i thought i had a decent chance of getting away with FRAYERS* here but decided not to chance it. i considered FRY for a little while but liked points more. i keep forgetting about defense. it's a thing, cesar. -7 #strategymedium
I saw DOGDOMS and him having blocked DOGEDOMS, but I couldn't convince myself that the 7 was valid. CATDOMS* is no good, how could DOGDOMS be? But I'm pretty sure I had checked this recently. #knowledgelarge
This play wasn't great. I had the right idea by blocking him from potentially getting QI down for 64, but this actually gives him back something else. J10 AIT would have done that just fine without giving up a lot of points. #visionsmall
considered dropping the K and this or TRAIK. I didn't consider KI or KA. KI is clearly better than KA because it allows so much less counterplay at N10. TRAIK might also be better than KRAIT because is slows Steven down more than it slows me down, I don't really want to bingo at M1 despite it being the most fortuitous lane on the board. M9 KI is the play. #findingsmall
14B for 2 more since IIRTT isn't doing much with an open I. Or if I'm not going to do that, even YTTRIA is better since that cleans that rack better. #strategymedium
#knowledgesad for challenge and #findingsad for L4 RITZ(Y). I saw (B)IZ but didn't think it would sim SO much better than SITZ. If i wanna play off these tiles, I can get 5 more pts by making OVERBUYS
I had also completely missed QIS, thought I was winning until he made his crushing move. Having to block RE(G)INA(E) was just the icing on the cake. -7 to LO(G)OI, but this seemed to have the only chance of winning. #endgamemedium
I did see HERNIA in the same spot as HEN and deliberated the 2 moves for a while. A play like ONO doesn't tell me he's keeing a scoring leave. The sim tells me that I average only 2 points more at an 8 point sacrifice, so accordingly, I should have gone with HERNIA. Maybe this is a reasonable adjustment after his last play, but generally speaking, I should just take the points and not play scared since the top left of the board will be opened eventually. #strategymedium
(exch AIIIRY) is better even if it bingos less because i draw into J plays on column D and through the K on row 12. It also goes for the blanks more aggressively. #strategysaddest
i am so doubtful that 9H GIE is the play here. i really am shocked that it sims better than exchanging. i know 18 pts is 18 pts, but come on, how could keeping AEEI be right here. -4? #tacticsmedium ?
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
Played it safe with taking out 3x3s, but 15C (D)EGRADeS would have addressed it directly while scoring 13 more. No 3x3s were missed, but spread still matters. Also misscored as 70. #findingmedium
I had a hunch that I should've played BLIVE right after hitting my clock and before Bob's next play...too fixated on keeping an E with seven more to redraw. #strategysmall 15:03
wrote a big X here on my scoresheet, which seems to designate that I saw that I had missed NAKFA from the N in DESIGNEE. #findingmedium
AUK L1 is only a 4-point sacrifice too, seems worth making for the leave.
i challenged this ridiculous word. i looked at my study history and i had guessed it correctly, once, months ago, and never saw it again. jonathan told me he was very surprised i challenged this... but podgy is already a dumb spelling of pudgy, how the hell can podgily be good? in a podgy manner? stupidass dictionary. what a way to lose games. -51 #knowledgelarge
Definitely wasn't sure how to feel about WO in the same spot as I didn't love EILNR on this board. Maybe WON is a little better for the leave, but there's still 4 Ss left and I don't give up an S hook with WORN over WON. WO is a reasonable play because Robin will want to score thru the V in VETOED some of the time which could open up a bingo line for me. I did not spot D8 WOL(V)ER which would have given me a nice fork and scored a couple more. #strategymedium
totally at a loss because I didn't know GUGGLE. I tried to push the issue as a result. KUGEL might have been better if it weren't for his range of mostly consos. #knowledgesmall
Was really close to playing SLY; somehow missed J4 IDYLS which looks good too. DITZY gets hit way harder in response and scores much less. #strategymedium #findingmedium 21:44
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
It seems that I undervalued EINT on this particular board after doing JEON. I can easily parallel the EON with my leave, so 2 extra points isn't worth it here. #strategysmall
i should actually play G2 JEEP since i know he doesn't have the blank at this point so i should go for it. i can always block it next turn. -10 #strategylarge
the issue with EKING bares its teeth. Now I am potentially in range to come back without a bingo at least? Keeping the Z seems to have a lot of value, and I should play JILT 5D. #strategysmall
For only 7 more points, C12 EAUX just felt too reckless. I do keep better, but there's still too many things Paul could hit. A simulation actually does prefer C12 EAU setting up my X since I could hit 15A COX on my next turn. In addition, Paul actually averages the same after XU vs EAU. I should have given more thought to doing EAU despite the X not being very good immediately. #strategysmall
Sokol suggests 11K (DO)RE and 11K (DO)RES. Sid agrees with 11K (DO)RES. Matt O'Connor suggests 13H ROUXS. M11 REX is correct, setting up J10 ZO. #strategysaddest
really put me on the edge here, I cannot let him 3x3 here with how bingo-prone this board is, so I decided to throw a lot of equity down the drain to block. NUV were poor here, but the Y was very nice, and I get NY(AH) for 30 at a bare minimum. However I just completely spaced on (E)VENT which is just a way better version of this.
In a sim this gets destroyed by ENVY 5I for 35 by almost 20 points. It still loses to ENVY if I add 100 points to my score, which gives you an idea of how bad I am at this game. EVENT is the play #findinglarge
Another interesting call between HEXED, INDEXED, and XI, all of which score essentially the same. Whichever I play, Jackson pretty much has to bingo immediately, since otherwise I can play down through the D in BIND and block everything at once. XI is pretty clearly worse since it blocks nothing and also allows plays like JOINT/BINDI to not empty the bag, which makes it possible that they might outrun me without a bingo (virtually impossible if they empty the bag, as they would after INDEXED or HEXED). As for HEXED vs. INDEXED, it looks like I misevaluated the danger or row 14 after INDEXED. There's really not that many bingos he can have there with that pool, but HEXED gives back stuff like DIVINING, DONATING, DONATION. These bngoes also score more than row 14 bingos do after INDEXED, making me less likely to be able to outrun them. So INDEXED looks like a small improvement. #strategysmall #preendgamesmall
N9 ICE #endgamesad
I went over time so we tied with the scores that we had (376-376). There was no recount (I would have lost by 1 point had there been one).