Happy New Year!

Everyone,

I will not make it to club this weekend, but as usual, I hope for a strong turnout. I really look forward to being there the following Sunday under our new format. Plus, my alternating work schedule has me not working on Sundays. See you then.

Will

Club results, Dec. 18

Four of us played an abbreviated session. Here are the results:

Will 2-0, +163 NOTICEs 73, DENT(I)STS 70, NOS(T)RILs 71
Jan 2-1, +9 DESIREd 79, RENdING 67
Victoria 1-2, -30 CITInGS 88, SARDINe ??, COVeRLET 69
Janney 0-2, -202

Club today (Dec 18)

I won't be able to make it today. Next Sunday is Christmas, and I believe Perkins will be closed. I think they are open on New Years Day though. So I guess I'll see you all next year.

Have a joyous holiday!

Steve

Club results for Dec. 11

Next weekend I have to work, the following week is Christmas - will be free next Friday though, any takers??

NAME	W - L	SPREAD	BINGOES
Victoria	4-1	+355	BLIND(E)D 85       SATIN(E)T 60
			DI(A)TRON 78     AIRTHED 74
			EXTERNS 94       URI(N)ATEd 74
			CANDIED 101     TAILOR(S) 69
Steve	2-0	+243	DETEST(S) 74     MOILIN(G) 67
			RESTIVE 78       (O)VERMIX 91
Jan H	1.5-2.5	-275
Janet S	0-1	-10
Cheryl	0.5-3.5	-313	ESCAPEE 73     MICRO(B)ES 64
			CAsTINGS 78

Club today, 12/11/11

I should be able to make it today. What about others?

Dec 4 Results

Sorry I'm late with this. Also, I didn't have the blanks or tiles already on the board noted for some of the bingoes:

Steve, 3-0, +416, LACTONES 74, FEATLIER 74, CABINET 78, OUTRIDES 77, OGREISM 84, TWANGER 65, NOTARIES 62

Victoria, 2-1, +102, FEsTIvE 74, RETINAL 71, sLIVERS 77, TODDLeS 63

Janny S., 1-2, -152, REELINg 64

Jan H., 1-3, -370, WEANERS 75, ROiLING 72

Will, 0-1, -6, SONSIER 78, WEDGIES 93

Club December 4, and other thoughts

Hi everyone,

Sorry for my frequent absences lately...things have been very busy for me, but I should be able to make it to club this Sunday. As usual, please feel free to post in the comments whether you'll also be able to attend.

I have been mulling over an idea for a change that I'd like to implement, starting with the new year. I would like reduce our frequency of "official" club meetings from the current weekly schedule, down to a monthly frequency; perhaps the first Sunday of the month. However, we would still continue to meet "unofficially" the other Sundays (at the usual time and place).

For most of us, this change won't make any difference, as we'll continue to show up when we can, and play Scrabble. However, it will enable me, as the director, to commit to being present a much higher percentage of the time for "official" meetings. I've also been thinking that for the official meetings, we could play a bit more structured format, perhaps keeping running statistics or maybe even club ratings at some point. I'm thinking that things like this might spur greater attendance at the official meetings, and may help some of our members transition more easily to tournament play if they so desire.

Any thoughts on this? Feel free to post in the comments, or contact me privately by email or at club.

Steve

Results for Nov. 27

Betty is recuperating and we heard she might like some Scrabble-playing company next weekend.

NAME	W - L	SPREAD	BINGOES
Victoria	4-0	+304	TAILORS 73       EN(A)TION 64
			DREA(D)ING 86     WAGERER(S) 77
Will	2-0	+196	OVERLONG 89
Jan H	1-3	-61	SLOTT(E)RS 59
Cheryl	0-3	-196	SLIDERS 76
Janet S	0-2	-243

Results for Nov. 20

Betty was the big winner, with a 3-1 record, plus 279, and five bingoes.

