Another difficult decision. What's better, BOWER for 40 keeping IU, or OUREBI for 33 keeping W? It's close, but I think BOWER actually was the play. It scores seven more points and opens a new lane on Column O. Also, even though IU is a terrible leave, it 's probably better than a W for bingoing, and at this score I probably need to bingo. (-1.2% win chances) #strategymedium
Not bad, but K1 (HE)L(I)X is a little better. With the FAKIES hook open, I'd rather dump the X and try to bingo asap instead of doing M1 LUNS. But yea, HELIX it is. #visionsmall
13A MAX gives back a lot on column A and row 14, but there is already a lot of scoring potential on this board, and MAX unloads one of my A's and scores one more point. #strategysmall
why does she have to have another P? PAS there was great. this move is not so good. i was nervous as i usually am in a game like this where my opponent keeps bingoing and i have to play perfectly to win, so somehow i thought i had the last two Ss. but since there is an unseen S, that makes taking the QUODS hook important, and doing so with O1 ANSA looks pretty good here. i still don't like how closed the board is though; my bingo % after ANSA is abysmal, and i kill a good scoring lane for only 30.. idk. -5.5 #strategymedium #focus
like this over HEY to not give back easy parallels. sims a few points worse, the HJ combo doesn't seem too good. B7 HEY looks correct here though, didn't consider keeping the Y for a better play next turn. #strategysmall
N11 TIKE dominates the sim, winning 73%, and I have no idea why--it scores 26, but it keeps EUU and makes a higher-scoring (though less useful) bingo line on column O, which should in theory prevent me from outscoring if Mitch has a bingo (54%). 7K ETUI, Championship Player's pick and second place on the sim (63% win), allows the fewest bingos (40%) and keeps a leave that can outscore most plays that aren't bingos. Thus I think ETUI is best. KUE does not block column N at all and is thus significantly worse. #tacticslarge
although this game is not realistically winnable, i can get some spread back by continuing to fish, for example, H12 BELT is just a couple points below but it keeps a much better leave. i partially thought GLOTTALS* was good. -5 #strategymedium #knowledgemedium
I saw rhombus and wasnt sure if broques* was valid. I think I also thought brusque played as well. chose to block the bingo lane instead of blocking the easy q bomb. At least by blocking the q bomb i force bernard to find those tough finds, whereas qursh or quash or something is just an easy find. #strategylarge
quackle doesn't like this very much. even though i block way more bingos with my play, 5D VEXIL scores more and keeps AS. also, trains can bingo up top, and it doesn't bingo THAT often (about 60% if i leave the bottom open). #visionlarge -9.5
I ran out of time, mistracked, and gave up and just scored, which wins 4/8 with no inference. M6 DIRL(S) wins 5/8 with no inference when he doesn't have a bingo on the O column (if I draw EIRS?) and O3 DIXI wins 5/8 with no inference when he doesn't have a bingo from the V (if I draw AERS?). The evaluation of this endgame with inference is left as an exercise to the reader. #TIMESADDEST #STRATEGYSADDEST
There are 7 wins for me here, ranging from just blocking 14J to outrunning with C1 CLOW. I have tracked correctly. I know my opponent has QUARTET on her rack. Unfortunately, I am low on time and do not see 14J QAT because I'm too busy looking for a spot for QUARTET. HUGE fail not blocking 14J. #endgamesaddest ALSO TOS*
Exchanging EEFOU is clearly best. EN is a much-better leave than EENO, and the tiles in FEU will not help a leave of EENO, while they may help BriAnna's rack, especially after a small exchange. #strategymedium
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
i challenged this ridiculous word. i looked at my study history and i had guessed it correctly, once, months ago, and never saw it again. jonathan told me he was very surprised i challenged this... but podgy is already a dumb spelling of pudgy, how the hell can podgily be good? in a podgy manner? stupidass dictionary. what a way to lose games. -51 #knowledgelarge
Yeah ugh this was difficult. On the one hand JOB C1 just looks like the play. Creates a big spot but blocks the likelier lane, and scores better than GOJI. But I got worried about him fishing for JEZAIL or having it. That's not really enough for him to win though, so I shouldn't have worried #tacticssmall
this gives up too many points. about half the time he has a letter to hook it and can hit me back bigly. i had typical tunnel vision here and didn't consider any other move besides getting rid of EE somewhere, but EERST is even better than EORST, and K5 OE makes my bingo more likely to fit. this was not a good move. -9 #strategylarge #focus
