Tactics Medium
10M TYE +33
Quackle heavily favors 13J ETIC. I suppose it reduces Kenji's scoring potential by blocking 15J plays making ZA, and 10N YE is likely to stay open. #tacticsmedium
Alec Sjoholm vs. Kenji Matsumoto (Game 33089)
Endgame Medium
15H (A)FREET +10
Close. I have to block SIXTHS/XYST down there, but better by a few points is simply 15G EATER, scoring only one fewer point than AFREET but setting up FAE on row 14 for many more points than the move I ended up playing. #endgamemedium
Jason Broersma vs. Will Anderson (Game 34991)
Strategy Large
15B NAIRA +17
i got so afraid that he would have some 3-3 through IT that i decided to block it, instead of just play AA, keeping EINRS for the triple-triple (or a likely bingo) myself! i really psych myself out a ton when playing top players. -10 #strategylarge
Cesar Del Solar vs. Joey Mallick (Game 32732)
Endgame Large
14C SENT +22
I had no time. There's two in the bag, so The Duck *should* be able to figure this one out and it's saying E11 (MAW)N at 16.67% win. Maybe I have to play that and hope to draw the other S, I'm not sure. Anyway, #endgamelarge I'm sure.
Joshua Castellano vs. Martin Gold (Game 34776)
Vision Medium
7F QA(T) +19
Best play here is sick: EREMITE D8, setting up a likely QI C12 for next turn. QAT isn't awful, but you can see that EEIRT is a terrible leave against that pool. (-6) #visionmedium
Carl Johnson vs. Alec Sjoholm (Game 34483)
Vision Large
10I (V)O(E) +8
Drat. NOESIS scores 45, and playing parallel to OBOE on column M with any number of things retainng one S is just far better than fishing just an O. Might've been a bit tilted drawing my third consecutive unplayable CSW bingo - but the disappointing thing is that in this particular case, I might've been more apt to find NOESIS since I already had ANOESIS# in my mind. #visionlarge #strategylarge
Matt Canik vs. Will Anderson (Game 33560)
Tactics Small
7B TELOGEN +68
Tied for best play with 11F ELONGATE scorewise. Seeing the board is open as is, I might as well get others going. This was held but not challenged. #tacticssmall
Richard Popper vs. Samuel Kaplan (Game 35215)
Knowledge Large
9C Z(E)K +32
i chickened out on ICKER. that's by far the best play here. i just need to learn the words basically. i don't know how to learn 4s and 5s. i don't think Aerolith is the best way for short words. -11. i also considered C12 MM but it seemed too weak, it sims better than my play though. #knowledgelarge
Cesar Del Solar vs. Matt Graham (Game 32681)
Strategy Large
N13 XI +31
Apparently I'm supposed to play on row 4 according to a sim and CP. I guess he bingos there a lot and I have to block or it gives me a better chance to draw a blank. In hindsight I think I agree. This play is bad. #strategylarge
Joshua Castellano vs. Tim Weiss (Game 33156)
Strategy Medium
H6 DJ(I)N +12
nooooothing is worse than ur opponent opening with a bingo and having a shitty response. Q likes UNBIND a lot more, I really considered it to put pressure on and maybe to induce a mistake. I should have done that, I got fixated on making this JIN spot and keeping the G open and stuff like that, but I don't hit enough with this. #strategymedium JUT is also better, or JUG. I do hit 1/5 about, but this doesn't seem good enough. also doesn't really keep things open if I play horizontally with DJINN
Michael Fagen vs. Jackson Smylie (Game 35379)
Finding Medium
J9 OY +29
i was annoyed here and only looked for a bingo briefly. i figured it wouldn't be worth to bingo in some situations, but i should have looked a little harder, thornily and nitrosyl are simple enough finds. i had my heart set on bingoing the following turn. -6.5 #focus #findingmedium
Cesar Del Solar vs. Paul Holser (Game 35352)
Vision Medium
14D GODE(T) +26
Missed the sweet (F)O(D)GEL. I am not in a good position, but any board opening play I can make will just get outrun too easily. FODGEL is a better version of this plsy. #visionmedium
Jackson Smylie vs. Tom Bond (Game 33106)
Tactics Small
12K HENT +23
