| Player 1 |
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#character-encoding UTF-8
#player1 JJB John J. Bulten
#player2 DK David Klionsky
>JJB: AOPRSSU 8B SAPOURS +74 74
#note 0:28 [24:32] JJB now gets to play DK, the other David. They exchange name anagrams (kolinsky versus unbelt); this is a welcome pairing for both. DK has 3-3 and will go on to win the second-half class prize with a 4-4 record, and is braced for the fight, while JJB is still looking forward to facing the still-undefeated Andy Hoang a second time and wanting to rack up more spread. For the fourth time in seven games (only the third time validly), JJB plunks down a bingo on his opening rack; expectation is only one bingo out of 7.5 games. However, he is momentarily unaware of upsoars, which Quackle prefers by 1.5.
>DK: IX 9C XI +38 38
#note 0:53 [24:07] DK rapidly decides on the X opening (not available with upsoars!).
>JJB: ADEOOOY 10A ODEA +24 98
#note 3:09 [21:23] Excessively wobbly racks don't faze JJB like they used to. For this cold draw, OOY is an acceptable leave given the solid score with best play.
>DK: DEELLQ F7 Q.ELLED +19 57
#note 0:42 [23:25] DK has also picked up the Q and knows a quick way to ditch it, with turnover. Quackle suggests the beautiful dell 11a 28 might be preferable with some racks, by 0.8+.
>JJB: EGKOORY 12D GE.KY +34 132
#note 1:31 [19:52] Noodling around, JJB admits aloud that yes, geeky is a word. He is strangely unconcerned about the doubled O, though OOR rates at -6.9; a little more noodling would reveal goody 28 (not grody) with the positive synergy of EKR (a whopping 5.3 better despite score).
>DK: AAJR 11H AJAR +27 84
#note 2:08 [21:18] DK continues to draw raw power. Tripling the J for rajas would net one more point.
>JJB: EGMOORU 10J MEOU +24 156
#note 2:09 [17:43] Now JJB rejects morgue 29 (4.6 better value) solely due to its opening power, and selects meou over moue as more off-putting. Neither leave, O or GOR, is positive. Playing more closed is not JJB's usual style.
>DK: IITZ H4 ZITI. +24 108
#note 0:54 [20:23] DK completes his sweep of the power tiles, though skipping the risky ziti/gi for 5 more.
>JJB: GORRTUY A9 Y.GOURT +36 192
#note 0:32 [17:11] JJB thinks himself awful clever to plunk down this variant, but if he had worked with grouty a bit longer he'd see its placement for one point more at 12j (same tiles).
>DK: AAV 12K AVA +15 123
#note 2:25 [17:58] After the power tiles it's time to score with a V: but here DK's power is petering out because he omits ava/za 21 and kava/da 16.
>JJB: ?EFHLOR B1 HORnFEL. +80 272
#note 0:51 [16:20] JJB cements his lead by drawing a blank into a word he knows well, the only bingo. Given that, the nonuple lane is not so off-limits anymore!
>DK: DGIIN 1B .IDING +13 136
#note 0:59 [16:59] DK engages the instinct to block the triple, but not with ghi 21 (11.2 better value). He also doesn't care to double riding 3b for 20. To avoid suspense, the usable plays here are now only chiding, hidings, or (maybe just maybe) chidingly.
>JJB: ABEEEIT 4H .IBET +32 304
#note 1:11 [15:09] JJB again draws a triplicate vowel after a bingo. Fortunately the list of premium words with 2 to 6 letters does him well yet again.
>DK: HPU 13M HUP +26 162
#note 1:56 [15:03] And now DK is suddenly ready to open a nonuple lane himself. It's hard to see that zibeth allows hup 28 or uh 30 (3.5 better value).
>JJB: ACEEEEW C3 EEEW +29 333
#note 0:19 [14:50] Another pair of Es allows a standout vowel dump.
>DK: OW O13 .OW +24 186
#note 2:06 [12:57] Probably working with the second blank by now, DK makes the right dump. Ow/bo/ew 24 is equivalent but riskier.
