Plays made by the player that were challenged by an opponent. This list may not be completely accurate. Check the 'Challenge Heuristics' section of the about page for more information.
Plays made by the player that were challenged by an opponent. This list may not be completely accurate. Check the 'Challenge Heuristics' section of the about page for more information.
Games in which there are at least 5 challenges made. This list may not be completely accurate. Check the 'Challenge Heuristics' section of the about page for more information.
Quackle likes 11I OMEN a lot, blocking columns J-L and, to some extent, M. I wanted to keep my N for E4 INFLUXES, and ATOM is the best equity play, but blocking the board is of greater importance. #tacticssmall
EDUCT closes the easiest bingo lane, row 15, which I shouldn't do when I am this far behind. Quackle suggests 2I LUCITE to open a lane on row 1, or C2 CLUED for equity. #tacticsmedium
Chosen over G3 WOG because this scores two more points and opens, and the G can hook SIN while the C cannot. D11 WOG scores the same as G3 WOG (which I didn't realize), so the same argument applies--but Quackle strongly prefers D11 WOG. In retrospect, I agree; D11 WOG keeps better tiles and closes, which I should want to do with my lead. #tacticsmedium
Quackle prefers D11 NOVA, but there's no way I do that. The second pick, D11 NAV, is reasonable: it makes a sevens lane on row 14, but that almost always allows counterplay, unlike many bingos on rows 11 and 12 that NAV blocks. Also, NAV saves 1M NOO for next turn if necessary. #tacticssmall
D10 PRANG sacrifices 6 points but sets up the S on row 15. H11 USURP wins the sim, surprisingly; apparently it allows fewer bingos than either PRANG. But I prefer D10 PRANG. #tacticsmedium
The untrustworthy Quackle likes this play; it sets up the S, like I should have done last turn. I saw that I left 4I ARTS as a backup in case my out on row 15 is blocked (or I don't have an out on row 15), but how did I miss 4I URDS? #findingmedium (-12 1/7)
Blocking 2F CAZIQUES 106. Quackle hates this and prefers N6 BI, which blocks the hotspot at N6 (the Q and X are unseen) and outruns CAZIQUES with every possible draw. If I draw the X, I threaten A5 COAX 66! #tacticslarge
7F UPO sims best, and I probably would have played that if I had seen H8 RaMSHORN; Kenji's best play after UPO is B7 RAMSHOrN. CAPOT is bad even if RaMSHORN doesn't exist, because of Kenji's next play. #knowledgelarge
QUODS is better: it scores 6 more points, and my rack is full of consonants, making the S less worth keeping. K4 VELD is interesting, setting up 8K SQUAB or SQUIB with the right draw. #strategysmall
I chose this over AY/YA plays because I hate F's and because AY/YA plays close bingo lanes. But ?AFIS > ?AISY, and 3M YA makes column O a bit harder to use. #strategymedium
C: ugh RET? out of that poolllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll
A: Apparently 15A ThEATER is best. #strategysmall although Quackle is bad at pre-endgames
I missed O6 AUDITEE, which scores three more points and gives me two more chances at the two blanks unseen. N6 AUNTIE is also slightly better than ADIEU despite getting rid of my only consonant, the case T, and setting up the O1-O6 hotspot. #findingmedium
There is a nine starting at 5C (answer on next turn). I did not know the word. Every other bingo plays at 15B. Of these, ETIoLATE, LATErITE, and LITErATE score 58 but have front hooks (I thought of PETIoLATE afterward), and LEvITATE scores 57 without a front hook. Thus LEvITATE is second best, after the nine. #knowledgelarge
WOW Quackle hates this, despite that VAW has the highest score and best equity. 14A QI is best by far. The next best Q spot scores 11 points, and QI saves N8 NAW for next turn. #tacticsmedium
CoCo Seattle Scrabble tournament round 2. 8E POCO is best, followed by 8G POCO. It turns out that the leave AEI isn't so bad compared to EOP. #strategysmall
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
I wanted to take the ONUS hook, but I don't have a play that does that and keeps well. 11D VENIN is best, blocking 2x2s and leaving ONUS for next turn. #strategylarge
This and B1 ANALySE are the highest-scoring bingos, but they give back high scores on column A. Quackle prefers 2B bANSELA for 68, with C3 kANTELAS and pLATANES and 9G KNAWEL(!) not far behind. #strategylarge
I think I saw 4A HOVER but otherwise rushed this play. D2 OVUM is best; it sets up plays in row 1 making NOVUM# but has the second-best equity behind D1 HOVE, which gives even more back? 4B MEVROU# and HOVE are also good plays. #strategysmall
The score is close enough, and my tiles and the pool are good enough, that I should go for one more bingo. FE does not work as a fish, as it hits with only the blank. The best play is D3 FOB, the fish that keeps the best leave and, for example, hits SCALENI with the most likely draw. #strategylarge
This is the highest scoring play, but it empties the bag, and Ruth may be able to outscore me in the endgame. Quackle suggests M12 LIB, which sets up a scoring lane on row 15 that only I can use. #tacticslarge
CoCo Seattle Scrabble tournament round 4. The static evaluator likes 8H CRAMBE, an interesting idea that prevents most seven-letter bingos that don't contain an S. Championship Player likes 8D CEMBRA#, which I didn't know. I was unsure of CAMBER, which I would have played at 8D. #knowledgesmall
EYRIE has the best equity, but Quackle prefers L4 QUEY. There are several I's and U's remaining and no E's, making EYRIE's leave worse than usual. Maybe QUEY is better than 13B UEY# because I save the case E for row 13 parallels? #strategymedium
I have to block K5 FID/FUD. K5 TIL is best, saving C3 SPINY and 14A YINS. I saw that LINDY blocked 6K FUNDI and saved 5K TIPSY, and I didn't notice the high-scoring blocks. (-15) #endgamelarge
In addition to having higher equity than FINNED, 7M FIN allows fewer immediate bingos, more effectively blocking those making GAITT# which I didn't see. #visionmedium I guess