Here are the results:

Will             1-0  +30       SLEIGHT
Betty           3-1  +279     MADDeRS,  SALTIReS, UNCOVERS, GLAZERS, PATSIED*
Victoria        2-2  +177    ROSEATE VASTIER
Jan              1-2   -68
Janney        1-3    -418

Club today, Nov. 20

I'm not able to make it today. I saw separately where it looks like Will will be there for one game today. What about others?

Club for Nov. 13

We have a total of three absences this Sunday. Betty and Jan will be playing in a band concert, and I am going to take advantage of the temperature being warm enough to paint for maybe the final time (since I have to finish a quilt before mid-December). I need to get a bare porch under some covering before the snows hit!

Nov. 6 Attendance

I may have to miss yet another session, though I'm not yet 100% sure. Others?

Results for Oct. 30

NAME	W - L	SPREAD	BINGOES
Betty	4-0	+633	ROUNDER 73       REASON(S) 92
			(R)ATTENS 70     DECEASE(D) 88
			REVIVES 84        COURTER 74
			TRAITED 82 (phony)
Jan	1-2	-140	REASONS 70
Cheryl	1-2	-159	DOWNING 75
Janet S	1-3	-334

Club on 30th

How about this Sunday? I'm planning on being there.

Oct. 23 Attendance

I am unlikely for today. Others?

Oct. 16 Results

Sorry this is so late. It's been a crazy week so far. The word of the day was CURTAINS, played by me and against me in 2 separate games.

Steve: 3-1, +155, DITTIEs 82, GENITUrE 68, RECUSANT 74, cURTAINS 64, sTIFLER 92, ENLaRGED 80, EPIDOTE 86

Betty: 3-1, +101, CURTAINS 80, SALTING 71, CENTERed 62, RETILED 69, SEAtING 71

Will: 2-1, +104, LAWINEs 86, ORIENTS 73, AREOLES 76, INVITERS 74

Victoria: 2-2, +194, WEANERs 77, THRONED 91

Janny: 1-2, -238, STILtIN* 65

Andrea: 0-4, -316, UNPLEAT* 63

Results, Oct. 9

Six of us made it to Perkins on Sunday. Here are the results:

Will 2-0, +88 -- RESEASON 62
Betty 3-2, +199 -- EVILEsT, REDnESS, GrOOMED 78, ePIZOAN 90, NOVEnAE 71
Eric 2-1, +4 -- TREATERS 74, NEWToNS 80, INTrUDED 83
Margaret 2-2, +26 -- sTRINGS 73, STANDEE 85, ReFRIED 81, ShOVERS 65
Jan 1-3, -186 -- JuNKIEs 82, gLAZILY 79

Club Sunday, Oct. 16

I should be able to make it this weekend. Who else?

Club Roll Call, Sun. Oct. 9

I'm out of town this weekend so can't make it. What about others?

Club Results, 3Oct11

Below are yesterday's results. There was one other game, I think between Jan H. and Cheryl, after I left that isn't included (I'll add it in if one of you can get the stats to me).

Steve 3-0, +433, GESnERIA, OVERDOSE 66, ASInINE 64, CONtENTED 72, INNAGES 73, BARONIaL 70, CuTTERS 73

Jan H. 2-1, +20, MOANiNgS*

Jan S., 2-1, +7

Victoria, 2-2, -26, SPURNeD 74, DEANeRY 75

Andy, 1-2, -146, REENTERS 77, ENTRIES 78, BAPTIsED 78, ANTBEARs 70, NARDInE 66

Will, 0-1, -100

Cheryl 0-3, -193

Club Sunday 10/2

I'll be there Sunday. Who else?

Steve's Charleston WV Recap

Here's a synopsis of my weekend at Charleston. I had a great time overall, and I'll repeat what many others have said about what a great job Brad Mills did running things smoothly. The other folks from the club there are a great supporting cast, too, and are great at making us out-of-towners feel welcome. It also made me feel good as the Lexington director to see such a great showing from our club, both in number of participants (7) and results (all gained ratings points).

