I felt like he's always gonna block with plays at B12 after something like C11 LUG and the X seemed really important so I went for turnover and score, but maybe the leave is just too bad. Scoring under 20 in this situation just seemed hopeless but maybe I need to keep opening and go for a bingo through the V or something. I dunno. #strategysaddest
Verna is another player that I like open boards against, but this was the wrong way of going about this position. It did not look to me like Verna kept the X after CUING, and nothing keeps that great along with giving back hotspots. I felt that this was the least likely to get punished because she wasn't keeping great tiles. M3 HOU(N)D is a little safer positionally even with its own drawbacks. #strategymedium
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
this is fine, but just (C)RY is really nice much of the time, giving nothing tremendous back, and bingo-ing way more than CRYING. reduces opponent score by almost 10 immediately. Should have given it more thought. #strategysmall
#knowledgesad for challenge also can someone make this man please stop bingoing. im asking for my health just nbd
also O10 TENT(H)S but who's counting #findingsaddest #endgamesaddest
He ALMOST played L9 RAIS(I)NG, which would have given me M5 PINKEST
D3 P(O)KE here? Keep trying for a bingo? #strategylarge Also, I miscounted 5F (JO)KIEST as 34 oop
Q prefers DUH by a bit, hmm. I feel like I want a better leave to deal with openings he may make, and HUV is more likely a non-exchange rack than RRUV. Q seems to think my average leave after DUH is better next turn, interesting. Maybe more exchanges? I'll say #tacticssmall but I'm not sure.
It's not bad for the score, but if I wasn't willing to do 1M (S)OB as that appears to give up too many points, 4G BOOR once again makes a lane that will be easy to use to access the left side of the board and keeps better. But even better is 4B OBVERT as that forks vertical lines and dumps the V. #visionsmall
lots of options here. This seems a bit too middling and remember regretting it. G(ID) is fine even though it doesn't hit much. I should block the spot and keep decently. #strategysmall
now, CZA(R) 4G is important to find. I can also just play CA(V)A, not sure how I missed that one. I knew this was a terrible move, but for some reason I just couldn't find anything else. #findingSAD
another poor decision. I felt I had a larger grasp on this game than in actuality. I should play 8L (O)OZE for more and leave the R open
not challenging last move was #knowledgelarge
this move is #tacticsmedium
ouch big miss of FELLA here. VAT is definitely the play. I considered VACANT, which seems more thematic with the lead, but I felt like it was too big a sacrifice, and the top-left defense it does is only minor cause the C is aready fairly defensive in the position it's in, and VACANT gives up a few more bingoes immediately than VAT. def a #visionmedium for the hook - in the sim this play is only 4 points back, but that's assuming I find FELLA next turn, which I don't
12C BAY has the best equity, doesn't give Matt any floaters, and often draws into DATIVE next turn anyway. I'm not sure whether I even looked for anything after I found DATIVE. #visionlarge
I am terrible. I thought it was only KNAIDELS and that I had phonied with SANDLIKE before, but it was DIRTLIKE* against Vera in 2013 where I had TIDELIKE available and chose wrong. Stupid stupid, this is the perfect time to phony anyway. Dahhhhh also KADI and KINDA..... #knowledgesaddest #findingsaddest
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
No home for UPRAISE. I did see 7E PIA(L) but so many options allow me to dump the U. However, 10F (J)U(B)A actually allows me to have a reasonable shot at bingoing next turn for only 7 less. #strategylarge
C12 OTTO is so insane and it sims so well. I bingo more after J9 TO(N)G than C12 OTTO but my bingos score a lot. I need to leave 2 in the bag so that she plays like 1 which doesn't score as much and doesnt block places as easily. It's all about the timing #strategysaddest
I was under time pressure and just played equity. I got very lucky that this blocked 11D (BE)WEARIED which I completely missed. 12K VLOG(S) is best. #timesaddest
The equity plays on row 14 give back far too much on row 15. The next-best equity play is N6 AMIDO, followed by K3 MOOI#. Quackle favors N9 OO#, which gives almost nothing back, followed closely by AMIDO; MOOI often allows easy high scores on column L and is thus further down. #strategymedium
Y setup! I could be more defensive with H11 EMU or something, maybe that's the call! with the 3 row and such I like setting up a scoring spot, but maybe it gets taken organically too often. given the deliciousness of the 3 row for the Y already, I think EMU is fine cause I score a lot, only a few less than after swum. #findingsmall
didn't know for sure if ROQUE had a hook in CSW (CROQUE*, etc.), had I known I probably play ROQUE. QI(S) was not on my radar, sims close to ROQUE. REIVE is a bit behind #knowledgesmall
F8 VAU man the U really sucks huh #tacticssadder ##equity
Specifying an S on his rack makes this play a lot better, but not better enough to justify the sac'ed equity
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
now i'm treading water but should still be strongly favored to win if i make the right play here. 6I NEWIE is fine, score 11 more and keep a more balanced leave at least! argh! -10 #strategylarge
This is my first big mistake this game missing the superior 14B A(N)TIPHoN. It is a word that I knew, and although I also saw 13B T(R)ANsHIP, I like the play I made over T(R)ANsHIP with the Z still unseen. #findinglarge
Lynn's last play of EVE told me there's a good chance she's holding onto the last N. I was admittedly turned off by this draw of 2 more Us after already playing off 1 of them. 6F (Q)UAG is fine. #findingmedium
