The standout play that was missed here was G7 F(R)EAK. It's good that I held onto my T for JURAT plays, but FEAR was just not a good play. #visionlarge
M13 N(O)R and other similar plays such as K13 R(A)N and D13 (E)RN are probably the saddest top simming plays I have ever seen. I should have recognized that I need a huge Q bingo to hope to win the game, so despite the sadness, I would have to agree with Quackle. #STRATEGYSADDEST
i think this was a massive mistake. i didn't want to play 3C TAX for 29 because it keeps two Us, and i was worried that i was just going to have a very clunky rack the following turn and lose that way. my play at least sets up a lane. but, if he has WAX or TAX himself i'm dead. i really regret not playing TAX. i think i could survive with BLSUU and 29 pts. having the case S is awesome. i can also do E11 HABU, which i also like. -6 #strategymedium
i wanted to open even a crappy lane so this board doesn't fully shut down on me. -8, 12D WHAT sims better, maybe i'll get lucky. idk, hard to know how bad my move is really. #strategymedium
I do draw a bingo starting in B, but I miss the gorgeous MES(H)WORK F2 and make my most hilarious blunder of the tournament. Thinking of BITEWING(S). This was so crazy it worked. Billy held and released. #knowledgeSADDEST
#findinglarge Missing this was frustrating but not surprising. High point tiles in weird locations like this has been a pretty persistent weak spot for me in practice.
nothing great dig for here, or rather, too much bad versus only some good. Better to just score a few lesss and keep a bit better with OLDE 3J. #strategysmall #findingsmall
Maybe just J14 SH would have been fine, as much of an S telegraph as that is as well as GUEST. I clearly made a more desperate move than needed. #visionmedium
Close. I have to block SIXTHS/XYST down there, but better by a few points is simply 15G EATER, scoring only one fewer point than AFREET but setting up FAE on row 14 for many more points than the move I ended up playing. #endgamemedium
F9 (BIG)GS keeps me within scoring distance, though it blocks a lane, so I like F9 (BIG)G. Unfortunately, I have never seen a single word in my life, so I play H7 G(EN). Not great, in hindsight, because it does kinda self-block bingoes to the T. HOWEVER, spoiler alert, it does actually work out for me in the end somehow. Note to self and moral of the story: learn words. #STRATEGYSADDEST
damn OE is just way better. I totally didn't see the TOEA hook and instantly regretted it! even just the straight up 8 point sacrifice for the T is good. #tacticsmedium
Looked for a while here, no bingoes play. 11G MAt(E)RNAL and TAL(E)sMAN both got blocked. Seeing I had one of the blanks, and now the pool is meh at best from my perspective, I might as well scare Mitchell a bit and allow him to take one of the open triples. He could have drawn the W and/or Y after he just played off 5 tiles, and those can be bingo killers themselves at times. I just know he's gonna try to be as defensive as he can possibly be, which would require him to empty the bag in order to do that, in this case, taking out both 3x3s. That would allow me the best odds to bingo out and win the game. #strategyspoton
Wow. I had severe tunnel vision on this first move. I only saw X(U) which was very defensive and draw into some stuff like OTOLOGIC and ZOOLOGIC or something else if more stuff is opened. The other thing I considered was IGLOO 9J to try and set my X up. I totally failed to consider another X setup play, COL(U)GO I5. It's a less worrisome version of IGLOO, giving around 2 points fewer back on average, fewer bingos, and giving me a little bit more. IGLOO is more defensive down the line, which is good if things fall into place, but not good when they don't. I also totally missed OXIC 7J, which is standard. I would consider this a mistake over COL(U)GO for sure, even though IGLOO appears to benefit me over time. FWIW X(U) sims similarly well to the X-setup options, and it also seems to complicate the game the most. With so few moves available in the position, I find it most outrageous that I failed to see other candidates, and am more concerned about that than anything else. #findingsmall #tacticssmall
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
he blocked kinesis and apparently i don't know that INKLE is a word. why don't i know literally any words? i really didn't deserve to be in the top tables, but that's ok. #knowledgelarge
The sim winner is 5E VIG(A), minimizing Tim's bingo chance by blocking both (AB)S and S(COPE). Second is D2 V(e)G, maximizing my bingo chance. #strategylarge
Another awful draw, but this was not a good play. I would do 3I FIT if I had to do this over again as that will create easier access to the left side of the board and disposes of my F. #visionlarge
8D KORAI edges this out, but I liked this because it gives back hard floaters. In retrospect, the score difference of KORAI is too important, and OK's back hooks are debilitating. #tacticssad
i wasnt 100% on BOULLES. iirc this is one of the "hardest" racks in aerolith, because people always forget one of the three. also soluble takes an S and i wasn't sure on that either. eep. #knowledgemedium
Well, this wins every time, as I calculated, but according to Quackle this is the worst play that does. It calls for 12B TOEA, which does look pretty good, keeping two consonants. #strategymedium
definitely need to play NUBIlE instead of TUBINg considering last play. Still loses just barely. Maybe I fish a U for an A. I thought I could win if I drew the S. #strategysaddest
this is wayyyyy too steamful, and i thought i was focused. D10 YEN or YER or even better, 15E AIRY are fine! i'm pretty sure i saw AIRY or at least i should. what am i doing exchanging? bad mistake. -16.5 #strategylarge
7I HIRCINe and I chickened out of I4 CHIR(M)INg because why would that be a word? #KNOWLEDGESADDEST
Spoiler: I maintain that spending like 100 minutes on this move is what cost me the game (along with all of my following mistakes). Stay tuned for primo facepalm opportunities.
i'm fine with trying to make it a bit harder for him to bingo here and drawing some high pt tiles. quackle still likes just KEP or KOP, hm. -4.5 #tacticsmedium ? i think my play isn't terrible
quackle likes 14A ARVO solely because it bingoes a lot more than my play. should i really do that? it seems like it gives up more points and bingoes than FRAT. what a weird move. -4 #strategymedium ??
I missed 8K SEAfOAM, the best bingo by far, scoring 8 more points (ignoring the +5 for OMAkASE) and not opening a 3x3 lane. However, F13 OMA wins the sim. #findinglarge
I didn't want to play N5 NY while my opponent still had the hooks, but I didn't pay attention to his leave because I was running short on time. It was safe for me to play #strategylarge
best is M12 BAN(I). I had been aware of the M13 (r)A(GI) spot, but didn't see this one. That saves OI 4L for 15 and stops Stefan from going out in two with W(ON)T 11J. -7 #endgamemedium