| Player 1 |
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#character-encoding UTF-8
#player1 JJB John J. Bulten
#player2 SC Samuel Chetty
>JJB: CEQSSUZ 8F SEZ +24 24
#note 1:47 [23:13] Before this game, JJB (6-1) encourages Andy (7-0) that they are now going head-to-head, upon which Andy informs him of the no-repeat rule. This means they will both face easier opponents, but the tourney will be decided primarily on Andy's ability to defeat Dustin Dean rather than on JJB's victory or spread. JJB therefore goes in against SC loaded for bear, committed to claim the spread anyway, not to go overtime, and not to play phonies. He must have used "Good Picks hand sanitizer", because his first rack attracts a surfeit of QSSUZ. There are probably more things to be said for suq 24 (ahead of this placement by 6.2) or cuzes 38 than for sez 24. JJB is happy to keep QSU together in the opening, and may be thinking idly of tripling suq or qis later. All the same, middling points aside, simulation indicates that suq has about 4% higher win chances, and CESZ does have the increased synergy too.
>SC: ANW 9G WAN +31 31
#note 0:46 [24:14] SC has had a good tournament for his rating, 3-4, and has hopes of evening the score with accurate play. (Who will play more phonies?) He takes the lead with an underlap.
>JJB: CEIQSTU J6 QUIET +43 67
#note 1:42 [21:31]
>SC: INPRT K4 PRINT +29 60
#note ~1:14 [~23:00] SC has an I ready for keeping the score pressure on.
>JJB: ??ACCRS 11E CARCasS +100 167
#note 0:49 [20:42] JJB may still have some attractive force left because both blanks now join his S. In his haste he neglects the placements of carcase/carcass that get one point higher (accurst also scores 101).
>SC: OTWY 7E TOY +25 85
#note ~1:04 [21:56] SC hastily puts down yow 7e, but sees that it doesn't spell yew and has to correct it to toy 7e 25. This is incidentally better than yowza 20.
>JJB: ADGIMOV 6D VIM +27 194
#note 2:10 [18:32] JJB should now use the l1 opening with his vowels to score viga/vagi 32 (8.5 ahead), or even diva 28. Instead he ladders.
>SC: INOWY L1 YONI +30 115
#note 1:19 [20:37] On W versus Y alone, wino is better than yoni by 3.2. Otherwise, good use by SC of the space missed by JJB.
>JJB: AADEGOT 1L .OGA +24 218
#note 1:08 [17:24] The knee-jerk play is correct (after verifying there's no gi on the board for agiotaged).
>SC: MOUVW 12K OVUM +20 135
#note 2:55 [17:42]
>JJB: AAADENT H11 .ANED +27 245
#note 1:38 [15:46] Adamant n9 28 is better for leave, points, and showiness (6.3 diff).
>SC: EFKW 5E KEF +40 175
#note 0:42 [17:00] SC's overlaps are keeping the pressure on; the next player to bingo will get the advantage.
>JJB: AAEEORT M3 AE +13 258
#note 1:43 [14:03] It's true that AEORT 5.5 is a better leave than O -2.5, but that's no excuse to stop at ae when aerate adds 10 (2.0 diff). Goatee 18 also ranks.
>SC: GILRSW H1 GIRLS +32 207
#note 1:03 [15:57] That W has not been able to contribute to any of SC's good plays and must be a hassle to carry around.
>JJB: AEELORT 2C AREOL.TE +62 320
#note 2:18 [14:03] Faced with the choice of areolate 77 versus aerolite 62, JJB shows signs of sleep deprivation after a long drive, splitting the difference with areolite* 62, convincing himself it's correct. No, the rock is aery instead; the only useful Martian word is areology; and areolate should be remembered from areola instead of thought to derive from Ares. SC blithely says nothing, calculating about 3c instead.
>SC: AWX 3A WAX +44 251
#note 1:09 [14:48] On known tiles, SC's loss of 62 spread by keeping the phony is made up for by increasing wax from 21 (f10) to 44, an error of only 39 instead of 62. Even though a challenge could get him at least to 228-258, he is still in striking distance if another bingo materializes.
>JJB: EEIOSTU 1A OUT +19 339
#note 1:21 [10:24] JJB reflexively seizes the triple. Playing through with towie 27 is better by 8.3 (a triple W beats a single X!). Moue/meou also allow the superior EIST 16.7 leave.
