Drove over the mountain with Will Scott
for a pleasant trip Friday night. We ducked the awful fog by not
waiting until early Saturday morning to travel. Despite an OK
Rodeway Inn stay in Asheville the month before, I tried Priceline.
Thanks for the very reasonable rate on the very nice Best Western
Plus, Mr. Shattner. Dinner out with Will, Ruchi, and Mark was
excellent company. I was excited to see a seafood burrito on the
local Mexican place's menu (a rare find, and I try).
Thank you to all the Knoxville club
players who made the event such a treat. They brought so much food
players never had to eat out lunches. Ruchi, thank you for the pizza
for everyone Saturday night. And to the directors for putting on an
event that looked effortless, though we know they must be anything
but.
Game 1 v. Mark Schmidt
XENIA - the first of three five-letter
words starting with X I would use Saturday. Just quirky.
HARVEsT/(ZEBU)s for me. I credit Will Farrell and John C. Reilly for
my second one. I had the song “Boats 'n' Hos” stuck in my head
after I saw some of their movie Stepbrothers Friday night.
AAGINRSS (1) is in the lyrics. Mark had SARODEs and L-stuck me.
452 - 315 1-0 +137 +137 me:
?SSSQX opp: ?SJZ
Eric opened with RAUn(C)HES and hit DARTINg shortly after. Next turn I missed ANOOPRSS (2). I landed H(A)UNTERS midgame, chickening out on the seven that started with S (3).
327 - 406 1-1 (79) +58 me: SSJXZ opp: ??SSQ
Game 3 v. Ruchi Gupta
She blocked INTERIOR early, and I had
orphan PLENIST later. Gave me an S-only hook right under a tws
spot, but I held RESTING and STINGER. Ruchi had ADVeNTS. Good
tiles, wrong board.307 - 370 1-2 (63) (5) me: SXZ opp: ??SSSJQ
Game 4 v. Will Scott
X-starter #2 - XYSTI. Will caught my
GLAE* early. I always forget that's invalid and GALE plays. I
landed TARTIEsT and the word ending in O from ?CDNOOS (4).
435 - 315 2-2 +120 +115 me: ??SSJXZ opp: SSQ
Game 5 v. David Gibson
Quackle indicates I played this one
pretty decently! I nearly wimped out on AEIOTZZ (5) for 102. Thatr
draw gave me the other blank; I would never play it. I only missed
one bingo with it -?OLRTUW through a G (6). David landed
ASSI(G)NEE, and then went out with SHALIER. Blocking that
possibility meant spending my blank for a guaranteed loss.
364 - 444 2-3 (80) +35 me:
??JXZ opp: SSSSQ
Game 6 v. Lloyd Mills
Fireworks to open. LUSTERED for him,
double-double DEEILNRS (7) for me, his OVeRGiLT consecutively. And
then shame. I missed AIORRSTT (8), EILOORST (9), and CEIIKLRS (10)
inside of four turns. Meanwhile, he found FRESHMEN. I got AEEFRST
(11), then blew a turn on PIP(i)*, mixing up the blank designations.
Didn't matter- he had AZIDE for 77 next turn.
350 - 507 2-4 (157) (122) me: SSJ opp: ??SSQXZ
Game 7 v. Cynthia Seales
XENON - my third X-starter of the day.
She landed BEsPOKe early, but I got EEIGLRSV (12) through her E. I
hit EMNORRSU (13) midgame, then milked my lead until INSTATE.449 - 377 3-4 +72 (50) me: SSSSJQX opp: ??Z
Game 8 v. Mark Schmidt
I couldn't sim this one far, but saw I
missed ?ELNOST for a double-double with S in the fourth spot (14) (I
played TOLaNES). INTERNED caught Mark up, but SCEPTERS put me ahead
to stay.436 - 393 4-4 +43 (7) me: ?SSSSX opp: ?JQZ
Game 9 v. Eric Harshbarger
Eric's first play was ReTHINK. I
couldn't get going - spent my S on SYCE for 36, got away with
LAWNED*, anything to stay within a bingo. His anxiousness to be rid
of the Q gave me OXTER for 60 to almost catch up. It looked hopeless
at the end, so I created a desperation lane, playing B(UT) for the A
front hook. Except mine was not the case A. Sometimes the best one
can do is hope for a tiny mistake. Eric, feeling some time pressure,
didn't block. My outbingo would have to have A in the sixth or
seventh slot. I drew to a last rack of ?ADEIOT (15). In short, I
stole one.395 - 348 5-4 +47 +40 me: ?SJX opp: ?SSSQZ
Game 10 v. Ruchi Gupta
I risked URBANIA* early, got it
through. Aggressive rack balance plays eventually burned me when she
scored DEdUCTS for 105. SINLEsS put me back up.434 - 352 6-4 +92 +132 me: ?SSSQZ opp: ?SJX
Game 11 v. Will Scott
AEORRSS (16), ADEEIRTW (17), ?AEEITUX (18) - why study when one can just draw like gangbusters? I did nearly crap the bed and invert two of the letters in the third one.
