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#character-encoding UTF-8
#player1 Sam_Hollington Sam Hollington
#player2 Mike_Frentz Mike Frentz
>Sam_Hollington: DIIN 8G NIDI +10 10
#note Word Cup 2024, Round 30. The winner of thie game cashes, and plays round 31 for third. The loser likely faces a win-and-in to make the money. (Misscored as 8.)
>Mike_Frentz: FGOPTXZ 7H POX +30 30
#note ZOFTIG is pretty. Didn't see it.
>Sam_Hollington: EEGLLNR 9F GEE +13 23
>Mike_Frentz: EEFGTYZ K5 FEY +34 64
>Sam_Hollington: ADEIPRS E5 DESPAIR +95 118
>Mike_Frentz: EEGSTWZ 6C GE.Z +34 98
#note Or TWEEZE.
>Sam_Hollington: ABH L4 BAH +26 144
>Mike_Frentz: CENSTTW M3 WET +22 120
>Sam_Hollington: ADIINSU 12A INDUSIA +79 223
>Mike_Frentz: ?CNSTVW G11 V.W +13 133
#note A frustrating draw, despite the blank. It feels like it might be slipping away, and it's about to get worse.
>Sam_Hollington: AALMOST 14A AMATOLS +82 305
#note So. Here we are. It's the kind of situation you dream about. Down a bundle, in a must-win game on Wednesday, needing to pull off a Simone Biles-level trick to get back into the game--a disconnected nine-letter triple-triple bingo. Just hitting the 3x3 fro 81 isn't enough here; I've gotta have the 140.
>Mike_Frentz: ?ACNOST A7 bOTAN.C.S +140 273
#note I saw this play almost immediately, but wasn't 100% sure it took the S (maybe it's BOTANICUM -> BOTANICA?). I spent maybe two more minutes looking for something else (there isn't), then another minute or so convincing myself that I absolutely HAD to play it. I'd never have forgiven myself if I didn't. This drew a brief hold, but eventually Sam wisely let it stand.
Wow.
Given the stakes, given the moment, this is probably the finest play I've ever made. Maybe the finest I ever will.
But we're not out of the woods yet.
>Sam_Hollington: FOR B8 FOR +19 324
>Mike_Frentz: ?HINOTU C1 INfOU.HT +86 359
#note Would I have seen WHODUNIT 13G if I'd needed it? I can't answer that.
>Sam_Hollington: CELM 1A CL.ME +36 360
>Mike_Frentz: EEGJLTV 4B J.G +22 381
#note Maybe VLOG instead, leaving JETE N2 for next turn. That line turns the game into a race for the D, though.
>Sam_Hollington: DOOU 11G .ODOU +18 378
#note ...oh.
>Mike_Frentz: EEKLOTV N2 VOTE +31 412
#note Now this has to be right, cutting off both triples and making life really difficult.
>Sam_Hollington: EENY 10I EYNE +33 411
>Mike_Frentz: ABEIKLR 2C .ARK +24 436
#note Didn't spot KBAR 12J. Looks like that wins pretty much every line where Sam doesn't bingo on row 2. This allows a few bingos (AIRLINE, RATLINE, etc.), but can also get outrun if Sam can score with the Q.
>Sam_Hollington: AI 3F AI +9 420
>Mike_Frentz: BEEILLQ 10D Q. +11 447
#note Did not want to risk the Q stick. This is still 100%, though not without a scary moment:
>Sam_Hollington: AIRRRTU H1 TURR +18 438
#note ...I have never seen this word in my life. I call hold. I recheck my math. "That looks terrible, but I have to let it go." A challenge costs me the game.
>Mike_Frentz: BEEILLN 12K BELLE +21 468
>Sam_Hollington: AIR 13M AIR +14 452
#note Somehow, someway, I finally won The Game I Had To Win. After AMATOLS, even inferring the tiles I kept, Sam was 93% to win, but like Sherlock Holmes, I found the 7% solution and can finally, after two decades and too many Tuesday death-spirals to count, check Cash A Nationals off my bucket list. (Final score recorded as 468-454.)
>Sam_Hollington: (IN) +4 456
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