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#player1 Joshua_Sokol Joshua Sokol
#player2 Seth_Lipkin Seth Lipkin
>Joshua_Sokol: ?HLRRTW -LRW +0 0
#note wow, I didn't see the only playable word here. This seems like the right exchange to make, as my leave bingos a lot but also scores.
>Seth_Lipkin: SSTXY 8D XYSTS +46 46
>Joshua_Sokol: ?BHIRTT H1 TuRBITH. +95 95
#note this was held for a while, then released.
>Seth_Lipkin: MOY 7C YOM +28 74
>Joshua_Sokol: CEEFJNN 2H .NFENCE +38 133
#note this was almost instachallenged, as Seth had blank blindness and confused the blank with the I lower down, thinking I played INFENCE
>Seth_Lipkin: Q - +0 74
#note He didn't even want to go to the computer cause he knew he messed up
>Joshua_Sokol: ?ADEJMZ O1 ADZE +58 191
#note There are so many options here. Is there any inference I can make from YOM and the quick challenge last turn that makes a difference in what I should play? Perhaps if my last play would have given Seth a bingo that wouldn't play otherwise, he would have thought about challenging a bit longer? Does that make E4 JEM(MY) better than this? I could also play ADoZE for 27 more points... That seems attractive too. In any case I'm in a very good position to win this game already. I think I should play ADoZE actually and just run away with the game
>Seth_Lipkin: Q 5G Q. +11 85
>Joshua_Sokol: ?BJLLMT K1 J.LL +11 202
#note This here was quite the interesting move. How do I respond to an imminent bingo/prevent it, since that's what I need to be worried about after his last play? I felt like this play scored a bit, blocked 3 8 lanes, and didn't give too much back. JELLO/OE is 28, other plays like that aren't much more than 30, unless they also hook ADZE, and if Seth plays something like OREAD, he's breaking up his rack, which I want, but that's an extreme case. It scores 52 though, almost a bingo score, and he's more likely to have that then usual after his last play. He doesn't have an I most of the time, so the O is pretty likely, and his range isn't necessarily fantastic, so this play may be bailing him out of another turn where he needs to fish. I think given all this I should have exchanged keeping LT? or perhaps played 4J JuMBL(E), but although that puts me two bingos up it's not ideal to get rid of all my firepower/response power here. Just like last game against Charles, I made an exploitative play that could easily backfire, assuming that my opponent had hit a bingo after a fishing play and that they couldn't respond. But the times they don't hit a bingo, they are usually causing damage while retaining good leaves, and those times are often... This seems like a play where I overthought the situation, therefore a mistake.
>Seth_Lipkin: AEGNNOR M2 .RANNOGE +76 161
>Joshua_Sokol: ?BEHMST 5K SE.T +32 234
#note I now feel I have to take out the threat I created. The S was useful here too.
>Seth_Lipkin: AENV 8K VE.AN +30 191
>Joshua_Sokol: ?BFHIMV 9L F.M +17 251
#note I spent a long time here comparing leaves. I decided that I shouldn't get rid of my I cause I would be in big trouble next turn, so I discounted 6F FI(T), the sim winner. There are many vowels left, perhaps this is why the play sims well. I opted to play asphyxiated defense here, but I really don't remember why this ended up being my play. Maybe I thought that EH wouldn't stay unhookable for long due to PEH and HEH taking an S. I really don't know. I think (F)EH is better if I'm going to spend the F because the lane at O8 is still accessible after FEM with (N)E words, whereas only accessible to low-scoring improbably 8s such as ANSERINE after FEH, and also since the leave appears to be better, something that I didn't think was true at the time, and also the 2 extra points it scored.
>Seth_Lipkin: AAERW C2 AWEAR. +24 215
#note this was nice for me, no longer having to worry about A1 or A3 as bingo threats or B6 as a great scoring spot.
>Joshua_Sokol: ?BHIIIV N7 I..BI +17 268
#note Still averse to playing at 6F while retaining an inferior leave, I decide to open the bottom of the board even more than I already had. I had the choice not to but I think it's fine to have done this because of the threats that already exist here.