I think I completely missed the best play, 13I EURIPI. But there are several other plays better than PIKI, including K4 PIU, which scores 9 points less but keeps a much better leave in EIKR. #findinglarge
Quackle ranks the 2x2's: 1) 5E sOREDIAL#, 2) K4 mODIOLAR#, 3) 5E fORELAID#, 4) K5 tOROIDAL. I decided to play through the O to prevent any 2x2's in response, but 2x2's on row 11 probably should be less of a concern than the scoring spots that my bingo creates. mODIOLAR or tOROIDAL sets up the J and Z at J10 or J6 respectively, while sOREDIAL or fORELAID sets up the X at 6F (fORELAID also sets up the X at 6J). Because the spot under sOREDIAL is hardest to hit---requiring the X and either I or O---it makes sense for sOREDIAL to be best. Though I still don't understand why mODIOLAR should be better than tOROIDAL. #tacticssmall
This outruns every available bingo, but the best play is 14B SQUIRM, which blocks more of Jennifer's potential bingos than any other play, leaving only column A open. J4 WAZOO is notable. #strategysmall
J6 ZYGA# has the best equity and saves the S for column B making SWIG, at the cost of making column L harder to hit. Quackle prefers it slightly over ZEPS, but not over ZEPS +5 (Chris challenged UGHS). #strategysmall
MIRV# is the highest-scoring play. The best play by 2 points is 14A VOE, blocking 14B BORNA# and other words making HIPPIER. If I draw the N after VOE, I am rewarded with 4I TIN(aM)OU! #tacticssmall
?GSS > ?SSTT and TUFT sets up my S's on a DWS lane, but Quackle prefers FUG, likely because it reduces Carl's scoring potential by not offering a floater. #tacticssmall
Quackle prefers N3 HEINIE--I don't know why--and 14A HIE which scores but keeps IINN, opens row 15, and doesn't block columns N and O. #tacticssmall but...
Quackle picks 14A BABA and 14A BABE. My best chance of winning depends on me drawing the X (I'm not expecting to draw a bingo), and BABA and BABE turn over 4 tiles, empty the bag, and save 14J XI. They also increase Carl's chance of having a bingo, providing a lane for sevens starting with L or R on row 15--and BABA permits A or E as well. I chose BIB because it allows fewer bingos, allows me to play another turn after a bingo, and saves 8A ATAP--although I should really be concerned about the X. BIB saves AXE at 1A and A6. #tacticsmedium
Quackle prefers 8C OY, which, unlike BOYS, leaves lanes for sevens ending in S. OY blocks columns C, D, and E, which may be a downside; but BOYS blocks them as well. K6 BOY may be best because it doesn't block any lanes and it even sets up a lane at L1. #tacticssmall
Quackle picks 5K OWL, but I prefer 5K OWN, which has slightly better equity. I missed the spot, and I thought FON scored 22 before I played it. I also mistakenly thought FON kept better than WON. #findingmedium
B3 BUNKIE is better; I didn't know the word. The pool is strong, and BUNKIE unloads all my bad tiles while scoring only one point fewer. #knowledgesmall
I was about to play B6 KUE, but Mitch will play WAXEN if I don't. That said, M1 UNITE dominates the sim; after the sequence UNITE, WAXEN, KUE, Mitch will be down 17 with one in the bag, and his only possible bingo is N4 ESCAROLE. (If Mitch plays WAXER instead, he could draw 2C CLEANISH or M7 CLEANSE.) Thus it mostly becomes a matter of outrunning Mitch in the endgame, and according to the sim I have almost a 2/3 chance of success. If I play WAXEN, then the sim expects Mitch to play 4A CLEAVE, after which he can draw a multitude of bingos on columns M and N, plus the occasional bingo on row 2 or column B. #tacticsmedium
N11 TIKE dominates the sim, winning 73%, and I have no idea why--it scores 26, but it keeps EUU and makes a higher-scoring (though less useful) bingo line on column O, which should in theory prevent me from outscoring if Mitch has a bingo (54%). 7K ETUI, Championship Player's pick and second place on the sim (63% win), allows the fewest bingos (40%) and keeps a leave that can outscore most plays that aren't bingos. Thus I think ETUI is best. KUE does not block column N at all and is thus significantly worse. #tacticslarge
Quackle prefers K9 HATH, which I considered. HEATH has the better equity, but the board is good for bingos in the short term, with row 12 and column B, and HATH preserves both lanes and keeps a better bingo leave. #tacticssmall
I saw OcREATE, but I didn't want to give up a C hook at A1. This sacrifices 3 points, yet Quackle rates this an 8-point mistake. In hindsight, it was a mistake; I drew both C's and the other blank this game. #tacticssmall
I'm far ahead that I can sacrifice over ten points of equity to avoid allowing triple-triples. In this case, I should play 10D SIKA. This play got probably the longest hold of my career, because Michael was directing the tournament and a bag of tiles was spilled. #tacticsmedium
Quackle assigns this the highest valuation, but M11 TOR and a few other plays have undetectably better win chances (99.99 > 99.99 apparently). I considered TOR but I did not realize that it forced bingos ending in S to play on column N instead of column M, thus giving me high-scoring responses. #tacticssmall
This has the best equity, but now that I win 100% (more than 99.995% anyway, but it appears as 100% due to rounding error), I should give myself a chance to pad my spread with 8L LINO--which makes a bingo lane on column O and prevents Michael from using the hotspot at 8L-8O. #tacticssmall
I missed an opportunity here--8L FIG sets up the S at O8, and it can be blocked only with the remaining A. Quackle prefers GIF for some reason? #tacticsmedium
A: I chose EPIGrAM because it creates a decent sevens lane on row 2. But 1I PrIMAGE is slightly better, possibly because EPIGrAM creates scoring opportunities for Carl? I don't know. #tacticssmall
C: The whole game, I wanted to play EPIGRAMMIC*, but it's ENGRAMMIC/IDEOGRAMMIC/PHONOGRAMMIC only.
