Portland Labor Day Scrabble

Friday Early Bird – 8 games

Game 1 – Nice start with a blank & I found a bingo pANACHE(S) 69. Siri got two nice 90+ pt bingos EQ(U)ATOR/Oyez 96 and DELOUSE/jinniS 93 but I answered both times with HARDLInE 76 which I wasn’t sure of (it’s Good), and TALKERS/eS 79. GRIM/Mes 33 was a test of Siri’s knowledge of the new word MES. He claims he didn’t know it, he tried to Hold & challenge, but I had already drawn, so he wasn’t allowed to challenge after I had drawn tiles, so he lucked out there. WIN.

Game 2 – what am I thinking? starting with “AMAZER”? which got sent off without hesitation. I made a nice find with OI(L)CLOTh 76 on play 7 to take the lead but he answered with MODERAtE 69. My WEiRD 34 tied it up, but his superior word knowledge paid off with GAINSAY 83, a nice parallel play bingo. I couldn’t catch up and altho’ FORBYE was good points, it was a concession play which emptied the bag and no miracle tiles came with the draw. LOSS to a better player, but I felt good giving it a go.

Game 3 – Opened with another blank bingo, this time to the Tpl Word O(R)DAINEd 80. Tracy played HARDlINE 74 – seeing a word new to me twice in 3 games is unusual. Luckily I answered with LIQUORS/movieS 79. Got it to a 150 point lead when she played MA(R)INES/Swail 91. I got away with a phony “Skitted” and cruised on in for the WIN.

Opp’s two bingos GODLESS 84 and MO(S)EYE(D) 77 to my no bingos made it a one-sided LOSS.

Game 4 – Opp is rated almost 300 points more than me, so I was happy to get an early bingo ANNE(A)(L)S 71, a nice parallel play and stave off his comeback attempt: after STONIER 66 he tried “JETLINEs” which didn’t resonate well with this aerospace guy, so I challenged it. No good. I kept up a barrage of high point plays and he tried again with “LOTIONER” – get it off! Sweet blowout WIN against opp who tried to bully thru phonies, using his rep for better word knowledge. I woulda done the same thing in his position.

Game 6 – The tiles are sideways on the first three plays as I took the photo after we’d started a recount. It’s a good way to see which tiles were on the board at the time each word is played. She starts with a bingo PRONA(T)E 73 and I answer with a phony that she allows to stay on: “VOMITA” 22. My bingo DENIALS 74 brought it close, and my QUIRE during the endgame gave me a shot. I put the S on joker, but she found an outplay U(M)IAq 14 which gave her a one-point victory due to a one point tile left on my rack. I did a recount and couldn’t find any errors to rescue me. Tough LOSS.

Game 7 – I answered his early bingo PARTIER 65 with Q(U)EST/partierS 79 and I had a slight lead until he played cRAWLIE(R) 98 to the Tpl Word. I barreled out my stronger plays and almost got there, when the bag ran out of tiles. Close one, but a LOSS.

Game 8 – His BUBONIC 85 was a killer and I chose (incorrectly) to chance a challenge and lost. Hoping just maybe it was capitalized. I dunno. But he added 4 more bingos, which must have felt magical. I tried to add an S to exalting with SLAVED/exaltingS, but he sent that off. His SE(R)IATIm was pretty. a blowout (308 pt!) LOSS. Ugh.

By the way, opp Gunther had recently played in an 8-day, 20 person, 100 game tournament, and he won it with 67 wins. That’s hardcore.

I finished 3W-5L for 5th place and lost 8 rating points. Results here: http://wordgameplayers.org/ratings/index.php?c=pu&a=tr&tournamentID=636&ratingType=Standard

Main Event – 20 games – 3 days

Main Event Saturday, Game 1 – my second play was a chancy oUT(G)AINS which went unchallenged and it’s good. Opp tried a bingo answer “DOtTINGS” which I sent off via challenge. My next play was a trap: VOGIE 11, which opp fell into by adding an S to the end, which I know is not good. Hence, a trap. I kept up with strong plays, so her late bingo LATINOS wasn’t enough. WIN. I am ranked #1 in this Div 2. I had told the director I would like to play “up” in Div 1, but he put me in Div 2 the night before to keep the divisions with an even number of players.

