Friday, February 24, 2012

2/26 Meeting

Who will be at this Sunday's meeting? I'll be traveling and miss this one and the next one.

Steve

Saturday, February 18, 2012

2013 Monthly Club Meeting Stats

Below is a list of cumulative stats from our Official monthly (second Sunday) meetings for 2013. You can get to this page by clicking the "Monthly Club Stats" link from the blog's front page, under the "Scrabble Lists and Statistics" heading.

Totals Wins Losses Avg Opp Avg Bingoes/Game
Steve Bush 20 5 416.9 339.4 1.96
Will Scott 22 7 419.5 351.0 1.59
Joe Roberdeau 3 1 382.5 365.3 1.50
Marc Broering 2 1 400.7 349.0 1.00
Thom Hehl 4 3 362.1 367.0 1.00
Margaret Yoder 3 4 363.3 369.4 1.29
Betty King 14 19 359.8 365.5 0.85
Victoria Bledsoe 11 14 351.0 369.8 1.08
David Brown 2 3 353.6 371.2 1.20
Jan Hatton 7 11 337.8 363.4 0.28
Janny Scheeline 5 19 293.6 397.8 0.13
Joe Deas 0 3 335.7 383.3 0.67
Cheryl Coovert 0 3 287.7 361.0 0.33



Monday, February 13, 2012

Feb. 12 Results

Note: The original post had errors in Marc's, Betty's and Victoria's results. The corrected info is below...

We had a total of 10 folks show up yesterday, a great turnout! Here are the results:

Marc Broering, 4-0, +403, EROTICA 65, MAsONED 75, LUNATION 66, PUERIlE 74, STARTLE 65, AERIALs 62, ESTrONE 64

Betty King, 3-1, +79, SEASIdE 66, OPIATES 64

Will Scott, 2-1, +274, FLOOZIES 130, DEBRiNED* 86, LADINOS 68, DEJECts 78, TaRTANA 68

Victoria Bledsoe, 2-2, -38, BARNIeST 60, STOURIES* 66, RETINAE 69, RELATERS 59, bECAUSE 66

Janny Scheeline, 1-2, -117, SiRLOIN 59

Steve Bush, 1-2, -137, ViCTORS 68, UNRuLING* 70

Sarah Webb, 0-1, -138, SUNnIER

Tom Webb, 0-1, -187, RAgGIEST 68

Cheryl Coovert, 0-3, -166, NEARING 65

I'm hoping to have cumulative stats from the first two official meetings posted soon. Our next official meeting will be Sunday, March 11. See you then!

Steve

Thursday, February 9, 2012

February Official Meeting this Sunday (New Time!)

Our second Official meeting is this coming Sunday. Starting with this meeting, we will start at 2pm, and play till 6. That's right, an extra game for the official meetings...what more incentive could anyone possibly need to come out and play? And of course, it's ok if you can't be present for all 4 games. As with all our meetings, show up when you can and stay as long as you desire.

As with the previous official meeting, I'll be compiling stats from each game. I'm still working on how to make them available online, so stay tuned.

So...I'll be there. Who else?

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

KY-WV Tourney is Official!

It's back! I'm happy to announce the return of NASPA-rated tournament play to the state of Kentucky, in the form of a joint 1-day, 7-game tourney with the Charleston WV club, on Saturday, April 28, at the scenic Carter Caves State Resort Park.

Details can be found on the flyer, here:

http://lexscrabble.info/2012-04-carter-caves.pdf

Brad and I have already started an entrants list on Cross-Tables, below. We already have 8 entrants from each state, with plenty room for more! Anyone that responded positively to my initial query about the tournament is listed there as "tentative". However, I do ask that as soon as possible, you get me the entry fee or let me know if you can't make it.

http://www.cross-tables.com/entrants.php?u=1752

Also, let me remind you that since this is a NASPA tournament, you need to renew your membership if it has expired, before you can play. Links to renew (or join for the first time) can be found here (let me know if you have any questions or need assistance with this process):

http://www.scrabbleplayers.org/cgi-bin/renew.pl

I'm looking forward to seeing you there!

Steve

2/6 Results

Below are the results from yesterday's unofficial meeting. I don't have Will's and Victoria's spreads since I didn't get the score of their game. I assume that since Will had 3 bingoes that he won, but let me know if that's not the case.

Steve, 3-0, +200, REGLETS 81, OVERBID 75, STONIER 74, RALLIES 70, GAMBlER 113

Will, 2-1, ROWDIES 81, NARGHiLE 68, lAXATIVE 71, INGESTEd 83, ACADEmE 68

Jan H., 1-1, -280

Victoria, 1-1, tINNIER 66

Cheryl, 0-2, -75, FiGHTER 71, LETTING 68

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Updates

First, it's looking like the KY-WV tourney is about to become a reality! Rated NASPA play will be returning to Kentucky, in the form of 7 games at the idyllic Carter Caves State Park, on April 28. Stay tuned for the official announcement!

