Des Moines Scrabble Tournament February 2017
I came in as the #1 seed, ranked about 100 in NASPA.   But there sat Avery Mojica, somehow just below me in rating when we know he's light years more skilled.  Still, can't fear anyone when you sit down.
This is my favorite tournament of the year.   Wendy and I lived in the Des Moines area for a few years not long back.  Any excuse to visit them all is taken, and Scrabble the most fun of all.

Answers to the numbered alphagrams are at very end.

Rd. 1 vs. Dan Heck
EINNOORT (1), AEELNSSV (2) and DEEIMSS (3) for me by turn five.  The last one made a phony -S hook on the first bingo.  Dan held, but like me he wasn't sure about it.  Dan hit ARENITE during my barrage, and then I think tricked me into opening the board while thinking I was blocking the case S he didn't have after all and landed super-sweet INTUI(T)ED.
 
We've sparred online and at club for years, but this was the first time we'd play in a tournament.  I was never so happy to lose, it was quite a comeback.
351 – 416 0-1 (64) me:  ??SSSQ opp:  SJXZ

Rd 2 vs. Nick Purifoy
Nick opened with INUTILE, double-doubled with DOWNRATE for 98 son after, and took an opening I desperately made for his own SCOUTING late.  Just AEIIRST (4) for me.
327 – 485     0-2 (158) (222) me:  SSSJQ opp:  ??SXZ

Rd 3 vs. Kevin Gauthier
?CEILLOZ (5) and ADEGIINT (6) for me early, GEILNRT (7) and AAECHRT (8) with blank for the C late.  Finding one of the two that started with J would've netted me more points, but I once I found something necessarily ending with A I quit looking.  I believe Kevin mentioned having quickly picked up esses to have three at once.  Not lucky.
516 – 273 1-2 +243 (+21) me:  ??XZ opp:  SSSSJQ

Rd 4 vs. George Asaka
SCORIAE and ACTIVATE early for George, plus he challenged off my SALUTORY* in between (it's SALUTARY).  I managed AEELMNS (9) with a blank, but missed the bingo that starts with A from ?AEELMNS (10).  His SPIRAEA was salt in the wound.  At some point this weekend George hit five consecutive bingos against someone.  He was en fuego.
339 – 457 1-3 (118) (97) me:  ?SSQXZ opp:  ?SSJ

Rd 5 vs. Chuck Riordan
Mid-game we got rolling – tws IGNITES for him, AEIIPRR (11) with a blank for me.  I missed ADEIIMPR (12) though.  He came right back with tws REDCOAT.  Desperate for a second lane, I threw a B out into trip-trip space, hoping maybe to catch a -BLE play or something.  He played the odds and mucked up the bingo-prone area elsewhere.  I trip-trip the out-bingo with ?EGINOR with the only play with the B in the sixth spot. (13).  More luck, he's caught with a full rack that includes JWZ.
game link
464 – 355 2-3 +109 +12 me:  ??S opp:  SSSJQXZ

Game 6 vs. Need Kareiva
AWAITERS for him, but ABEMORT (14) and OX for 55 for me.  game link
427 – 345 3-3 +82 +100 me:  ?SSJXZ opp:  ?SSQ

Game 7 vs. Avery Mojica
ASCARED for him, ADELOSTV (15) and AEEIRST (16) for me.  DREAMIER regained him the lead and I think we figured the endgame was unwinnable for me.
386 – 392 3-4 (6) +94 me:  SSSJQXZ opp:  ??S

Game 8 vs.  Dan Heck
Had all the letters for ACIPSTT (17), but could only get down 44-point non-bingo double-double version of it.  AEEGNRT (18), AEHIOPRU (19), and AEEIRSTW (20) had me in fine fetters.  REGAINED and having to eat a blank late for Dan-o.
490 – 323 4-4 +167 +261 me:  SSSXZ opp:  ??SJQ

Game 9 vs.  Nick Purifoy
AEILLRS (21) and AMORRTUY (22) for me, TERTIAN for Nick.
394 – 361 5-4 +33 +294 me:  ?SJXZ opp:  ?SSSJQ

