2016 Spring Richmond, KY one-day

Richmond, KY Spring One-Day

Rd 1 v. Ken Dutch

I hit AEGLNRRW (1) but missed the tws bingo AEELNGRR (2). MISTRIAL for Ken, ?AEEOSU (3) for me. ZAIRE for 68 put him right back in it. I figured out the correct endgame out-in-two sequence based on what we thought the score was. As it turned out, we had both underscored a play of his by two. That plus him missing three points on a top last play cost him a one-point win. All in all, I got outplayed this round.

377 – 375     1-0     +2                    me: ??SS                opp: SSJQXZ

Rd 2 v. Paul Erland

Missed a fun extension right off the bat, DRY(POINT), and then a nine the next turn – AEINRRY through IT (4). We traded his DELAINE to my ADEEGORT (5) before he put me away. He landed FUSTTIER, making (VERST)E. The hook was unknown to me, and so unsuccessful challenge. I missed ADOOSPWW (6) late, but would still have been all but sunk.

345 – 426    1-1     (79)                   me: ?SSX               opp: ?SSJQZ

Rd 3 v. Marc Broering

Found AEEILOTT (7) early, but missed better EEILOTTT (8). Missed CEGINORZ (9). Found AENOPRT (10), but missed that the P could front hook #7 (11). Missed ABDEGNRU (12) and ABEGNOR (13). Either of the last two would've blocked Marc's late, great ROULEAUX. I managed to find an out-in-two that included back-hooking an R to the end of ROOKIE.

351 – 342    2-1     (70)                   me: ?SZ                 opp: ?SSSJQX

Rd 4 v. Emily Brodeur

EGIILNRT (14) early for me. AELNORV (15) gave me a monster lead, though ACEKLORV (16) or AEKLORTV (17) would've scored better. Emily landed STORMED late.

448 – 302     3-1    +66                    me: ?SSJQZ           opp: ?SSX

Rd 5 v. David A Brown

Marvelous comeback for David. I missed CEEGNORV (18) right out of the gate, but managed BEINOST (19) soon after. EGRRSSU (20) was nice but EGLNRSSU (21) would've been double-double. The 80 point lead wasn't enough. David got ZONAE for 58 and OXID for 40 to get close. He then set up a bingo-lane I couldn't properly block and landed ANOTHER for 90. He then drew to a perfectly-fitting INERTIAE out of a pretty bad bag to seal it.

397 – 448     3-2     +15                   me: ?SSSSJQ          opp: ?XZ

Rd 6 v. Steve Bush

DEIOSTU (22) double-double for me, CAROTIN for Steve. I hadn't known KIPPEN – a past tense of KEP, but nearly got a challenge on ENPINK. Instead, Steve just played DIVULGE. ZAIRE for 68 and VEX for 42 got me back in it, but the latter set up his THERMOS for 108.

421 – 456     3-3     (20)                   me: ?SSXZ            opp: ?SSJQ

Rd 7 v. David Shuman

Opened by taking a guess at BEFOOL, since I knew BEDUNCE to be valid. I hit CELOSST (23), but missed EEHIOSTX (24) and AEHIMPST (25). GANNETS gave him a late lead, but with homeless ETESIAN I got PEATINESS* by.

437 – 335     4-3     +82                   me: ?SSSQX          opp: ?SJZ

Rd 8 v. Paul Erland

Likely the most points in a game in the fewest turns in a game in which I've ever been invol ved.

I opened with BCEEFIN (26). He knew the E-backhood, scored decently out of what I suspect was not a great rack. I failed with CUDDIER*, and even had it been valid, BENEFICE it it turns out is a verb. EMBOWING for him, ADIGNNOR (27) and AABEEKLT (28) back-to-back for me. GNATTIER for him, and then FLUORITS shortly after, then EHNRSSTU (29) for me.

I'm still stunned MISPUT* I bad, and it took my chances of winning from seemingly so-so to far worse. But he had both V's in the end game and made a mistake trying for an out-in-two, inadvertently setting up my AMU with (IS)M for a game-winning 35.

