Day Three
Game 15 vs. Cynthia Seales
Missed ?AGIIPT (1) right out of the
gate. AEGINRS (2), VIZOR for 62, and a fun, rack-cleaning HEPCAT got
me the lead. ADONSTU (3) and EEFGILNT (4) bookending her REVEALER
salted it away. With a monster lead, I actually let LIQUOERS* go
late for 104. I had an out-bingo in hand, and I did the math that if
somehow that mess was valid on a challenge I would lose by 4. I was
not letting that be the story of me. Screw the 140 pts extra spread
I burned. Went out with ADEIRST (5).
516 – 412 9-6 +576 me: ?SSSZ
Game 16 vs. Vera Bigall
She landed the first bingo – CLEANERS
– and the last with REGIONAL. In between, I got EEGINRTT (6),
AEIRTUZ (7) for 104, and ADEINPRT (8).
518 – 361 10-6 +733 me: ?SSXZ
Game 17 vs. Joel Horn
Early, I saw the possible word in
ABDELLS (9) and dismissed it. ADEGOST (10) followed a couple turns
later. He laid a blank bingo down before picking it up and scoring
30 in order to save said blank. I missed EEEHNST (11) and then both
in AEMNRSST (12) before finally getting AEENRSTU (13) down. He
double-blanked with REASONS to essentially tie it before things went
sideways.
I missed non-bingo WINGLET and took
WELTING, which was inferior for opening a tls-tls QI spot. I blocked
it the next turn, and just in time it turned out. Then I got FUSER*
by, not realizing myself it was phony. That set up his REZ for 40
however. I'd tracked the right number of tiles unplayed, but
somehow had the Z already marked off. This was balanced out on my
tracking by what turned out to be a missing J. We found it under his
foot after the game.
386 – 353 11-6 +766 me: SSSS
Game 18 vs. Nedd Kareiva
Five-tile overlap with NEAREST for for
him early. I had SSS at one point and milked them enough to stay
close. He got burned challenging SUS, and I took advantage by
playing DERME* as an intentional phony a couple turns later, figuring
he didn't want to risk another lost turn. It wasn't a game-breaking
score, yet enough put me down less than a bingo again. The perfect
tweener.
He exchanged one tile late, which I
correctly figured to be the Q. So I opened a 30+-point QI spot that
also dumped my V, drawing three tiles out of seven for the Q. The
gambit paid off as I picked it up and he didn't block. Carrying the
case blank a few turns inspired just enough confidence to try it.
Did I bag him? Sure did. But I'd never beaten him before, so I
took it with no apologies.
350 – 297 12-6 +819 me: ?SSSSJQXZ
Game 19 vs. Kevin Leeds
Why on earth did ZOEAS look bad to me?
Passed it up to open thinking it only took -E back hook. EIMORSU
(14) for me before he back-to-backed SWINDLE and TANGRAMS. His lead
fluctuated throughout between about 25 and 50 was all, yet his board
control was masterful; I never threatened.
360 – 381 12-7 +798 me: ?SSSXZ
Game 20 vs. David Turissini
His unknown-to-me PAKORA would've
earned a challenge, but that it opened a spot for my EILNRST (15).
RIDGILS for him, ACEILRT (16) for me to put it away late. He
outplayed me and was a worthy division champion, I just had some
serendipity on my side this round.
428 – 419 13-7 +807 me: ?SS
Game 21 vs. Mike Stafford
His TONELESS and my miss of DEENLRTY
(17) set the pace. I caught him on MAIRY* midgame, but he followed
up with a superior ARRAYS for nearly 40 anyway. Double-blank NEGRONI
for him late sealed it on a lane I had to open.
303 – 404 13-8 +706 me: XZ
Stat me, baybee –
Blanks: 5/14
Esses: 18/28
JQXZ: 10/28
Bingos: 12-11 Avg. score: 408 - 375
Quiz
1) PIGTAIL
2) SERINGA (also ERASING, EARINGS,
GAINERS, REAGINS, REGAINS, REGINAS,
SEARING)
3) ASTOUND
4) FLEETING
5) ARIDEST (also ASTRIDE, DIASTER,
DISRATE, STAIDER, TARDIES, TIRADES)
6) RINGETTE – a team sport played
on ice, mostly by teams comprised of woman, like hockey, but
involving a rubber ring
* All my now-four-year-old's former
binge-watching of “Caillou” finally paid off. That and many
other children' educational shows are produced in Canada and often
specifically Quebec. This primarily Canadian sport is featured in
one of the episodes and the only reason I knew the word.
7) AZURITE – a blue mineral from
which copper is obtained and is used in paint- and fabric-making
8) DIPTERAN – member of a family of
insects that includes flies and mosquitoes
9) BALLSED – to have fouled
something up badly
10) DOTAGES – a state of senility
11) ETHENES – a chemical used in
improving color of citrus fruits, amongst wide variety if uses
12) SMARTENS, SARMENTS – a type of
slender plant stem, also called a runner
13) SAUTERNE – a California-produced
white wine, usu. sold as a jug wine
14) MOUSIER
15) LINTERS – a machine for removing
fibers from cotton seeds
16) RECITAL (also ARTICLE)
17) TENDERLY
