| Player 1 |
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#player1 Joshua_Sokol Joshua Sokol
#player2 Ross_Brown Ross Brown
>Joshua_Sokol: CGHNOYZ 8G COZY +36 36
>Ross_Brown: BFOR J4 FORB. +15 15
>Joshua_Sokol: AGHLNOT K1 LOTAH +31 67
#note Realized that I should have put more thought into just LAH, to reduce volatility. I'm fine with this though
>Ross_Brown: BEOU 1H BOU.E +24 39
>Joshua_Sokol: GINPQTW 2J P.NG +25 92
#note not fine with this though. POT, despite looking awful, seems like the best play in this spot. It doesn't give back such big counterplays, and coupled with the Q, WING is around just as flexible as WIT as a leave. PONG's only benefit is digging one more time for a letter that will help me shed my Q quicker. Otherwise I should just exchange, I reckon. Didn't want to give Ross any sort of window for controlling the board, though.
>Ross_Brown: ??AEHNU 2B pENUcHA +70 109
>Ross_Brown: ??AEHNU -- -70 39
#note This was a tough challenge to make, but I figured I would definitely have recognized this word. Ross played it with so much confidence that I thought I was crazy for challenging. PENUCHE and something else must have been confused here, but Ross was just as puzzled as I was about this blunder.
>Joshua_Sokol: INQRTTW 4J ..QIR +34 126
#note Now I hated giving up a probably S bingo here. FAQIR was by far my best play before Ross' play, and now it seemed like a disaster waiting to happen. I looked for a few seconds for stuff he could have making FAQIRs, and only came up with HAUSENS. I was fairly sure that was a word, but not 100%. That fact, coupled with the psychological wall erected by a lost challenge, as well as other factors that may cause Ross to either miss or doubt the validity of HAUSENS, made this play OK. Otherwise, FAQIR seemed around 15 points better than exchanging (speedy player concurs) in a vacuum, and I would probably be giving up around 20 points, so if indeed Ross found something with an S in it, it would be a loss of around 5-10 points. So I was not happy making this play, but had hope that it would work out.
>Ross_Brown: ??AEHNU G6 UN.HAstE +67 106
#note Ross says he gave little thought to the possibility that I might be setting him up for a big bingo with FAQIRS. I was definitely fortunate that he did not know HAUSENS, but I still wonder how much of the time he would see it and play it if he did recognize the word on his rack.
Bingo-ing here is not correct if not for HAUSENS for 91. Ross should hope to bingo next turn with a play like 9H HAE or HAEN, or even N2 sU(R)AH for 44. This was something I did not consider on my FAQIR turn, because I felt like exchanging was just so wrong.
>Joshua_Sokol: EGNSTTW N2 ST.EW +48 174
#note I talked to Matthew about this position, and as he watched me make my play of STREW, he thought I should play STREWN instead. True, STREWN is two more points, and restricts easy access to the triple on column O. For me, though, the fact that eight (!) I's were unseen made STREW so much better than it would normally be. GT drawing into an I is far, far worse than GNT. The flip-side to STREW is that if Ross takes the triple word, he often gives me another line to work with for what might become a bingo draw next turn or the turn after. But also, it distracts Ross from the floaters in UNCHASTE, that provide decent benefits to my leave. Even a 2x2 through the S would be very good news for me.
>Ross_Brown: ANOV O5 NOVA +28 134
>Joshua_Sokol: CGILNRT 10F G.RLIC +15 189
#note Although here I ended up spending a lot of time to make a poor play. I was sort of lost, and this was probably the main issue with STREW. I might not draw two vowels, in which case I can't really do much but fish or blow my rack up. I gave a lot of thought to 6F C(U)R, but I figured that in my position it was better to be a tad more wary than that. But this sets up an unblockable hook, whereas my other two long options, CATLING and CARLING (CATLING is better) will only temporarily set up an S hook. Also, like I have so many times before this, I mistakenly thought UNCHASTE had no R hook. Even so, C(U)R does better than other fishes, despite throwing away my R. Anyways, I should not have made this play. Made things much tougher than they should have been.
>Ross_Brown: AESTV L8 VESTA +34 168
>Joshua_Sokol: DDGNSTY 13F T.DDY +12 201
#note Winning chances going down the drain here. And I could still get hit with UNCHASTER later on...
>Ross_Brown: AMO F5 OMA +23 191
>Joshua_Sokol: EGIMNRS E2 GRIME +29 230
#note Good thing the X didn't come down last turn. That would have absolutely sucked. Lots of I's to come, so I opted to shed mine instead of fishing with E5 ME or just dropping the M, since EGIINRS didn't contain a bingo. Back in business making good plays here, at least.
>Ross_Brown: EEIJ 12C EEJI. +24 215
#note By chance I no longer have to worry about UNCHASTER. Whew. Things are coming back into place it would seem.
>Joshua_Sokol: ADEFNPS 4D F.NED +28 258
#note But then I autopilot and make this play. Had I thought one second about my position after this play, I would have surely realized that it wasn't so good. PAS isn't a great leave here, and there are many threats I will have to cull in the next few turns. So, what else is there? I missed 4A FADE(I)N, which is 6 more points, and makes it very hard for Ross to win without a bingo. But really, I should just play K10 (C)AF. There is nothing to go for in this pool unless I'm that worried about the X (I shouldn't be). PENDS is a great leave for those lingering vowels, and allows me to score even if I draw two consonants. Silly and lazy to say the least. I think I was annoyed that the board was completely out of my control.
>Ross_Brown: IORT 2B TRI.O +16 231
>Joshua_Sokol: AALOPSU K10 .AP +22 280
#note Yet another disaster play. Too focused on scoring a few more points to the expense of not being able to do so next turn. K9 O(C)A, despite being an awful play in the fishtank of stupid I've jumped into, is on all fronts better than this play that I came up with after like 5 minutes of blankness. 14A PULAOS I also missed, which makes sense in my position. I need a ticket out of this mess. I have no control over the result anymore. Just depends on what Ross draws and what I draw. Also, (C)UP was better. I didn't know how to judge that. I just bingo more and score just as well if not better with the double A.
>Ross_Brown: DEIT 1A DIET +25 256
>Joshua_Sokol: AALLOSU 14J ALULA +21 301
#note Ugh. It comes down to this, eh? If he has a big X play or a bingo I'm sunk. But otherwise this'll do. Not happy about this at all. But what else is there? 13L SAUL? Exchange? I have to push the game.
>Ross_Brown: EIKR O12 KIER +45 301
>Joshua_Sokol: EINOSWX 15F NIXES +42 343
#note Equal in value with the cute 13A SIX, setting up OW(S)EN and ENOW where I played NIXES. But if he somehow had an outplay through the S, we would tie, but he could theoretically win in a recount. So I didn't even look for anything else here.
>Ross_Brown: AEINSU 3A USE +15 316
#note H3 I(D)ES. Ross knew he was allowing me to take my best out, but said he didn't have any good plays there. Ross is usually very good at endgames! It's just math :P
>Joshua_Sokol: OW 3G WO +21 364
>Joshua_Sokol: (AIN) +6 370
#note Quite disappointed with this game, if you didn't realize from my commentary.
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