Tactics Medium
14A VAW +32
WOW Quackle hates this, despite that VAW has the highest score and best equity. 14A QI is best by far. The next best Q spot scores 11 points, and QI saves N8 NAW for next turn. #tacticsmedium
Michael Early vs. Alec Sjoholm (Game 32984)
Strategy Large
4J QAT +33
PEOY* #KNOWLEDGESADDEST Also Quackle likes 13A QATS but i'm not about that dangerous life. Not that I made the correct decision, because my opponent ended up playing for the same amount of points under 4J QAT next turn anyway #strategylarge
Winter vs. Nitya Chagti (Game 39565)
Strategy Medium
12I MI(R)I +12
This is a bad play: it blocks row 12 and the BESCOURS hook, opens a D/N hook that I don't have, and scores only 12 points. Quackle strongly prefers 9F LIMA, which keeps the highest-scoring lanes open and scores 21 points. I like J2 MILIA, which scores the same as LIMA and keeps a better leave. #strategymedium
Alec Sjoholm vs. Carl Johnson (Game 34514)
Strategy Large
K12 FUG +20
this was really dumb. I can actually outscore if I play K11 OF (or EF which is just slightly worse but same idea). It's 31 points and does actually threaten a lot of stuff when the right letters are in the bag. Really dumb of me. I have to make a play making FEH to reopen the N column, but I can also do other stuff at the same time. This just never outscores. #strategysaddest
Joshua Sokol vs. Mack Meller (Game 38614)
Finding Large
K5 VAUS +26
J3 VANqU(I)SH #findinglarge
He took over 3 minutes on his opening move, I should have seen all the possible 8s since there are only 3... Just saw UNSHAVEN and UNSHAVED fuck
Matt Graham vs. Joshua Sokol (Game 34816)
Strategy Medium
K4 OOT +18
it's more important here to keep a balanced leave; OOZE does that better despite giving up quite a bit more points. i also score a lot more after it than OOT. -3 #strategymedium
Jeremy Hall vs. Cesar Del Solar (Game 35147)
Strategy Large
1C (J)AILER +42
Better to fish here, but the Q is in the bag 1/3. 2/3 times I draw a bingo 4/8 times, so there's around a 1/3 shot at CALIBRE, BRAILLE or whatever with the blank. I guess it's worth it considering the likelihood I get Q-stuck after this play. #strategylarge
Joshua Sokol vs. Jackson Smylie (Game 34800)
Strategy Small
K2 ID(E)AL +26
Quackle despises this, but I think it's fine - GOO isn't a good leave but the PLAYMATES spot is quite dangerous and IDEAL does as good a job of blocking it as I can while scoring a lot in the process. I saw GEOIDAL but it leaves lots of stuff like ZEES there and also puts an A in a dangerous spot at K8. Maybe a #strategysmall, but I still think my play is ideal.
Mack Meller vs. Matt Graham (Game 34732)
Strategy Small
A4 (U)GALI +18
Tough move here. I think after Rasheed's OKE perhaps UGALI isn't the best idea. It feels like 13B RIZ is much better than usual after that play, since he probably rarely has a G and certainly never an F on that move; unless maybe he can have ING leaves with OKE? Hard to say. I think I like RIZ here, but other Quackle favorites like G13 GI/GIE don't seem smart. #strategysmall
Will Anderson vs. Rasheed Balogun (Game 34992)
Strategy Small
8E AGAVE +18
I thought that the leave for 8G VAX was too vowel heavy and guaranteeing and X spot would be worth it. But this caps my score next turn at around 30-something and bings a lot less, and is also less defensive. It probably isn't that different but in hindsight 8G VAX seems a bit better. #strategysmall
Joshua Castellano vs. Tim Weiss (Game 32559)
Tactics Small
14L ZAGS +41
Yet another example of Quackle being bad at pre-endgames: it says three plays win 100%, namely this, 1L FAGS, and M11 ZIG; and FAGS has by far the highest valuation. Upon further investigation, FAGS loses when I draw an I (3/8) and Carl plays 14L LEIs setting up 13J ODIC(!), which I cannot block without being Z-stuck. ZIG and ZAGS win 100%, and ZIG is slightly better, threatening plays at 1L-1O and 5B-5E. #tacticssmall (-0.5)
Carl Johnson vs. Alec Sjoholm (Game 34515)
Tactics Small
J4 BIMA +23
M7 MIB is a lil better it seems, at least defensively. -4 #tacticssmall -- actually, i can't see why AEIP results in a higher average score next turn (but lower bingo %).. anyone?
