| Player 1 |
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#player1 JJB John J. Bulten
#player2 SR Sam Rothbart
>JJB: ACEIORV 8D VOICE +28 28
#note 1:08 [23:52] JJB toys with passing and hoping for a D or S (N also works) for an 8, which might succeed. But 20+ points are much better. Top trade is ditching the A, worth 16.6, but voice 28 is worth 30.2 in static evaluation. Quackle prefers voicer by .5 (with AR only 1.5 better than A), but the hookiness seems to make up the deficit.
>SR: DTZ F7 D.TZ +34 34
#note 0:45 [24:15]
>JJB: AADEFIR I6 FAD +20 48
#note 4:23 [19:29] Not having done enough 5s this week, JJB likes facia(e) but is not 100% on them so early in the tournament, and he also considers aecia 27 not worth it. Quackle prefers them all to fad 20, along with faired, afraid, and afeard (hooking either D or R). The weak AEIR is only worth +.6 (20.6), while facia 30 with DER is worth 38.3 (17.7 diff, nothing to sneeze at). For 4-letter leaves, even face, aid, and arf are better!
>SR: ETW 9H WET +21 55
#note 1:35 [22:40] An overlap susceptible to another one.
>JJB: AEIOORU 10D OO.IER +30 78
#note 1:26 [18:03] The right play coalesces. (Ouzo 13 is only 4.9 behind, because AEIR is still bad but AU is much worse.)
>SR: CEITU J2 CUTIE +22 77
#note 0:59 [21:41] SR's turnover attempts are characteristically plagued by drawing middling, unsynchronized tiles all game.
>JJB: AEINSUY F7 ....Y +18 96
#note 3:19 [14:44] In a brief miscalculation, JJB thinks uneasy plays at 11a; he compensates poorly. Actually it plays at k6 for 31 and rates 8.6 more than dumping Y. Yuca 9 (EINS) is second if JJB is so interested in skipping premiums.
>SR: AKLN K8 LANK +23 100
#note 0:36 [21:05] Readers might spot where the letters "lank" can be played for 38 instead.
>JJB: AEINSUV 8K .UV +7 103
#note 1:31 [11:13] Using up time but still in control, JJB declines the known phony vaunties*, with a fish that's 10 points behind the best evaluation. Suave/wetas 32 is the top choice (IN makes it 32.5), with vauntie 22 second (it's easy to calculate 30.0 because the S is always +8.0, so why think that AEINS could be as high as 23 when it's only 15.5?). JJB thinks there might be some advantage to knowing luved (luvvy is the other extension but unlikely), but that's not a real selling point. Quackle finds several other uses for the rack, including vatus 4h 24 and vicunas 2h 24, and also the viny 11c 26 that JJB rejects on leave.
>SR: JN 3I J.N +18 118
#note 0:43 [20:22] Hasty J dumping while other rack imbalances loom.
>JJB: AAEINOS 4H IO.A +16 119
#note 2:13 [9:00] Quackle agrees with the dump this time.
>SR: GI M8 .IG +8 126
#note 0:44 [19:38]
>JJB: AEENNST N2 NEATENS +75 194
#note 0:39 [8:21] The bingo makes the correct extension of luv obvious and finally pulls the game away from neck-and-neck for the first time.
>SR: IMR M1 RIM +20 146
#note 1:46 [17:52] If you spotted where lank went, you'll see rimy 11c 28 also.
>JJB: ?AIOOQR 11C QI +13 207
#note 1:35 [6:46] Qi 13, exchange to AR?, and qat 12 all rate very closely. The verification that no better plays are available can take less time for such situations: the occasional exception to the "always look for a better play" rule is when better plays can be quickly eliminated with heuristics.
>SR: AINY 12J AYIN +26 172
#note 0:38 [17:14] Lanky makes it on the board with the second Y.
>JJB: ?AEMOOR 13D tEAROOM +64 271
#note 1:25 [5:21] Bravo for 4-vowel 7s. Moorage 61 (spotted) and woomera 64 (known) also work.
>SR: BEL H12 B.LE +27 199
#note 1:07 [16:07]
>JJB: EFINOSU 5E FOIN +16 287
#note 2:04 [3:17] JJB judges the highest-ranked play, fou 13l 21 (19.5 diff), to create too much new bingo risk, but the shutdown play is low down on the list, well behind elfin 14g 24 and enuf 5e 19. It's true that a triple should not be opened, but row 5 is not likely to win for SR (row 15 might just barely).
>SR: AW O5 AW +12 211
#note 2:51 [13:16] SR continues to have tiles to dispose of cheaply, and he and the bag are not exactly broadcasting bingo prospects. Placing at l1 is 3 higher.
>JJB: EGPRSUU 15D PURG. +11 298
#note 1:00 [2:17] JJB now decides he must shut down the last reasonable line. In doing so he misses purge(s)/pursue 14j (41 or 43, diff up to 29.1), and the 6s do not open the new bingo line either. Pugree 15d 12 is also a more forceful shutdown.
>SR: AB 6D BA +9 220
#note 2:59 [10:17] SR holds out hope for bingoing the old-fashioned way. (Ab 14j 13 rates better on points, but there is still bingo possibility on this board!)
>JJB: DEORSUX C3 REDOX +47 345
#note 0:25 [1:52] Unfortunately for SR, opponent has tiles that play right along with his hook. Alternatively, Quackle likes doux 13l 31 by 1.1 more on leave, and that choice is not clear in simulation like it is in instant points only.
>SR: AEGPR 14J PARGE +41 261
#note 1:33 [8:44] SR finally grabs points, and also all remaining tiles, whereas JJB has just gotten the blank.
>JJB: ?DELSTU O9 DUlLEST +83 428
#note 1:06 [0:46] JJB leaves 3 points on the table by not looking for loudest or auldest, but proves bingo potential in the end.
>JJB: (EHHLSST) +26 454
#note SR never gets clear of middling tiles long enough to get to the bingo, playing a new scorer every turn. JJB's weak opening keeps even until the game is decided on bingos, and even then JJB's blocks are questionable. Known points available: JJB 3, SR 30. Overall points available: JJB 89.5. (Note: With this tournament, overall points are being calibrated to include phony-related points as well.)
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