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#player1 Joshua_Sokol-Rubinstein Joshua Sokol-Rubinstein
#player2 Rafi_Stern Rafi Stern
>Joshua_Sokol-Rubinstein: HMNORTX H8 MONTH +28 28
#note Commentary from both sides.
Josh: Normally it is worth sacrificing 2 points for better positioning here; doubling the M rather than the H. But since I am holding the X, putting the O next to a double letter is actually beneficial for me, all things considered.
>Rafi_Stern: EJRTTVY 11E JET.Y +30 30
#note Rafi: Maybe JOTTY instead? ERV is significantly better than RTV.
>Joshua_Sokol-Rubinstein: LOORSTX I7 LOX +40 68
>Rafi_Stern: ADEORTV G9 VO.ED +39 69
>Joshua_Sokol-Rubinstein: ANOORST J2 SANTOOR +68 136
#note Lucky that RATOONS/SANTOOR came up recently, otherwise I may have missed this.
>Rafi_Stern: AAGIRRT E9 RA. +10 79
#note I didn't think of AIRT or TARGA. This was a weird move... I am definitely sacrificing equity to play RAJ but I'm making the board more open long term. Quackle hates it and I don't really like it either, but I couldn't think of anything better at the time, and RAJ creates more variance.
Josh: the right play here isn't as obvious. This board is at risk of getting closed sooner than later. Rafi smartly reopened the left side with this play, but at what cost? Perhaps it is too much to sacrifice over the other candidate plays that aren't as dynamic.
>Joshua_Sokol-Rubinstein: DFINQRV 3I F.QIR +42 178
#note ...We all dread that moment when you only have one play that's leagues and leagues better than any other, and you don't know what to do while you wait for your opponent to play but hope he does not block!
>Rafi_Stern: AGINRTW 12C TWA +23 102
#note Didn't think of JETTYING until later in the game, although given the game score TWA might be better. I need a bingo pretty badly and with 10 E's unseen TWA bingos 43% of the time vs 14% after JETTYING.
Josh: Things are looking very grim given the score and Rafi's rack here. I agree with his play.
>Joshua_Sokol-Rubinstein: ADLNPSV L2 V.AND +18 196
#note I think of this play as a clear mistake, but according to some other analyses it is up for debate. I immediately saw DAL(A)P(ON), but I could not pull the trigger, as I knew my reputation of confusing words I have not formally studied. I wrote down DALAPON and DALAPOIN*. TALAPOIN is the source of my confusion, and I should have realized that and made the right play. At least the play I made has certain merit.
>Rafi_Stern: ?GINRSW N3 SWINGeR +80 182
#note Josh: A Quackle simulation is flipflopping between K8 SWINGeR and N3 SWINGeR. Although K8 SWINGeR scores 4 fewer, it doesn't allow me as many snap comebacks and allows Rafi to gain command of this game if he draws an S and I don't have one of my own. I think I would take Rafi's choice, though, because although it is easier for me to score well and keep well, I am sort of forced to play in a certain area, as you will see.
>Joshua_Sokol-Rubinstein: CGILPSU 8L CL.G +27 223
#note Could not risk a huge play at 8L after a random draw. I played this "too" fast according to some people, but it was the right move to play positionally. I was definitely unhappy with leaving the C at L8 like that, to be honest, but I don't think it makes sense to play PLUGS 10J, since I can play there next turn. Better to take away the spot immediately and keep the S for flexibility. On the less bright side, Rafi had just blocked SCULP(T)I(N)G for 102!
>Rafi_Stern: EILNRTU 6J .L. +4 186
#note I hit GENITURE with one of the 10(!) remaining E's. I bingo with an A and O in two spots, and NEURITIS with an I draw, and some of the consonants hit too. #1 play upon simulation of all choices.
Josh: definitely a great fish here, although things are still looking grim for Rafi. But 70% to bingo next turn!
>Joshua_Sokol-Rubinstein: ADHIPSU 4D DISHPA. +37 260
#note I was very fortunate Rafi took so long to make his sick play last turn. Because I would not have seen this play otherwise. I noticed it right before he played, and I was happy that it was appropriate given his fish.
