Strategy Small
7I ELATING +64
This might be an overreaction even after an exchange 6. I'm certainly correct to play ELATING over ATINGLE, but B8 AGENTIAL is fine despite how much easier it might be to hit 3x3s through an L in the 2nd spot than a G in the 7th spot. I should have gone with AGENTIAL. #strategysmall
Jerry Lerman vs. Samuel Kaplan (Game 56957)
Vision Large
10F W(O)VEN +21
I like the aggressive nature of this play considering I have an S and Dustin is random. But so far my board vision is slightly off: F8 (N)AW is 37 and is definitely worth it. #visionlarge
Samuel Kaplan vs. Dustin Dean (Game 56144)
Knowledge Large
3M NID +23
this is a pretty big mistake. my leave is gross. I need to go for the points with H11 SDEIN. This is solidly a #knowledgesaddest for LICHTS
Nitya Chagti vs. Nancy Bowen (Game 58980)
Strategy Small
A8 U(V)EAL +27
I tunneled on blocking the V, which isn't really a big threat here. Plays like J1 TITULE and O1 LUTITE are better, and even C1 T(H)ULITE is better defense for bingos. #strategysad
Joshua Castellano vs. Irfan Siddiqui (Game 60111)
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. Josh Sokol (Game 34480)
Finding Small
I13 M(I)R +17
This isn't bad equitywise. But it does allow Joel to play 9s ending with -IER that can get him back in the game, namely GROUCHIER. I think a better move that still allows me to retain my only vowel is 9F T(E)N(NE)R for 14. Row 15 bingoes are not as scary as they normally might be since it's hard to end an 8 with -IE and there are no more unseen As, so Joel cannot extend from an E to the bottom right corner. Also, I eliminate 2x2s from the N in LAMINATED. #findingsmall
Samuel Kaplan vs. Joel Sherman (Game 56400)
Finding Large
K8 MA(Y)O +18
didn't know DOMATIA#, though this rack did scream of bingo. I missed DAIM(Y)O and OID(I)A which both significantly improve on this. I looked for something like DAIMYO, such a tough thing to spot. OIDIA should not be tough to spot, but I was intent on leaving the S hook open and totally distracted by what had just happened. Really bad. #findingSADDEST #knowledgeSADDEST
Josh Sokol vs. Matthew Tunnicliffe (Game 48816)
Strategy Large
L3 L(I)D +9
thought my biggest threat was a ZAX play on column M and drawing the Q without the vowels on hand. i was super low on time so i did nooot realize that there was a bajillion (11) bingos making AG. C9 RUT seems fine here #strategysaddest #strategysaddest
Dennis Ikekeregor vs. Nitya Chagti (Game 61558)
Strategy Medium
D12 F(U)NK +32
I think it's fine to get the F off my rack since the F doesn't mesh well with the K or the M. It's very close with doing M12 FAX in equity and the sim. I am shocked to see that I actually bingo 24% after FAX vs only 7% after FUNK. That ought to sway me in the direction of playing FAX simply because I want to bingo asap when I have the blank. While I was hoping to pick an I for 14F XI, I definitely underestimated how good KMN? actually is for bingoing given the open S available. #strategymedium
Cameron Siegal vs. Samuel Kaplan (Game 60415)
Knowledge Small
F9 (C)HI +16
I saw but chickened out of F7 MO(C)HI. That's the move I need at this score to fork the board better and make an aggressive S setup. And yes, MOCHI does sim ahead of both my play and 10B HOM. #knowledgesmall
Samuel Kaplan vs. Chloe Fatsis (Game 56767)
Vision Large
12B ROQ(U)E +28
missing the huge 14J VERSO #findingsaddest
I didn't see much I was drawing after the Q drop, but reasoned it might still be better than this. Quackle says this is 6 points worse than QI, citing a 24% chance of a bingo, which is way higher than I thought. I missed OVERSHO(T) I1 and OVERSOO(N) G1 in my iteration, and didn't know CROOVES#, and missed ANS# against so didh't think HOOVERS would play. #visionsaddest
Josh Sokol vs. Adam Logan (Game 55713)
Strategy Large
9G U(R)AO +18
I totally fucked up and thought he had BINGERS and that I was blocking bingos through the N. Even if he did have BINGERS this still gives back B(OK) plays. #STRATEGYSADDEST
Daniel Blake vs. Joshua Castellano (Game 59302)
Knowledge Large
I8 (E)NFITTED +0 (Lost challenge)