487-470     5-3     +99                     me: ?SSSJ            opp: ?SQXZ

Everyone in both divisions finished more or less according to where they'd been seeded, including me in 3rd place.  

Thank you to Will Scott for running such a fine event and to Cafe Meeples' peoples for providing our rental space and timely lunch service. Will indicates Cheryl Melvin and Steve Bush helped things run very smoothly, and kudos to Marc Broering on his Division One title! A special shout-out to the happy, cackling art class of elderly ladies in the adjacent room. I play friendlies at home with a four year-old running around, so it's harder for me to get distracted :)

Stat me, baybeeeee –

Blanks: 9/16

Esses: 19/32

JQXZ: 12/32

TOTAL: 40/80

Avg score: 408 – 396

Bingo count: 16 – 14

QUIZ ANSWERS

1) WRANGLER

2) ENLARGER

3) AENEOUS – having a greenish-gold color

4) ITINERARY

5) DEROGATE

6) WOODWASP

7) ETIOLATE – to whiten

8) TOILETTE – the act of dressing and grooming oneself

9) COGNIZER

10) PRONATE                                                             (also OPERANT, PROTEAN)

11) PETIOLATE – having a zoological or botanical stalk

12) UNGARBED

13) BEGROAN

14) RETILING                                                             (also GLINTIER, TINGLIER)

15) VERONAL – the first commercially-available barbiturate

16) LAVEROCK-- Scottish word for 'lark'

17) OVERTALK

18) CONVERGE

19) BONIEST

20) SURGERS

21) RUNGLESS

22) OUTSIDE                                                                (also TEDIOUS)

23) CLOSETS                                                                (also CLOSEST)

24) ETHOXIES – a univalent, radical chemical (pl.)

25) MATESHIP                                                              (also SHIPMATE)

                       – the state of being a mate; also Australian bro-code

26) BENEFIC – kindly

27) ADORNING

28) TAKEABLE

29) HUNTRESS

Asheville Spring March 2016 one-day

My wife and daughter were in Indy for a girl's weekend , so I ode down the night before with clubmate Steve Bush. Medication for an ear infection kept me up half the night, though Steve's noisy hotel A/C afforded hm even less sleep. How would we fare?

Rd 1 v. Steve Bush

Opened with DEEHNORT (1) with blank for O, missed better ADEEHNRT (2) and several other betters. We traded his NEROLIS and my ACEGNOST (3) midgame before I likely blew the game, chickening out on AADEILRT (4). I managed AEILNOST (5) at the end, but Steve's SEIZED reply was worth more.

382 – 441      0-1      (59)                     me: ?SS

Rd 2 v. Joey Krafchick

Started with a bingo again – AAEELRTV (6) to no avail. Joey let me get away with ESCORTER* , but I'm pretty sure only because he saw I could've (and should've) played CEORRST (7) and one of the valid plays in the eight. I made late-game gaffe with GUD* that still left me a coin-flip's chance of winning, but Joey's blank-Z combo I could not overcome.

372 – 389      0-2      (76)                    me: ?SSJ

Rd 3 v. Guy Ingram

And then came the car wreck. I got the first bingo down with CEEINRRS (8). Then I challenged 58-pt. WEbCAM because I had guaranteed bingo my next turn and took the chance it was too jargony. But instead I tried BROMITES*. EIMORST (9) eventually put me back in driver's seat, but he took that away with SAINTING that blocked me.

And so desperation GOUTLESS* came off. And then I tried LUTEOLS* instead of OUTSELL, which would've put me over 2/3 to win. Finding the valid play in ELOPSTU (10) wouldn't have been a big enough out-play to win, but POSTULE* didn't stick. So between all that mess and two exchanges, I scored zero on seven turns.

349 – 433      0-3      (160)                  me: ?SSSJ

Rd 4 v. David Gibson

Nothing like staring down the barrel of likely 0-4 start facing North American #1.