Second, I'm planning to be at tomorrow's unofficial meeting, for at least part of the time. Beware that I may have difficulty containing my giddiness over the development mentioned above. I hope to be there at 2pm. Who else?

Steve

Friday, February 3, 2012

Will's Knoxville tournament recap

I was the top seed in division two, which had 10 players. I had previously played all but one player: Joann Goddard, from the Asheville club. Here's my recap:

Game 1, Joann Goddard: loss, 364-380. She opened with SPITTLE, and I thrashed around until mid-game, but back-to-back bingoes of Vi(A)TORES and (D)EsIGNED still left me 50 points behind. I kept gaining ground, but she went out first, cementing her win. She was the 10th seed, but she played like the top seed, and I drew both blanks.

Game 2, Bill Snoddy: win, 478-314. After exchanging on turn 5, I bingoed with S(E)CRETlY, and I stayed in control after that. Later I played fOLATES. On his last full rack, Bill got down TRIODES, but I bingoed out, playing PETERING through the T that he had just played. Again, I drew both blanks.

Game 3, Denise Mahnken: loss, 315-362. She drew both blanks, and I couldn't get anything going. Denise played STARInG, followed by MU(R)DEReD.

Game 4, Lois Greene: loss, 411-417. This is the one game I want back. Lois opened with CRIB, and I played I(C)KY to clean up my rack. Lois then played RELAXED for 99 points. I was busy with my scoresheet and only glanced at the play, noting that the X was on a triple-letter score, hence the high score. Only after she drew her tiles did I look at the board and want to kick myself. Lois had front-hooked ICKY with the R. She did not fast-bag me; I just wasn't attentive. In fact, she was confident of it; she even knew what it was. Only problem is, it's RICKEY. Damn. Later, she played LOUsIER, and I played OVe(R)THIN and later EA(R)STONE. Lois thought about challenging both of my bingos and my play of FLEAM, but unfortunately for me, she didn't.

Game 5, Jacob Cohen: win, 440-330. I had just one bingo: OUTHIRES, which I just now realized is a phony. I had a lot of 35-40-point plays, which gave me a cushion to absorb Jacob's late bingo, DANSEURS. This was the start of a seven-game win streak.

Game 6, Charlie Bond: win, 452-380. This was a bingo fest. After Charlie played TOURING on turn 3, I had three in a row: hERESIES, ABATORS (which he challenged) and F(R)AULEIN. A couple turns later, Charlie played DOGGoNE, but I was able to make points, and late in the game, I played COREI(G)N for 18, and he challenged. It was his only hope to steal a win.

Game 7, Yolanda Ushry: win, 406-300. For some reason, I have Yolanda's number. This win gave me 7 wins against her, with no losses. She opened with ZOEA, placing the Z between two double-word scores. My opening rack was GINSU??. I spent a lot of time looking in vain for a double-double bingo through the Z (there was only one: UPSIZING). Finally, I just played Z. I then drew the X, for a rack of ANSXU??. I missed the one good bingo in that rack and played XANthUS, which I thought was good. Yolanda wasn't sure but didn't challenge. Later, I played another phony, ROTIFY*, which my brain created from ROTIFER and RENOTIFY. Then I tried a third phony, hooking an S to VIVE. Bad idea. Fortunately, Yolanda struggled with her tiles all game, and I was able to pull away.

Game 8, David Meredith: win, 446-292. On turn 4, David tried a phony, FLORATED*. I challenged and was relieved to see it come off. Shortly after, I got two straight bingos, TALLIES and ANIMATO, followed by WECHT for 42. David later got down ENSNARER, but then later he tried another phony bingo (which I forgot to record) and then he ate both blanks.

Game 9, Willie Pitzer: win, 438-333. I was lucky to win this one. She bingoed with HEADING on turn 3, and I struggled early. Even after getting down NEURULAE on turn 4, I was down by 60 points. Z(E)IN on a triple for 69 helped me in on turn 6, and I had the promising rack of AGIORT?, with several tiles open. I spent a lot of time trying to find something, then I finally played off my O for 5 points, but I opened up another bingo lane near the top. Willie promptly closed that, but I finally found a bingo: (M)IGRATOR down to a triple for 83 points. Willie challenged, thinking it could only end in ER, but we later learned that -OR is the only acceptable ending. After that, I was able to pull ahead.

Game 10, Joann Goddard: win, 420-353. Joann jumped to an early lead with ENERGIES on turn 5, followed by 36-point and 32-point plays, but after a fruitful exchange, I closed some of the gap with TALENTS. She stayed ahead for much of the game, but I got down SLAP(P)ING for 84 on turn 12, and lucked out on my next turn, playing QI/QI on a double-letter for 44 points.