this is me attempting to play defense. ugh so ugly. 14I EAU is probably ok, at least it blocks a bingo lane, although it opens up scoring potential. ZOEA may be fine too. but OLEA is pretty much terrible, and i knew it as i was making it. #focus #strategylarge -14.5
FAIL or FAIR because I don't give back any 9s! UNGUARDED, UNDERHAND, UNADORNED, UNFOUNDED, UNDERFUND, UNROUNDED, UNDERHUNG play. (L)ONGHEAD still plays regardless #strategylarge
Held this for a while. Really shoulf have let this go. Absolutely fucking terrible. I didnt know it, but i had INJURIES in respone, not to mention that he obviously has ovations anyway. #knowledgesaddest
Again, sim saying 15H IOTAS, but I don't see how I can ever win after that play. I thought the T at A15 lets me draw into IEST bingos. I dunno. #strategylarge
N10 FEERIN and N10 FINEER sim best which seems reckless but plays parallel to N10 FREON can score a lot, so I think they are slightly better. #strategysadder
in big trouble here. Still, not enough trouble to justify completely forgetting that this is just not a word. HOOPIEST*=ISOPHOTE. Luckily, no hold from Darin. In terms of what to play here, I saw this, RYOT C12, and HOOTY 5K. I did not see 1A TRO(P)HY, which is just a better version of HOOPY* altogether. That seems correct. #knowledgesaddest #findingsad
Rough turn and pretty much a contributing factor to how this board turned out. I missed 10G J(e)UX which is clearly the move despite taking out my own S hook. It keeps the board open the longest and allows me to fork nicely. 11E JUGS does sim better even though the difference is only 7 between JUGS and my play due to the board shape that I would need because I'm already behind. I wasn't crazy about burning my S for only 7 more, but J(e)UX was the only way to accomplish that. #visionlarge
failed to find plays here, many plays look good that I didn't see. This was the start of me thinking I was ahead, when Noah and I were actually around tied. DUNGAREE scored a lot. 13C MOONI(L)Y looks decent here. 9G O(T)IC is very nice, and M(O)ONY only does well because it keeps O(T)IC for next turn. N10 (D)OOMY is also a good play. #findingsmall
I missed an opportunity here--8L FIG sets up the S at O8, and it can be blocked only with the remaining A. Quackle prefers GIF for some reason? #tacticsmedium
seems clear that I should just do G7 OVOLI now that I am analyzing. I knew I was playing scared here, but felt Mack still had a decent play at H12 despite challenging. #strategysmall
Just MEEK seems fine, I bingo a ton more to the T. Also considered 14G ACME to block rows 14 and 15, but didn't like that it opened a new sevens lane for -ST words and an easy triple. #strategysmall
I didn't want to do BIO and offer a new bingo lane for Mike that gives back nothing that I can use. If Mike bingos, I want him to do so at B1, opening up lanes I can use for a comeback bingo. BIO sims best by a mile, but I'm skeptical. #strategylarge?
I liked the idea of turning over more tiles to clean up my rack after his exchange 7, and I wasn't scared of putting a U in the 2x2 lane, but I will say that J6 LUC(E)NT is a better version of this- NV is less clunky than TV is and I score 2 more, plus LUCENT doesn't take an S hook. #findingsmall
-2 to ODE blocking N(A)N and slowplaying. He also would have gone over if I did that. Takes guts. #endgamesmall
something was underscored by 2, so final recorded as 388-380
missed all the other bings here. Sadface. RECYCLER I should see, RECOVERY I should see. mERCERY I don't play because it opens a 3x3, I'd best play CE(L)ERY for 28. Also thought he might challenge this. #findinglarge
4G B(E)NZOL was the play I was looking for here. Right idea to dump the Z because it's a sucky tile on this board, but the B also needed to be dumped. #findingsmall
wow, i would hate to play QaTS here, but it sims best by a little. lol. i should keep RS? or ST? or something. i don't need this ugly RSST? leave. jeez. -3 #tacticssmall
if i play AOUDAD here, josh is just blocking and i lose. i don't think i have a realistic chance of winning this game. quackle is so optimistic. i was hoping to keep scoring as much as possible and maybe i'd draw some miracle pREX or kYAR bingo. lol. I think DOURA gives me the best chance, though. #strategymedium
I had spent probably half my time at the point of making this play. But I just couldn't spot REIGNED. Again, I felt like I was falling into my old patterns this game and couldn't escape. No excuses. Couldn't even spot DE(R)INgER or anything that didn't open a 3x3 or score too low. I knew this was wrong but my time was ticking so fast. #findingsaddest
9E EXO scores 7 more and is much more defensive, but tanks my next turn bingo%; Quackle actually wants the other placement of OXO at 9H, giving up a few more points to Bob but also maxing out my chances of bingoing. Really close options, at most a #tacticssmall