>JJB: AACEIMN 5J ANEMIA +26 359
#note 1:29 [13:21] JJB should have a mnemonic for anaemic by now, but doesn't, so here's one: diabolised (less the vowels of course, per the Kramer Convention). Ambiance is a non-go. This is the first time chiding 42 is the recommended play; JJB is holding out for chidings* 135 (?), misguidedly. To that end he opts to play all six other tiles, opening yet another nonuple lane! Needless to say this is 17.8 behind cashing the C immediately, and unwisely bases its hope of success on the ignorance of the opponent. This flight of fancy is about to be punished by DK's next turn.
>DK: ?AFINRS 14G FaRINAS +67 253
#note 4:06 [8:51] But, rather than punish JJB with the worst, namely safranin 149 (catching up to within 24 points), DK lets him off relatively easily with one of the mildest bingos. A little more work might have revealed transfix 83 or fairings 74. Though it was a chance to catch up the game, given how open both have played, it is not at all easy to pull out under pressure.
>JJB: CENNOOV N2 VEN.N +30 389
#note 0:51 [12:30] JJB has not taken the hint, because he unaccountably writes down both chiding 42 and connive 40 but wants to retain the C. And he totally ignores row 15, where the lead play of coven 47 is clearly indicated (28.6 ahead). In his haste he triples rather than doubles, causing a 10-point error that neither player notices. Clearly JJB is unwisely discounting the risk of game loss at this point and going for a draw to a 135-point phony instead. He even helpfully empties the bag, desparate for the S, but of course it's just been picked up by DW at odds of 64%.
>DK: RSTT K2 BL..D +8 261
#note 2:01 [6:30] Stuck with no vowels but still able to go out, DK's first order of business might be to block chiding with hidings 36, since this response of opponent's is so far above all others in value. JJB's threat coco 9 is met by urb 10 (blocking tondi 20), into 8+10, netting 19 to DK. Alternatively, tobacco 21 threatens many outs, requiring bod 20, lin 9+8, or the like, netting 18 to DK. Better still for JJB, ictic 18, bed 12, noo 12+8, nets DK only 10 (the reverse fares similarly). Even though DK's alternative tayras 24 would allow him an out in two more, it's no match for chiding 42 by comparison. Thus a safe net of 10 for hidings is undone by any other play. After blend 8 (still a top play), chiding 42, we have tayras 24, ionic 10 (forced), tew 6+4, but that nets -10 in all (20 less); and chiding is also forced because hidings is still in hand. So there is no clear alternative to hidings first here.
>JJB: CCINOOT 13C CON.I +44 433
#note 4:36 [7:56] At this point JJB thinks chiding is safe and thinks he has a secure second play, and is wrong on both counts. He misremembers tondi and plays Condi Rice instead. As before, chiding 42 would net him 18 with best play; but if condi* is challenged, the best continuation is hidings 36, tondi 30, to 2 (blocking coco), cava 16, ret 6+8, netting -6 (24 diff). (Tondi is still so strong it offsets not going out. But if he had taken tondi 30 first, hidings 36, coco 9+6 would only net him 9, compared to chiding at 18.) Somehow JJB accidentally adds 10 to this score too, compounding the problem and inviting accusations of coffeehousing if it weren't so comical.
>DK: RSTT 5B ..ST +14 275
#note 0:35 [5:55] As noted, challenging and playing hidings would net 6 to DK. Letting the score stand at 44, and playing fest 14 (leading to chiding 42, ret 6+4), has a massive net of -62 (68 diff). A tough lesson learned from a very risky phony.
>JJB: COT 1A C...... +42 475
#note 0:12 [7:42] JJB wanted to phony with chidings* all along, and has ignobly pulled off the phony unintentionally in another quadrant. Cashing the 42 now is proforma but hardly a respectable conclusion at this point.
>DK: RT 3M R.T +6 281
#note 1:24 [4:31] DK finds the correct sole outplay.
>DK: (OT) +4 285
#note After starting very strong, DK missed hooking zibeth and nonuple of safranin, and then allowed a steamroller of an endgame by neglecting hidings and unintended irregularities from opponent. JJB got to the 100-point lead but perhaps allowed himself thoughtlessly to game the system after that, when professional play would have looked much different. Known points available: JJB 25, DK 201. Overall points available: JJB 82.8, DK 207.5+. |
