| Player 1 |
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#player1 axcertypo axcertypo
#player2 squush squush
>axcertypo: ?ADLPUZ H7 ZAP +28 28
>squush: CHIILSV 10F VIS +29 29
>axcertypo: ?DELOUU 8F LU.U +4 32
#note first saw (P)UDU, then saw this, and given how long it took Jackson to play VIS, I assumed he was much less likely to have another S, thereby increasing the value of this play as it set my S up and basically reduced Jackson's ability to score to as few as you could hope to achieve on turn 3 of a game like this. I missed OU(Z)EL, but I think I still prefer this. The U is just so bad here.
>squush: ACGHILR 9H .HI +21 50
#note Interesting that Jackson allotted to set up an S-hook here, which sort of threw me off a tad. But I figured this was his best scoring play, which it is. I might have played I10 ARGH, but if Jackson thinks that my rack is pretty random, I can see the value in this.
>axcertypo: ?ADEIOY 10J DAY +18 50
#note I didn't like any of the two-tile plays here, as they left me with many vowels with only two shots at a consonant and set up easy hooks or scoring spots for Jackson. F8 (L)O(V)EY was under my radar in the beginning of my thought process, but it escaped my consideration at some point. That play is fine. This also keeps vowels, but that is less of an issue in my position after this particular play, since I can unload all of them with O(L)I(V)E if need be. I think that playing (L)O(V)EY might have been preferable in a vacuum, but definitely not given the results orientation of this dance of exploitation Jackson and I have always performed.
>squush: ACGILLR - +0 50
#note Jackson tried GARLIC(Y)* here.
>axcertypo: ?EIOORT -OO +0 50
#note I looked at 9s through L_V, but missed the two 8s that fit to the L. I don't know if I would have played them.
My thoughts here were that Jackson likely had an unplayable 7-letter word on his rack: GLACIER/GRACILE or CARLING. Because of the likelihood he had an E, especially given the human mind's tendancy to subconsciously frustrate itself into playing a phony with an unplayable bingo, I decided I would not play 11K TOO or ROO, as it was too likely he would respond with a bingo. I might have extended that logic into forgoing OvERTOI(L) if I had seen it, because he could have CAROLING through the O. Luckily for me, I didn't have to think about it. It would have increased my chances of yielding a bingo for Jackson with ALL(E)RGIC through the E!
>squush: ACGILLR L9 G.RAL +18 68
>axcertypo: ?EIJRST 13J JI.T +22 72
>squush: CILNQRS N9 CINQS +30 98
>axcertypo: ?EFIORS F1 FORESaI. +62 134
#note With no inference to be made this turn, I haste myself into playing this when I see it. I didn't like 14J OF at all, since it gave a ton back with not much in the way of personal benefit, but I didn't seriously consider O11 OI, since I saw the bingo first. OI handily wins a simulation, for good reason. Although I am 26 points behind, Jackson will have a very hard time maintaining his lead here, as scoring options are severely limited and virtually all of them are double-edged; in that they give me a big opportunity to get ahead. The sim results are nevertheless askew, since Jackson is quite likely to simply exchange or make one of many harmless plays that are possible on this board. After an exchange though, which is a more likely occurrence, I can seize control of the game by making a play and leaving very strong tiles. So, in the end, I think I definitely needed to play O11 OI.
>squush: ?DEKLOR 4E R.LOoKED +76 174
#note A clear runner-up to 1F (F)ORKEDLy, a word that I would have likely challenged, despite it leaving my a spot to play my second bingo in a row.
As the results go, this blocked my bingo and was therefore clearly better than FORKEDLY in hindsight.
>axcertypo: CDEEINO 1C CON.IDE +42 176
#note RE(C)OINED blocked, but not a crushing loss. I can still tie the game up and draw into some power. Definitely a better post-bingo draw than average still, and luckily I talked myself out of the natural reflex of playing CODE(F)INE* once my valid bingo was blocked. Pulling slightly ahead, as far as that thought goes, was solace enough to remain clear-headed.
>squush: ADEGORV 5A GROVE. +24 198
#note A solid choice, leaving nothing up to a hook as 5K DOVE might end up doing. I am likely to have drawn an N, although I dare not have kept one on my last play! The G isn't the worst tile to put in a triple sandwich like that, but it's close. And by close I mean it's really one of the worst tiles to work with in general.
>axcertypo: AABEEHY B2 BEE.Y +36 212
#note And although I knew how unimportant that G was, I pounced on the instinct to score and partially block the triple word scores, despite leaving myself with duplicates. I saw 5I AHA prior to Jackson's play and this seemed clearly better. But not better than 5H YEAH, one of those weird 4-letter words that is easy for a human mind to miss.
Common English words are sometimes the hardest to see. I have won a game that required my opponent to miss the U hook on YO after she herself played (Y)O for 6 points to block!
>squush: AADEERT A4 A.ATE +29 227
#note That being said, I would not consider the word in AADEEERT to be a common English word. In this case, Jackson had no excuse to miss a word that my optimal play last turn would have blocked. All in jest: that word is quite the toughie.
>axcertypo: AAHLOTW 5H WHAT +39 251
#note And as far as this easier to spot, common, English word goes, I felt like I was in good hands, despite the game being close. 5K HAW was another consideration for the safer, more prolific bingo leave, but 8 points at this score did not seem worth sacrificing for slightly better defense and slightly better offense.
>squush: DEGIOPR 3I PORED +45 272
#note But sometimes Scrabble dicates. When you make mistakes, occasionally the only way to correct them is to make another, and another. If at first you don't succeed, fail again!
>axcertypo: ALNNORU D5 .ULN +8 259
#note So it was at this point where my psychological state went from OK to sloppy. I obviously want to play c1 (C)ON here, and I knew that, but I couldn't stomach the U, and felt like my need to draw into a bingo was imminent at that this gave me a better shot. It didn't. My stomach was frail. My stomach was intolerant. (C)ON is as clear as crystal to a sane mind.
>squush: EFGIIOT B8 FIG +16 288
>axcertypo: AAENORS C1 .AN +18 277
>squush: EINOTTW A1 WO +20 308
#note A very solid play by my opponent. There is no need to allow for more parts of the board to get opened. The double T is not a big deal here.
>axcertypo: AEIMORS J12 A.I +12 289
#note But what's this? I draw the I that I desperately needed to create a very troublesome hook, as well as a strong bingo tile! What have I done to be able to glimpse victory?
>squush: EINNOTT C9 TONTINE +72 380
#note Oh how cruel, you might say. But if I draw AT, BT or TU, I can bingo with (AJI)S and win. If I draw EM I have M(E)SOMERE.
I only need to score a total of 92 to win the game here.
I can draw AT, BT, TU and EM out of a pool of ABEEMTUX.
I had a 5/28 chance of winning the game after A(J)I.
#note But it's easier to say that I had no chance at all, until Jackson resigned our ISC Scrabble game because I was taking too long and he had to leave.
Good game!
#rack1 AEMMORS
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