| Player 1 |
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#player1 Player1 Player1
#player2 Player2 Player2
>Player1: GGIINVZ 8G GIVING +26 26
#note GIVING maintains the Z, giving you better value. While ING is strong, it's very unlikely that there will be any spot for ING next turn after ZIG. 8g is the most defensive spot, limiting your opponent's offensive potential.
>Player2: IINOOPT K5 OPI.ION +36 36
#note While -TION is a common ending, here it's a distracting red herring.
>Player1: OORTTUZ 6K .UT +5 31
#note Here, there are three choices: PUT, OUZO, and PUTZ. PUT sets up the Z, but it's very uncertain from an opponent's perspective whether you just have a Z or whether you have a stronger rack, such as this one with TROOZ. There are several reasons why PUT is a strong play. PUT is hard to block, and most blocking plays open column o or leave the Z there for a blocking play. Plays hooking PUTT allow PUTTI/PUTTO, and plays hooking PUTS often waste an S for very few points while still allowing your Z options. In addition, often your opponent won't block, especially if they have a bingo, a J play, etc. Yes, you do have to balance this out with plays using other racks, but this is a strong way to clear some bad tiles and give yourself a strong possibility of scoring, which your opponent will leave alone some of the time and/or block at a huge sacrifice in points and leave.
>Player2: DEGNSTY 6I DE...Y +22 58
#note The most reasonable blocking play, but even this is a substantial points sacrifice and is a pretty fortunate sequence.
>Player1: ABOORTZ J10 BORT +24 55
#note Again, we are setting up the Z with both AZO and ZOA, and again our opponent will have an extremely difficult time blocking, especially since they can't make parallels forming IT and must be wary of setting up h12-h15 bonus square combinations. This setup works because of how difficult it is to block without an S or a Y, and there's only one Y left. Again, plays making the S hook often require a large sacrifice in points and/or leave.
>Player2: GNSSTUW 14J SWUNG +31 89
#note A fortunate draw, resulting in a play that's a no-brainer.
>Player1: ALLOTTZ J2 ZLOT. +36 91
#note While ZLOTY looks obvious at first, the two extra points and and reduction of scoring options make ZLOTE a slightly better play.
>Player2: ?ENORST L4 yO.N.STER +101 190
#note Scrabble is, at the end of the day, a game about finding words and scoring points.
>Player1: ALLNQST -LLQ +0 91
#note QI may score 11 points and leave a reasonable number of bingos and a few scoring options, but it comes at the cost of obliterating the top left quadrant when behind by over a bingo, and if you don't draw one of those bingos you're going to be in some serious trouble. You need entropy, and fast, and QI is not the way to do that: therefore, it's time to exchange.
>Player2: AILNUXY G5 LUN.YI +15 205
#note When ahead, you want guaranteed points so your opponent can't threaten your lead, and this lovely obscure setup does a wonderful job of doing that. Plays like ZAYIN may score more and create a spot for your X, but if blocked your X has limited potential. This play guarantees a minimum of 67 points over the next two turns: a huge benefit when you're already ahead by nearly 100.
>Player1: AEHKNST 8A THANKS...... +75 166
#note This find is even better than a bingo, as it opens the board immensely, which is needed considering how dead this board was looking just one turn ago.
>Player2: AIORUVX B8 .AVIOUR +42 247
#note Just because you have the X doesn't mean you need to cash it. This play scores well, closes a few bingo lines, and preserves the X with 7A, 10E, and 3I in the bag, as well as giving a spot at c9 as an additional backup for ~40 point X plays.
>Player1: ?ACEOQT F10 QAT +63 229
#note While COTQuEAN is available, it does start to exhaust the board and just doesn't score enough to be better than QAT, a play which will bingo often next turn or the turn after.
>Player2: DDEORWX F4 DEX +54 301
>Player1: ?CEIMOP 12A C.MPE.ItO. +86 315
#note Only slightly better than the alternatives, but still better, and stylish as well.
>Player2: ACDEORW H1 CROWD +49 350
#note While it's easy to get caught up in -ED words, this is even better, maintaining a strong position.
>Player1: ABEEHLS 11E H. +20 335
#note THere, fishing puts you in an extremely strong position, as you have bingos such as SEEABLE, ERASABLE, ARBELEST/BLEAREST, EYEBALLS, BASELINE, etc. More importantly, by playing HA/HE it makes it tougher for your opponent to have a high scoring blocking option, giving you some hope to also outscore your opponent even without a bingo.
>Player2: AEEEFLR F2 FE...E. +28 378
#note Not many good choices here given HA/HE last turn, but this blocks some bingos while leaving some winning chances and bingo chances, especially after a play like ERASABLE. While you'd like to block the bottom, there's just no good scoring options this turn that blocks effectively.
>Player1: ABEELRS A1 ARBELES. +83 418
#note Slightly better than BLEAREST since it gives scoring options with the J and F, which benefit you since you have the lead.
>Player2: ADEEFLR 14B .E +2 380
#note Creating openings for DEFRAYAL, FEDERAL, and FAIRLEAD. It's also difficult to block. ARE is also worth considering, but it leaves one in the bag and if you draw the J or M, you are toast. Very difficult position with mostly ugly options, but this is the best of a bad set of options.
>Player1: AAEEIJM C14 .M +4 422
#note From this position, you know that opponent probably kept either ADEFLR or ADEILR. This play protects against DEFRAYAL, since it leaves JADE, and also protects against RADIALE since it no longer has a spot to play, although it does lose to FAIRLEAD. This is really your only option to block multiple bingos.
>Player2: AADEFLR 15C .ALFED +39 419
#note Things have gone wrong, as DEFRAYAL never wins, since either your opponent has JADE which outruns everything, or the J is in the bag, in which case you are completely toast. Luckily, if you draw the E here, you can actually scratch out a tie.
>Player1: AAEEIIJ D10 JA.E +19 441
#note Best, as it doesn't give your opponent a J play.
>Player2: AAR N4 RA.A +7 426
>Player2: (AEII) +8 434
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