Thursday, June 15, 2017

Arden Cup 2017

Memorial Day weekend in Chicago, a special event for me.   My now wife and I started seeing each other there, and we got engaged there.  She and our daughter, Abby, came for the Marty Gabriel finely-directed annual event.  Wendy would not be playing this year, but took Abby to the Pier and spent lots of time in the hotel pool together.

I came in seeded 6th of ten.  My good friend and clubmate Ken ended up playing up into Division One with me, even though he had been originally seed towards the bottom of Two.  Another good friend, Avery arrived seeded in 4th.  And one of North America's top ten ranked players, Mack Mellar, was also in.

Rd. 1 vs. Jonathan Lindh
TENDONS and LIGATES for him,  EFLNORTT (1) for me.
313 – 441        (128)       0-1                                      me: SSS

Rd. 2 vs. Charles Reinke
CREASES for Charles.  I nearly tried MUFFiNS/(GADJO)S* (plural is GADJE), but instead played MUFFS played for 50+.   I got one of the two in ?AABNNO (2) to an S, but that gave Charles DICTATE as an underlap.
Check out the annotated game for interesting late game decision on HUE.
354 – 396       (170)       0-2                                       me: ??SSJX

Rd. 3 vs. Ken Dutch
Early I missed ?AALLNOV (3).  My tws AEINNOTV (5) gave him a corner tws non-bingo reply of 60. Late FINORST (6) for me.  My AMA gave him an out-bingo lane, as I'd fallen asleep on G hook, but had he seen it his score would've been just short.
466 – 379         (83)       1-2                                       me: ?SX

Rd 4 vs. Avery Mojica
RETILED for Avery early, me right back with AEGLNORY (7).  He aggressively slotted an E in a  tws lane, on which I blocked trip-trip.  Avery still hit CRISPENED!  PASTILLE for Avery. My ADEIORS (8) gave him TIX on a tls-tls.
He let me get away with MINGE* at the end since he could only lose risking an unsuccessful challenge. I'll never chase that phony out of my head thanks to a certain South Park episode.
417 – 432        (98)        1-3                                       me: SJQZ

Rd. 5 vs. Mack Meller
ADEEILRT (9) midgame for me,  AEGIORSV (10) later.  My last play was AEIMRSTU (11), but he found TENOURS- one of only two winning out-bingos possible, which hooked five different places.
408 – 415       (105)       1-4                                       me: SS

Rd. 6 vs. Steve Hartsman
Steve was my first mentor in the game and I love seeing him.  Playing him hurts my brain though!
MALTEDS for him, me right back with ADEINRTU (12) and DEILFORU (13) for a double-double.  He took lead with TROPICAL and INCITING.  Not sure where I picked up AENNRSWY (14).
512 – 461        (54)        2-4                                       me: ?SSJQZ

Rd 7. vs. Thomas Reinke
AAEINORX (15) early for me with blank, but missed far better AAEIMOTX (16) and AAEIMNOX (17).  He landed INDULGE and then later blocked my EHILORPS (18).  I had the blinders on, missing AEILOPRS (18) to blow this one.  He went out with OUTLIER on the tws lane.
336 – 446       (164)       2-5                                      me: ??SSSJ

Rd. 8 vs. Nedd Kareiva
AEGILNR (19), DEELNORT (20), and ADEINOTV (21) for me.  We were both surprised to learn later his REDEVOTES* wasn't valid.
455 – 325       (34)        3-5                                       me: ?QJX

Rd. 9 vs. Doug Lundquist
NAPULII for his start, but I came back right DEEMORV (22) with a blank, though missing DEIMOPRV (23).
409 – 364      +11          4-5                                      me: ??XJ

Rd. 10 vs. Jonathan Lindh
CDEEITX (24) with a blank for me early, but missed DEEISTX (25) for dws-dws  He came right back with PENSILE for said dws-dws.  I countered on the other open dws-dws with AEILMORT (26).  I caught him on VIBER* and REVUEING*, hitting DDGILNOO (27) in between.
498 – 357    +152         5-5                                      me: ?SSSQXZ

Rd. 11 vs. Charles Reinke
I missed ?AIOSUY (28) to open, but managed AAEIRST (29) later.  He hit WISENTS late, but had exchanged three times.
398 – 296    +254         6-5                                     me: ??SSJXZ

