**NOTE* * I got partially through
entries for both the 2015 Asheville and 2016 Des Moines tournaments,
but for losing sheets did not complete them or post. Thank you to
directors Bill Snoddy, Rich Banker, and to all those who made both
tournaments to be fine ones.
Thank you to Michael Basset for once
again running a terrific event, and to all those who assisted..
Port Clinton is a fabulous location, which just enough non-chain food
options in the tourist off-season to be good and the prices on the
venue and area hotel rooms are super.
Also, thank you to Ken Dutch and Will
Scott, my local club mates, traveling companions and hotel roommates.
Try as I may have to warn you off about my grenade fire-like
snoring, you boldly took the risk. And probably paid a terrible
price. Your sleep deficits are not unnoted.
Rd 1 v Cheryl Melvin
EGINSTU (1) , QI for 44 and the
unsuccessfully-challenged AEGNORRY (2) for me, HOTLINES and ROOSTING
for her, all consecutively. She also hit REPANELS and OLEASTER, but
not catching me on WURTZ* proved fatal.
455 – 409 1-0 +46 me: SJQXZ
Rd 2 v Steve Grob
The new AEILRRTT (3) and EFIOPRT (4)
back to back got me an early lead, but the latter gave him QI for 68.
POMADES and then three straight 40+-pointers proved too much,
despite my fun phony P-hook to the first bingo.
380 – 413 1-1 +13 me: SS
Rd 3 v Carolyn Easter
She hit UNTURNED early, but leaked me
an S-hook late for AEGLLST (5) to eke it out.
406 – 376 2-1 +43 me: ?SSQXZ
Rd 4 v Ken Dutch
BALBOA was a fun six. Almost drew a
challenge on DECENTER, despite it being two parts of speech. I
turned down TEXTING with a blank to take TIX for 40+ before the
bingo. Quackle indicated that was a wash. I missed EFIINORT (6) and
EIIFNORR (7) with a blank.
356 – 280 3-1 +119 me: ??SQX
Rd 5 v Flossie Swint
Hit ACEEMRST (8) and CEEINOS (9),
missed neat EIKLRTT (10) – it being a verb and adjective. I
Q-stuck her, but could not play off my I's without giving her a spot.
410 – 331 4-1 +198 me: ?SSSZ
Rd 6 v. Paul Epstein
Missed double-double non-bingo DEGILRR
(11). I bingo'ed first with a blank for EEGKINR (12), but EEGKORN
was better (13). Missed playable bingo from AEIILNQU (14) with a
blank, as well as five-vowel eight AEGIILLU (15). That allowed him
INTORTED. I finally bingo'ed with that blank – AILNOPRU (16) -
but missed the better ADLNOPRU (17).
The point not being to berate or
belittle myself. I made some optimal moves, too. But my consistency
has to be much higher if I'm ever going to compete with capital-E
Experts like Paul.
312 – 380 4-2 +130 me: ??SX
Rd 7 v Maureen Kennerk
She struck first with SLOPPIER. I set
up ICK in the open, hoping she did not recall that it newly takes an
S back hook, and then did get the challenge when I made SALTIER
there. I missed AEMNOTT (18) late, but with the blank. She couldn't
afford to block the only bingo lane and I got AADENNT (19).
Also, there was a contest for the best
anti-Donald Trump word. I thought I'd win it with my outplay of
(HER)O for the irony of it only being seven points, but no.
414 – 323 5-2 +221 me: ?SSSZ
Rd 8 v Kristi Zurbrick
Her OVERTLY and VINIEST early put me in
a hole from which I'd never recover. Missed AEEMNST (20). REUNITE
gave me a puncher's chance at the end, but I couldn't draw the
magic-eight combo.
313 – 380 5-3 +154 me: SS
Rd 9 v. Josh Kopczak
He smacked me with CONOIDS right out of
the gate. It's in the 10.000's prob-range, and so not in my studies.
Challenge. I missed AAEEMNST (20) again! before later the finding
the simpler OUTSIDE. But Josh was able to otherwise lock down the
board and was never in danger of losing.
316 – 365 5-4 +105 me: SSZ
Rd 10 v Jonathan Lindh
TRAINEES early for me. Non-bingo
TRITIUM from him opened a dangerous spot I could do nothing about,
but his draw forced him to defend it . I didn't know EINNSWY (21)
and missed EINNSPY (22) with the blank. I hadn't known EGNNOSU
(23). A noisy room may have kept him from seeing game-winning
INTRAD(O)S. I play practice games at home while my a three-year old
causes chaos, so advantage me.
373 – 291 6-4 +187 me: ?SSJXZ
Rd 11 v Dan Stock
AREOLES and TASTIER for him, DDEENRU
(24) and EINOPTU (25) for me. Difference was I made a second-best
X-play missing OXLIP and that would've blocked his JET for 61.