Game 2 – Opp played fairly weak plays, he didn’t save his good tiles on his rack, so he never bingoed. I only had one, VANNER(S) 72 – it’s good – and my stronger plays made for a 130 pt WIN.

Game 3 – Opp got an early bingo REfUTING 66 and I scrambled back but almost blew it by trying “JEONS” which she knew to be phony so sent it off. I took the lead soon after with (S)OOTIER 66 and I let her comeback attempt “TEENLIkE” 62 go unchallenged as I could win without risking a challenge. We did a quick courtesy recount and found no errors. 10-point WIN. She remembered playing me 11 years ago (!) when she lost by 1 in a recount. Some games you don’t forget, but I forgot that one.

Game 4 – Battle of the Beloveds. I get to play Claudia. Second play, I score a good draw and play LEAGUES/Spacer 78. She tries “GUNRAILS” but I challenge it off. Her SCRIBES/umS 65 makes it close. I send off her “BEANY” and play DO(W)NHILl 78 for a big lead. Her play of BIN/qI/uN 34 was a trap as she thought UNS was not good, but when I played it, unS/STUDIO 27, she lost the challenge. I also challenged her “YEG” (YEGG is good) and got a WIN.

Game 5 – (took a swim in the hotel pool during lunch break!) Opp opens with a bingo (T)RAINEE 64 and I answer my 2nd play with SMARTEN/traineeS 81. Play 4 I get away with a phony bingo “MODULISe” 72 which hiccups me into the lead. Policing for phonies is a tough but necessary part of the game. That 60-point lead stays thru to the end as we both make steady good plays, but no more bingos. I’ll take it. WIN.

Game 6 – My strong opening play QUAGS 50 gives me a lead and I increase on my lead steadily all game long. I ‘spend’ a blank on K(A)RT 50 and get a J and an S on the Tpl Word JUTS/mindS 42. On my final rack I get a bingo-y rack of ETA( )IAN and I can’t find a recognizable bingo, but there must be many. This is the embarrassing part of my game – there’s plenty of study tools I use on occasion, so no excuses. “ETASIAN” gets sent off, opp bingos with RUNTIER 64, but I WIN by 111. I’m 6W-0L!

Game 7 – Opp gets dENTINAL 70 early on. I don’t know it but I don’t challenge as it looks to be a common rack, it’s good. I lay a trap with HEAPS 37 and opp falls into it on her next play OXIC/Cheaps 52. I challenge and lose: CHEAPS is Good! So much for my NON-trap. After opp plays ARROZ 42 and bingos TENNIE(S) 76, my head is spinning. LOSE by 105. I was due.

Game 8 – Opp looks weary, but you never really know. My two bingos, AUDITION 70 and BUSTLER 81, pad my lead. She makes good use of her Q and X with QUIRTS 50 and AX 50, but not nearly enough in a near-blowout WIN.

Game 9 – Opp trades in tiles twice and finally gets the game’s only bingo the double blank CL(A)QU(E)S 72 which puts her ahead briefly after my stronger plays to here. I answer with BIT/qI (both hit Tpl Word)/aB/uT 53 and later JEeS 38 to cruise to the WIN. My last play DO 17, Opp’s outplay SAT 13.

Game 10 – I draw first blood with RELEN(T)S 68, but opp soon answers with CABInETS 66. She gets another bingo, SOOTI(E)R 59 but my words outscore hers and opp’s play of OOT is likely a mistake in the post-mortem – it gives me WEE 27 to hang on for WIN.

Game 11 – BLOWN 56, my play #5 is good points, I build up a 156 pt lead when we trade bingos OUTAGES 69 and ORDa(I)NS 64 on word 10. She ain’t coming back. Her last play IZAR 26 precedes my outplay HOUR 21. Blowout WIN for the good guy. What is happening on this win streak? At a heady 10W-1L.