Game 10 v. Kevin Gauthier
DDEEILST (23) and DEIRSSTU (24) back-to-back midgame for me.   I defended as best I could, but Kevin just could land THINNEST with a blank where T had to be first letter.  Worse for me, I knew he was emptying the bag to a full rack and picking up the case blank.  Quackle seems to indicate I had no winning sequence against perfect play.  All I could do was set up a high-scoring out-in-two and hope for a mistake.  He happened to miss the four playable out-bingo sevens from
?AENNOR and tried ANEURON*.   I think he was combining NEURON and ANEURIN.
399 – 338     6-4 +61 +94 me:  SSQ opp:  ??SSJXZ

Round 11 vs. Nedd Kareiva
Struggled for workable draws, but can't complain since I missed ACEEPRS (25).  I didn't think there was a lane on the board anyway since I always get confused over between YAUDS and YAULDS*.  I extended to QUAD with -RECEP to a tws, which only ended up having three problems:  it's phony because the middle vowel is I, it needs an S on the end to be valid anyway, and I underscored it by 18 points.  MORALES for him, an eaten blank for me.
290 – 404 6-5 (114)      (20) me:  ?S opp:  ?SSSJQXZ

I had a shot at money given where I was in the standings, but it was deemed that pairings which avoided repeats as best possible would be used.   No problemo!  I love playing Avery.   Sometimes it's a gritted-teeth love though, as you are about to read... :)

Round 12 vs. Avery Mojica
Avery:  Turn 1)  BEAGLES;  2)  AVULSEs;  6) NITRATE; 7) RAX – 42;  8)  BRE(A)DNUT through the A I'd just given him from AEFINORS (26) because he'd blocked better AEFNORST (27);  9)  EUrIPUS;  10)  CLOAK – 60 which I could only have blocked with a one-tile three-pointer.   One can't complain, just play one's best and admire the not-so-subtle art of a good friend creating a masterpiece of pain.
game link
352 - 602     6-6 (251) (271) me:  SQZ opp:  ??SSSJX

And so I finished in 4th place, one slot out of the prize money.  I also lost about 50 ratings points.  Can't spend those anywhere though!   We had an amazing time catching up with everyone from around the Midwest.  Thank you to Rich Banker and Pat Boddy for their directorial work and to all who made the tournament such a great success.  Congratulations to Division One champion Avery “DJ ChocoLuv” Mojica, to my wife Wendy on her 3rd place DIII finish, and to all who laid waste to those who dared go before them.  Or something like that.

Stat me, baybeeee –

Blanks: 10/24
Esses: 22/48
JQXZ: 23/48
TOTAL:       55/120      45%

Avg score:   395 - 396

Bingo count:  22 - 20

Games in which I had--
both blanks: 2-1
one blank: 2-2
no blanks: 2-3

Bingo Quiz
1)   TENORINO – a high tenor
2)   ENSLAVES
3)   DEMISES – to bequeath
4)   AIRIEST
5)   LOCALIZE
6)   IDEATING
7)   TINGLER (also RINGLET)
8)   TRACHEA
9)   MELENAS – a nasty medical condition I won't describe
10)  AMYLENES – chemical used in some gasoline-blending components
11)  PRAIRIE
12)  IMPAIRED
13)  NEIGHBOR
14)  BROMATE – to combine with bromine (also a chemical used in gasoline compounds)
15)  SOLVATED – to convert into a type of ion
16)  AERIEST (also SERIATE)
17)  TIPCATS – old European baseball-ish game
18)  NEGATER (also GRANTEE, GREATEN, REAGENT)
19)  EUPHORIA
20)  WEARIEST (also SWEATIER, WASTERIE)
21)  RALLIES (also SALLIER)
22)  MORTUARY
23)  DELISTED
24)  STUDIERS (also DIESTRUS and STURDIES)
25)  RESPACE (also CAPRESE and ESCAPER)
26)  FARINOSE – resembling farina (a cereal grain)
27)  SEAFRONT