Wasn't really a fan of giving Reid easy and obvious underlaps to HEX, especially with 5 unseen Is and two unseen Us at this stage in the game. Sim still prefers HEX by about a point and HENT sets up sad possibilities if he's got one of the three unseen esses though. #tacticssad maybe but I'd probably do it again unless someone smart tells me not to
Reid Hattaway vs. Matt Canik (Game 32971)
Strategy Large
5E POI +14
This hits a few sevens, but they're all too easiliy blocked. The best play seems to be 10L (G)OV, which Championship Player says wins 14% of the time. I guess if I draw a bing that ends in S or starts with A, E, I, or O, my bing can't be blocked? That's the only thing I can think of. #strategylarge
Rasheed Balogun vs. Joshua Castellano (Game 34972)
Finding Large
10H (N)EP +27
Lamented STEEPEN being blocked - at no point did ENSTEEP remotely come close to entering my mind. If I'm being honest, what *did* go through my mind was - should I play STEEPEN and hook NAD*? Nah, Winter surely knows that NADS is sticky-S, and probably has some kind of lewd device for remembering that factoid. #findinglarge
Will Anderson vs. Winter (Game 34378)
Strategy Large
J5 OTIC +14
well now i'm worried so it's ok to sacrifice some equity to block here. 3K OBOE just seems way too aggressive right? i guess OTIC keeps way too terrible of a leave, and he could still bingo through the B or something. M3 OE might be ok. idk. -12.5 #strategylarge
John Karris vs. Cesar Del Solar (Game 35453)
Vision Medium
9K (B)O(T)S +29
Mainly considered BOTS, 6I IONS, and D8 VIATOR. I discarded IONS pretty quickly as I felt it needlessly gives Ken an easy like for 7s. The main downside of BOTS was that I can draw 3 Is, but I felt with VIATOR the upside of ISS wasn't that great - in all likelihood I'll be making a play like BOTS anyway next turn, and perhaps not even that if I don't draw an E or O. The one benefit that makes VIATOR worth considering is that it blocks plays like 12A ZETA, but I decided those were unlikely enough and would probably give me a big play back enough that BOTS was worth it. But the best play, which I didn't consider, looks to be 6G SARINS - the second S isn't that valuable after BOTS anyway, and SARINS gives me more chances at the scoring tiles in the pool while minimizing the chances of I trouble. #visionmedium
Kenneth Rubin vs. Mack Meller (Game 34726)
Tactics Small
H8 PEATY +28
A really interesting first rack! PAYED is standard and I think I still should have played it. I didn't realize the S hook it set up when I considered it, which would have pushed it over the edge for me. Also, as I took a little while on it, there is some challenge upside. I could also do PAY or PYA to set up S hooks, they do well in the sim. I was worried about the overlaps after PAYED, and some of them do give back good plays to me, but he can probably find one that doesn't. I think PAYED is definitely better though, I average 6 more after PAYED! #tacticssmall it is a bit odd that I forwent the standard payed due to overlaps then I went with the PEATY that gives easier overlaps, but I felt that Y on the star was too bingo defensive for my leave. not a great play
Nicholas Tam vs. Jackson Smylie (Game 35376)
Strategy Small
O13 FAG +28
N1 GAUFERS never wins, obviously; CP slightly prefers 11K UG to FAG, but I was imagining FAG potentially drawing into solid scoring bingos on both columns A and N. The problem with FAG is obviously that first, it empties the bag. Second, I was worried that if Tim has the Y he can outrun me with any reasonable FREETY play, but given that I probably need the Y and either the M or the other blank to even threaten the win, I should just bank on drawing it myself, making blocking it unimportant. At least I made a play that has a nontrivial chunk of winning%. #strategysmall 0:45
Will Anderson vs. Tim Weiss (Game 33171)
Strategy Medium
M13 F(I)B +16
I think I liked that FIB blocks the L column, but it's a lousy block considering that it keeps five consonants and that I could potentially use ALGUAZIlS later for the same purpose. C11 FACT is best despite opening a high-scoring lane on row 15 for the unseen AAS. I like 7C FACT, Quackle's second choice. #strategymedium
