thought about 4b HAVE for spread cause i Have the case Ss, but there is still a blank out and it just opens the board more. SHAVE is more standard than this, but it also takes NNNRRRR from the pool (mainly just the R is the worry) so he hits the spot more than I do. it's pretty close in a sim, but SHAVE still does better #tacticssmall a lot of that is bingo% though, which isn't very important here
No clue why not I11 YID instead for 11 more points; as I said last turn but clearly forgot here, no point grooming rack leave on this board. Also no idea why I spent five minutes to come up with this. #findingmedium #timesmall 2:51
Quackle slightly prefers 11B ODA and OCA, sacrificing some points to gain a solid chunk of bingo%. That does make sense. JAGAS overlapping plays still go down after CANOED, and JESTINGS is still wide open, so I shouldn't be scared to make JAGAS plays more accessible after ODA/OCA, especially at a deficit. #strategysmall - forgot to record time.
Played the correct move of DZO and then picked it up for just ZO; it's better to play DZO and then play my M atop CRUOR next turn. For the third straight game I was extremely low on time, didn't record it for these last few moves. #endgamelarge
I think this was an overreaction to his fish. As much as this move balances openness of the board and score because the HILTS hook has been open for a while, K3 OGEE still is best. #strategymedium
Not bad. I'm glad I passed up 11D (I)NiTIATE since the Q is still unseen. I needed to see 11D (I)NTImATE since that takes out 2x2s through the XI and does not give back a QI bomb to him. Froilan is capable of scoring very well and has done so against me in the past. #visionmedium
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
Exch. AIOOOU keeping just the E is better #tacticssad
Spoiler: no nits's were harmed in the playing of this game, except, like, psychologically and in every other way that counts.
i was honestly going for the extra turnover here instead of just playing DURN. i hate doing things like that, but i realized it may be hard for me to win if he draws the blank. should i just keep grooming my leave instead? because quackle hates my play. -9.5 #strategylarge
YUM 7A #findingSAD #strategySADDER. Instead I opened up another possible triple triple (SUNSHADE was there already, and now ENDASHES), just really wanted to get rid of those Us
I was paranoid about Z plays on row 15, but 6J JO(I)NE(R) looks best here (and also 15M SAZ still plays, sad!). I can probably only lose to a bingo after 6J JO(I)NE(R) and it blocks a bunch of them. #strategylarge
I think GN(U) has to come down here. Again can't reasonably outrun, so have to go all in on defense. TONG is also reasonable, emptying the bag here is good to prevent him fishing (he could hit the B and E column, I will not be able to block both too often). GNU has the issue of allowing better fishing options for him, but it's really hard for him to open a new lane after GNU, so he's stuck having to hit the blockable B column. I looked for blocks but didn't consider GNU. #findinglarge
I did this... to set up a big Q play next turn and not give her an easy play of CIN(Q)S or DIN. This is still quite pathetic, and I have no idea why I did it. #tacticslarge
Even after an exchange 6, I think 10E LIE would have been a little better because even though I set up EWER and the EDIT hooks, L10E LIE sets up both my D and my R and Brandon averages about 3 less next turn. #strategysmall
I again don't really know if I should play 4A BEGS or M3 BEGS or exchange. I was trying to block what I thought was the easier spot here. I await your hatemail #strategylarge
2J BLE(A)T is 17 fewer points but reduces the opponent's next turn score by about 6 and increases my next turn score by about 13, apparently. This makes it sim about 2 points better. #strategysad
I tunneled on fishing for 8A NON(QUOTA). Instead, since I don't have a good play using the U, I should keep column D open. J6 WOON# is best, but I didn't know (HEBE)N#; F6 WO(OH)OO# is second. #knowledgemedium
thought about ENMOVE# but didn't like it. Thought this was a good time to block SHOVELED, since it didn't seem like a big equity swing. But ENMOVE is too good. #knowledgesaddest
J: I thought about this and then realized BLOTCHED probably doesn't have an anagram. Still thought that I was desparate enough. I had O7 GYBED though, and honestly only saw it after losing the challenge. This is on one of Carl's phonies lists and apparently he had just recently mentioned it to Sid. #knowledgelarge
C: During my insomniac studying session on Friday night/ Saturday morning, this was one of the phonies I studied. I always see BLOTCHED/BEDCLOTH* but I was ready for it this time. Some sick timing!