Ben Schoenbrun vs. Cesar Del Solar (Game 33035)
Finding Small
L8 L(AME)R +16
The board is nearly completely bereft of scoring spots after this move (just ZA hooking plays); Quackle calls for K7 LUREX, but I'm very content to stay turtled up here. LAMER badly outperforms all other candidate moves defensively. However, I missed L8 RAMEAL, which is a better equity version of my move. #findingsmall 16:41
Will Anderson vs. Ayotunde Adeyeri (Game 33406)
Strategy Small
C3 INLAID +23
I guess L2 LININ leaves 7 in the bag and I should win in most post-bingo endgames. But this way, it's very hard for him to bingo. I didn't think there was a heavy chance that he could outscore me in some other way. INLAND sims slightly better as well, because fewer bingos fit on the D column. Realized this after the fact. #strategysmall
Joshua Sokol vs. Will Anderson (Game 43842)
Finding Small
J2 UNA(R)Y +18
julia is so funny, she was saying how I was already destroying here! I'm only up by like 20 haha. I missed PYU(R)IA here which looks better #findingsmall
Jackson Smylie vs. Julia Bogle (Game 33121)
Knowledge Medium
2K (F)OZY +38
D11 (T)OTTY seems right, I hit SIZ(Y) with an I, DOZ(Y) with an O, ZEDS or DE(CRYING) with an E, and a whole host of other fun scoring plays exist because I kept the Z, the best tile in Scrabble. #knowledgemedium #findingmedium
Joshua Sokol vs. Jim Nanavati (Game 40109)
Strategy Large
1H PE(C) +21
I saw 2B SWANNIE available after this play, but I felt like I had to accept that and just outrun him. Also loses to KYANISE, SWANKIE, and ANYWISE. M7 EON is best. #strategylarge
Daniel Blake vs. Joshua Castellano (Game 36969)
Tactics Medium
2F PLAYGo(E)R +73
The hotspot at O8 is so lucrative that it is worth the 34-point sacrifice to block with 8J GRAPEY. I didn't see GRAPEY, but even GLEY is worth playing there as well. And AGLEY, and GREY, and PLAYER.... #tacticsmedium
Carl Johnson vs. Alec Sjoholm (Game 34515)
Strategy Medium
13G BUT +16
i think this was a massive mistake. i didn't want to play 3C TAX for 29 because it keeps two Us, and i was worried that i was just going to have a very clunky rack the following turn and lose that way. my play at least sets up a lane. but, if he has WAX or TAX himself i'm dead. i really regret not playing TAX. i think i could survive with BLSUU and 29 pts. having the case S is awesome. i can also do E11 HABU, which i also like. -6 #strategymedium
Cesar Del Solar vs. Matt Graham (Game 32681)
Strategy Small
N5 A(X)E +16
I saw APE C11 but figured I was closer to a bingo than Josh, and didn't want to block D13. This turned out to be a pretty costly mistake. (-3) #strategysmall
Carl Johnson vs. Joshua Sokol (Game 34480)
Knowledge Medium
9G DRY +20
wrote down BYRON* here, didn't play it. Didn't know D(O)RMY surely. I also wrote down "NOT BEST" next to my play because I really didn't like it. #knowledgemedium
Sue Gable vs. Joshua Sokol (Game 38420)
Tactics Medium
E2 F(E)TCH +26
