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#player1 JJB John J. Bulten
#player2 PAK Patricia A. Krohn
>JJB: AAAEIPY 8F PYA +16 16
#note 2:29 [22:31] With 3 players at 4-1, the last board-one game is now winner-take-all (a tie awards the tourney to Ed Liebfried if he wins his game). The lead changes hands many times here. JJB wastes precious time refusing to trade when that is Quackle's first 14 recommendations (starting with holding EPY +5.0). Yea 8g is 2.6 behind in static value but pya 8f is 5.0 behind.
>PAK: ADEJ F6 JA.ED +35 35
#note 0:22 [24:38] PAK wastes no time in cashing two triples, displaying a New York style from the start. She has been rated around 1800 and has not lost the competitive spirit after many decades of play.
>JJB: AAEILLW E9 WALI +22 38
#note 1:45 [20:46] JJB makes a reasonable hotspot and leave determination, and prefers to keep the E hook on wali, but, if he were to recognize wallie 26, that might commend itself as having 1.8 greater value.
>PAK: AILRTV 12C TR.VIAL +22 57
#note 0:43 [23:55] Meanwhile PAK shows how to play 6 tiles at a time.
>JJB: ?AELNOU 11G ALEUrON +68 106
#note 2:16 [18:30] JJB finds a blank and is not too worried, using not too much time (he thinks) in choosing the overlap. He sees zonulae/apolune d3 but they don't look like they score more given only a first glance, and he also prefers the E hook. But their 2 points greater value is less important than the time lost.
>PAK: BHOR 7F .BHOR +29 86
#note 1:24 [22:31] Those middling tiles are worth a lot to PAK! Hob 12l 28 is also available and rates just .1 higher on static value. This is the first turn where the lead does not change hands.
>JJB: ENNRRST H11 ..RNT +15 121
#note 1:57 [16:33] JJB is not too worried about bingo-conducive heavy racks and finds the best play, a good consonant extension. Honorable mention: abhorrent 15.
>PAK: ?BEFINT 6I BENeFIT +73 159
#note 0:32 [21:59] Great draw, great find, but benefit/aleurone n8 83 is indicated (10 diff).
>JJB: CEENRST D4 CENTRES +80 201
#note 1:33 [15:00] JJB thinks centres 80 can be beaten, but recognizes that if it plays through a T he would know it. 80 is not bad at all.
>PAK: DEINOSX 9H DIOXENS +74 233
>PAK: DEINOSX -- -74 159
#note 0:57 [21:02] Now PAK's judgment fails as she determines she should take a bingo risk herself given JJB's second bingo. She convinces herself briefly that dioxins/dioxans have another friend, worth 74 points, but JJB challenges immediately. Exon 10i 58 is a bingo equivalent, with value of 66.8, but the rack is only 18.5; so the risk (the diff) is 48.3, and the reward is only 7.2, not a time to jump. 10j yields both exon 58 and xed 56, making the lead recapture solid.
>JJB: AACINWZ O4 WI.AN +36 237
#note 2:10 [12:50] JJB's time is hurt by PAK's hammering and by his considering her responses to his choice here. Wiz 10l 42 rates just .9 higher (and takes 5 points off exon, making it ex), but JJB wants to block the triple (not as important) and retain czar 45 for next time (somewhat important). On two-turn total witan is probably better.
>PAK: DEINOSX 12K EXON +43 202
#note 0:49 [19:13] Given the opportunity for exon 58, PAK finds exon 43 instead. Yet she has more up her sleeve.
>JJB: AACMOTZ 8A CZA. +45 282
#note 0:42 [12:08] He proceeds as planned, neglecting PAK's play, which now yields two better overlaps, coz 10l 49 (by 2.9) and coma 13k 42. He notices zacaton but does not work out its placement at 14b for 40 (7.7 behind the lead).
>PAK: DIKS O12 SKID +43 245
#note 1:01 [18:12] Now 80 behind, PAK focuses on scoring and leave (she probably holds another S) to stay in.
>JJB: AEMOPQT 5N Q. +22 304
#note 1:23 [10:45] JJB falsely holds hopes of a big column N score like genom(e) so he puts the Q at 5n instead of 14n. The better overlap than column N is row 13, namely pom 38 (10.9 diff!). Meanwhile JJB is thinking of such weak plays as omen/open n9 19, well behind many options on scoring.
>PAK: HO 13L OH +32 277
#note 1:06 [17:06] PAK seizes the overlap simply and balances her rack immediately.
>JJB: AEMOOPT B4 TOPA. +22 326
#note 1:41 [9:04] JJB needs to close down, and an obscure word would help, metopon 14b 34, rated 13.5 better. He feels too imbalanced to close down, though, and wants to cash the Z again (for which mozo 21 has a much better leave).
>PAK: EGISSTU 15A GUTSIES. +80 357
#note 0:16 [16:50] PAK is all ready to bingo and seize the lead again (alternatively, gustiest), and this time the remaining draws will be likely to determine the winner.
>JJB: EEGLMOV A1 GOLEM +34 360
#note 1:00 [8:04] JJB can at least use the triple well and retake the lead, albeit move a1 33 has a leave rated 4.1 better.
>PAK: DGIR C2 GRID +25 382
#note 0:59 [15:51] JJB has only improved PAK's column C play, an excellent dump that seizes the lead again even as PAK's rack is not looking too balanced.
>JJB: ADEIORV L2 VOID.R +18 378
#note 3:47 [4:17] Now JJB is facing a likelihood of losing the tourney over who plays the last bingo, and yet avodire/avoider do not play! There are enough openings that Quackle's pick of doby/jo 19 might bingo well. Somehow JJB decides to empty the bag rather than fish, in hopes of going out first or at least using the directed hook, not appreciating the high likelihood of getting full of vowels in the end; the difference in judgment is worth 23.1.
>PAK: EFIMUUY 14G U.IFY +21 403
#note 3:51 [12:00] However ugly PAK's rack looks to JJB, it fits wonderfully with the open N and suddenly she is looking at multiple outs and a lead of 25, and a $100 prize. No other play looks close. JJB congratulates her.
>JJB: AEEEO 1L AE +14 392
#note 3:42 [0:35] Nothing for it but to smile and save spread points. (JJB's secondary goal this tournament has been met, namely, adding about 600 to his very high annual spread; winning isn't everything. He also meets his side goal of keeping up as good an attitude as everyone else; his worst loss today is only by 111, much less than several other players who stay cheerful. PAK is still somewhat in shock that it actually has all worked and she is about to beat an 1800.)
>PAK: EMU 15K EMU +13 416
#note 0:15 [11:45] New York style yields up one point in the end by not placing at 9h. Otherwise PAK has better recovered from errors than JJB.
>PAK: (EEO) +6 422
#note The nail-biting arises from two bingos apiece on split blanks, with PAK drawing J and X, and JJB drawing Z and Q. PAK has 3 of the Ss and usefully the K, and slight edges in premium placement get her over the lost turn, keep her in bingo striking distance, and provide additional spread; she turns an 80-point midgame deficit into a 30-point surplus. JJB's biggest mistakes are emptying the bag and settling for the weak topaz, enough to fail to keep his lead even after PAK's phony. Known points available: JJB 2, PAK 26. Overall points available: JJB 64.2, PAK 74.4+.
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