ok you know what? im still baffled that this is not a common english word. i dont even feel like this should be a #knowledgesaddest because clearly this is just a twilight zone moment
Nitya Chagti vs. Melissa Routzahn (Game 58972)
Finding Small
D10 (R)OW +14
I'm shocked at how well this play sims despite it being poor on equity. Even so, I think I need to be more desperate by doing 2M WA(B). It only plays 2 tiles just like ROW does, but it makes a much higher scoring threat on Row 1. I'd do WAB in a do-over. I didn't see A8 (C)UBOID, but I really needed Column A open since any vowel can go after the C. #findingsmall
Samuel Kaplan vs. Evan Chester (Game 59832)
Strategy Large
7H HO +21
This turn was a good learning moment that I totally screwed up. I knew 7H HO was way to easy to overlap, but couldn't see anything else I liked. Now that I'm looking at it 9H HI is obviously best, I didn't even consider keeping the O instead. #strategysaddest
Zachary Dang vs. Joshua Castellano (Game 59094)
Strategy Small
6F POL +28
I thought about doing 6H LOP and was hesitant to do that, but the sim seems to favor it. I thought maybe Kurt didn't have great X plays if he had it, but he also would have just did ?EX plays underneath. Maybe IX could be his range if he didn't play DEX since that keeps IIIM? Looking back, Kurt does not have the X as often as I might have thought. If he draws it, miraculous job. I would do 6H LOP instead of POL in a do-over. #strategysmall
Samuel Kaplan vs. Kurt Davies (Game 59907)
Finding Small
12A MO(I)sTING +80
First off, I could have played 2G T(R)OMpING for 82. Secondly, I got lucky as this also phony. We are both so bad this game. Even 12A OM(I)TtING would have been fine if I don't see TROMPING. #findingsad
Lynn Cushman vs. Samuel Kaplan (Game 56397)
Knowledge Small
M2 AGOROT +23
I totally whiffed the CHORIAMBI hook. I don't think I would have been confident of that. J1 GIRO, J1 TIRO, and J2 IOTA are all better. #knowledgesad and also #knowledgesad for the challenge
Joshua Castellano vs. Irfan Siddiqui (Game 60111)
Vision Medium
M3 PILAF(S) +30
This isn't bad. But at nationals, a good move isn't exactly good enough. L8 (C)APFUL was missed for 4 more and sets up my S so well. For only 4 less points, CAPFUL is absolutely worth it and would have created a more favorable board for me. #visionmedium
Mark Miller vs. Samuel Kaplan (Game 56935)
Vision Medium
M7 D(O)LMA +11
I didn't love anything here out of all plays I saw- this, D12 D(R)AM for 20, J10 AM(I)D, and G1 DAM came to mind. I liked taking out the S hook for GESTAPOS with this, but the sim thinks it's too big a point sacrifice when I won't be up by much. I think DAM is a better play than DOLMA if I'm going to miss 11H MAT(E)D, which does beat out all those plays in the sim and on static equity. #visionmedium
Joe Edley vs. Samuel Kaplan (Game 57010)
Strategy Medium
B13 JEU +30
It seemed like Ian was consonant heavy, so JEU appeared to be more sound. I somehow average 20 more after AJUGA. I think I played this turn too scared. It's one thing if I average 1 point fewer after JEU. But not when I average 20. Even JUG in the same spot is probably fine to avoid X bombs, but I shouldn't be too concerned with that since there's many ways to play it, and Ian only averages 4 more after JEU vs JUG. #strategymedium
Ian Weinstein vs. Samuel Kaplan (Game 57404)
Finding Large
D8 gAMETES +76
idk what was happening to me. i got obsessed with finding a 9 or something with GLEDE. #knowledgesaddest for 9H TAxEMES and #findingsaddest for O8 (E)ASEMEnT
Nitya Chagti vs. Ayodele Odekunle (Game 60882)
Strategy Large
5A (FA)A +6
I need to do L3 (E)A if I want my own bingo. (FA)A is next best but my bingo chances plummet from more than 2/3rds of the time to less than half the time #strategysaddest
Nitya Chagti vs. Sanya Adebola (Game 58986)
Strategy Large
8L M(O)TT +27
Bad mistake! I was only 80% sure N10 MUTTS was spelled like that and I thought this was okay, but literally anything holding Z and leaving 8L open is better. #knowledgesaddest #strategysaddest
Joshua Castellano vs. Rob Robinsky (Game 59096)