Fishing for Z plays at 10J in a way that doesn't arouse suspicion. J10 ZA is best, followed by plays using the letters BURD, BUD, BURDS, etc. but suspiciously not at 10J. #tacticsmedium
A: The best plays are exchanges: Quackle's pick is to exchange all 7, followed by other exchanges keeping the S and maybe one other tile. Keeping the S seems right because it is essential for column O and also useful on column N making ZITIS. GIRT blocks column D and leaves 6 in the bag, making it impossible for me to play two bingos. #strategysmall
C: Worse yet, a few years ago, I prepared a spreadsheet of all the blank bingos with 5 or fewer solutions, and have looked at the top 3,000 8s maybe 50 times each. One of these blanagrams is ?AEILNNO, with four solutions. If I had recognized this, I might have found mINNEOL(A) E4, but that seemed like the least promising lane, and I didn't give it enough time. All those hundreds of hours I've spent looking at those lists, and then I miss something from there. But it pays to remember that all the study in the world can't guarantee that you'll find the word. It merely increases your chances of finding it.
14J ROOST is a much better play; it does not give back O4 DONEE/RAKEE, and it blocks L12 DANK/DARK, while guaranteeing an out with whatever I draw. #visionlarge (-16)
K4 GoRSIEST is best; I didn't bother to iterate the blank. GrISTERS opens only three distinct floaters instead of four, while GoRSIEST weakens 6J and puts the S in row 10, rather than row 11 which has a DWS. #tacticssmall
Trying to block row 15 without opening anything on row 14 that didn't already play on row 12. But 15G FLARE fulfils this requirement while scoring three more points. Apparently 15F RALLYE is best, but I would still play FLARE. M3 VOCABLY is awesome, and it doesn't take any hooks, unlike VOCABLE. #findingsmall
Yes, I saw 14F GRIT. And then I saw KITING, and then I saw TIRING which undoubles my R's and saves the K for 14F, and meanwhile I forgot about GRIT. But I have to draw an A for 14F KA or else the sacrifice isn't worth it. Actually, the best plays are at L10: GYRI, RYKE, and KYRIE block row 14, and GYRI in particular saves the K for 14F and doesn't take any of the four unseen S's. #tacticsmedium
Despite that it scores best, Quackle hates WRECK, because it keeps AEU with a vowel-heavy pool; 12K EAU is best, saving WRECK for next turn. #strategymedium
Quackle hates this and likes 7C HUE; FLRT is a bad leave, but ELU is worse, and HUE scores one more point. There are also many plays better than FRITH that sacrifice points but keep better leaves, such as 9B UH and 7B FLU. #strategymedium
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 did what I thought was essential--block M7 JINGLED/JINGLER while guaranteeing an out--although I didn't see my backup out, C1 ASKOI. But there is so much more scoring potential! 14M YE sets up O11 OBIAS for 36, with a backup of A1 COBIAS, and Matt cannot both block OBIAS and use the J. M11 AIYEE blocks all of Matt's 30+ point J plays while saving K2 SORB for 25. Both YE and AIYEE are 19 points better than this. #endgamelarge (-19)
Quackle heavily favors 13J ETIC. I suppose it reduces Kenji's scoring potential by blocking 15J plays making ZA, and 10N YE is likely to stay open. #tacticsmedium
Scored as 78. This is the only bingo, but I did not consider playing at 15H after BENT came down; RABIETIc and BIRRETtA are available. #visionmedium #scoring
13G QI is best. QUERN has the best equity, but the pool is less than good. Honorable mention to L2 LID, which occasionally draws into FREQUENT or QUITRENT 1A or QUEERING 15A. #strategylarge
I think I saw 4L VOE but didn't fully appreciate it. Not only does it partially block column O, it saves A8 DRUNK for next turn. And it has better equity! ENV is worse than I expected. #tacticsmedium
I missed B2 InFANTA, which scores 2 more points and is easily best. I chose this over ANTIFAt and ANtIFAT because I thought this would be harder to underlap, and also to show off one of the new NWL words. L1 TIFFANY is awesome. #findingmedium
Only four possible racks from the unseen tiles yield bingos: EEINRSS, EEIORSS, EENORSS, and EINORSS. PI blocks EEINRSS and EINORSS at N7, but I had not seen that Carl could play 9H ROSERIES or 10H SORENESS. N7 PADRI, RAPT, or RIANT or 9H RITARD blocks all possible bingos. #findingsmall
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
Quackle likes H6 MILE a lot. I don't see what's so great about it, but MIMEOED is probably a mistake anyway, as it blows up the rack. 7E MEG is the best equity play but Championship Player doesn't seem to consider it. D8 VIMEN is reasonable. #strategysmall
Why didn't I play 14B GRASP? Actually, PING has better equity than both GRASP and Quackle's choice, 12A DING. But DING is better because what, APRS is a better leave and A12-A15 is less lucrative? #tacticssmall
POND has the high valuation, but N5 ADORNS wins more often, because it blocks the lanes on columns L and N without opening an easy lane on column O. #tacticssmall
Quackle strongly favors exchanging keeping only the S; the best play on the board has over 6% less win chance. I can't explain that, but YIRR has the shortcoming of providing two extra lanes for Betty to play a bingo--columns J and K.#tacticslarge apparently
Once I saw DISARmS I looked no further; hence I missed DISbARS and vISARDS in the same spot. Quackle strongly favors fishing off an S (13G QUITS) to threaten a bingo out on column L or N with any possible draw. #tacticslarge
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
I don't know why I played this over J11 TENIA--maybe to keep the A for G9? Quackle prefers short plays like 4N DA, 14H AIT, and O10 AIT, but it doesn't realize that Mike has just fished. I like J11 TENIA best. #tacticssmall
Plays on column B making EWE block all of Mike's bingos, and they even preserve column E for me to use next turn. Quackle chooses B4 POPE, followed by B6 PE; although I might have chosen PE just so Mike doesn't know my rack. E5 PIE allows AILMENT, ALIMENT, ALUMINA, AMENTIA, and VALIANT at B1. #tacticslarge