As for my performance, I went into the tournament with a 1530 rating, just under the 1550 cutoff for division 1. I was still hoping Brad might merge divisions 1 and 2, but when it appeared that that wouldn't happen, I decided to play up to Division 1, knowing it would make an even number of players in both divisions. I was actually pretty happy with that arrangement, since I would be playing much tougher players than my previous tourney (I like to play a range of opponent levels anyway).

The action started Friday evening with the early bird. As the bottom seed in the top division against Ryan Fischer (1788), Brian Galebach (1641), and Pete Zeigler (1598), I fully expected to get my clock cleaned. As it turned out, I went 3-1, my only loss being to Ryan, a heartbreaker in game 1 where he bingoed his last 2 turns to steal a 395-384 victory. The next two games weren't as close, game 2 being a blowout against Brian, and game 3 a 387-292 win against Pete Zeigler, a much closer game than the score showed, as he lost 50 points due to going over time. Game 4 came, a rematch against Ryan, and this time it was my turn for the comeback win 369-345, from as much as a 102-pt deficit.

I came out of the early bird feeling great, as it was not only my first Division 1 tourney win (ok, I know it's just an early bird, but I'll take it), I felt I did it with solid play as opposed to having to rely on luck (draws were equitable in 3 of the games, and the fourth game was actually heavily in my opponent's favor).

Next came the main event, where again I was the bottom seed, against 5 others in the top division. Karma compensated my good fortune from the early bird, at least on Day 1. The first game that morning, against top-seeded Ryan Fischer, was one of the most exciting I've ever been involved in. I trailed late 283-370, with an empty bag, ADETNY? on my rack, and AEGIKRV on Ryan's; a bingo would win it for me. There was an open R at the top of the board, but no room for the fairly-common ARoY(N)TED. After racking my brain for several minutes, I suddenly see it, and throw down pEDANT(R)Y for a 376-370 win! Except...I glance over at the clock, and see that I'm over on time, by 2 seconds. Argh! One of my toughest losses ever.

I fared no better in games 2-5 (against Robin Laprelle, Jeff Cook, Brian Galebach, and Pete Zeigler), although all were fairly close. Game 5 was especially tough to swallow, as a misplaced play (playing POISE, hooking the I instead of the S onto BRIG) cost me a turn and maybe the game. Still, in spite of being 0-5 I didn't let myself get discouraged the way I might have in some previous tournaments, and sure enough, I managed wins in games 6 and 7.

Then came game 8 against Brian Galebach, perhaps the most impressive game I've seen from an opponent. He threw down 4 bingoes, including KLEPTHI(C) for 116. His setup for that play was even more impressive in my opinion, hooking COEN onto ZYMES for a 78-point TWS. He had told me previously that he had studied all his 8s and it definitely showed in this game. I lost game 9 to finish the day at 2-7, thoroughly humbled since the previous day's success.

The next day I finished on a high note, matching my early bird success by again going 3-1. The most interesting game was the third one, round 12 against Pete Zeigler. I opened a huge lead, but he clawed back to 396-352. He then played OVoIDS for 28, and I thought I heard him say "and out", so I instinctively said "well, might as well challenge", and of course the play was good. I walk back to the table thinking I've won a close one, only to notice he still has a tile left on his rack. Since I had challenged, it was now his turn, where he went out for real this time, with MOR, for 404-396. However, this time it was my turn to be the beneficiary of an overtime situation, as Pete's clock read -0:07. I surived a recount to eke out a 396-394 win.

Overall, I felt it was a good tournament for me. I was concerned I would significantly regress after my ratings surge from Chicago, but I was actually able to gain 31 points. This was in spite of draws that were actually on the poor side overall. For example, I drew both blanks in only 2 of the 17 games (and I lost one of those). I was also happy that I was able to keep my poise after Saturday's dismal 0-5 start, to win 5 of the last 8 games. There were some other stats that I was happy with, like the following:

- Extended my streak of 300+ scoring games to 38. Still a long way from all-time best of 95, though.
- Played only 1 phoney, the BRIGI* misplacement. Besides that and the OVOIDS challenge at what I thought was the end of the game, I had a 6-3 advantage at the challenge table.
-Opponents played 6 phoneys over 17 games, a much higher figure than I expected to see the top division. I challenged 4 of them off.

