Knowledge Small
13G W(E)B +15
gotta do 15F BU(S)TI, leave 7 in the bag and set up my S to score. there's hella vowels out, so i dont need to worry too much. #strategysaddest also #knowledgesad for challenge
Nitya Chagti vs. Yvonne Lobo (Game 60892)
Strategy Large
D12 WOO +28
10J WOO(E)R is nice but it presumes that oppo doesnt block, tho i sometimes still bingo on row 2. this play just gives back wayyyy too much, so #strategysaddest
Elise Bickford vs. Nitya Chagti (Game 60902)
Endgame Small
11G COXES +45
EXED much better, fewer points, but blocks Wendy's best chance at winning COXES making LORDINGS also good, didn't know that was valid. #endgameSAD #knowledgeSAD #strategySAD
Wendy McGrath vs. Danielle Barker (Game 35343)
Finding Small
M3 GRAfTED +82
Spent around 1.5 minutes here, knowing I needed to speed up. I should have easily spotted TRiAGED, which doubles G and D. The only issue is the X spot that creates, but I would be slightly closer to drawing it than Jackson, so it might even be beneficial to me. Quackle rates this as a bit more than 2 points worse #findingsmall
Jackson Smylie vs. Josh Sokol (Game 41628)
Strategy Large
L10 O(N)ION +10
There's times when I've made a more patient play than this. ONION is too reckless. I didn't think of the ONIONY hook when I did play this. Maybe L9 IO(N)ONE or M8 NOO(G)IE if I wanted to fork? I like those better. #strategylarge
Evan Chester vs. Samuel Kaplan (Game 61645)
Strategy Large
K10 (A)R(E)D +17
I tried to play for tricks hoping he would burn his blank allowing me to set up H12 (T)OY -> 15F QIS but I should just do L9 D(R)YS #strategysaddest
Joshua Castellano vs. Tim Weiss (Game 58502)
Knowledge Large
C5 DWEE(B)ING +0 (Lost challenge)
this will be the last time I confuse WEEDBED and BEDEWED for BEDEWED and DWEEBED* and BEDEWING and BEWINGED for BEDEWING and DWEEBING* (I hope) #knowledgelarge
Joshua Sokol vs. Kenji Matsumoto (Game 33137)
Strategy Large
N2 MONIE +25
saw VISNOMIE but not FISNOMIE #knowledgesaddest i needed to fish off an I, not blow through the rack but was worried about falling behind #strategysaddest
Nitya Chagti vs. Zachary Dang (Game 61562)
Strategy Large
10B ZA +34
I completely misevaluated where the likely bingos were going. I thought blocking the C column was important, but 15 row is more dangerous. The best simming move is 14C EAR(D) and similar moves on row 14 and 15 also sim well. #strategysaddest
Samson Okosagah vs. Joshua Castellano (Game 59501)
Strategy Large
5K PE(AR) +22
This setup is too easily blocked and while L6 (L)I(M)E can also be fairly easily blocked, it keeps a much better leave to hit to other open lines. #strategysaddest
Joshua Castellano vs. Rob Robinsky (Game 59096)
Knowledge Small
1C DHARMA +60
I would have scored no matter what since I still had 1M HAW if Maddy took the left TWS that I opened. I did not know 1D MAHWA in this position. It's another spelling of MAHUA. I would have kept a better leave after MAHWA, but this board is actually decent for Ws since I have the 3M scoring spot to work with as well as the C9 spot, for which I can make parallels next to HOLIER. That said, MAHWA is better equity and most likely would have been my play if I knew it and saw it since if I draw vowels, Ws generally do a poor job of absorbing those types of draws. #knowledgesmall
Samuel Kaplan vs. Maddy Kamen (Game 56938)
Knowledge Large
O9 RALLY +16
just with BRANG*, I was about ready to snap challenge, and the longer I took, the less I felt I should challenge. This is a huge mistake, but I still figured my best chances were holding on from this position. But I missed AR(M)Y for 39, which is too many to say no to. There is very limited risk of 7 consonants next turn being pivotal enough to lose the game, and also very minimal chance of not drawing a vowel, given the 15/10 vowel/consonant ratio. Something like 10-15%? I just missed AR(M)Y, but worse, I made this play with absolutely no clue about RALLYE, a word I know. I never saw RALLYE. This was Jackson's game to come back and win. Incredibly good pressure by him, picking at my confidence levels more and more every turn. #knowledgesaddest #visionsaddest #strategysaddest #findingsaddest
Josh Sokol vs. Jackson Smylie (Game 41629)
Strategy Medium
10B WITE(S) +32
3B OW seemed crazy. I can see why this could be a strategical oversight- G3 WO is 8 fewer points but my bingo % shoots up to 43% compared to just 13% after WITES. It still sims quite a bit ahead of WITES despite what might usually be a big difference in score. On the other hand, this isn't even that good of a board for bingoing besides the open T in PAINT. Other than that, I pretty much have to play a 9 or score like 61 with the S in AMNESIAS. Quackle has puts some 3A plays ahead of some Column G plays. #strategymedium?