383 – 435 6-5 +135 me: ?SSSQX
Rd 12 v Mike Stafford
SWIFTER - which I had not known was a
noun – REMAINS, INERTIAE and WHITTLE. I turned down bingos to make
HEADY for 40 before the last one and Quackle approved. But I
would've taken AEHILTY (26) had I seen it. RESTING late for Mike.
534 – 327 7-5 +343 me: ??SSSJQ
Rd 13 v Marlene Boyda
Opened back-to-back with EULOGIA and
ADEFIILN (27). Missed EIMNRRU (28) and AIMNRRU (29) and then
DEEOORRV (30) with a blank. We traded her SACHETS to my AEEOPRST
(31).
425 – 341 8-5 +427 me: ?SJXZ
Rd 14 v Jeff Fiszbein
Got lucky not having to trade out of my
opening full house when Jeff gave me an A for ZENANA. I missed
?BEEEON with an open H (32), but got down AEEGNOP (33) soon after.
He landed EDITORS before I landed ENTRIES, which takes dangerous
hooks. In between, He'd scored THWACK on a tws line for 50+. I
chickened out on the valid -ERS extension, but fished for and got the
-ING for 66. I missed EEFGLOS (34) late, but went out on EGILRSU
(35).
500 – 347 9-5 +580 me: ?SSJXZ
Rd 15 v Mike Stafford
Apparently 14.5 games is all I can
handle in a weekend. Then it became to switch gears and crap the
bed.
I got a two free turns between Mike's
exchange and then catching him on SUEDY*. He countered my REVOTING
with his own ERASION midgame. Soon after, I missed DILORRTY (36)
and chickened out on (37) DEHIORTY.
Then the hilarity ensued. Had I
noticed (V)UG/(JAG)G/U(T) in a tight spot – which would've given me
a 99% chance to win despite only about a 30-point lead – I might've
restrained myself from trying to salt the game away with...
TiGER(HAWK)* for a tws.
In my defense, I am a native son of
Iowa and was compelled by the power of Herky the Hawk to make the
attempt. I now know the Tiger Hawk (which I now also know is usually
presented as two words) logo on football helmets, et al., is not
named for an actual animal, but rather for the stripey part of the
design.
Since that was challenged off, and he
used the VUG spot for something similar himself, I was forced to
exchange. After that, he simply blocked bingo lanes with his C's.
This was the third-fourth place matchup. Guess I don't like money
haha.
332 – 367 9-6 +545 me: ??JQZ
Mike made the plays he needed to of
course, but I think I at least equally blew that game. Would've
finished in 3rd place instead of 6th, come away
with a a little cash. Congrats to Will and Ken for their 9 and 8.5
wins, respectively, and to Lloyd Mills for winning.
Regarding Lloyd, in a previous entry I
noted that I hadn't cared for certain behavior at a 2014 event. In
talking with him this weekend, I leaned that I may have misconstrued
some of the nature of what transpired. Apologies have been made both
ways, and that portion of that entry will be redacted.
Stat me, baby –
Avg, score: 394 – 359
Blanks: 15/30
Esses: 28/60
JQXZ: 29/60
TOTAL: 72/150 power tiles
28-17 bingo advantage 17 seven, 11
eights.
2-blank games: 2-2
0-blank games: 1-3
Split-blank games: 6-1
QUIZ ANSWERS
1) GUNITES – mixture of cement,
sand and water
2) ORANGERY – place where orange
trees are cultivated
3) RATTLIER
4) PROFITER
5) GALLETS – to fill in mortar
joints with stone chips
6) NOTIFIER
7) INFERIOR
8) CREMATES
9) SENECIO - flowering plant, ie:
ragwort
10) KITTLER - ticklish (comp.)
11) GIRDLER
12) REEKING
13) KEROGEN - bituminous matter in
shale
14) AQUILINE - curving like an
eagle's beak (also QUINIELA)
15) AIGUILLE - a sharp, pointed
mountain peak
16) UNIPOLAR
17) PAULDRON - a piece of armor for
the shoulder
18) TOMENTA - network of small blood
vessels (pl.)
19) ANDANTE - a moderately slow music
passage
20) EMANATES
21) SWINNEY - atrophy of horse's
shoulder muscles
22) SPINNEY - a thicket
23) GUENONS - long-tailed African
monkey with grizzled coat
24) ENDURED
25) POUTINE - french fries and cheese
curds topped with gravy
26) HYALITE - a colorless opal
27) FINIALED - a crowning ornament
(adj.)
28) MURRINE - pertaining to murra, a
substance used in ancient Rome to make vases
29) MURRAIN - any of various cattle
diseases, like foot-and-mouth
30) OVERRODE
31) PROTEASE - enzyme that breaks
down polypeptides
32) HONEYBEE
33) PEONAGE
34) SOLFEGE - doh, re, mi, fa...
35) LIGURES - a precious stone,
mentioned in Exodus, probably jacinth
36) TORRIDLY
37) THYREOID - pertaining to the
thyroid