>Seth_Lipkin: ADOU 11K AUD.O +12 227
>Joshua_Sokol: ?HIPRUV 2B V.U +12 280
#note I liked that this play made it near impossible for Seth to open big threats and score at the same time in the top left. But U(R)P does that far better. I didn't see the possibility of URP, it seems to rival my play due to its superior score and board controlling benefits. I seem to have dug myself into a hole in my past several turns of not scoring or doing much good to my lead, but it seemed Seth has some poor racks of his own too, so I'm lucky to still be leading commandingly. Quackle still wants me to play HI(T) for 25. No, Quackle, you're wrong. I need to get rid of my U and I would like to get rid of my V too, but there's no chance I'm keeping both of them and opening up the possibility of not being able to respond to Seth's next plays.
>Seth_Lipkin: AOU G5 .UO.A +24 251
#note Although this was indeed an issue from the start. Hmm...
>Joshua_Sokol: ?AHIPRR 12E HARPIeR +66 346
>Joshua_Sokol: ?AHIPRR -- -66 280
#note Alright, a bingo! My rack has finally been managed! You no longer have to wait eagerly for my "choke of the game", folks...
>Seth_Lipkin: CLW 4A CL.W +24 275
>Joshua_Sokol: ?AHIPRR A4 .HIRP +36 316
#note I think this is the best play? I can't see any compelling reason to play CHAIR instead, despite the amount of vowels left. There's only one more A left, so it seemed fine to keep it, and maybe 14 vowels to 9 consonants left given Seth's last play -- hmm... "given Seth's last play"... yeah he's consonant heavy, I should maybe play CHAIR then? Even so I think my play is better.
>Seth_Lipkin: GIP 12J GIP +22 297
>Joshua_Sokol: ?AOOORR 13K ROAR +16 332
#note now not only am I threatening to lose by a bingo, I could also be outscored if I don't watch out. This is why I played this. I need to leave a lot of opportunities for me to bingo first or bingo back, and also reduce Seth's scoring opportunities. Perhaps exchanging is in order, or fishing? I don't think so...
>Seth_Lipkin: IIT 1F TI.I +6 303
#note OK, I think I've got this if he doesn't bingo
>Joshua_Sokol: ?DEINOO 1K .O +13 345
#note Let's put icing on the cake filled will choking material! I missed EIDOLON!
>Seth_Lipkin: GO 9C GO +15 318
>Joshua_Sokol: ?DEEINO 14L NEE +18 363
#note The letter L must have disappeared from the alphabet when I was thinking of blank bingos! Insane how many times I won this game and decided that I'd give Seth a chance of winning. Not sure why I decided against MYOID this turn, that's clearly a better play than this. I lose to (D)USTLIKE, which, unless he drew the K and left the U on his rack, it's impossible for him to have, but most of all I lose to DETAILED, DESALTED, DIESELED, DEEDIEST and DELISTED, which he's kind of likely to have though, so I'd give myself an 80% shot with ElOINED, making it perhaps the wrong play to make.
>Seth_Lipkin: ADEEIST F8 .TEADIES +65 383
#note And here I am sitting with DIKLOU?, wondering why I didn't draw an E, and saying to myself, "whew, he can only have STEADIES here, let me run the endgame just in case he does" and realizing that I'll tie. Then waiting, and saying "well at least this means he doesn't have STEADIES, gg, I almost blew this one too! And alas, it comes down...
>Joshua_Sokol: ?DIKLOU 15D KU.sO +39 402
#note And I was so sure that my best play was KU(S)sO to tie, but I kept looking for a long 6 minutes while shaking my head in anger and disbelief, seeing that SOUSLIK lost by 2, and only seeing a possible win, DU(S)KILy, if by some ridiculous feat that is indeed a valid word. Throughout all that I didn't see ODa(L)ISK nor did I see KIdDO(S), both winning plays as well! But wait, there's more, KILOb(A)UD is playable as an 8! I didn't know that word. So it's up to you to decide, is this my worst choke yet?
>Seth_Lipkin: E O8 .E +11 394
#note Pause a second despite the spoilers...
Seth holds my play, since the best I could do was act like I was unsure of this word's validity to the point where Seth believed it was just a petty attempt to escape a loss. In all of the time pressure that was engulfing Seth, he decided he would take the tie, not realizing what it took on my side to make this deterministic prophecy-of turning a fake tie in round 1 into a loss and a sure win into a loss marked as a win-possible.
>Seth_Lipkin: (DIL) +8 402
#note Such a picturesque portrait of my Nationals adventure condensed into one game, eh?
It's so apropos that there's a word, in Japanese, pronounced "KU-SSO", that translates as "s**t"!
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