477 - 302 7-4 +175 +307 me: ??SSSXZ opp: SJQ
Game 12 v. David Gibson
ADILNOS (19) , but my luck ends there.
He replies with Z(A)RIBAS for 58. His next two plays block bingos of
mine. I get two consecutive SATIRE + O racks and lose ground. We
trade his LEGATORS to my AEIOSRTT (20) by the end.341 - 429 7-5 (88) +219 me: SSJX opp: ??SSQZ
Game 13 v. Lloyd Mills
He got STREAKED, then tried EsTOVER*
for a dws-dws instead of a smaller bingo. [redacted February 19, 2016) I hit
DEEILNRS (21) and AEEILPRT (22) to his EMIGRANT and out-bingo of
RAINOUT.419 - 403 8-5 +16 +235 me: ?SSJXZ opp: ?SSQ
Game 14 v. Cynthia Seales
Didn't know a bingo right out of the
gate - CIMNNOSU (23). Got way with MIRN*, but then she nailed
GNAWERS/MIRNS*. ABEEHNS (24) and double-double STRIATE got me
ahead. Didn't know AAIJNRSY (25), but hit STIcKER the next turn.451 - 363 +88 +323 me: ?SSSJX opp: ?SQZ
Game 15. KOH v. Eric Harshbarger
I opened with LIGHT, offering up his
PEN- front extension for 42 later. He also hit RELATING, but I had
RECODES double-double for 40, EX for 52 and JERID for 40 around that.
Then came my ADEEILMN (26). I think needing to beat me by about 80
to catch me for third place played into him challenging. He had to
keep the board open, so I hit DGINSTUY (27) to salt it away.
464 - 359 +105 +428 me: ??SSJX opp: SSQZ
And so, 3rd place, tied for 2nd on wins, and back over 1700 for NASPA rating. Lessons learned: Be patient. Be cognizant of hooks on words even if they are in crowded board areas. Learn the value of specific leaves.
Stat me, baybeeee--
Blanks 14/30
Esses 31/60JQXZ 33/60
TOTAL 77/150 51%
Bingos: 29-20
1-4 in games I got no blanks
3-1 in games I got both blanks6-0 in games in which blanks were split
Average pts. for: 406
Average pts. against: 379
Quiz Answers
1) SANGRIAS2) SOPRANOS
3) SHUNTER - something that moves, diverts, or shifts (variety of contexts)
4) SECONDO - the lower part of a piano duet
5) AZOTIZE - to combine with or add nitrogenous material to
6) LUNGWORT - any of several plants of the borage family, prev. used to treat lung disease
7) REDLINED - to mark as restricted (variety of contexts)
8) TRAITORS
9) OESTRIOL - female hormone
10) SICKLIER
11) FEASTER (also AFREETS)
12) VELIGERS - larval stage of mollusks
13) MOURNERS
14) TELSONS - the last segment of or an appendage on the last segment of body of crustacean or arachnid
15) GODETIA - showy-flowered annual garden plant
16) SOARERS
17) WAITERED
18) EUTAXIES - good order, management (also EXUVIATE)
19) LADINOS - an unmanageable,viscous horse or other ranch animal
20) TOASTIER
21) REDLINES
22) PEARLITE - microscopic lamellar structure in some carbon steels and cast irons that consists of alternating plates of pure iron and iron carbide
23) NONMUSIC
24) BANSHEE (also SHEBEAN)
25) JANISARY - a Turkish soldier
26) ENDEMIAL - present within a localized area
27) STUDYING