13A MAX gives back a lot on column A and row 14, but there is already a lot of scoring potential on this board, and MAX unloads one of my A's and scores one more point. #strategysmall
I took the points and defense, but AAR is a bad leave, I'm slightly behind, there are two good S spots (TOONIES and ALGUAZILS), and I know Cesar did not keep an S. I should play 13A CAY and go for a bingo. #strategymedium
I think I liked that FIB blocks the L column, but it's a lousy block considering that it keeps five consonants and that I could potentially use ALGUAZIlS later for the same purpose. C11 FACT is best despite opening a high-scoring lane on row 15 for the unseen AAS. I like 7C FACT, Quackle's second choice. #strategymedium
BURAN is the pure equity play, but 5H UNBE handily wins the sim. There are up to 5 E's in the bag and no A's, and UNBE blocks column K and scores one more point. #tacticsmedium
I saw I8 LAURElED before entering this rack into Quackle, and I missed L1 qUAVERED entirely. This is a weak fish. Somehow Quackle prefers L12 RUE with two R's unseen?? #findinglarge
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
3A THY has the best equity and is made better by the fact that I need a bingo to come back, as the Y is bad for bingos. I didn't consider any valid play other than HORNLET#. #strategysmall
Quackle's choice is 3K GOWL#, which sacrifices 5 points to keep the E and make more high-scoring lanes on column N and, if I draw the S, column O. BOWLED and BLOWED are also better than BOWLEG, if only because a Z draw after BOWLED or BLOWED gives me B6 ZIG. #tacticssmall
MOLASSE# is actually a big mistake, and I should attempt to go out with a bingo. 4A MOWS appears to be best, winning about 1/5 of games if Championship Player is to be trusted. #strategylarge
INHOLDER does not take a P, but my other options score so little (F6 PULAO 15 is best), and if it does take a P I don't want Joshua to be able to use the spot. Somehow Joshua was only a PINHOLDER* holder and not a PINHOLDER* challenger. After the game I learned that INSETTER takes a P. #knowledgelarge
I basically stopped looking after I found BATEAU. There are many plays better than this, including Quackle's pick C2 ABATE, C1 ABYE, 2L AYE, and 7B BATTIER, which is significantly more awesome than this. #strategymedium
Quackle prefers N1 ALUMNI, which apparently wins 100%. I was trying to prevent bingos. But Quackle hates MI, and indeed something like 15H sELENIC or O1 SILICONEs can still outrun. #tacticslarge
What do I block, 15H sELENIC/sILENCE or O1 SILICONEs? Quackle says neither, that 14A UNS and many other plays outrun. I decided to block sELENIC/sILENCE, I think because it scores more and is easier to find than SILICONEs. However, my block for sELENIC/sILENCE scores only 3 points, and if Matt has sELENIC/sILENCE he also has L4 ELENChI. Also O1 SILENCINg, L4 CaNNOLI, and 4G LYCOpENE and sYNCLINE exist. In order to block all bingos except sELENIC/sILENCE/ELENChI, I would have to play three or more tiles on row 3 spanning from 3L to 3N, but it is impossible to do that without allowing another bingo starting from 3M. In short, blocking bingos isn't worth it, and 14A UNS saving F4 FLEW is best. #tacticslarge
I didn't check every possibility for the blank, which is a shame because I3 NaRDINE scores 74 points (and I prefer gRINNED over INuRNED as well). 8B INtERNODE is awesome. #findingmedium
I wasn't sure what to do here, but I should have seen 13G BAA. 9A AE is best, with BAA a close second. #findingmedium and #scoringlarge for the miscount
There is a lot of cool plays here: this, 9A YEH, B2 wHEEZER, J8 YEZ, N2 YEESH. HEEZE has best equity, but Quackle picks 9A YEH (which I found postmortem). YEH sacrifices only six points while keeping ?EEZ--a very strong leave especially considering the shortage of unseen E's. #strategymedium
I have three wins, but they all involve WILCO, which I did not see. The best play is D4 UM, threatening WILCO in three spots and outrunning 9A OES with 3A WILCO. MAW ties. But remember the scoring error, two points in favor of Gunther: This game was counted as a loss for me because of that. I really should have recounted. #endgamesaddest (-6)
I realized after I played this that I missed A10 LAVAGE, which both I and the sim prefer over BAGEL. The equity play, A12 VEGA, performs equally with LAVAGE. #strategysmall
CoCo Seattle Scrabble tournament round 5. I have heard it said that on an opening turn, one should exchange rather than playing a low-scoring vowel dump, to avoid allowing eights. That is especially true here, as I can keep a better leave after exchanging AOU. #strategysmall
7F GOEL# is the clear best play, as it preserves the closed position and keeps the best possible leave, including an S to hook onto AUA# or LUV. #strategymedium
The only bingos are 1G WHIlLIED# and WHILlIED, which I did not know. However, Quackle prefers 13A IWI#, which keeps a better leave than WILI# (including two vowels, which is important given the consonant-heavy pool) and gives me a chance to play a bingo from 1H-1O next turn. I considered 9M WAI#, with the same idea; but WAI performs slightly worse than IWI and the bingos, likely because it blocks column L. #strategymedium #knowledgemedium
The only bingos are 1G WHIlLIED# and WHILlIED, which I did not know. However, Quackle prefers 13A IWI#, which keeps a better leave than WILI# (including two vowels, which is important given the consonant-heavy pool) and gives me a chance to play a bingo from 1H-1O next turn. I considered 9M WAI#, with the same idea; but WAI performs slightly worse than IWI and the bingos, likely because it blocks column L. #strategymedium #knowledgemedium
Current opening theory dictates that I exchange A. But Quackle likes 8H AL followed by 8G LA, probably to reduce Joey's average score next turn, despite increasing Joey's likelihood of getting a bingo and decreasing mine. #strategysmall
O1 BEAU is best, but again, I don't know the hooks to pAtHOGEN. #knowledgelarge but there are also better plays that I did know, like G4 UPO and 3D UVEA. I would like them more if they didn't kill the row 3 lane....
