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#character-encoding UTF-8
#player1 JJB John J. Bulten
#player2 YU Yoli Ushry
>JJB: AEILPSX 8D PIXEL +34 34
#note 1:36 [23:24] The second Silver Dollar Showdown begins with a friendly match that results in a contentious rules argument. JJB draws strongly but spends time with the temptation that there is something better here. But silex 40 rates behind even pix/pax in initial static leave evaluation.
>YU: CEGINOS G2 COSIGN.E +64 64
#note ~1:00 [~24:00] (cognise i3 80 +16) YU needs to simply pluralize pixel with either of the words on the rack, but she takes an unnecessary risk. Since consignee is valid and JJB's radar is not turned on yet (he holds excellent letters anyway), she begins play with a modest lead. Cognise: mild tzars.
>JJB: AMNOOST 4B ONOMA.TS +72 106
#note 1:45 [21:39] (challenge +64, amotions e4 90 +18) JJB too neglects the simple pixels. He finds one bingo, then fails to find the quadruple and plays the one line found. He misses out on the opportunity to challenge as well. Onomast: ditz's.
>YU: ADH 3B DAH +26 90
#note ~1:58 [22:02] YU holds for JJB's play, but accepts it and keeps the score pressure on. All the best plays make use of his bingo anyway.
>JJB: ACDEORV 2A VAC +29 135
#note 1:58 [19:41] (avo 2b 32 +6.1) JJB holds out hope for another bingo, and idly notes that he might still draw avo a1; but doesn't note that avo at either a1 or 2b is better, even though he should recognize that CDER rates about 3 points better than DEOR.
>YU: DU 9E DU. +16 106
#note 0:56 [21:06] Another closing overlap.
>JJB: ADEENRT 2G .RENATED +76 211
#note 1:28 [18:13] It's helpful to know all four words here so that the double that doesn't open the triple can be selected.
>YU: OWY 1M YOW +35 141
#note 1:15 [19:51] And this overlap is easy and expected, but now a bingo's distance has been established and YU needs to press further to keep up. Of note: same score at 3k.
>JJB: BEFKLOU K1 B.ULK +22 233
#note 2:24 [15:49] (fub 3i 28 +11.2) JJB toys with the options but doesn't see the i3 hotspot, which yields the points with the mild leave of EKLO -.4. He is hoping to turn over a blank, but for that the better plays (same score) are boeuf/up/fid, with positive leave, and begulf. JJB is playing the weak perpendicular on what is classically an overlap board.
>YU: AGNR 3M NAG +24 165
#note 1:24 [18:27] YU lays down ar 1h 14, but on scoring it recognizes there are better spots and seals up 3m. This is the best play on the known tiles, an improvement of 9.7.
>JJB: EFIMOTY 5D MY +36 269
#note 2:06 [13:35] (yoof 3f 32 +4.4) JJB gets one of the best overlaps now, but misses toy 38 in the same place and still doesn't see i3, which allows the clever yoof 3f 32, best leave. He also doesn't realize he's drawn the hook baulk/y, which rates almost as well.
>YU: R -4 +0 165
#note 0:14 [18:13] YU has probably drawn the blank but opts not to score even with the widening deficit.
>JJB: EFIINOT H1 F.I.T +28 297
#note 1:32 [12:03] (of 1h 26 +2.3) JJB accepts a mildly negative rack for points. Here keeping the T is worth about 7 (frit), while playing it is only 5. Cashing the parallel with of/or/fe 1h rates almost exactly the same as frit, on worse leave but better upfront points.
>YU: R E7 R.. +4 169
#note 2:22 [15:51] YU uses some of her time advantage to search for bingos, but it's likely she is correct and doesn't have one here. (If she had, it would either have been the bingo she plays on the next turn, or the easy-to-find swither i8.) So her fish is successful but doesn't help her spread enough even so.
>JJB: EIINNOS O3 .ENII +7 304
#note 2:09 [9:54] (inosine l5 64 +48.2) JJB has not mastered the 4-voweled 7s and tries to form one here but only comes up with phonies. It is rather a fruitful one worthy of memorization: inosine: VHF cups. He makes a show-off play for a few points, intended to lessen bingo response power (best non-bingo of oi l4 is too open), but the score is so low that trading to EINS (+17.1) even ranks better. All the same, knowing the third natural bingo he has drawn would have been best.
>YU: ?HISTUW N7 oUTWISH +71 240
#note 1:18 [14:33] And YU gets into striking distance with a timely bingo. JJB holds as it looks doubtful at first, but he finds a mnemonic story that cancels the hold. Both bingo placements score the same.
>JJB: EENORSU 12G NEUROSE. +68 372
#note 1:25 [8:29] But JJB is also convinced by the fact that YU has given him an undeserved bingo response. Her play if moved to j5 would not have done so.
>YU: AIJ 11J AJI +42 282
#note 1:22 [13:11] YU remains unperturbed and makes the best of it.
>JJB: AEEIORT A1 A.O +26 398
#note 0:39 [7:50] JJB is finally able to use the odah hook to excellent purpose on an above-average cold draw.
