (which was only disrupted). German armor counter fire from the tigers blows the fireflies to bits smaller than their namesake insect (rolled a '12'!).

So on turn four, both sides meet their VC, but the British were first. Interpreting the "immediately" of the scenario instructions literally leads to a British win.

Perhaps one might have kept the Marders out of it, but had they not been present, the British armor could have dashed to the east side of Le Bon Repos and "hidden" from the German armor to the west (which had moved to avoid the infantry).

So I found the VC's and constraints to set up an extraordinary challenge albeit the game was over in four turns. That's why the AAR title likens this to a chess challenge problem. Again, this would be VERY different with the Campaigns&Commanders terrain rules where all BN hexes are "hills" and thus LT.

So I rated this a "3" because it wasn't a slowly developing ebb-and-flow scenario ... it was more like mongoose vs. cobra: deadly and quick and very subtle.