| Player 1 |
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#player1 Ella_Sobel Ella Sobel
#player2 Joshua_Sokol Joshua Sokol
>Ella_Sobel: CDENU H4 DUNCE +20 20
>Joshua_Sokol: IIKSTUW 6F WI.K +19 19
#note My first rack of the tournament is WIKIUTS.
So close to WIKIUPS again.... :(
Choice here seemed between WI(N)K or WI(C)K for the same amount. WINK had the benefit of setting up my S both ways and the T in front, which means I will always have a hooking letter if Ella hooks the word. Also, sets up a fake Y hook and she might not know TWINK+. WICK has the benefit of blocking the volatile E. The E is useful to me, though. WICK sets up a fake front S-hook and a better back S-hook, since most of my bingos with an S will end in an S, and WICK gives me that possibility whereas WINK does not. Ultimately, the T-hook on WINK and extra agression early on in a tournament led me to choose WINK, which Quackle prefers over WICK by 2 points.
>Ella_Sobel: ?EGNNST J4 NESTiNG +77 97
#note Highest-scoring bingo for Ella. This counter-intuitively scores 1 more point than options on column E. Yet, E3 TENSiNG for one less might be better for Ella citing a lower bingo% for me next turn.
>Joshua_Sokol: IOOPSTU E3 POUT +25 44
#note Despite the iffy, vowel-heavy leave, this play has many benefits. It sets up a pretty useful S-hook that isn't incredibly likely to be blocked, at least within the next few moves. It also scores while not giving too much back. I don't want to let her score, as she is well ahead at this point. I could instead play OUT E4, which gives more back and keeps a significantly better leave, while not really setting up a spot to play a 7.
>Ella_Sobel: FOX K3 FOX +46 143
>Joshua_Sokol: AEHIOST L3 AH +27 71
#note L2 HAO keeps a better leave and scores 4 fewer while giving a bit less back. It sets up a C hook that Ella may not see, but this is quite the risk to take. AH is more aggressive, hopes for a good draw that's desperately needed, and encourages Ella to reoverlap and score, forking the board open. D3 OH keeps a more bingo-prone leave than AH does, but draws into a bingo less, since I am blocking the S hook on POUT. At this point I considered whether or not I should try to pluralize NESTING. I think I could have gotten away with it, but I'm unsure. I don't like the volatility the OITES leave creates, but I'll have a few more chances to get back in this game if all fails, hopefully. I'd play this again, but I'm definitely in dire shape.
>Ella_Sobel: AGN 4D G.NA. +14 157
>Joshua_Sokol: EIIMOST K9 OI +7 78
#note At this point, all of my good plays are fishes. I figured that I would play this instead of playing it one spot down just so I could keep NESTINGS* alive. I almost convinced myself it was valid at this point. it also seemed momre likely to result in an overlap, which would increase my bingo chances next turn. Maybe even slightly better for my chances of an overlapping bingo too. I also considered fishing off just an I, but that didn't seem great. Another E or I or O or any other letter I don't hit with seems very likely. I hit a bit more often but it's not worth the 4-point sacrifice to play (G)I or any other I fish.
(EX)IT was also an option but the leave was quite unappetizing, and if she had her own S she could just score so easily hooking EXIT and making a 5, which would be really bad for me. Otherwise, 7H (C)I(T)E is an option I missed, and I actually might have played that over this if I had considered it, despite the dip in bingo chances next turn.
>Ella_Sobel: AENW L9 WEAN +24 181
>Joshua_Sokol: EIMORST 13G MORTISE +84 162
#note I noticed EEIMORST on my scoresheet at the beginning of this annotation and I was beside myself as to how I could possible have failed to see TIRESOME. That's definitely better than this given that it doesn't create a huge scoring opportunity for Ella. This should and could have been a fatal error.
>Ella_Sobel: AAEEETU H11 AM.RE +30 211
>Ella_Sobel: AAEEETU -- -30 181
#note I didn't need a wide-open board to mount this comeback, and I defintely prefer TIRESOM(E) last turn, but then this wouldn't have happened. This is called "very good timing".
>Joshua_Sokol: DIJLOTV H12 J.LT +57 219
#note ok, let's play some Scrabble instead of some catch-up.
>Ella_Sobel: AEMR 3C MA. +17 198
>Joshua_Sokol: BDEIOSV N10 VOIDS +45 264
#note At this point I figure that Ella probably doesn't see A(MORTISE), I played this to block off the left of the board, mount a bingo-sized lead and hopefully draw an A to further cripple things, perhaps even block that pesky E in DUNCE that I did not have to leave open for the rest of the game by missing a top-1000 8. However, with an inference of a pretty weak scoring leave on Ella's part, knowing she has RE and after she has played off MA for 17, I might be better of playing N11 VIDEO, retaining my valuable S--which will only increase in value as the game progresses--, and creating a scoring spot Ella is unlikely to be able to utilize to its potential. I thought about it for one second, but took the points due to that annoying adage.