Game 11, Denise Mahnken: win, 401-290. We each exchanged on our first turns, and Denise exchanged again on turn 2. I started with TEUGH, and she answered with TRAIPSE for 63, but that was all that went right for her. I played DA(I)NTIER for 82 on turn 6, and from their, I was able to milk points out of short plays. Denise exchanged three times and lost a challenge -- the kind of game we all want to forget quickly.

Game 12, Jacob Cohen: loss, 383-527. I drew most of the power tiles, but Jacob pulled all the S's and one blank, and he took full advantage. He had four bingoes -- INIT(I)ATE for 68, RECANES for 94, ENLARGEd for 62 and (M)UENSTER for 72. Muenster. Wow. On his RECANES play, he had previously played FORBY, which I knew, but I didn't know that it takes a back E (FORBYE). So Jacob got the cool six AND a triple-word score. I played ROGATION and GREMLIN, but I was largely a spectator in this one, and my seven-game win streak was over.

Game 13, Yolanda Ushry: loss, 416-387. I knew my winning streak against Yoli couldn't continue for long. It didn't. I took a brief lead, but she played ZiTS for 66, followed by LISTERS for 68, and I never caught up. I had one bingo: tROTTT(I)NG for 68. My one bright spot was finding a nice play in a seemingly closed part of the board. My rack was awful: DGGIOPW. There was no place to unload more than two consonants, and I needed points. Somehow I spotted a play: WI(Z), making parallel plays of AW and JINNI. There was just enough room for that play and not much else.

Game 14, Willie Pitzer: win, 480-320. This win put me in third place for the final, King-of-the-hill round, with my spread putting me atop the pack of those with 9-5 records. The game turned early: My study of multiple-A sevens paid off when I played ALThAEA for 62 on turn 2. I was hoping for a challenge, but Willie didn't bite. Two turns later, with four, count 'em, four As on my rack, I exchanged three of them. That gave me a rack of AEIRSZ?, and I had to fight a gasp. There was an open I on the board between two double-word squares. It was in just the right spot for me to play SAt(I)RIZE for 114 points. But then, a problem: In that very spot, Willie played NITCHED. Hmm. I called "hold," and I thought. For some reason, I thought NITCH* was good -- an alternative spelling of NICHE. I didn't like it as a verb, and I just couldn't walk away from a potential 114-point play, so I challenged. Boy, was I relieved to see the ruling go my way. Down went SATIRIZE, and I cruised after that. Late in the game, holding AINNOST (ANOINTS, NATIONS, ONANIST, none of which played), I spotted an open A near the bottom of the board and played SONATINA for 68.

Game 15, Willie Pitzer: win, 441-378. This game almost ended very quickly. Willie spent some time working her tiles, then eventually passed. I learned from Scott Garner, a division one player, that if your opponent passes on the opening turn, unless you have a bingo, you exchange. So I did. Willie then passed again, and with no bingo, I exchanged again. Willie passed a third time. I had no bingo, but if I passed or exchanged, the game would end. I had AEIINOR, which would give me a score of minus-7. I considered ending the game, but I feared that Willie also had pennies, plus a blank, which would give her minus-6 and the win. So I chickened out and played OI for 4. Unfortunately, I gave her the I that she wanted, and she played PARAS(I)TE. I mitigated the bingo somewhat by playing a double-double REF(R)AIN for 40, then two turns later, I played CA(P)ERING for 80. Late in the game, I played ZI(N)S for 46, but she answered with NATUraL for 68 and the lead. Then, when it really mattered, I managed a decent endgame. With the Z on a triple lane, I played (Z)INS to the triple for 39. Willie, knowing I had the Q, blocked the one open U on the board but scored only 6 points. I wasn't too concerned about that U,because I could play QI/QI for 24 points in two places. Willie had forgotten that one U was unseen, and I lucked out, drawing the last U and an O. I played QUO(L)L on a double-word, with the Q on a triple-letter, for 68 points.

That win, and my 867 spread, gave me second place. I averaged 418 points, among my highest ever, and I had 26 bingoes, averaging 1.73 a game, also very high. Lest I get too cocky, I drew 57 percent of the blanks and had 58 percent of the bingoes in my games, so I'm still only as smart as my blanks. Still, I had a blast, I increased my rating, and I won some money, including $150 for second place, $5 for high loss (411) and $5 for high word (SATIRIZE).

Next tournament: Eastern Championships, Charlotte, Feb. 17-20.

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Club Results for Jan. 29

NAME
W - L
SPREAD
BINGOES
Victoria
3 - 1
+384
CRAFT(E)R 79       BAITERS 70
      TAINTERS 59 (phony)
Jan
3 - 0
-125
Cheryl
1 - 2
-98
 
Janet S
0-3
-167
   

Knoxville results 1/28/12

According to cross-tables.com, Will finished second in Division 2, 10-5 +867. He gained 16 ratings points. Betty finished eighth in Division 3, 6-9 -325 and gained 8 ratings points.