Alec Sjoholm vs. Cesar Del Solar (Game 32680)
Strategy Medium
B1 BIO +22
Too crazy. I was getting nervous that a simple TRAPROCKS bingo would be the death of me and wanted to get more threats on the board, but I just don't need to play this aggressively yet. B1 BI (confusing notation, eh) bingos much more than BIO thanks to the better-balanced leave hitting COCA plays more often; a different approach would be B1 BE, which sets up 1A ONTIC/OB/NEF for me next turn. 6D OB is a pretty simple way to set up a new line without opening myself up to heavy counterplay. Just fishing the B at 2K also bingos a ton of the time. #strategymedium 17:01
Chilee Agunanna vs. Will Anderson (Game 33404)
Finding Large
15H NIXED +57
wow, 15C SHINED is 74!!! I can outrun with the X after that! Ouch. Also, INDEX 15E was a miss and it blocks some stuff too. #findinglarge
Paul Avrin vs. Joshua Sokol (Game 35859)
Strategy Small
H6 D(HA)L +21
EENRR is so gross to keep with DHAL...Quackle is saying I should've tried to avoid that with something like 9H DERN. DHAL sims closely behind. #strategysmall
Will Anderson vs. David Koenig (Game 34614)
Strategy Medium
J6 POGIES +27
quackle thinks just POGO at 13D, maybe it's not worth blowing up the rack. also playing at 13C might be best. i wanted to start taking out some problematic spots. idk, be aggressive. -4 #strategymedium
Cesar Del Solar vs. Judy Cole (Game 35455)
Tactics Small
12A BARF(S) +26
My issues evaluating V-containing leaves continue. FAVES is the better option; it scores 4 more than BARFS and bingos approximately 1% more without yielding any higher opp. avg. score. #tacticssmall
Will Anderson vs. Joshua Sokol (Game 32895)
Endgame Medium
12F (G)IGATON +22
Ben looks like he wants to cry and I'm convinced lunch is after three games so I just played this fast so I could eat. Unfortunately lunch is after 4 games #endgamesadder #lunch
Matt Canik vs. Ben Schoenbrun (Game 32972)
Knowledge Medium
O12 (F)EUS +32
This is when S(PORTERs) becomes relevant. I was not a fan of it at the start of the game, but I forgot about it when things started frowning upon me in this middlegame. It is absolutely relevant here and keeping my S is very important. #knowledgemedium
Joshua Sokol vs. Frank Tangredi (Game 35853)
Endgame Large
2D RADI(A)NtS +62
i suppose i should play a proper endgame here. this is how to get spread. i knew with near absolute certainty DOWNSME(N) was phony and didn't bother looking for a bingo from it (pretty sure i'd find ordinals if needed). i have to block ENOW with 12C DE, and then draw an F or a G, which i know are in the bag. G bingoes in both lanes, and F bingoes up top with SAFRANIN. i also have tRI(JUGATE), in case i draw the F and he blocks the top lane. I was going to try it if i needed it, but wasn't sure of it. in any case, this results in a very large spread error, even though the game is 100% won. -85 #strategylarge #endgamelarge
Mike Frentz vs. Cesar Del Solar (Game 32711)
Finding Medium
8L O(T)IC +21
pretty bad miss of AC(T)OR. (FE)M M1 hits bingos with a D, S, U and V and also Quackle wants me to play SCORIA 15A next turn a lot which I will never do, so M1 (FE)M has the best valuation. #findingmedium
Joshua Sokol vs. Fern Lindzon (Game 33975)
Tactics Small
E11 XI +40
XI C9 might work enough that it's worth playing? Man, plays like that are so hard to pull the trigger on. I think Michael would even sniff the setup sometimes. Dunno? XED in the same spot is probably a bit better, which I figured afterwards, just liked the E a lot more than the I. #tacticssmall
Michael Fagen vs. Joshua Sokol (Game 35777)
Strategy Large
11L U(K)E +9