Samuel Kaplan vs. Eric Goldstein (Game 58659)
Finding Large
5E HO +22
missed mate in one. somehow I got so bogged down in being able to play 14B GLAZE with an A draw that I missed GLOZE until the second I hit the clock. Absolute game-losing mistake. this was ridiculous #findingsaddest
Evan Chester vs. Emmett Brosowsky (Game 54930)
Strategy Small
F2 ZE(P) +34
I did underestimate how good H1 BET(H) is here despite giving up 7 immediately and allowing Dustin a vowel to play through. There is merit to doing that since I can draw into J5 ZETA to keep the board tight and continue to score. Worst case, if Dustin did not improve his rack, I can always respond with 2F ZE(E) on the following turn to block the board even more. It's a couple valuation points back of ZEP. #strategysmall
Dustin Dean vs. Samuel Kaplan (Game 56683)
Strategy Medium
G2 AUE +11
N6 EAU sims pretty well for something that's so scary. I like 9G A(R)EA. I guess with the former I set up my M and with the latter I score some points. Thinking this might be a #strategysadder
Nitya Chagti vs. Sanya Adebola (Game 58979)
Finding Small
8F TREW +14
8F TREZ is better equity and bingos more too, despite RZ? being 8 better statically. i didn't even generate it because I was too busy hanging on to the Z #findingsad
Nitya Chagti vs. Foster Tom (Game 60901)
Strategy Medium
O6 YA(S) +17
I can't be scared of Joey blocking Row 6 plays at this time. If anything, it would serve as a diversion so that maybe I can hit stuff ending with the C in COME. 7I DAY is fine. #strategymedium
Samuel Kaplan vs. Joey Krafchick (Game 56686)
Strategy Large
15J AUDITS +31
thought i needed to score but this is too dangerous. If I draw two Is, im toast. Maybe I go for M6 SI and draw into DAUTIES or GAUDIEST. #strategysaddest
Nitya Chagti vs. Yvonne Lobo (Game 60892)
Strategy Medium
D1 XERUS(E)S +48
Truly hated giving up both esses, but felt I needed the space in the upper left quadrant...I could've done O1 ASSURE for 52, hoping for an X bomb underneath JOEY to follow up, or just fish my X there and try to hit ASSURE bingos for a zillion. Both seem like better ideas than XERUSES. C8 EXTRAS also scores well and keeps an S for OILS. #strategymedium
Matt Canik vs. Will Anderson (Game 33560)
Knowledge Small
9J ODEA +17
9K GOA might be better here. bingos more with the available floaters. also this gives back more. it's within a point, idk. Also #knowledgesad for challenge. Spoiler alert: would've tied had i not given away two nickels
Nitya Chagti vs. Wellington Jighere (Game 61560)
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 Large
5C RULED +22
I saw TURTLED and talked myself out of it. It's tough because not all animals can have a past tense. Turtles can have a past tense. #knowledgelarge
Edwin Roth vs. Samuel Kaplan (Game 60239)
Finding Large
O1 ZI(G) +39
This Barbie missed the ATINGLE hook for 1L ZAPS. This Barbie also promised that she'd throw herself out of the car if she pulled any more hijinks. Goodbye, world. It's been fun. #findingSADDEST
Nitya Chagti vs. Caroline Polak Scowcroft (Game 60889)
Strategy Medium
15M REZ +40
5B TRUED does multiple things: it turns over more tiles and lets me grab S? and a vowel; it sometimes lets me play -TZ words, hammer the Z or J on the triple through whatever bingo comes down on columns L or M, or plop the Z on row 13. I don't bingo, but my score next turn averages ~47. #strategysadder
Nitya Chagti vs. Elise Bickford (Game 60893)
Strategy Large
N11 EWT +24
I thought I needed to score with N11 EWT but something like 12L (JA)GG or 12L (JA)GS is probably the best attempt. His plays from the Z might not outrun bingos at 2B. #strategysaddest
Lucas Freeman vs. Joshua Castellano (Game 61216)
Vision Small
15E POCO +33
This turn was sloppy. At a minimum, I should have seen 15F COOP, which as you all will see, simply cost me 4 points and wouldn't have changed the board much. But even then, 15F COOPT is the play. #visionsmall
George Borsuk vs. Samuel Kaplan (Game 56647)
Vision Medium
5C (K)OR +23
I was not comfortable doing N1 LOO. That said, I think I need to clean up my rack better with J9 TROLLO(P), which was missed. It also defends the bottom of the board nicely. #visionmedium
Samuel Kaplan vs. Jeffrey Jacobson (Game 56569)
Time Unspecified
G13 JI(N) +29
This was an echo of the MUL(ATT)O/MO(G)UL position against Kevin Fraley at California Open 2018. JEW 4J is way better because FIDS M1 is unblockable. And I even saw it too! But I worried that I had mistracked and thought that Josh might play out and win if I was wrong. After JEW I'd be up 41 points but he'd get 16 from me, and his tiles look like they could score 25 points if there's a spot for them. With more time, I would have retracked the game to be dead certain that Josh can't play out, because that being the case, JEW/FIDS is best by a large margin. (-29) #endgamelarge #trackinglarge #timemanagementmedium
Carl Johnson vs. Josh Sokol (Game 34489)
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)