Pivotal move. I balked at VETCH because I felt that I was in control of the game and saw no reason to create a massive-scoring K hook along row 1. However, after I played, I realized that I should have played FECHT instead of FETCH at the very least because I was holding an S, and adding another S hook would help me dump some bad draws. Looking at it now, though, it might actually be a good thing for me to add the K hook with a slight tempo advantage; given that the X already scores well on top of DUNAM and that the J could score decently paralleling BELAY, adding the K hook to the board makes it more difficult for Winter to draw each and every one of those tiles to stay ahead. As long as I can draw some of JKXS?, I should be able to use them to preserve tempo. Sim prefers VETCH by about 4 points of valuation. #tacticsmedium
Will Anderson vs. Winter (Game 34378)
Endgame Medium
A3 (U)P +7
I have to block A3 UNTANNEd, but there are better ways. Best is 9A OWE, leaving J4 ZIP 32 while setting up A8 ZORI 39. Best of the plays I saw was 4A PE, but the optimal sequence includes 7C ZOA, which I missed. #endgamemedium (-13)
Jeff Fiszbein vs. Alec Sjoholm (Game 32987)
Knowledge Large
K9 SOlVENT +72
N6 SOlVENT has a valuation 10 more than K9 SOlVENT fml I didn't wanna risk BLAES being a phony so let's give a big ol' #knowledgesaddest for BLAES oof
Nitya Chagti vs. Sam Rosin (Game 39567)
Strategy Medium
4L IAMB +29
this is actually a pretty counterproductive play. I need to admit I am at a disadvantage and play FIB 7K. This gives back too many bingos and scoring plays. I am setting up points on row 8, but also on row 4 with TEFF. Cool play that I should have seen. I saw BE(D)IM, which is also a lot better. #findingmedium #strategymedium
Jason Li vs. Joshua Sokol (Game 41796)
Finding Small
14I (S)WUM +17
Y setup! I could be more defensive with H11 EMU or something, maybe that's the call! with the 3 row and such I like setting up a scoring spot, but maybe it gets taken organically too often. given the deliciousness of the 3 row for the Y already, I think EMU is fine cause I score a lot, only a few less than after swum. #findingsmall
Jackson Smylie vs. Mark Pistolese (Game 35375)
Vision Large
15G TELIA +25
Quackle burns the S for an extra 5 points with STELAI. I'm not sure why that is. Another superior play is OILCLOTH 8A, which I never would have seen. I'd find it as a bingo every time, but not as an extension. (-2% win chances, -10 valuation) #strategysmall, #visionlarge
Carl Johnson vs. Joshua Sokol (Game 34480)
Tactics Medium
2D FOHN +31
Apparently FOX is better, but it seemed like it gave back sooo much and I can score with the X next turn, but DHNR can turn into something as well. I could hit INHOLDER or something #tacticsmedium
Joshua Sokol vs. Alec Sjoholm (Game 33070)
Vision Small
10F HILLY +41
D4 KILL(JO)Y. I'm pretty sure I would have known this was good if I had seen it and I didn't even look at playing through JO, making it a #visionsmall mistake. Also #knowledgesmall for the +5.
Joshua Castellano vs. Daniel Milton (Game 31567)
Finding Large
L1 HEMP(S) +32
dead to DETOXING, unless I draw DEVO(U)TER F1 or E(N)ROOTED 14G or his rack is horrendous. DEPE(R)M H1 was missed, and does a ton better against DETOXING, allowing me to outrun and bingo more. This also could lose to stuff that draws into DETOXING, and that happens far more when I leave 2 in the bag rather than 1. PHEE(R)# is also an option. I also considered HEDE(R) which has to be better than HEMPS I think. Was tilted from missing HE M3 on the GAWK turn. #findingsaddest
Matthew O'Connor vs. Joshua Sokol (Game 42585)