Game 12 – I try “UNFUELED” on word 2- no good, sent off. She zooms ahead with next play ORIENTS 64 bingo. We trade bingos at word 8, PI(N)ION(S) 79 and TAILORS 74, but I’m down 56. I make strongarm plays but fall short by 8. LOSS. only my 2nd L, I’m 10-2.

Game 13 – Got in a swim at lunchtime again. 2nd match of the day vs opp Tracy. we’re battling for first place. Her bingo ALIENEE 80 precedes my G(R)EASES 66 and her ADZUKI 40 answer gives her a 158 pt lead. I whittle that lead down to 35 and send off her “GRAINILY”, but I run out of tiles again. LOSS.

Game 14 – Her opener of SUNBOW 30 startles me- don’t think I’ve ever seen it, but I ain’t questioning it. I get AJI 56 and baby bingo (C)OlOURED 59 and hang on to a lead which she brings close. She doesn’t know ONErIEST which I spot; it woulda gave her a bingo outplay which woulda won it. Lucky WIN.

Game 15 – Opp’s 3 bingos to my nilly and I’m slapped down again. Over on time to add insult to injury. Blowout LOSS.

Game 16 – rematch with Clo. She tries “GON” – challenged off. And gets rewarded with a bingo SAU(C)IER 63 after she exchanged 5 tiles the previous turn. I send off the capitalized “DORIC”. It’s nip & tuck the whole way until I come up with the miracle lOZ(E)NGES 86 on one of the only bingo lanes remaining. I was close to playing off the Z on ZOo 24 or something inferior. That play iced it for the WIN. I actually exchanged tiles twice – a rarity.

Game 17 – To start day 3 Monday, Opp outscored me steadily with highlights: bingo NEUTRAL 63 followed by KITTY an amazing 70 pts, then another bingo AU(D)ITED 73. Dunno how I kept it to a 48 pt LOSS.

Game 18 – Opp outscored me before I snuck into the lead with game’s first bingo at word 8 TAINTE(D) 78. She took the lead on a late game bingo DESPOTS/houriS and I chose to challenge HOURIS as I couldn’t win by my reconnoitering if it was good. It is Good. I tried to dig out with AR(R)oZ 39, but not enough. Another first round victim gets revenge. But..but. the black knight never loses!

Game 19 – I get PI(N)ION(S) 73 bingo on play 2 and he gets two bingos SE(n)ORITA 68 and STERNAL 70 and almost skanks me with WAD 24 in the end game. But his last play off a rack of KEY which didn’t play anywhere he had to settle for SKY 10 which falls to my outplay groveS 10. Ties me for first at 13-6 with Tracy for the king of the hill last game next for first place prize of $410 to the winner. 2nd will get $310 prize.

Game 20 – worth an extra $100 to the winner. Looking bleak early when Tracy gets SPECIAL 78 and INFLATER 74. My HEX 46 and desperation blank usage Q(U)EeReR 50 pale. Her late game bingo INTEGRAl 70 ices it on one of the few bingo lanes existant. Ugly LOSS.

I’m 13-7, 2nd place to Tracy’s 14-6. My envelope in the pic reads Div 2 2nd place $310. Cash inside 15 x $20’s + one $10 (probably already in my wallet at this point). Results at this website: http://wordgameplayers.org/ratings/index.php?c=pu&a=tr&tournamentID=637&ratingType=Standard I averaged 385 pts per game in Early Bird too opp’s 407. I averaged 383 ppg in Main event to opp’s 359 combined. I didn’t do bingo counts nor other stats for this tourney. Final scoresheet front & back:

Thanks for reading…. Fun writing this up. I got a few enthusiastic feedbacks after my Nat’ls blog write up- approvals of format of Blog. Pleasant ride home Monday 2:30 TIL 6:00- traffic freeflowed for the most part.