| Player 1 |
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#player1 IW Ian Weinstein
#player2 JJB John J. Bulten
>IW: JKQXZ -JKQXZ +0 0
#note ~0:10 [~24:50] These two players have been waiting all year to face off this day and are ready for anything. IW takes his famous opening trade, threatening immediate bingo (rack unknown).
>JJB: BDEILMN 8B NIMBLED +80 80
>JJB: BDEILMN -- -80 0
#note 0:34 [24:26] JJB's sudden inspiration is the beauty of phonying first in this situation. Ordinarily, opponent's response is more dangerous knowing the rack, but that works against IW because he knows he can't play any opening with an 8th-letter bingo. JJB spots mandible and blindmen*, and IW later basically admits seeing imbolden and unlimbed*, and that's enough for JJB to take the risk, especially if there's slight hope of winning the first challenge. Technically 24.4 behind milneb (limbed and bedim score 26 also), this play throws the first move back to IW with a handicap and, importantly, throws him off stride.
>IW: EPTW 8G WEPT +18 18
#note ~1:50 [~23:00] IW challenges after about 8 seconds but then must anagram JJB's rack as well as his own.
>JJB: BDEILMN I4 BLIM. +14 14
#note 1:13 [23:13] Best synergy but not score. Milneb 7c 24 rates 4.4 better, but JJB is secure in holding a good bingo seed. IW later mentions blimpery.
>IW: AKRS 4H K.ARS +32 50
#note ~1:08 [21:52] JJB laughs at the unexpected power play. As long as IW continues to be thwarted in bingoing, the game is winnable.
>JJB: ADEJLNO K4 .AJ +20 34
#note 2:06 [21:07] This leave works better with taj 26. Also jo 3g 23 has the better leave (9.6 diff), and jordan 28 the turnover.
>IW: IQS F6 QIS +42 92
#note 0:19 [21:33]
>JJB: DEEGLNO H1 GEE. +27 61
#note 1:53 [19:14] Best.
>IW: CDDO 2E COD.D +11 103
#note 1:51 [19:42] IW is holding some drek to let this go, probably the other C, maybe the V.
>JJB: DEGLNOU 2C UN..... +11 72
#note 1:3 [17:38] JJB hurries into a cutesy play; someone notes later that unswept 13 is more effective. The leave is low and oud l6 15 would greatly improve it (9.0 diff). JJB also spots the first non-go 7, noting that IW blocks well.
>IW: ACLNV C1 V.LN +14 117
#note 1:34 [18:08] IW considers vulcan* but correctly judges that JJB would not let it pass. Depending on leave, van 1a 20 might be better, but with some Rs appearing in IW's next plays it's doubtful.
>JJB: ADEGLOT 1A GA.E +30 102
#note 2:40 [14:58] JJB has a gut reaction favoring DLOT to AGLT (dove, same score), but the computer holds the latter 1.1 higher. He recognizes the N will not bingo (the anagram hooks are BF), and silently bewails the second non-go 7, but scores and racks are sufficient for now.
>IW: ACEIR D4 AREIC +24 141
#note 1:00 [17:08] IW is also probably suffering from non-gos!
>JJB: ?DILLOT L4 .TOLIDLy +70 172
#note 0:26 [14:32] JJB bangs down the overlap proudly.
>IW: ANR 8A NAR. +18 159
#note 4:01 [13:07] IW takes his time with this choice; he will eventually draw 5 out of 6 Rs.
>JJB: AEOOSVY E2 .OVE +28 200
#note 0:15 [14:17] JJB continues pressing his clock advantage, with time to complete tracking later. Saveloy 29 is second place because O is a -2.5 leave.
>IW: EZ 10L .EZ +32 191
#note 2:37 [10:30]
>JJB: ?AINOSY N10 .AYIN +34 234
#note 2:47 [11:30] Easy choice, with zoysia 36 right behind. Two non-go 7s not spotted.
>IW: EFO O13 FOE +25 216
#note 0:54 [9:36] IW clearly does not want to be stuffing simple triples.
>JJB: ?IIOSTX J8 .IX +26 260
#note 2:30 [9:00] JJB spots his third non-go 7, but does not assemble trioxids 85 (21.6 diff). Ixia 27 is also slightly ahead.
>IW: AIPRY B5 API.RY +25 241
#note 1:13 [7:23] Excellent showing and leave, especially when not drawing either blank.
>JJB: ?IOOSST 1H .OOSIeST +80 340
#note 0:26 [8:34] Since this tournament is a memorial of Steve Polatnick and other players, JJB prefaces this by saying, "In honor of Steve, who said that whatever words you study you'll get to play, here is the word that Joanne Cohen just beat me with in the previous game."
>IW: BDENORU N1 .UBORNED +76 317
#note 1:01 [6:22] IW takes it in stride.
>JJB: AEEHIRW O7 HEW +41 381
#note 1:59 [6:35] The problem is that IW's bingo works well with JJB's rack. Awee 37 is just behind, shedding one more vowel.
>IW: MU A10 MU +11 328
#note 2:16 [4:06] True to form, IW leaves one tile in the bag. Mu k11 14 might have been an improvement, but perhaps not, since there is no S left.
>JJB: AAEIORT I10 OATIER +16 397
#note 5:00 [1:35] Confident IW cannot bingo, JJB goes for the best 6-tile play, ensuring that there are two outs with every unseen tile, as the simplest way to analyze the endgame. This nets 6 points with IW's rack. Oba/abo 3m 10 rate 3.9 higher, and also net especially higher given IW's rack, since the outplay (tinware) cannot be blocked without breaking up IW's outplays; theft h6 20, murine/murein 27 (not mutine), gif 14, at 12+4 gives net of 19, but in other hypotheticals this would differ. Simulation claims that every play wins; many are valued higher but often because of bingo potential that can be blocked.
>IW: EFGHTTU 12A THEFT +30 358
#note 3:36 [0:30] Optimal endgame.
>JJB: AN 13L NA.. +14 411
#note 1:11 [0:24]
>JJB: (GU) +6 417
#note Whatever thwarted IW's famous bingo ability (lack of blanks, psychological factors, or other), it was not enough to overcome a one-bingo margin. JJB drew quite well, often spotting 7s or 8s for theory purposes, and missing the bingo trioxids did not hurt much. Points improvable based on tiles played: IW 3, JJB 8. Points improvable based on values: JJB 74.0.
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