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
3L REI.... but then I have to find CRENATION after C2 CHOIR and C1 ICHOR are blocked. Also N4 CIRRI is better than this because it does not allow 6M MIG. #endgamemedium (-10)
I didn't spend enough time generating plays here. I saw this, D8 FIBULA, E2 AUDIBLE, and 7G BUDA#; I chose BULLA to play off an L while keeping a vowel. The best play is BUILD in the same spot, scoring 2 more than BULLA and keeping the better leave; somehow I saw only its anagram, BLUID#, which doesn't play. Other good options include D8 FLUID, 7E BALU#, and 7E BUDI#. #findingmedium
2I OBA is best. I chose 6I to block (BE)Z#, but it partially blocks the bingo lane on column L, which I need to leave open while I'm behind. #strategysmall
Exchanging EEFOU is clearly best. EN is a much-better leave than EENO, and the tiles in FEU will not help a leave of EENO, while they may help BriAnna's rack, especially after a small exchange. #strategymedium
7F NOODGE scores 1 more than GEODE, keeps a better leave, and does not set up a Z bomb. While I agree with Quackle that NOODGE is better than GEODE, I don't see how it's a 10-point mistake. #findinglarge
L6 NODI has the best equity, but Quackle prefers various plays that use 5E, probably the most dangerous scoring spot on the board. The best play is 5D IODIN, followed by 5D NODI and DINO. #strategysmall
A8 TRaNQ is best! It sacrifices 17 points but gives back much less than QuANTISE (note QuANTISER#) and saves the S for KABS with several high-scoring tiles remaining. #tacticsmedium
Though ADZE is the highest-scoring play, Quackle doesn't consider it. The best play is 2I GOV#, setting up 1G ZEA# or 1H ZA; BriAnna's blocks score very few points, and I still have ADZE. #tacticslarge
15F EVO# is best, saving N4 GAMA, or 3L AGMA after BriAnna's best block, 8L DIVA. OGAM would be only two points worse if H10 CLITIC were not available. (-11) #endgamelarge
M1 LOVE apparently has the best chance of winning; Will will block row 1 but I could potentially get a bingo at A1 with the Q and then draw another bingo? Nah, even if I get 2 bingos Will should outrun easily. 5I VLOG has the highest valuation. #strategysmall I guess
Will blocked LAYOVERS, and with nothing to lose but spread, I decided to check whether HUNTABLE takes an S. O1 SYLVAE has the highest valuation. #knowledgelarge
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
Quackle loves 5K MU, which has better equity and a good chance of drawing a bingo at 10A. I don't remember whether I considered plays at 5K. MOB is also good. #strategysmall
Quackle picks 3H YOW, which is tied for the best equity with 13B YOW--OWLY is a point behind, and the three unseen L's do not significantly diminish the gap. I prefer 13B YOW over 3H YOW, as it opens a potentially high-scoring lane on row 14 and doesn't obstruct the lanes on rows 3 and 5. #strategysmall
CoCo Seattle Scrabble tournament round 14. I considered 8H UNKED# and rejected it because it has hooks and NUKED doesn't. Quackle prefers UNKED; I suppose putting the U next to the DLS's affects David's average score more than UNKED's hooks. #strategysmall
Quackle strongly favors 5E ONO, which sets up -ROWS plays at H1 while an E draw gives O8 RESOW and H10 MOWERS and an A draw gives H10 MOWRAS#. #tacticsmedium
I had no idea of what to do here. Quackle likes G9 GOD, fishing and setting up another lane. The pool is awful, which makes playing few tiles better than playing many. #tacticsmedium
Scored as 36. QANAT has the best equity, but the best play is O3 VALONIA, which blocks high-scoring bingos on columns N and O. Also, I might as well play my I off, given that six more I's are unseen. #strategymedium
This is one of five plays that win 100% because they block N5 VENDEES--a word I had forgotten about. Quackle likes L8 WO because it doesn't empty the bag. This is the pre-endgame, though, and I don't trust Quackle here. I like 10J WAUR, unloading a U with one unseen. #strategymedium
8G TAKING has the best equity. I was leery of giving up an extra bingo lane, easier sevens lanes, and a chance to hook TAKING while using a DWS, which is why I chose KIANG; but I should also be concerned with keeping two T's. #strategysmall
This has the best equity, but Quackle overwhelmingly prefers exchanging, keeping only the R--though I am ahead, I am less than 50% to win, so I should preserve the lanes on rows 14 and 15. #tacticsmedium
Quackle goes haywire in the pre-endgame, but 4C TAV appears to have the best win chance. 7C GAP has the best equity as well as a better win chance than LAV. #strategysmall
10L PEH is better, presumably because it blocks the high-scoring bingo lanes in columns L and M. I like EDH because it keeps my vowel, and I can score well with 10M EF next turn. #strategysmall
Quackle hates this exchange and wants me to conserve spread by playing G3 WOWS, blocking the bingo lanes on rows 2-4 while saving 4I LUAU for next turn. #tacticsmedium
Setting up my C and fishing, for lack of a better idea. But now if Tom plays a bingo hooking to make CRIB or DRIB, he can close the board at the same time; the bingo lanes before RIB (columns C, H, and J) all create floaters. G8 MIB is best. #tacticsmedium
I chose REAL over ORAL because there were 7 E's unseen and no O's. But I did not consider what the benefit of keeping the O would be, and now that I am considering it I don't see any significant benefit; EE > EO, and even triplicate E's are fine. I should just play ORAL. Quackle prefers C12 NOR but that's ridiculous with IIIM unseen. #strategymedium