With all other power tiles gone except the Z, I was thinking that drawing it would be crucial, which is why I favored B9 Q(U)ARTO over J6 Q(i). However, 3I YO is probably just better, saving B9 Q(U)ATRE and J6 Q(i) for next turn. Honestly, I'm not sure what is really best here. #strategylarge
Her only out play is A6 LE(AR)N, so this scores while blocking her only out. But come to think of it, J11 D(E)VS gets more stuff off my rack. So it's better to allow her to go out. #endgamelarge
I didn't have much time here and decided I just needed to play fast and I missed K3 (G)OETY. I also wasn't sure of 12H (C)OUTHY. #timesaddest #knowledgesaddest
I think of this turn as where I lost the game, although tbf it was probably lost at every point of "knowledgesaddest" in the subsequent turns. I didn't know C9 (Q)UITED, which sims best and I spent like 4 minutes going back and forth between C9 (Q)UIETED and J5 DEI. Obviously, I chose wrong, oop #knowledgesadder #strategysadder
rough, he missed STERNER and I'm still in dire straits. I tried to take that as a good thing. ILK(A) I think was missed, that is similar, probably better #findingsmall
come on. i have to fake open the board (PARETICS is obviously available but he might catch on if i don't try to open another lane?). E8 AFIRE is beautiful though, i should have seen it. #findingmedium -2.5
I missed the MOHO hook this turn. I would have probably played YUM there, keeping the board full of S hooks. MY is also okay, but YUM bingoes far more. #visionsmall
MUCH isn't bad. NU(C)HAE was missed and that does look better for the more balanced leave. In addition, if I draw poorly on my next draw after NUCHAE, I have 6A (E)MU as a decent backup play that gives nothing back to him. I like NUCHAE better than MUCH for this reason. #findingmedium
There's 5 possible bingos through 14H OM and I just wanna quit. 10H sTONERS is notable #findingsaddest #Knowledgesaddest We out here turning up dumbassery to 100%
Right idea with the turnover and blocking the HUMPS hook. I will say that TURNIP is a worse play than it usually is because I should not be keeping 2 Os with 3 more usneen. While TURNIP isn't egregious, I should be looking to address my O problem while also blocking more indirectly with F2 UNROOT or even 4C UNROOF. #visionmedium
#knowledgelarge for GOITERING*
I thought this was a decent try, considering there were already 7 E's in play and 3/4 of tiles unseen. He's still at like 41% to have an E though. I should probably just play E7 TE(E)PEE and brace. Thought there was a chance Noah would miss EPEE? But he's a young player, why would he miss that? #questionable
A tiny voice in the back of my head said "NONVOCAL takes an S" and I chose to ignore it because, well, it just doesn't seen like NONVOCAL should take an S
spoiler alert: nonvocal takes an S but we both didn't know it
#knowledgesadder
Sim likes 5E ZA better than K3 LAZ(Y) by about 3 points. More defensive and better leave apparently is enough to overcome the 5 point difference. #tacticssad
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
i saw iritises but wanted to expose fewer letters, especially not Ss. however this gives back a ton of points. 9D vISITER is much more defensive. but iritises still sims best anyway - even though he bingoes slightly more after iritises, he scores more on avg after ditsier. #strategymedium -- on 4-ply, visiter climbs up to the top over iritises. -6
I didn't think SEEMINGS was a word but IT IS. Anyway, since I can't block effectively, I have to play C1 (C)ZAR to outrun. FOR FUCK'S SAKE. #REEEEEEEEEEE #VISIONSADDEST
I don't remember whether I passed up on the bingos or missed them entirely. But the top 5 plays are all bingos: D5 mUTINEER is best, followed by D6 cEINTURE, D5 rEUNITER, D6 gENITURE, and D6 UNrETIRE. #findinglarge
I missed an opportunity to fish for 11K QI, QAT, or QUA/QUASI with IIIIITTUU unseen and a backup of E3 QUA in case 11K is blocked. Quackle likes 14K DOOMS, but that opens a lucrative lane on row 15; I like 1L FOOD, which takes an easy scoring spot. #tacticssmall
i should have just played VIPER at 8A. i keep the Z to score next turn. i thought she was less likely to have a bingo through the O, after what could be a vowel dump. quackle likes 15A UP keeping VIZOR for next turn. -7 #strategymedium
Pivotal move. I balked at VETCH because I felt that I was in control of the game and saw no reason to create a massive-scoring K hook along row 1. However, after I played, I realized that I should have played FECHT instead of FETCH at the very least because I was holding an S, and adding another S hook would help me dump some bad draws. Looking at it now, though, it might actually be a good thing for me to add the K hook with a slight tempo advantage; given that the X already scores well on top of DUNAM and that the J could score decently paralleling BELAY, adding the K hook to the board makes it more difficult for Winter to draw each and every one of those tiles to stay ahead. As long as I can draw some of JKXS?, I should be able to use them to preserve tempo. Sim prefers VETCH by about 4 points of valuation. #tacticsmedium
This was a pretty terrible play. I just saw it and really liked it, but I thought there were no O's left somehow? Really thought he couldn't do much after this. I had tracked fine. I wanted to draw the Q for Q(U)AI D1 or QI 1G. This is one of the worst plays I made this tourney. #strategySADDEST
I was trying to block row 1 bings, but with both blanks unseen I think I just have to try to go for my own bingo. 13E SITCOM and 14B (TE)LOMIC both look good here to dig for a blank. It's likely he has one, but I think turnover could be important here with so few tiles left to dig for the other. #strategylarge
J6 WUS a smidge better defensively and much higher upside for me next turn, CKLN crushes the H1 triple a lot with vowels. (CALKIN, LUCKEN in particular score massively) #tacticssmall 20:04