>YU: DEV 10H DEV +29 311
#note 0:30 [12:41] Good premium usage, but there can be an argument for taking one point more, opening up, and keeping the V: outwished 30!
>JJB: EEIORTZ 13A EROTIZE +87 485
#note 0:36 [7:14] JJB gets another chance at the 4-voweled 7 list and can proceed confidently this time as he is likely now to withstand even a nonuple.
>YU: AGLRR A9 LARG.R +9 320
#note 4:35 [8:06] (gear a12 21 +18.9) Quackle's recommendation on points is now either to play off only two tiles (3 in bag), or to cash the triple, or both. (Grrrl b10 20 should also be considered!) YU's play is not necessarily a block either, because if there is a tracking or distribution error then enlargers could be a big risk. On the other hand, the few plays that do permit simulation wins, about 1% of the time, all use 2-3 tiles and basically keep column A open to hope for the nonuple, which is possible even though JJB has drawn the blank with a mediocre rack.
>JJB: ?EEFLPQ 14G ELF +9 494
#note 7:01.4 [0:12.6] (beef 14g 16, obi o13 20, qis l10 12, eta m12 18+8 +5) JJB now needs to block two spots for biota at once, which can only be done narrowly, and also not to run afoul of his Q (which has two easy spots and some harder ones). He uses up most of his time looking for an out in two, which won't happen successfully, and settles for a good but weak-looking play that still allows him 28 for quip potentially. It's hard for opponent to find the best block and still go out in two, so this gives more chances for opponent to make an error in return. Slightly better would be to score the points by getting the F to the premium (beef 16), which is still safe for row 15 too; the reason is that when quip is blocked a response won't be much better than qis 12 anyway. With beef, opponent still has sizable chances not to find the 20-point obi that sets up the 18-point eta after both tab and at are blocked in row 13. Therefore most weak-looking plays in row 14 are actually best as blocking both slots for biota as well as tab (and maybe blocking at 19 as well).
>YU: ABIOT 15H OAT +20 340
#note ~0:56 [~7:10] (bio 12c 20, quite d10 13, at 13j 19+6 +30) YU does not take the time to spot JJB's quip and block it, going instead for the easy temptation. But oat 20, quip 28, lib 8+2 is a net of only +2, while bio 20 allows a net of +32 (knocking 15 off opponent and adding 15 to own score).
>JJB: ?EPQ E11 Qu.P +28 522
#note 0:05.3 [0:03.1] JJB has his tiles ready to go forward with three of the four best general plans (quip, qat, and qis). Qoph 14 is also available.
>YU: BI K11 ..B +12 352
#note ~0:49 [6:21] (lib 9a 8+2 +9) What JJB is not ready for is if YU doesn't go out with any of her many options. Lib 8 would net 10 right now. YU scores a hair more, 12, but allows 11 in response, netting only 1 point in all; she also gets the confusion factor due to JJB's clock.
>JJB: E B13 .E +8 530
#note 0:05.1 [0:02.2] (home d3 9+2 +1) Now a fascinating ruling situation occurs. YU, having played only one tile, starts JJB's clock. JJB, not looking, assumes that YU has gone out and that she has hit his clock in error; so he says something like "That's out" and (without thinking to neutralize) starts YU's clock in response, after 4.2 seconds. YU announces that JJB has passed his turn, which he questions, indicating that he meant to stop both clocks, which he does after another 10 seconds (YU's time becomes 6:11 instead of 6:21). The next discussion is about what JJB said being ambiguous, and certainly not communicating his intent (that he believed YU was out of tiles); this point is at least agreed, plus the starting of YU's clock being wrong. JJB calls director Paul Mulik for a ruling, who looks it up in his binder of rules and classic questions compiled over the years of his submitting them to the official newsletter. While they agree on the sequence, YU's position is that JJB should be ruled as passing and that she should play qi 11+2, making the score 365-522. JJB does not take an immediate position on what should happen but contends that he did hit the clock in error. The ruling is based on a rule that whenever a player starts an opponent's clock in error (whether endgame or not), it is regarded as remediable, with opponent given one extra minute of time and the player in error getting to have his clock restarted for his regular play. This explained, JJB's clock is restarted and he plunks down the E in .9 seconds, in the second-best place (missing the hook hom/e 9), yielding a final score of 532-352. JJB suggests that YU should appeal because the spread difference of 23 is significant enough (and he would do so in that situation), and she has a later discussion with Paul but it is likely to need outside review at a later date. So the spread of +180 stands for the first game for immediate tourney purposes anyway, and the budding friendship between the two players is not impaired because they both respect each other's choices.
>JJB: (I) +2 532
#note And so a game largely determined on JJB's five natural bingos (of which he cashes only four) ends with a fascinating rules discussion as to whether the official exception to protect players in error was intended to protect JJB's unique time-pressured error. YU's own mistakes were not significant, though she probably had unrecorded opportunities and could have blocked boldly in the endgame; JJB missed an opportunity to bingo, a chance to challenge a phony bingo, and other openings on a parallel-fruitful board. Known points available: YU 55, JJB 88. Overall points available: YU 73.9+, JJB 160.2.
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