Saturday, August 27, 2016

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





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