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#player1 Dave_Koenig Dave Koenig
#player2 Stefan_Rau Stefan Rau
>Dave_Koenig: AGHIMPR 8H GRAPH +30 30
#note An interesting opening rack. I was tempted to play PHARM# hoping for the PHARMING extension. (Yes, PHARMING is good in TWL.) But the PHARMA# hook makes that more likely to get taken away. GRAPH has some extensions too, but overall it's the simpler way of playing it, because it scores the same and the MI leave is better than the GI leave.
>Stefan_Rau: GOOPT L7 P.OTOG +24 24
>Dave_Koenig: ADIKMSU K11 KAMI +35 65
#note I had the lovely bingo DAIMOKUS# here that I did not know. My next best option was the 48 point extension, GRAPHIUM#, but I didn't know that either. Instead, I debated between ADUKIS# M3 for 41, and KAMI or KAIM# for 35 in the position I played, setting up the S hook to row 15. I opted for KAMI on the basis that Stefan might not know KAMIS#.
>Stefan_Rau: AEFM J12 FAME +36 60
>Dave_Koenig: ADEORSU 8H .....ERS +42 107
#note I am astounded to learn that GRAPHERS* is phony. There's no REGRAPH* either.
>Stefan_Rau: DEEINTU O1 DETINUE. +80 140
>Dave_Koenig: ADIORSU 15I R.SIDUA +38 145
#note AUDIO N2 is another strong play that Quackle points out, though it has the downside that he still has a crack at row 15. Also, I thought I might be able to get 5 points for hooking KAMIS#. Stefan held, but he did not challenge.
>Stefan_Rau: QT J7 Q.T +12 152
>Dave_Koenig: EINORUV 3I UNRIVE. +22 167
#note There's a lot of value in turnover here, with both blanks unseen. However, VENIRE 2J is probably worth the extra points, despite the vowel heavy leave and turning over one fewer tile. Quackle's championship player ranks UNRIVET# only 2 points behind VENIRE, but interestingly it likes the fishing play N2 OU about as much as VENIRE. I'm guessing this has something to do with the -ING possibilities on column H. Still, this is a very counterintuitive fish with the V in hand.
>Stefan_Rau: CEGHIN 4D ECHING +29 181
>Dave_Koenig: AAADIOT E3 A.AI +12 179
#note Continuing a high turnover strategy with COAITA seems to be best here. Once I saw this good rack balancing play, I didn't bother to look for more. When you find a good move, look for a better one.
>Stefan_Rau: NTYY L1 TY.YN +24 205
>Dave_Koenig: ?ADORTV 6B DeV.ATOR +67 246
#note It was not trivial to bingo here. This is the only one that plays.
>Stefan_Rau: IOU M8 .UOI +17 222
>Dave_Koenig: EEENOSW C2 WOE +25 271
#note It has to be best to play either EWE or WOE in this spot. (WEE and OWE would allow front hooks to row 1.) It was a close call between them, but I didn't like EWE as much because I thought it was more likely to get hit by parallel plays on B2-B4 hooking LEECHING or REECHING#.
>Stefan_Rau: ?DIILNS C6 .ILDINgS +70 292
#note HIDLINS# or LINDIES hooking QATS score more and look better defensively.
>Dave_Koenig: BEENOST 1H BESO.TE. +33 304
#note He blocked BEENTOS# and I have no bingo here. There's a temptation to manage the rack for bingos, but I thought about it for a while and decided that was not my best course. There are very good spots to score with the JXZ tiles on this board, and going for maximum points and turnover seemed to me the best way forward.
>Stefan_Rau: EELRW 8A WE.LER +30 322
#note Another surprising phony. I should have challenged it, but the word seemed plausible to me. I suppose I wasn't pushing myself hard enough because I knew I had the win. Of course, if I'd challenged this off and played COLZA, I would have won by a lot more.
>Dave_Koenig: ACEJNOZ B1 COZ +49 353
#note The best defense is a healthy offense. I don't need to worry about bix X plays, because this threatens to go out with JANE A2.
>Stefan_Rau: ABFLLOX A2 BALL +27 349
>Dave_Koenig: AEJN I13 JA. +43 396
#note Wins easily enough, but I could have extracted more spread by playing EN N5 first. Then his best is to play OX 14M allowing JAR for a 26 point victory. Whereas the blocking play MIX 14L allows a 29 point victory after RAJ F8.
>Stefan_Rau: FOX N5 OX +52 401
>Dave_Koenig: EN 14M EN +11 407
>Dave_Koenig: (F) +8 415
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