>Ella_Sobel: A 7H .A. +13 211
>Joshua_Sokol: ?BEEHNT M2 EH +28 292
#note I briefly noticed THEBANE* on my rack when looking for a bingo here. After rejoicing at Ella's apparent miss of A(MORTISED), I should have carefully looked at this rack. Had I done so, had I even alphabetized, I would have seen the bingo. That would have been a huge dagger. Instead, I am giving her a big chance to hit her fish and creating an F+Y-hook she might draw into. This is likely the second-best play considering her last, but F9 BENEATH is far and away the best play here. Ouch.
>Ella_Sobel: AEEILRR 15F RE.AILER +59 270
#note see what happens when you play optimally? You just win. It's a fact.
>Joshua_Sokol: ?BCENQT -BCQ +0 292
#note and when you don't... well, that's when you say that you were unlucky to draw the Q with nowhere to play it. I almost played through with 2B NEB, but seeing that it didn't actually set up QAT with an A draw I discarded it as inferior to an exchange. keeping CENT? is definitely better than ENT? here, just looking at the numbers, so tunnel vision is responsible for this lapse in leave evaluation. But yeah, 2B NEB is fine. With an I draw, QI might even play for points!
>Ella_Sobel: ELZ 2B LEZ +41 311
#note NEB is fine, I tell ya.
>Joshua_Sokol: ?EINOTY 1M YON +27 319
#note Given that the pool is now consonant-heavy, Quackle gives great preference to TYIN for 6 more. I had gotten paranoid about bad draws, and lost my focus because of that. This is a clear equity mistake. Quackle also prefers YIN slightly, and I considered the value of the O here, but couldn't justify keeping it without any clear reason to. Duplication is reason enough I guess? Bingo and scoring averages are very similar, but I guess the I decreases in value with certain equity plays following YON, and Quackle assumes I will continue to keep the I over the O, so YIN outdoes YON in this case, when it's probably better to play YON.
>Ella_Sobel: EOV 14D VOE +12 323
>Joshua_Sokol: ?DEEIIT 9B DEITIEs +67 386
#note Well, I did duplicate my I, but I still managed a bingo. When she played VOE, I basically said "great, I probably have something with I(V)E, and still, managed to miss IDEATIVE. I have given Ella far too many opportunities to win this game already, and I have given myself far too many spankings for my high prob 8 misses this game. This is really bad...
>Ella_Sobel: ABC 8A CAB +28 351
#note I don't notice my mistake, luckily, but yet still make a stress-related error this turn, by overdrawing. She turns over AIU, and, gives me the more flexible AU back instead of IU. IU is much worse than AIU, and I would have had a duplicate I if she had made the right decision. Dodged yet another bullet. My days within the Matrix should have long expired.
>Joshua_Sokol: ADFILOU 10D DIF +33 419
#note C8 (BE)LAUD because it creates another Q spot and leaves my with the valuable F. (BE)FOUL is also good to leave my with another Q spot. Getting rid of the U is fine for those two plays, as I am preventing a Q-stick while also getting rid of the cumbersome U for when I don't end up drawing the Q.
>Ella_Sobel: PR 2L R.P +24 375
>Joshua_Sokol: AELORUY 7D RYE +21 440
#note I was now running out of time so I played this to maximize my score, retain spots to play the Q if I drew it, and anticipate drawing more consonats to fill in the inflexible void of ALOU. Quackle likes 12H (J)OE. Makes sense I guess, the Y scores well
>Ella_Sobel: BGQRSTU B6 QU.. +34 409
>Joshua_Sokol: AAILOU C5 AI +13 453
#note running even lower on time, I still realize that this was a mistake and that OI was better. My A's are better on this board than the O is. -4
>Ella_Sobel: BGRST 8G B. +8 417
#note G8 B(E)ST is best.
>Joshua_Sokol: ALOU D12 LU. +12 465
#note bleeding more spread. 12H (J)O saves UL(V)A for next turn, which she might not block. -13.
>Ella_Sobel: GRST B6 ....S +17 434
#note best play. Ella is owning this endgame.
>Joshua_Sokol: AO 12D .O +2 467
#note I now have to block TR(U)G. Ella realizes she mistracked at this point, and her 2 of 3 best endgame plays were therefore partly luck.
>Ella_Sobel: GRT 11L .G. +4 438
#note -7 to (NOW)T, which blocks my best out.
>Joshua_Sokol: A N9 A..... +10 477
>Joshua_Sokol: (RT) +4 481
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