| Player 1 |
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#character-encoding UTF-8
#player1 Carl Carl
#player2 Q Q
>Carl: EIMMNTV 8D VIMEN +28 28
>Q: AENOSTW 9G WO +20 20
>Carl: FGIIMPT 10H GIMP +19 47
#note GIF/GIFT 10H is better. (-4)
>Q: AEKLNST E4 LANK.EST +98 118
>Carl: CFIRTTY 5C TR.CTIFY +66 113
>Carl: CFIRTTY -- -66 47
#note Yikes!
>Q: ABCEEOW 4C BE.OW +20 138
>Carl: CFIRTTY L10 YTTRIC +41 88
>Q: ACDENOO 15L .OCO +24 162
>Carl: EEFJOST H1 JOES +48 136
>Q: ABDEGLN 3B BAD +23 185
>Carl: AEEFFNT 13H AFFE.ENT +86 222
>Q: EEGLNRS H12 G.LE +21 206
>Carl: AEEHOPY F10 HEAPY +44 266
#note I also thought about just HEAP, but the setup is blockable, HEAPY takes out the triple lane, and turns over one more tile for the blanks.
>Q: AENNRSX D11 ANNEX +43 249
>Carl: AAEEOTV K8 VA.E +22 288
#note Missing GOETTA 12H, but VAPE sims better and is probably even better than the sim since it takes out row 7.
>Q: ?IIIRSS B1 SI. +10 259
>Carl: AEELOTZ O8 ZEALO. +48 336
>Q: ??IIIRS J13 .IR +8 267
>Carl: ADEILRT 3H .LATERID +70 406
>Q: ??IISUU 1H .IUjItSU +92 359
#note !!!
>Carl: DHOQRRT G7 H.. +13 419
#note Not out of the woods yet. I don't know if I can outrun INGROUND/UNGROUND on row 6. On the other hand, can I outrun getting stuck with the Q after I block the lanes? I'm terrible at endgames, but it seemed like I'd be ok after HEW. This is a valiant start. Like, some experts wouldn't make it this far. But it illustrates the vast gulf between me and someone like Mack Meller. First, I wasn't entirely sure there weren't *other* bingos through the N. Once I saw those two, I stopped looking, and determined that there were no other lanes. The other bingos are ADORNING and UNDARING. That might matter. Another thing I didn't do is look one move ahead after the bingo. This is critical: if Quackle bingos, I'll always outrun. With a U draw, I'll have DOUX 15A. With an A, I'll have HOAX. With an O, I'll have OHO D13. And if I draw an I, DOH 4J is enough to outrun UNGROUND-- the only winning move. If I draw anything else, Quackle can't bingo. Thus, unloading the Q at 2A seems pretty solid.
>Q: ADINRUU 1A U. +6 365
#note One potential trouble spot after QI is that it leaves one in the bag. Can Quackle fish off a tile on column C to guarantee an out-bingo in two spots if it draws the right tile? I looked at this for a bit too but didn't see anything. That doesn't mean it wasn't there though. In fact, it was there. Quackle can fish off a U with UN 13C, setting up an unblockable ADORING/ADORNING. Because I didn't see ADORNING, I didn't see this, but I conceded that such a possibility might exist, and thus I played HEW. An even better player would have seen that UN doesn't work because if Quackle draws ADORING, I'll always have DROUTH B9, which outruns. Aha! So then Quackle must play UN 12C, and I can no longer hit the DWS. But that doesn't work either because now DROUTH B7 blocks both lanes. Thus QI 2A always wins.... unless there's some other setup that I missed.
>Carl: DGOQRRT C14 DO +15 434
#note I'm on the right track here by blocking DOUX, but Quackle says that TO in the same spot wins by more. Playing both positions out, that doesn't seem to be the case. One of the problems with going into this Q-stuck endgame is that it's nigh impossible to go through all the different lines. I saw that I'd generally have places for my remaining tiles if Quackle played one at a time. HEW hedged against the Q-stick because only I can hook it, forming THEW. Sometimes I'd draw something like DOUX or HOAX, which I can capitalize on when Quackle blocks the Q-spot.
>Q: ADINORU B13 ROD +27 392
#note It's a testament to my poor endgame skills that I didn't see that DO allowed ROD. I was too laser-focused on blocking DOUX that I missed this other threat. Interestingly, DOX doesn't sim any better than DO, so this time it turned out ok. But better players don't get tunnel vision the way I do; they would have seen this coming.
>Carl: GQRRT I9 G.T +15 449
>Q: AINU 4J AIN +14 406
#note I'm not convinced that Quackle played the endgame right, but I also didn't find any better sequence.
>Carl: QRR 11C R...R +5 454
#note I often use the phrase 'clarity of mind' when comparing my ability to my superiors. That's the missing piece with me, and that's why I'll never be a champion. Well-rested, from the comfort of my own home, with all the time in the world, this was how I played. It wasn't awful, but you could see the inaccuracies slipping in. Over the board, after many games and minimal sleep, with only a few minutes on the clock (if that), these mistakes get a lot worse. Also, 10-15% of the time, I've mistracked.
>Q: U 13B .U. +14 420
#note Long story short: I wish wish wish I had a better brain.
>Q: (Q) +20 440
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