Rd 12 vs. Ken Dutch
I missed AEKMNRSU (30).   DDEEHNRTU (31) for me, but he landed VARSITY.  I got away with NONNY* and then hit BEIRSTU (32).  At the end, I blocked the only of three open lanes he could -not- have bingo'ed on with the eight tiles unseen to me, and so was lucky to win.
420 – 357    +317         7-5                                      me: ??SSQX

Rd. 13 vs. Avery Mojica
AEENRSTU (33) for me with a blank, but missed ACENRTUY (34) from a tws.  We traded my BDEHIRT (35) to his CANFIELD.  ADEINSST (36) salted this one away, but he did get 60 for hooking XED/(WEAL)D.  I'd forgotten the five entirely.
450 – 364    +403        8-5                                      me: ?SSQ

Rd 14 vs. Mack Mellar
SACHETED for him for nearly 100 early, but I came right back with ADEIRTY (37).  He challenged my OORARIS* off.  Something like 14 variants of CURARE, but this is only similar to valid ones.   Then I missed AEIKNNRS (38).  I did manage AEGNNRSU (39).  I didn't see AGEFLSTU (40), but luckily landed a better-simming non-bingo.
Mack saw my winning outplay out-bingo from ?DEESTW through an AR (41) (SMARTWEED was possible, but didn't fit).  I even had a winning non-bingo of ADEEMSWY (42) through AY. Instead, I tried FEETWARDS*.
362 – 420    +345       8-6                                     me: ?SSSJX

Rd. 15 vs. Steve Hartsman
AACLPTTU (43) with a blank for my first move, but hadn't known AADPSTTU (44) for more.   PANDOURS and REZ for 51for him, AGEORRT (45) with the other blank for me.  In a messy end game, I'd lost track of an S and Steve hadn't marked off one of the blanks.  The game would've hinged on an interesting pickle he'd put me in with the world WEIGH midgame.
398 – 371    +372      9-6                                     me: ??SSJX

Rd. 16 vs. Thomas Reinke
Nothing like missing a bingo right out of the gate – EFISTTY (46).  He answered my ADIMNST (47) with STALLED, CREATES and PLATONIC.  My BDENORW (48) only served to save spread.
397 – 456     +313      9-7                                    me: ?SJZ

Game 17 vs. Nedd Kareiva
AEILMORT (49) for me early with a blank, though missed better BEEIMORT (50).  He came right back with DISHFUL.  I hit CDEEGIOS (51), but a magnificent ten was available through LO_A (52).  BEELINES for him, ACELORSS (53)for me, though ACELORS (54) would've served better had I known #51 took an S-hook. The other blank gave me AAELRNTT (55), but I missed AAEINRTT for a tws (56).
479 – 420      +372       10-7                               me: ??SSZ

Game 18 vs. Doug Lundquist
AEILNRTV (57) for me.  Quirky: the next three tiles I turned over were U's, and the last was the Q.
He replied with double-double LINEAGES.  After I chickened put on blocking play of FARCI, he got trip-trip PALINODE.  Even had I blocked, he'd seen PALINODES through AL elsewhere.
He slotted an X in another trip-trip lane with XENIA for 42 that was fateful.  I thought I'd mucked up  a little with an E over the X, but he landed the non-bingo trip-trip REEXPOSE!
It was his first ever game with two 3x3's.   Sometimes all one can do is sit back, admire and smile.
354 – 597      +129       10-8                              me: QZ

Game 19 vs. Thomas Reinke
I started with ADEINNOV (58), but he got INTERTIE and MOISTEN back to back.  I hope it was just fatigue when missing ACEEOST (59).  Feel less badly about not getting AESSTUY (60). Thomas had PANFIsH for an out-play for 116, but wasn't quite 100% sure, and FisH alone was easily enough for the win.
PANFISH is a verb. I want it to mean something akin to fly-fishing, standing in the river in waders with a frying pan whacking at jumping salmon or some such. But it does not.
323 – 413      +39        10-9                              me: SSSXZ

Round 20 – bye
A player had earlier left the tournament unexpectedly, and so my gaming was done.