still in a really good position, even though I can't block the 14 lane without giving back a bigger lane. I would have liked to leave 1 in the bag, but didn't realize at the time how crucial that was. The entire plan with U(K)E or 10M (N)EE is for him to bingo on row 14 immediately, giving me back plays on row 15 that should easily outrun. However, leaving 2 in the bag allows him to fish one, possibly N(U) 12C - after UKE I'm up 60, 58 after the fish. It's really hard for me to block bingoes, and I'm stuck either trying to outrun by playing something clunky on row 14 (again hard to not give back good overlaps, gotta hope for like GENUS or something), or outrunning with a UKES play, which will put me up 84 or 87 (depending on if I draw the G). After he gets my rack, I will be up between 76 and 81, and a lot of his row 14 bingoes score more than that (e.g. GIGATON, INNAGES). I'm still in a decent position given that outcome, but he could also fish for a higher score and still not allow me to block - e.g. ZA or ATE. Perhaps I should do RE(D)E 13K to play 3 tiles, forcing him to bingo immediately. It puts me up 60, but all his bingoes will be on the 14 row, and I saw my T for HIST and S for other HI? plays, so I should be outrunning even his 80 point bingoes very often. Although UKE is great for spread, it opens the door to some really great 1 tiles fishes that I can lose to quite often. #strategylarge
Jackson Smylie vs. Michael Fagen (Game 33098)
Knowledge Large
J7 TILLED +16
disappointing move. i wrote down LINTELED on my scoresheet and decided to not pull the trigger on it, even though i certainly liked it. no reason to chicken out on this. also DENTIL is 4 more. -41.5 #knowledgelarge
John Wiley vs. Cesar Del Solar (Game 35460)
Finding Small
F8 TUG +16
I didn't consider I5 TUG, which looks really solid. Although I am favoured on a board with more options cause of my powerful leave, TUG I5 totallly obliterates the board, to the point where I just get too much out of it immediately to forgo. #findingsmall
Jackson Smylie vs. Andre Popadynec (Game 35373)
Endgame Large
1A WAZ(O)O +51
I seriously considered playing 1A WAZ(O)OING* before deciding that it was more likely that the blank was in the bag and I could draw it to win than WAZOOING* being a word. This isn't actually the best play. C1 ZO(A) saves 1A WA(ZO)O and wins about 50% of the time as opposed to this which wins about 30% of the time. #endgamelarge
Dave Wiegand vs. Joshua Castellano (Game 32770)
Strategy Medium
D8 WAN +21
Already feeling a little time crunch here and threw down D8 WAN pretty fast, hoping that my -ER containing leave might work better for hitting column E than whatever Sue held; but I'm much better off playing inside with something like O8 KNEW, scoring just as well while retaining the A to play parallel to the J in the future. #strategymedium
Will Anderson vs. Sue Tremblay (Game 34594)
Strategy Large
11J VA(N)T +14
This is delusional. First, 11I VAU(N)T is better, but I irrationally didn't want to put the A next to the triple word. Second, 3A VATU is way better, I'm not up enough to be pulling shit like what I did. Third, HAININGS is a word, so this doesn't even lock the board down. #strategySADDEST
Robert Linn vs. Joshua Castellano (Game 34397)
Knowledge Large
14H SIX +30
his actual rack...ouch cesar: i don't understand how i can chicken out on oxhides yet lay down an idiotic "lifesize" in another game, despite that word not looking study familiar. it's so crazy how i can constantly have brainfart turns that make no sense. at least the way i rationalized it might make a little sense: i spotted the word immediately, it looked familiar, but not so familiar that i could be 100% sure of it. i laid down 13G INDEX, then i thought, well, but it doesn't block the S hook, so i should block that. going up nearly a bingo score with the blank in hand, even if i'm a big chicken, i should still win a large % of the time. but this is so so so so bad, i guess i do have to constantly study. -31.5 #knowledgelarge
Jesse Day vs. Cesar Del Solar (Game 33047)
Finding Medium
6B CREME +21
I indeed hit a bingo, but Jackson blocks easily and usefully. Just CREM(E) G3 looks better, to leave possibilities on row 8 for later. #findingmedium
Jackson Smylie vs. Joshua Sokol (Game 33783)
Strategy Medium
1A FRA(T) +21
quackle likes 14A ARVO solely because it bingoes a lot more than my play. should i really do that? it seems like it gives up more points and bingoes than FRAT. what a weird move. -4 #strategymedium ??
