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#player1 Vic1962 Vic1962
#player2 Daniel_O'Dowd Daniel O'Dowd
>Vic1962: ILMOORY 8F ROOMILY +82 82
#note So now I have games I can dissect from a strategical angle - in terms of "what do I need to do; what moves achieve that"?. He started with a bingo, in a way that helps - it avoids my having to feel defensive, because I immediately have to come back at him.
>Daniel_O'Dowd: EIIOORU 9H EUOI +16 16
#note So of course this is a stenching exercise on move one. OU(R)IE is a nothing move to me - I'd rather not sacrifice nine points this early even if it strings craploads of letters out, but the parallel EUOI plays in two spots: over {ROOM} and over {OMIL}. My first thought was that the first gives a hotspot to potentially drawn hook letters from RE-, and I don't want to allow that. True, playing over{OMIL} blocks the doubledouble lane, but a floating R seems more useful for me anyways. Perhaps that is an illusory thought, and I should focus on the fact that HAVING R, L is more useful. Simulation with the two choices (which are initially just 2 points apart for score) shows nary any difference asides this score value. So this is question one for the experts. Should I keep the R open to maximise my chances of a bingo in general, the L to synergise with my own R, and is the hotspot a relevant factor since I'm a bingo down?
>Vic1962: AEELOPS F6 PA.OLEES +68 150
#note You can surely imagine my horror therefore when he plonked down another bingo. Of course this made my job easier but still!
>Daniel_O'Dowd: ILORSVV 11C VIV. +20 36
#note Really bag? NOW you give me two V's? Alright then. VIVE felt like the only choice to get something quickly from the promising LORS leave. No sense spending two turns to get rid of V's for mediocre scores, and no sense changing since that would alert him to closing down completely (which he should do anyways). Perhaps there's something to be said for VOL(S) if only to keep the E fully open, but then if bingos came up I might not know them. I played to the top E to keep the S at the bottom open, basically. I didn't know VOLV(E) but readily accept it to be more worth it as a move, so I'll easily remember it. VIVO is also slighty stronger.
>Vic1962: CDOSTTT L4 DOTT. +18 168
#note Finally he has to slow down. One further advantage of VIVE was that it stops him making some nightmare vertical parallel play down row E at least for now. Still I was slightly surprised to see him spend all of 20 seconds on DOTTY, which certainly is possible (perhaps he likes to string it open to try to get a third bingo and demoralise people), but with time on the clock and a rack like this, it's worth looking harder. For example, TATT/TO/TOE for 11 points blocks the open P, and the CDOS leave is very nice. CTS is certainly just as good, I just have to logically question his stringing things wide open with such a lead as he has. Perhaps someone can explain to me the most important factors which make DOTTY the better play.
>Daniel_O'Dowd: ?ELLORS D7 cOLL.ERS +66 102
#note Now at last I can claw some points back. I had a few choices: I saw no place to play a 7 such as hOLLERS, so I could play ScROLLE(D), StROLLE(D), but that just scores 59. Then I found cOLL(I)ERS for 66 which felt a bit happier. I note the other new bingos available and see that aLLO(V)ERS for 72 is slightly better, but I'm right back in the game.
>Vic1962: CGNOSTT 8A TOC. +18 186
#note He has another difficult rack. There are two primary places to play: to the triple word score, or down column K, but it's difficult to get a good score there. I imagine he didn't want to play a word like COTT(O)N in case I can make a strong play to the C through the TWS, but he holds the third S and can close the other off as he pleases. Certainly this seems more profitable to me than TOCO, which is basically a big unnecessary risk. If he wanted to ensure the board stays closed, he could play COG/OD/GO for 21, since NSTT isn't that bad a leave with the board as it is.
>Daniel_O'Dowd: EEFHIPU K3 FEH +31 133
#note And straight back to grinding. I saw nothing better than to play FEH and accept that I was getting some points - FEU/UP doesn't help matters and there are plenty of floaters anyways (ED might come in handy for a nine). I can readily agree it seems a counterintuitive move but the board isn't replete with huge scoring opportunities, so I felt I could perhaps reel him in slowly. Quackle shows me F(R)E(S)HIE as a throughplay for 36 - a useful word to know.
>Vic1962: ?BEGNST A5 BET.iNGS +61 247
#note Nothing I can do about his bagging a third bingo. Just plough on!
>Daniel_O'Dowd: DEEIPUX B5 EX +54 187
#note And at least I have the X. Sad to say that EX is the only decent play even though DEIPU is not the ideal leave. Still, i was grateful to be able to cancel his move out and return to contention. I didn't want to burn a tile with DEX either since of course, it remains a potential hook, to worry him with.