One of my worst nightmares as a Scrabble player: on the Tuesday after this tournament, I was driving to work and I thought to myself, "gee, I think I missed a better bingo than OLIGURIC". Sure enough, I did. H8 (U)RoLOGIC for 83. #findinglarge
this is an absolutely huge swing. I'm a favourite if I don't challenge, but I was completely tilted at this point and I didn't want him to be winning. It seemed almost inconceivable that this would be a word. #knowledgelarge
oh nice. TIZ 9A has fewer of the problems that BLITZ does. after FARO too it seems he kept something fairly strong or else wouldn't have made such an aggro play. but idk. -1 #tacticssmall
Wasn't exactly sure how to feel about telegraphing another S here. L3 HUTS would have really blasted the board open better and he would have a really hard time closing the board down after this. #strategymeh
spent forever trying to find a triple triple and ran out of time. i hope i would have found POSTBAg if the game depended on it. -14 #findinglarge
i absolutely knew i was going to have a bad tournament after this game. it really sucks to lose the opening game, and as much as i need to practice zen and whatever, you just know it's not your tournament after this. i was not feeling it. i do need to practice staying calm before nationals though, and i should have made more of an effort here.
ridiculous, my bingo doesn't fit anywhere, although that's what i was trying to do i suppose. VI(EWE)D here is better than EVITED for sure. i may have just not seen it. -8.5 #visionlarge
losing the wheels on the bus here. Missing G10 H(OW)F, but holding on to what I hope will be a closed board soon. Also missing 13I DASHI which is fine. #visionmedium #findingmedium
J4 ICEB(O)ATS #findingsaddest also #knowledgesad for challenge also I'm so sorry if you're rooting for the underdog in this game because i straight up zonked out
ERUV scores well, unloads two of UVV, and blocks the easiest lane on the board, row 13. Naturally, Quackle hates it. There is something to be said for Quackle's picks, B2 VUM and K1 VENDU, namely that they both save a scoring play at 1K (DRAVE and VARVE respectively). Honorable mention goes to G13 VUm, which scores only 9 points but blocks row 13 while saving 1K DRAVE. #tacticsmedium
Maybe 8A DEV(A) is a little less blocky, or even 9C V(I)G is probably slightly better leavewise, but my win % is still around 8% either way. #visionsmall
Too defensive or nah? I wanted to block 1A bings and 12E MUTUE(L) creates an S hook (he might not know RIPERS). I await your hatemail. 12E MUTUE(L) and 12M UTU are probably okay? #strategymedium
I think this looks fine over DAVIT in terms of turnover. I will say a slightly better play is L1 A(N)VILED since I use the ANURAL hook, which was missed again. #visionsmall
Quackle picks the standard G8 JOHN, but I prefer SHY because JOHN opens high-scoring bingo lanes on rows 11 and 12 and sacrifices 4 points. But I didn't know TREADLES takes an S, and thus there was already a bingo lane on row 10. This may be a #tacticssmall
this was my most unfocused moment of the tournament. Totally tunnelled on this spot being where I could score and keep scoring tiles. Carl just gave me a great scoring spot. My best play is probably with QUADRATED but I need to at least consider the top of the L column. DOH L4 sims a couple better than BOSUN. This would we an interesting idea if 1) QUADRATED weren't valid and 2) I would have considered stuff like DOH L4 #visionSADDEST
big miss, ANNEXES, surprisingly I get a chance to play ANNEXES a little later too.
don't know why I thoughty ADA was good.
#findingSADDEST #knowledgeSADDEST
5A CIG sets up a potent lane on column A that Joey will almost certainly take. I suppose Quackle's idea is that he would play at 15O some of the time (more often than I would expect from a human opponent) or that his column A play would make a lane on column B. My idea with REGIUS was to set up (DANK)E(R) and hope that Joey doesn't see it. #tacticssmall
Didn't know fricking EWERS. Feels like SADDEST but since it's only 5 points. #knowledgesad and also 1K VEG(A)S. I was completely out of time. #timeSADDEST
I had a hunch that ARREArED* might be phony, and I saw bingos on 14F. So why didn't I just play DREAREr for only 7 fewer? Quackle strongly prefers fishing off two tiles with O10 EGGER.... #knowledgelarge
this seemed like a decent block, but it could backfire. DILATE is a little harder to underlap (LA LI LO vs NA NE NO NU with the blanks as vowels), and there are two Ns left. -3 #findingmedium
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
DUFF is actually a little bit better. frank played FIR rapidly and confidently. he probably has a good leave. i didn't want it to be too easy to bingo, i guess, but FEUD doesn't really block anything. -2.5 #tacticssmall
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
Chosen over 9G AG, which allows 10G pOMFRET. H6 OVA wins the sim; ADEGR >> ORV, and after OVA, Steven's highest-scoring bingos are 6C/6G FOREMOsT 66. The sim assumes that after AGED, Steven will play 10I FORMaTE, allowing potential OVER- plays at O8--which means that if Steven plays at 7H instead I can expect worse results than the sim suggests. #tacticsmedium
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