It will probably be at least January (Knoxville) before my next tourney. That's ok, as I have lots of studying to do on my 7s and 8s in the meantime!

Club this weekend

I haven't seen any posts about this weekend's club meeting so let me be the first to say that I can't make it. Next weekend there's a quilt festival... but I think I'll only go on Saturday.

Q: Who had fun at Charleston?

A: Everybody! (Everybody from Kentucky, anyway)

All seven Kentucky players (and all are in the Lexington club) brought home rating points, for a total of 223 points.

We kicked butt in the early bird and in the main event. Steve, Will (hello!) and Betty all won their early bird divsions. Steve was 3-1 in Div. 1 (!), Will was 4-0 in Div. 2 and Betty was 4-0 in Div. 6.

In the main event, Steve was fifth in Div. 1 with a 5-8 record against the toughest players (he lost the final game by a few points; had he won it, he would have vaulted to third), Will was second in Div. 2, Andy was third in Div. 3 (as a 12th seed!), and in Div. 4, Victoria was eighth at 7-6, Betty was 10th at 6-7, Janice was 14th at 5-7, and Cheryl was 18th at 4-8. Everyone except will finished above their seed; Will matched his No. 2 seed.

Here is the breakdown of points gained, from before the early bird to the end of the main tourney:

Steve: 33 points
Will 55 points
Andy: 39 points
Betty: 44 points
Victoria: 19 points
Jan: 17 points
Cheryl: 16

Total: 223

I haven't broken it down yet, but even though the tourney was in West Virgina, I think most of the rating points came at the expense of North Carolina.

Charleston: Good luck to all!

Andy, Betty, Cheryl, Jan, Steve, Victoria and I (Will) are playing in the Charleston tournament this weekend. Five of us are in the early bird tourney on Friday. We could potentially bring back a lot of rating points to Kentucky.

Results for Sept. 12

Andrea was in town and dropped in to play - too bad I was at work...

NAME	W - L	SPREAD	BINGOES
Andy	3-0	+208	ORDINEs 68      CAJONES 96
			O(L)EFINS 85
Betty	2.5-1	+379	CaSHING 72     RE(G)RATES 68
			DELETInG 59     LOONIEst 61
			SAFRONS 64 (phoney) GRADERS 84
Jan	2.5-1	-15	UnDENTED 70     RETINUE 66
Victoria	2-3	-251	ERASIO(N)s 58     DiABASE 72
Andrea	1-4	-292	UNCITED 66 (phoney)   RESHOWN 78
Janny	1-2	-29	UNPIECED 67 (phoney)   ENNO(B)LES 60

...And next weekend, the Ladies' Scrabble Auxiliary (me, Jan, Betty and Victoria) is off to Charleston WV for their tournament.

Club Sunday (11Sep)

I won't be able to be there, again. Others?

Asheville tournament, Oct. 22-23

I encourage everyone to consider playing in the Asheville tournament. It's one of my favorites: It's well run, there's plenty of food and drink (very similar to Knoxville), and it's a very welcoming and friendly host club. The format is eight games on Saturday and six on Sunday.

The entry fee is $80; for Div. 1, it's $100. The tournament is at the senior center, but the tourney flyer has links to some local motels. To look at the flyer, go to cross-tables.com, scroll down to Asheville, then click on it.

Club results for Sept. 4

Four diehards showed up to play and watch the weather finally break with a furious downpour (did anyone else have to mop a floor when they got home?)

