Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Indianapolis, Saturday, 7/18/15  main event

Quiz answers are at bottom. Links to analyzed games (with fewer and shorter notes) are included with wach round.

Rd. 1 vs. Kelly MacKenzie
Almost held the first play of the tournament, WAUKED – hadn't known part of speech. I used the A for double-double AEIORSTU (1). Kelly game right back with OCELLATE. Midgame, we traded my ABDLORY (2) for his SEISURE. His made OCELLATES*, and I didn't trust my instinct is was only an adj. In part, this was due to my having FAX for 38 and a sweet leave lined up.

Shortly after, I missed AAEGILNR (3) – maddening, in that I gave up sooner than I might've because he'd just mucked up the lane, forcing an underlap to his Z and I in ZIG. Still, GALENA/(Z)A for 35 almost netted a challenge, giving me a small lead I wouldn't lose. I was fortunate to fare better than Kelly on draws the last two full racks.
435 – 403 1-0 +32 me: ?SQX opp: ?SSSJZ

Rd. 2 vs. Jacquelyn Fyr
I once again nearly challenged my opp's first play, her BULIMIAS. I want that second vowel to be an E, though that rack would make a different valid play (4). I hit ADEPRSTU (5) and DEEINORS (6) for the lead , but her OLOGIST and OBTESTED evened things up. CEEIINRT (7) gave me enough margin to survive missing the T hook to WEAK for easy out-bingos with the second blank.
457 – 409 2-0 +48 +80 me: ?SSJQXZ opp: ?SS

Rd. 3 vs. Marty Gabriel
Self-wetting time. I think Marty is rated about #40 in all N. America. His opened with INVALID,, then CROZES for 49, and CREEPAGE two turns after. FORDS/(CREEPAGE)S scored me 54. Then the drawing luck did a polar shift. I missed the bingo that played out of ?BEIHOR (8), but hit ?EJITRY (9) for 97 the next turn. EGILNOTW (10) two turns later caught me up finally, though I nearly (correctly) based up this smaller-scoring bingo for a non-. Marty had to exchange as end game approached, allowing me to maintain.
447 – 377 3-0 +70 +150 me: ??SJQX opp: SSSZ

Rd. 4 vs. Kelly MacKenzie
Kelly opened with NUTMEAT and led until fairly late when I got down BEEIORSTV (11) through an IT. Game might have turned out differently had I placed one of the two sevens (12) that played, since he hit REALISE in that spot the next turn. Him picking up the second blank and X near end sealed this one.
359 – 416 3-1 (57) +93 me: SQZ opp: ??SSSJX

Rd. 5 vs. Jacquelyn Fyr
I bingo first with AEINNNS (13), though knowing PAVIN takes an S front-hook would've been huge on points and position. I go back to back with ACEINSRT (14), nearly drawing a challenge. She later lands REDREAM and VAULTING. The game came down to me not knowing YAUD was a noun, rather than adjective, as she hooked it for a winning play. My end rack blank went unplayed.
378 – 402 3-2 (24) +69 me: ?SSQXZ opp: ?SSJ

Rd. 6 vs. Marty Gabriel
Marty opened bingo again with ANKERItE. After my FAILED to open with an R leave, I drew
?EGSSS and bingo'ed through another E (15). Challenging is newly-valid PAAN play was costly. We traded shots, his ALGINATE to my EDIMNORT (16), but I missed spotting the front hook to my first bingo with GINOORT (17) in between.
361 - 433 3-3 (72) (3) me: ?SSSSQX opp: SJZ

Rd. 7 vs. Marty Gabriel
Marty's up two games on the field, but with only four of us in the division, I'm allowed to play him from my second-place position.
Marty bingo'ed on his first move in all three of our games (as did opponents in two of my other four – ouch!). The lesson I learned this game – don't slot E's foolishly. See the game uploaded to c-t below for detail. ATTEND(ED) was his opener. I lurked that bingo behind the whole way, landing EEIRSTW (18) with the first blank late, but was forced to slot the S in a tws lane. He replied with MANAGEr(S) to seal it.
359 – 399 3-4 (40) (112) me: ?SSSSQ opp: ?JXZ

Due to getting to play Marty three times, I only dropped from 1722 to 1714 in rating. Strangely, I didn't even feel a little bit badly about starting 0-3 and then losing four straight. My play in the second game against Jacquelyn was a little tough to swallow, but hey, I'm not 1800 for a reason :) Getting to chat post-games with Marty was the highlight of the day, as I try to absorb lessons from the among the best in Scrabble.

Thank you to Troy Thompson for running a fine event, one of several minis he directed over the weekend. And thanks to my wife for making the trip happen. With Reno Nationals close, I hadn't been looking hard at this weekend. But it was her fave aunt's bday, and her living in Indy made for a fun day for them and my daughter at the Children's Museum.

Stat me, baybeeee –

Blanks: 7/14
Esses: 15/28
JQXZ: 17:28
TOTAL: 39/70 55%

I was out-bingo'ed 13-14

No-blank games: 0-1
One-blank games: 2-3
Two-blank games: 0-1

QUIZ ANSWERS
1) OUTRAISE (also SAUTOIRE)
2) BROADLY
3) GERANIAL – citral (a lemon flavoring)
4) BULEMIAS – a thorny tree
5) UPSTARED (also UPDATERS and PASTURED)
6) INDORSEE
7) REINCITE
8) BRIOCHE (also BIOHERM – a mass of marine fossils)
9) JITTERY
10) TOWELING
11) OVERBITES
12) OBVERSE, VERBOSE (OBSERVE unplayable)
13) NANNIES
14) CANISTER (also CERATINS, CISTERNA, CREATINS, SCANTIER, TACRINES)
15) EGRESSES (also DEGASSES, MEGASSES, MESSAGES, SAGENESS, GNEISSES,
OGRESSES, GUESSERS)
16) DORMIENT – dormant
17) ROOTING/R(EGGRESSES)

18) REWRITES
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