>SC: BGI 4B BIG +27 278
#note 0:37 [14:11] SC also likes milking the X, slowly catching up.
>JJB: DEEEFIS N1 .EED +22 361
#note 2:10 [8:14] Top play is femes 36, and JJB is not unaware of it, but he seems to be overwary of a doubled E and wants to keep the S. That combo sacrifices 7.2 in value.
>SC: ADLRT 5A DAL +21 299
>SC: ADLRT -- -21 278
#note 3:46 [10:25] Now SC errs by misspelling taxol. The reward over tad 13m 16 is only 6.2 value, the risk 15.8; milking the X again is not worth it when so much else is available.
>JJB: DEEEFIS N10 FE.ES +36 397
#note 0:13 [8:01] JJB challenges SC after 2 seconds. Facing the exact same rack as last turn, femes 36 is still the leader and JJB spots it this time.
>SC: ADLRT O8 DRAT +22 300
#note 0:54 [9:31] One behind trad 23.
>JJB: BDEHIOU O13 HOB +31 428
#note 3:50 [4:11] JJB is now pulling way ahead on premiums and middling tiles, but SC has bingo tiles.
>SC: LP 13M P.. +24 324
#note 0:47 [8:44] Because two tiles are unseen, up/peh 24 is rated the highest no matter which of the possible racks SC had, given reported tiles. He leaves one for JJB, and bingo hopes remain.
>JJB: DEHIIJU 7I J.. +18 446
#note 3:14 [0:57] JJB gets dangerously low on time tracking SC's rack of AILLNOR (playing through CT). Not seeing a sharp play himself (jehu only 16) he dumps reflexively with jun 18, way down the list at 13.5 lower value. Top recommendation is hired 3f 25 with four twos, even keeping IJU; or haji 22 tripling the H and keeping the tamer DEIU.
>SC: AILLNOR 14C LONLI.R +9 333
>SC: AILLNOR -- -9 324
#note 1:55 [6:39] SC now has the chance to plot an endgame. The best out in two appears to be ralline 18, hired 25, on/on 6+6, net of 5 to him. He has the right idea and location, but unfortunately commits the misspelling lonlier* instead, which JJB challenges after 3 seconds. JJB could now reply hired 25, ralline 18, uni/id 8+2, netting -17 to SC instead (diff of 22).
>JJB: DEHIINU 3A ...ED +23 469
#note 0:20 [0:37] JJB has no outplan such as using hired 25 to net 17. Instead he throws down waxed 23, giving SC another chance to go out in two. Ralline 18 now allows hili 16, on/on 6+4, net of 11 to JJB; other plays also allow good responses by JJB, so he is only losing 6 points potential spread by jumping to waxed.
>SC: AILLNOR 14D LOAN.R +8 332
#note 1:52 [4:47] So SC's best shot is still ralline 18, hili 16, on 6+4, net of 12 to him. He now opts for the turnover of loaner 8 instead, to which hili 16, lin 9+4 would net only 5.
>JJB: HIINU 13F HU. +5 474
#note 1:25 [-0:48] JJB in turn gets distracted by options, then looks at his clock and is a half-minute behind, so escapes with hun 15 and the second overclock of the day. Hili 16, lin 9+4 would net him 3, but hun 15, ill/if 8+6 only nets him 1.
>SC: IL D12 IL. +6 338
#note 0:30 [4:17] SC goes out with ill at d12 6 rather than 4g 8. No matter, he has distracted JJB beyond his clock time.
>SC: (IIN) +6 344
#note Though SC's bingo never appeared, it wasn't for lack of trying and his 344 is respectable given no bingos. JJB's biggest error was the embarrassing misspelling of areolate (or aerolite, or both; but SC didn't call him on it). He failed to avoid either phonies or overclocking. But, epilogue: JJB tries to spot Andy's result without being intrusive, and convinces himself Andy has won, going 8-0, and JJB is taking second place. Lo and behold, Andy announces results and says that JJB has won the national prelims championship. "I did?!" Indeed, Dustin had handed Andy a loss of 28 points, and JJB unwittingly swoops to victory on prior spread. Known points available: JJB 34, SC 71. Overall points available: JJB 86.0, SC 90.0+. |