And so I finished where I was seeded - 6th – with a small gain in rating.  Getting to spend time with my former clubmates from Des Moines, Dan Heck and Rich Banker, was pure joy.   May we forever be weirded out by the sports bar and restaurant at which we all dined that was so clearly a former gentleman's club...

Stat me, baybeee –

Blanks:     15/38
Esses:       34/76
Heavies:   34/76
                    TOTAL:     83/190     43%

Avg. score: 408 - 406

Games in which I had –
2 blanks:     5-2
1 blank:      5-2
0 blanks:     0-5

QUIZ ANSWERS
1)   FRONTLET – a decorative band worn across the forehead
2)   ABANDONS, BONANZAS
3)   FLAVANOL – organic compound in red wine, said to protect against heart disease
4)   Whoops. Skipped a number.
5)   INNOVATE                                                                 (also VENATION)
6)   FORINTS – Hungarian standard unit of currency; conversion to the euro not likely 'til 2020's
7)   YEARLONG
8)   ROADIES                                                                   (also RADIOES)
9)   RETAILED                                                                 (also DETAILER, ELATERIN)
10)  VIRAGOES – noisy, domineering woman; archaic: manlike maiden, amazon, brave and strong
11)  MURIATES – any chloride used as a fertilizer
12)  INDURATE – to harden, as stone
13)  FLUORIDE
14)  SWANNERY – place where swans are raised
15)  ANOREXIA
16)  TOXAEMIA – condition of having toxins in the blood
17)  ANOXEMIA – lack of oxygen in the arterial blood
18)  REPOLISH
aaaand used the same number twice
18)  POLARISE                                                                (also PELORIAS)
19)  REGINAL                                                    (also ALIGNER, REALIGN, NARGILE, ENGRAIL)
20)  RONDELET – rondeau (poem) of five or seven lines            (also REDOLENT)
21)  DONATIVE – a donation
22)  REMOVED
23)  IMPROVED
24)  EXCITED
25)  EXISTED
26)  AMITROLE – non-cropland herbicide                       (also ROLAMITE)
27)  DOODLING
28)  OUGIYAS – currency of Mauritania, one of just two in world not decimally based
29)  ARISTAE – bristle-like appendage or structure          (also ATRESIA, ASTERIA)
30)  UNMASKER
31)  THUNDERED
32)  RUBIEST                                                                     (also BUSTIER)
33)  SAUTERNE – a French sweet wine, using grapes raisined by noble rot fungus (botyrized)
34)  CENTAURY – a medicinal herb
35)  BIRTHED
36)  DESTAINS                                                                  (also SANDIEST)
37)  DIETARY
38)  SNARKIER
39)  GUNNERAS – a plant with enormous leaves, up to just over 6.5 feet long
40)  STAGEFUL – as much or many as a stage can hold
41)  STEWARDED
42)  MAYWEEDS – stinky plant
43)  CATAPULT
44)  DUPATTAS – a shawl-like scarf of south Asia
45)  GARROTE – among related def.s, a method of capital punishment of Spanish origin with which an iron collar is tightened around someone's neck until he is strangulated or killed by injury to the spinal column at the base of the brain.  You're welcome.
46)  TESTIFY
47)  MANTIDS – mantis
48)  BROWNED
49)  ROLAMITE – ball bearing mechanism with incredibly low friction                 (also AMITROLE)
50)  BIOMETER – device for measuring CO2 given off by living matter
51)  GEODESIC – pertaining to curved plane-geometry
52)  LOGAOEDICS – poetry composed of a variety of feet so as to suggest a prosaic rhythm
53)  ESCOLARS – a food fish, from Spanish for “scholar” due to spectacle-like rings around the eyes
                                                                                           (also LACROSSE, SOLACERS)
54)  CLAROES, COALERS, ORACLES, RECOALS     (also ESCOLAR, SOLACER)
55)  TARLETAN – an open-weaved cotton fabric used for stiffening garments
                                                                                           (also ALTERANT)
56)  REATTAIN                                                                 (also ATTAINER)
57)  INTERVAL
58)  DEVONIAN – the part of the paleozoic era in which amphibians appeared
59)  ACETOSE – tasting like vinegar

60)  EUSTASY – a worldwide change in sea level

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