But the sacrifice was worth it, as (alas) my 93-point JETES was blocked. Quackle picks 1A EME, blocking 1A and ensuring that my M scores well while saving D6 JEST or J10 JETS. #tacticsmedium
Keeping the G for 13C, but CURVET is better; though it sets up a high-scoring S-hook on O3, there are already high-scoring S-hooks available. Quackle prefers 4H VENGE, but given the board I don't like it as much. Honorable mention goes to 13B EGRET, which sets up my R with only one unseen; Quackle doesn't seem to consider it. #tacticssmall
venge 30
curvet 29.4
verged 27.7
curve 27.3
This has the highest valuation. Quackle gives M6 AZLON a slightly higher win chance, but I think 11J NOLO is better than AZLON: it turns over the same amount of tiles for O1 QI; it keeps the Z, which has high scoring potential; and, unlike AZLON, it doesn't open sevens lanes. NOLO is probably better than this as well. #tacticssmall
The hotspot at O8 is so lucrative that it is worth the 34-point sacrifice to block with 8J GRAPEY. I didn't see GRAPEY, but even GLEY is worth playing there as well. And AGLEY, and GREY, and PLAYER.... #tacticsmedium
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
Quackle prefers HALT, which scores two more points and unloads one more consonant, but keeps the V, which has less scoring potential than the H. At least HALT keeps E3 VUG and M11 VIG for next turn. #strategysmall I guess
Yet another example of Quackle being bad at pre-endgames: it says three plays win 100%, namely this, 1L FAGS, and M11 ZIG; and FAGS has by far the highest valuation. Upon further investigation, FAGS loses when I draw an I (3/8) and Carl plays 14L LEIs setting up 13J ODIC(!), which I cannot block without being Z-stuck. ZIG and ZAGS win 100%, and ZIG is slightly better, threatening plays at 1L-1O and 5B-5E. #tacticssmall (-0.5)
I saw O10 FAKEER as I entered this rack into Quackle. Surprisingly OMA is only about 7 points worse, but that is likely because it keeps FAKEER for next turn. #findingmedium
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 think I chose this over the other 4A bingos because it formed EEW--yes, for that reason alone. But I missed C3 pLEBEIAN, which scores the same and doesn't open a TWS-TWS lane. #findingsmall
9H HUP, the sim winner, is extremely defensive, allowing Orry an average of only 16 points next turn; but I don't like that it keeps the F. I like POUFS because it unloads FU and sets up the H at 8L. Although a play like K7 FACTA would make the spot hard to use. #tacticssmall
I see the merit in Quackle's pick J10 HIT, that TIZ blocks the H spot at J10 and the Z can consistently score well. But I have a blank, and the H is better for bingos. #tacticssmall
The same word plays at 6E for 3 more points and blocks the -ER lane on row 5. I think I saw it. My play is more defensive, blocking the lanes on columns D and E without opening any new lanes. #tacticssmall
Fishing is not the right play here, for I do not hit often enough, and once Orry makes his play of M13 LEU I have to start blocking again. I should take the points with 10D GIBES, the sim winner. #tacticsmedium
Quackle prefers KEX, blocking JUPONS with four S's unseen. I chose EX because I wanted scoring potential with the K, though it is not all that helpful on this board. #tacticssmall
2B AECIA is best, unloading vowels and occasionally drawing into 1A QAT with four T's unseen. I seem to never find AECIA, especially when I am distracted by the Q on my rack. #findingsmall
Quackle hates this play, and I agree that it is unsound. My idea was to generate turnover for the blank while setting up a marginal lane on column N that is difficult for Noah to close (without opening another lane or sacrificing points) or to hit, because I have the last E. I considered 12H DOWSE, but Noah usually has one or more of DRRRS and can close the board easily by playing on column M. I did not consider any fishing plays. L8 WE is best by far, setting up OKES on column M and tempting a play at 8L that opens lanes for 8s. #strategylarge
I inferred a Z. But Jeff didn't have a Z. In my defense, 10C WADI wins the sim when I infer a Z, because none of Championship Player's choices block ADZ. But otherwise, 9G WIT is best. #tacticsmedium
When do I learn that I should never keep two or more I's? And I'm not ahead by enough that I should be paranoid about row 15. K8 MOIRAI is best. #strategymedium
I saw O10 IRITIC, and I should have played it. IRITIC blocks column O, one of the higher-scoring bingo lanes on the board, and partially blocks row 12. The reason I played ICIER is that it fully blocks rows 12 and 13, the easiest bingo lanes. But it sacrifices 13 points, W > ITW, and I can easily outrun most row 13 bingos. #tacticsmedium
I have to block A3 UNTANNEd, but there are better ways. Best is 9A OWE, leaving J4 ZIP 32 while setting up A8 ZORI 39. Best of the plays I saw was 4A PE, but the optimal sequence includes 7C ZOA, which I missed. #endgamemedium (-13)
11C DIB is best, blocking the J. 12C VEG is second, with the same idea and the best equity. I suppose ABDER doesn't become a bingo often on this board. #tacticssmall
C12 OGEE has the best equity, but ODEA is more effective in blocking JIHADI; OGEE still allows -IE- words on row 15. So Quackle prefers OGEE over ODEA by a wider margin now? #strategysmall
Keep the L. The fact that the pool is consonant-heavy doesn't merit playing a guaranteed consonant for one point. Actually K5 SPILITE is best; ??SSS are unseen and my leave after JIHADI isn't that great. #strategymedium