>Rafi_Stern: AEINRTU D2 IN.URATE +62 248
#note Was incredulous that both my spots were blocked until I realized I still had this.
>Joshua_Sokol-Rubinstein: ILMSUUZ L8 .UMULI +20 280
#note Finally I can get rid of that C while I still have a lead, and leave one of the most powerful 2-tile leaves you could ask for with a lead. Despite Rafi managing to pull a bingo after an otherwise crushing miracle block, this was definitely a good sequence for me.
>Rafi_Stern: ?ABEFPU M13 FUB +26 274
>Joshua_Sokol-Rubinstein: DEEINSZ 15M .IZ +42 322
#note And with so many options with the Z, I was a bit torn. I believe it is by pure chance that I made the right play here, since keeping EE isn't quite intuitive with those remaining vowels in the pool. I hesitated for too long, because last time a triple-triple was opened on board one during a game of mine this tournament, César crushed me for it. But I checked the pool and there was no L left! So it couldn't be likely that he would hit the spot! In any case, this was definitely the right play.
Turns out I blocked 2 of only 37 possible triple-triples. Sick!
>Rafi_Stern: ?AEOPRY 6A PYO.RhEA +70 344
#note OMG I might win. I could have easily missed this because I had taken so long on RAJ and OLD was down to 5 minutes... I didn't see it until after Josh played BIZ and then suddenly it popped into my head.
>Joshua_Sokol-Rubinstein: DEEINOS A4 DE.ONE +33 355
#note I held Rafi's play, but it seemed likely I could recuperate and win it with this play. Only one play seems to stand taller than this one here, and I don't know if I agree. (P)EONIES leaving 3 in the bag instead of two. The benefits are: Rafi's scoring plays, considering the remaining tiles, mostly use at least three tiles, and so if he wanted to score on his turn, he would have to empty the bag. Otherwise I also do not want to keep a vowel here, because it seems the easiest way I can lose this game is by drawing too many vowels from this frightening pool of 6 E's, two A's, two I's and an O.
But DEPONE scores better and leaves me with strong prospective options next turn with my S, such as a play at 13B or 13A hooking (RAJA)S. And it scores 3 more points. In the end I think it was a fatal, yet extremely minor mistake to have played DE(P)ONE over (P)EONIES here, just because of the aforementioned benefits of leaving just the D.
>Rafi_Stern: CEEEIKO C1 EKE +24 368
#note A rare situation where the pre-endgame play seems pretty obvious, which was lucky because I was down to 4 minutes on my clock.
>Joshua_Sokol-Rubinstein: AAEEIIS 5G AI +13 368
#note And there you have it folks... One of the most crushing draws (if not the worst) I have had in my short Scrabble career! I definitely feared this upon my play of DEPONE, but as I drew vowel after vowel, a sharp, icy feeling overcame my nerves! This is my best bet, but apparently nothing wins if Rafi plays optimally.
>Rafi_Stern: BCEEIOT 13A OBE +14 382
#note Not the best win, but a win - glad to see it under some time pressure. OC(T)ET/BIKIE is cool.
Josh: I know I shouldn't have for my sake, but I was following Rafi's options from my side and this is the first thing I came up with, too. Decimated to see it come down with confidence. But it was to be expected from such a formidable opponent!
>Joshua_Sokol-Rubinstein: AEEGIS 14B AEGIS +27 395
#note Josh: I don't usually say this about my or even my opponent's play, but this was definitely the best game of Scrabble I have played in all of my tournaments, in terms of how well the game was played.
>Rafi_Stern: CEIT 11K C.TIE +14 396
#note Josh: cute...
This game was of great symbolic importance to someone like me who is attempting to further climb up the ranks of Scrabble expertise. I definitely have a ways to go, based on my general performance in this tournament. That being said, if I can play like this more consistently (definitely takes discipline and much more word study), especially under camera lenses at board 1, there should be no doubt about my future potential in this game! If you have come this far, thank you for reading my reflections, and I hope I can provide more games like these in the future!
>Rafi_Stern: (E) +2 398
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