>Vic1962: AABCIIR 4B RABIC +28 275
#note His move of RABIC is hoping to stop parallel bingos while drawing the end of the game nearer. Can't really argue with that. Still, surely just RABI would be better since ACI is a very strong set to try for a fourth bingo with.
>Daniel_O'Dowd: ADEINPU 3B PEA +31 218
#note A shame I can't play SUPINATED. I figured I should keep putting score pressure on him, but this might be a critical moment. UP/PREX scores 17 and leaves ADEIN, which is a strong leave indeed. I felt tempted in the game by the alternative PEA though for 31, because for 14 points I'm keeping DINU, all of which go together relatively well. U isn't such a bad letter! Both G's are left in the back, and I have both E and S to hook onto for eights anyways, so keeping EA seemed a bit counterintuitive in that respect. PEA also creates yet another opening for him to deal with.
>Vic1962: AAHINRW 7D .R.W +19 294
#note (c)R(A)W is a slightly odd move, though even after that he still had over 21 minutes on the clock, which was a great shame (not just because it made it hard for me to get any proper endgame thought in later). Nothing wrong with WHA/EDH/HOA for 31 surely.
>Daniel_O'Dowd: AADINUU -UNUIA +0 218
#note I wasn't getting anything out of this lot. VAU and AUA don't feel right to me. But here I had a think about what to change. I could leave ADN, DIN, ADIN, or DN. The decision is clearly important. There are plenty of vowels out there, and if I keep ADIN there is a high degree of probability that I'll draw another one of {AI} of which 8 are available. Keeping DIN isn't without risks either; there's about a 45% chance of a second I, which would be harmful given my unfamiliarity with rare bingos. DN therefore seemed the right choice - I am likely to pick up 2-3 vowels and that should include two of {AEI} and hopefully not duplicated. What do you think?
>Vic1962: AAAFHIN 13B HA.N. +16 310
#note And of course, HA(R)N(S) makes my job even harder.
>Daniel_O'Dowd: DDDKNOZ J1 DZO +38 256
#note It's quite funny that while picking up unbingoable tiles I'm still being baited with powerful lifelines. I felt like I had no other option here to be honest even if it gives him a high score as well.
>Vic1962: AAEEFGI 1H FA.GE +33 343
#note FADGE among many other words in this game is new to me, and annoyingly blocky. I guess it's a shame I didn't find a better move than DZO, since I blocked my own D2 opening. This one feels like it's slipping away unless I gamble.
>Daniel_O'Dowd: ADDEIKN 2D DIK +24 280
#note But here springs a glimmer of hope. I just couldn't press Hyperspace I guess. I also sprung a leak by phonying...bad judgement to try this. I felt like a play such as (LI)KEN was easily surrounded. Why not LID/DINK and hope to pick up the S or a Y?
>Vic1962: AAEINQR 14A QI +32 375
#note I imagine he left himself the option to play QINS as a setup, but he should play it himself.
>Daniel_O'Dowd: AADEINS 15A IN +45 325
#note So close. I just have to make an opening! But at the same time I was lured by his potential high score threat in the corner, and I think it was right to play there first.
>Vic1962: AAEMNRR H1 .RAME +13 388
#note His FRAME is quick tile dumping. I note Quackle gives me the closing hook VIVER, with ARM/LA/VIVER/EM.
>Daniel_O'Dowd: AADENSW 14A ..N. +15 340
#note And while he still had 18 minutes left, I had just 1.32. I should throw caution to the wind and play (T)WA to the second T of DOTTY or something. If I had time I could maybe have found FRAMED/DAW to give him a fright.
>Vic1962: AIJNRUY 6L .AJ +26 414
#note TAJ is of course a free gift from me.
>Daniel_O'Dowd: AADESUW N6 .AWED +20 360
#note It isn't much, but there's a tiny hope. I made it too late though.
>Vic1962: IINNRUY M10 INURN +13 427
#note LIN/NURDY is there if he looks, or any other number of moves to close me down. In games like this I will have to start leaving time to work things out at the end now as the norm, and if I notice myself missing moves earlier on I can retrain my thought processes.
>Daniel_O'Dowd: AEGSTTU O7 TET +28 388
#note No bingo, heartbreakingly. No time to think also means less spread reduction. This is not good, I must keep time left over for spread defence in tournaments.
>Vic1962: IUY L12 YU +22 449
>Daniel_O'Dowd: AGSU 15M SAG +18 406
>Vic1962: I 4H .I +4 453
#note Missing AI/RIZ. Still, to only lose by 59 indicates I have the potential to compete at this level if I give myself time to play strategically in the final third.
>Vic1962: (U) +2 455
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