This is the best equity play, but I was sad about partially blocking RHUMBA. In fact I should have sacrificed two points to preserve RHUMBA with 9E EME. #tacticsmedium
I was proud of this play, setting up my J at 8L with only one T unseen. Championship Player does not consider IVY and favors JIVY instead; I am disappointed to see that JIVY also wins a sim against IVY. #tacticssad
I missed M5 OBLIGE, the best play. This is second-best, now fishing for A8 GLITZ. LOBE is better than LOGE because LOBE + GLITZ scores one more than LOGE + BLITZ. #findingsmall
When will I learn that I should never keep two I's? AHI has the best equity, but 12C TAHINI is best overall; having two I's greatly hinders my potential for a 2*2 on column K. #tacticssmall
This has the highest valuation, but Quackle prefers the safer 11G CoNIINE. INClINE takes D, R, and S, all of which can easily end a seven-letter bingo to bring Michael back into this game. #tacticssmall
Championship Player likes 4F PROTEI, which is an awesome find but doesn't block FARL. Of the plays that block FARL, CP prefers K9 PUERIlE. PUERIlE also wins the sim, with O13 ORE/IRE close behind; OUT is too much of a sacrifice. I suppose now is the time to confess that I wasn't certain of INCLINER. #strategymedium
8H OY is best, followed by 8G YO. TOYO sets up my S on column K, but it is fairly likely for Carl to have an N or S with which to use the spot; and OY and YO have better equity than TOYO. #strategymedium
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
Yes, I saw 2A PANADA, and I absolutely should have played it--it scores better, keeps better, turns over one more tile for the blanks, and creates a high-scoring lane on column A, which I may need because I am behind. #strategymedium
C: In fact, Alec did draw the T, so good thing I'm not a wizard.
A: 3L LIE is best. The lane in column O is easier to use after LIE than after LIED, and the D is a useful bingo tile. #strategymedium
Drawing OOO killed any chance I had of winning this game. C2 APO has the best valuation; it blocks Carl's next play, and the pool is consonant-heavy, so I don't have to worry about keeping five vowels on my rack. #tacticslarge
LIRI is the equity play, but Quackle strongly favors 13C TIRL. The only reason I can think of is that Richard averages more next turn by playing through the R or I of LIRI, blocking my best lanes in the process. #tacticssmall
STOUP blocks row 14, the only bingo lane available to Richard (no O's or U's to parallel STOUP remain); but E9 INEPT does it better, sacrificing only one point while saving the S for row 15. OUTVAUNTED is awesome. #findingmedium
Quackle prefers M2 NOT, though it is reckless with ?KSSS unseen; next best is 8A PONCE. PERC sets up the S on column E, which makes potential bingos more likely to play (note that POSTERN on my rack is homeless), but it apparently sacrifices too much leave value. Note that there are five E's, three R's, and no O's unseen, which influenced my choice. Interestingly, despite this, none of Quackle's choices use the R. #strategymedium
M1 NISI is best. But that requires me to know VOLATILES. Failing that, N12 HUB sets up the S on row 15 with low risk, at least compared to 2H HUB. #knowledgemedium
I must not have found GIRD somehow. It's odd that Quackle rates DIRGE over 40 points back in valuation, given 4 unseen E's, a clunky pool (which means I am likelier to get a bingo than Will), and the fact that it is--well, seems--easier to play a bingo through a D than through a G. But DIRGE never wins anyway. #findingmedium
I missed the R hook on JAKE and the L hook for PATAGIA (which I straight up just didn't know, I thought it maybe took an S or nothing). Once I saw that B9 (BA)IRNS guaranteed the win I didn't really think too hard. #visionsaddest #knowledgesaddest
I missed the R hook on JAKE and the L hook for PATAGIA (which I straight up just didn't know, I thought it maybe took an S or nothing). Once I saw that B9 (BA)IRNS guaranteed the win I didn't really think too hard. #visionsaddest #knowledgesaddest
okras is the play here. even though RS > NS, the difference is small on this board, and OKRAS gives back enough fewer points from that overlap that it's worth it. i'm still sad about playing KOANS instead of KAONS, which sims half a point higher. it's a tiny difference, but it had a huge effect, and that's why it's important to make as few errors as possible. it seems impossible to get rid of all these little leaks. -1 #tacticssmall #knowledgesmall
okras is the play here. even though RS > NS, the difference is small on this board, and OKRAS gives back enough fewer points from that overlap that it's worth it. i'm still sad about playing KOANS instead of KAONS, which sims half a point higher. it's a tiny difference, but it had a huge effect, and that's why it's important to make as few errors as possible. it seems impossible to get rid of all these little leaks. -1 #tacticssmall #knowledgesmall
i saw UNROOT at M3 but i didn't like it that much. i'm down a bit over a tempo and there's only a couple of lamish bingo lanes open. UNROOT sets up some overlap possibilities for him. it didn't seem that exciting. but maybe it's right. TAUON gives back 6 more pts on average. -4 #strategymedium
Apparently FOX is better, but it seemed like it gave back sooo much and I can score with the X next turn, but DHNR can turn into something as well. I could hit INHOLDER or something #tacticsmedium
Best play here is sick: EREMITE D8, setting up a likely QI C12 for next turn. QAT isn't awful, but you can see that EEIRT is a terrible leave against that pool. (-6) #visionmedium