Will Anderson vs. Cesar Del Solar (Game 32684)
Strategy Medium
H4 WH(I)N(Y) +18
i wanted to open even a crappy lane so this board doesn't fully shut down on me. -8, 12D WHAT sims better, maybe i'll get lucky. idk, hard to know how bad my move is really. #strategymedium
Cesar Del Solar vs. Jackson Smylie (Game 33784)
Tactics Small
7E GIBE +24
Quackle prefers 7G GIBE for two more points to my GIBE pretty strongly; I would've thought 7E GIBE does a little better on defense relative to 7G than simulation indicates but I suppose it's still quite easy to get a seven down on rows 6 and 9. There's also 7E BEGIN available for maximum defense; that looks pretty good too. #tacticssmall
Jason Keller vs. Will Anderson (Game 34587)
Strategy Small
A12 ODEA +30
C12 OGEE has the best equity, but ODEA is more effective in blocking JIHADI; OGEE still allows -IE- words on row 15. So Quackle prefers OGEE over ODEA by a wider margin now? #strategysmall
Alec Sjoholm vs. Gunther Jacobi (Game 34240)
Tactics Large
B14 TE +19
This might be the play I'm unhappiest about from the entire tournament. Why am I still making this error? EE, same spot, gives me 20% more bingo. #tacticslarge
Will Anderson vs. Dave Wiegand (Game 34983)
Tactics Medium
12H (WAX)EN +33
I was about to play B6 KUE, but Mitch will play WAXEN if I don't. That said, M1 UNITE dominates the sim; after the sequence UNITE, WAXEN, KUE, Mitch will be down 17 with one in the bag, and his only possible bingo is N4 ESCAROLE. (If Mitch plays WAXER instead, he could draw 2C CLEANISH or M7 CLEANSE.) Thus it mostly becomes a matter of outrunning Mitch in the endgame, and according to the sim I have almost a 2/3 chance of success. If I play WAXEN, then the sim expects Mitch to play 4A CLEAVE, after which he can draw a multitude of bingos on columns M and N, plus the occasional bingo on row 2 or column B. #tacticsmedium
Mitch Bayersdorfer vs. Alec Sjoholm (Game 33630)
Strategy Medium
H12 (L)ULU +12
yeah, i need to consider equity a bit more robotically. WAUR/WAUL at 13G score too much to disregard. i know they keep ILU or IRU, but that's 11 pts better than keeping a W, and giving back slightly more bingos. -7.5 #strategymedium. it's funny, two fairly significant strategic errors in a row, but i did think it through at least.
Cesar Del Solar vs. Frank Tangredi (Game 33679)
Strategy Medium
15C TOILE(D) +8
i don't know at what point i started playing such lame defense lol. F9 IODATE is fine, or 5D GIE as well. i know it's tempting to block all the things but it's hard to sacrifice so much equity. i don't care about winning, i care about equity. -7 to IODATE, which seems reasonable. i guess i like lowering stdev in this situation. right? maybe this isn't a mistake. #strategymedium maybe
Bennett Jacobstein vs. Cesar Del Solar (Game 35457)
Knowledge Large
5J (E)W +26
Jackson overdrew and I overturned EIN putting back the N
B1 WOOdR(U)SH iis therefore the play because he can't have a game-winning (W)HITENER to go out
Here I'm hoping he doesn't block the N and I get DISHONOR 3x3
#knowledgelarge
Jackson Smylie vs. Joshua Sokol (Game 35505)
Finding Large
N12 PUNY +27
now I see the spot and decide POUNCY* is phony
I missed every scoring option here. PUNANY# and UNPAY# and NU(N)NY# I didn't know, but L4 NANCY sims best. #findinglarge
Emanuel Chicoine vs. Joshua Sokol (Game 35388)
Finding Medium
J8 (P)OOVE +12
missed VOE lol, 23 and also nice for the X hooks. I don't assume he has an S, I think it's reasonable he made this play without one. OXO is cute but EEISV is kinda shitty. #findingmedium
Bruce D Ambrosio vs. Jackson Smylie (Game 33124)
Strategy Large
M6 SLOWED +26
Quackle hates this play, and I agree that it is unsound. My idea was to generate turnover for the blank while setting up a marginal lane on column N that is difficult for Noah to close (without opening another lane or sacrificing points) or to hit, because I have the last E. I considered 12H DOWSE, but Noah usually has one or more of DRRRS and can close the board easily by playing on column M. I did not consider any fishing plays. L8 WE is best by far, setting up OKES on column M and tempting a play at 8L that opens lanes for 8s. #strategylarge
Alec Sjoholm vs. Noah Walton (Game 33574)
Vision Small
I4 LINGOES +68
hmm not sure why I chose LINGOES over LONGIES. I think I had taken a while on the opening rack and wanted to be a bit quicker on this move. It's an extremely minor difference but it's definitely a bit defensive and favorable to play LONGIES. Calling it a vision mistake because I saw all the words in the rack but did not consider LONGIES in this spot. #visionsmall
Jackson Smylie vs. Greg Heidler (Game 33097)
Endgame Large
13M Z(E)K +32
14A ZO has 25 more win % points. I'm really surprised by that because I thought I needed more vowels. I guess the odds of drawing no vowels is fairly low and I need the K for scoring. #endgamelarge
Marlon Hill vs. Joshua Castellano (Game 33718)