<img src="/images/wcg2006/wcg_esr_q4_preview4B_foreve.png">

Q4 GGL World Rank : 10
Q4 Prize Money : $7,183

Results

2006 Quakecon : 9th-12th
2006 Intel Summer : 9th-12th
2006 ESWC : 3rd
2006 WSVG Kentucky : 9th-12th
2006 Kode5 Germany : 1st
2006 Covlan : 5th
2006 ESWC NL : 1st
2006 NetGamez : 3rd

Two months ago, Ivo had won a poultry $58 playing Quake 4 and he would have been forgiven for wondering if this was the right career path. Fast forward past the big summer tournaments and his bank balance looks a little healthier, thanks to some excellent finishes. Regardless of any salary he may earn (and it is a decent salary), he most definitely has picked the right job.

Without wishing to dwell too much on the histrionics at previous tournaments, it is safe to say that Ivo was never the calmest player in the tournament area. As I have said before, I actually love players who show their emotions and Ivo is certainly one of those people. If he loses, he is upset and he shows it. If he wins, he is passionate about it and he shows it. Whatever your standpoint, it is difficult to understand the emotions going through a players mind as he lines up in an important tournament match, unless you have been there yourself. Quake 4 certainly needs its personalities and in this young Dutchman, we sure have one.

Aside from some of his outrageous behaviour, he has an enormous amount of talent. He does seem to have found how to harness his passion and anger and nerves too, applying some breathing and psychological techniques to his game in Paris during ESWC, which in part, helped him to 3rd place and a major slap in the face to his many critics. He followed that up with 9th-12th at Intel Summer and the same result at Quakecon, suggesting perhaps that he still has a little to work on.

Was ESWC a flash in the pan? Maybe, but Id tend to think we will hear a lot more from this young man in Quake 4 and that could be at the World Cyber Games Finals in Italy this year.