FIE 14A is best here. I considered stuff like that, but GRIEF seemed better because it scored more and didn't give back parallel plays. (-3) #strategysmall
At the time, I was really conflicted about this play. I saw that if Alec hit a big -IC word at 2B, I was in a lot of trouble, but I also figured I was substantially more likely to hit the spot. I also considered KOINE at H1, which wins the sim. -2 #strategysmall
PITOT 10J is better, once again because F2 (A: 10J?) is such a big spot. Also better is TIPTOED 13C, breaking up the unpalatable DS combo. (-3.5) #visionmedium
So many lanes, so much potential! I spent more than 5 minutes looking for bingos and didn't see one. After the game, I gave the rack to Alec and he found the only bingo in about 30 seconds. Dude is *sharp*. Also, LENO 1A is better than any other play by far. I must have gotten flustered after wasting all my time failing to find the bingo that I didn't take more time to find the right non-bingo play. (-30) #visionlarge, #strategylarge, #timemanagementlarge
So many lanes, so much potential! I spent more than 5 minutes looking for bingos and didn't see one. After the game, I gave the rack to Alec and he found the only bingo in about 30 seconds. Dude is *sharp*. Also, LENO 1A is better than any other play by far. I must have gotten flustered after wasting all my time failing to find the bingo that I didn't take more time to find the right non-bingo play. (-30) #visionlarge, #strategylarge, #timemanagementlarge
So many lanes, so much potential! I spent more than 5 minutes looking for bingos and didn't see one. After the game, I gave the rack to Alec and he found the only bingo in about 30 seconds. Dude is *sharp*. Also, LENO 1A is better than any other play by far. I must have gotten flustered after wasting all my time failing to find the bingo that I didn't take more time to find the right non-bingo play. (-30) #visionlarge, #strategylarge, #timemanagementlarge
Way off. The right play here is MURA 5B, setting up the Y. I didn't see it, or anything else for that matter. And no, I didn't pick up on any tells; I'm just a spazz. -17 #visionlarge
Figured this would be a controversial move, but while I accept it's a mistake and I certainly got burned to the maximum possible extent, I had logic behind it, as I expressed on the stream; if Alec didn't have a bingo, I expected he might be more apt to open something than the Gibsons of the world. #strategylarge
I suppose FOAM is simply too many points not to play, but I was really unhappy with its effects on the board...I suppose the D of SQUID is very difficult to block without sacrificing a lot of points after I play FOAM. #strategylarge
wow, this is a plain bad play. i don't think i even looked that long, FAUGH seemed obvious to me. but surely 13L AHOY for 34 is great, and E10 FUGIO looks good too. -10 #findinglarge
i kind of gave up on finding the best way to win here. i'm not totally sure how to do it. it probably involves him having the Q. like - i'm going to lose anyway, so i shouldn't be trying to avoid the Q, just assume he has it and open up another lane and hope to draw for a miracle. i saw something like 2L MOI could lead to LEPORID, for example, but that seems easily blockable. 15L IM(ID)O is looking best here. #strategysmall
C: i think i lost it here. this is how to do well at nationals; find the winning play. i cashed in my D too early. i can have that spot later (if he blocks it i have AD/DAH too). i need to play at N13 so that he can't play there!! i was low on time, only about 3 minutes, but i didn't do a good enough job here :( -- the winning play is N13 REI #endgamelarge (it's a small error point-wise, but it loses the game)
A: Actually, REI loses by 2 after I play E4 RAH. (-6)
I didn't like my position after K8 SAnDBOY -> play on A12 for 40ish points, so I played this instead, but K8 SAnDBOY is fine and K8 DAYBOyS is 1 more point, maybe, I dunno. #strategysadder
I ruled out BONK here. It scores 4 points more but keeps three vowels, which is dreadful. Despite this, BONK is worth considering, because it can be hooked only with an S, whereas BONE takes a variety of hooks that will make it easy for Alec to score, most notably the Y. For these reasons, NEB 9E is better than either BONK/BONE. I don't think I saw NEB. If I did see it, then I might have disregarded it because EKOU is a worse leave than EKU, but failed to notice the positional advantages of NEB. This is the kind of mistake I'm most likely to make. I focus so intently on maximizing my score and keeping a good leave that I don't give enough consideration to what opportunities I offer my opponent. It's a critical leak in my game. (-4) #strategymedium
This is such an automatic play that how could there possibly be anything better? Well, I did look for better plays and missed them. KEFIR 8A, which scores a little more, takes out Column B, and-- most importantly, does not open a big scoring spot for my opponent. But a true wizard would have found FEZ H14, setting up the other F. The only other hook that could go there is a T, and there is < 20% chance that Alec drew it after GASTREA. (-15) #visionlarge
I'm really surprized to see RAX F4 win the sim. I wanted to keep that RAZ combo for 14H. I suppose drawing the Q without that U is pretty bad, but I wouldn't think burning the R and the A would be worth it. (-5) #strategysmall
Considered A6 VIDEO; classic give and take between points and bingo%. The RASSLER lanes look pretty appealing for bingos but odds are pretty good that they get blocked. The plays sim in a near dead heat with VIDEO slightly ahead. #tacticssmall
