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)