He hit HOAGIES early, then got double-double RHEUMIER in reply to my DEEINRRT (11). His QI play for 45 in a way happened to lose this for him, despite Quackle rating him 98% to win at that point. Down nearly 100, I was going to risk (PYOID)S* to land orphan AEGISTU (12), but the QI gave me a valid tws landing zone.

I made a very questionable block of the only highly-prone bingo lane with CROC, as the K could be scored for game-changing points potentially. But David had been drawing no vowels late and I'm guessing drew the K a turn too late.

442 – 423      1-3      (141)                    me: ?SXZ

Rd 5 v. Randy Hersom

AEIKMMS (13) for nearly 100 unsuccessfully challenged allowed me to lead pillar to post. He hit TANAGERS and TRENDING, but my NIQABS for 72 maintained the pace.

477 – 332      2-3      +4                          me: ?SSSSJQZ

Rd. 6 v. Ruchi Gupta

ADEEILR (14) early for me. I missed the one bingo ending in S out of ??EEIQR (15), but split the blanks up for QuOD and EEIMRST (16) to effect.

418 – 357      3-3      +65                      me: ??SSJQ

Rd 7 v. Mark Schmidt

Got a challenge on AAELMOT (17). He went back-to-back with SAVINES and MOTIONS to make up for the lost turn., but a 54 pt reply gave me the lead again for good. I missed AEFGIRRU (18), but went out with CEEIRSTU (19). Mark “missed” the far weirder of two in AEIIRRSTT (20) with both blanks through disconnected letters from his final rack. I think that's a Nigel Richards-alone find.

440 – 334      4-3      +171                    me: JZ

Rd 8 v. David Gibson

My streak put me in 4^th place for the KOH match – another round against Numero Uno. I cannot find the score sheet, but I remember playing well and yet never really being in this one.

418 – 495      4-4      +94                      racks unknown

I know my likelihood of ever even truly competing for national championship is about nil. Being able to avoid crapping the bed completely after a start like on this day is an attainable goal. I know player who 0-3 would incapacitate emotionally and play-wise. So I've got this going for me, which is nice. And getting my first win over Gibson – no matter how much luck was involved at end – is easy to smile about. Gained a few points, had a good time.

Atlanta(-ic?) Bread Company turned out to be a great venue for us, about three dozen contestants. Congrats to Steve on winning the division! He is within shouting distance now of 1900 and I believe has cracked the top 50 in North America. Thank you to Bill Snoddy and everyone at the Asheville group for hosting another fantastic event!

Stat me, baybeeee –

Blanks: 6/14

Esses: 14/28

JQXZ: 11/28

              TOTAL: 31/70 power tiles

Avg score: 412 - 401

Bingo count:             14-7

No-blank games:      1-0

Two-blank games:    1-0

Split-blank games:    2-3

Quiz Answers

1)   DETHRONE                                         (also THRENODE)

2)   ADHERENT                                         (also NEATHERD)

3)   COGNATES                                          (also COAGENTS)

4)   LARIATED  –  to catch with a lariat (a lasso)

5)   INSOLATE  –  to expose to sunlight               (also TOENAILS, ELATIONS)

6)   VALERATE  –  a chemical salt, used in some steroid-based pharmaceuticals

7)   RECTORS; SECRETOR                      (also ERECTORS)

8)   SINCERER

9)   EROTISM                                             (also MOISTER, MORTISE, TRISOME)

10)  TUPELOS  –  a softwood tree, name coming from Creek (Muscogee) for 'swamp-tree'

11)  INTERRED                                          (also TRENDIER)

12)  AUGITES – a mineral, used as ornamental gem in parts of India where it is known as sharaj

13)  MISMAKE

14)  LEADIER

15)  QUERIES

16)  MEISTER – one who is knowledgeable about something specified

                                                                     (also METIERS, REEMITS, RETIMES and TRISEME)

17)  OATMEAL

18)  ARGUFIER – one who argues stubbornly

19)  EUCRITES – meteorites that mostly come from 4 Vesta, the second-largest body in our solar

                                  system's asteroid belt

20)   ARTERITIS – inflammation of arterial walls                                (also IRRITATES)