NAME	W - L	SPREAD	BINGOES
Jan H	3-0	+354	SOCIAL(S) 63      HIRINGS 69 (phony)
Victoria	3-1	+232	VA(L)INE(S) 82     RETSINA 66
			AREOLE(S) 75     RELAYI(N)G 71
Cheryl	1-3	-229	DI(A)PERS 70     ANTIQUES 68
Janet S	0-3	-357

Sept. 4 Roll Call

I won't be able to make it tomorrow. What about others?

Aug. 28 Results

It was good to see Tyler back with us before heading back off to college. He did a nice job showing us that his game is still sharp in spite of his course work. Here are the full results:

Tyler: 3-1, +486
REHEATED 80, TONNeRS 68, dIPTERAN 72, COUnTIES 86, SATIRES 66, FORECAST 65, COLINEAR 64

Jan H. : 3-1, -122
CLAWeRS 81

Steve: 2-1, +32
GIRLIEST 77, SANTERAs 60

Victoria: 3-2, +128
URALiTE 62, GODETIAs 60, ENAMELs 65

Betty: 2-2, +161
BEASTIE 78, EPInAOI 68, RETENES 76

Jan S.: 0-2, -216

Cheryl: 0-4, -439
BRINIER 66

Club today (Aug. 28)

Sorry this is so late. I'll be there. Who else?

Sunday Aug. 21 results

It was not a great day for bingoes, except for Andy.

NAME	W - L	SPREAD	BINGOES
Andy	2-0	+245	BLASTER 77      RESILING 80
			STE(A)MIER 131     LAN(K)IEST 74
Victoria	2-1	+53	TEA(S)ING 80     (S)MARTEN 67
Cheryl	1-2	-3	(S)EAMING 76     ARO(U)SER 56
Janet S	1-2	-105	(S)UNNIER 66     ReRAISED 68
Will	0-1	-193	ReGALED 65     MILTAGE (phony) 72

Aug. 21 Roll Call

Who will be there tomorrow? I'm a maybe at this point.

Aug. 14 Results

We had a nice showing yesterday (8 folks). It was nice to see Andy again after a bit of a hiatus. Also, it was David's last club session before heading back to Iowa for school.

NAME	W - L	SPREAD	BINGOES
Steve	3-1	+471	BOUNTIEs 70 SANDIER 82
			NOSIEsT 73 OERsTED 75
			rOTIFER 76
Betty	3-1	+279	ARENItE 69 rELOANED
David	3-1	+154	SCOWLER 69 AREOLES 71
			INULAsE 70 bELONGS 84
			CONTROLS 60 DELIVErS 76
Kathy	2-1	+315	TrIGGERS 61
Victoria	1-2	+110	PIRATED 76 CANInES 76
Andy	1-2	-37	EChELON 64 ORGIAST 76
			ETERNISE 68
Jan H.	1-3	-203	TANGLER 80
Jan S.	0-3	-614

Aug 7 Results

Before I got to the computer Saturday night, a storm took out the power here till around 1 am...but I beat the 8/14 results, looks like!

Betty         3-1         +179         ER(E)CToRs 59     mAMMALS 78     DROL(L)ING 65
Jan H.       3-1         +115         NATIONs 67     RULINGS 66
Victoria      1-3        -79     bATFISH 83   LOANERS 69    HEISTEd 73    PE(R)GOLAE 78 (phony)
Janny        1-3       -215     LENTILS 75, BRAISEs 72

Club Sunday, August 14

With the long busy summer nearly behind me, I'll hopefully be able to attend club a bit more regularly, starting with this Sunday's session. What about others?

Club results for July 31 - better late than never...

We were joined for one game by Parker, one of the servers at Perkins.

NAME       Win-Loss     SPREAD         BINGOES

David           3-0           +425             AV(I)ATOR 72   i(N)FLATED    CINEAST 77                                                         AR(M)LESS 79   FEARI(N)G 68   INWARDlY 72
                                                    iNTERNES 70

Jan             3-0            -71                 (S)KATING     ENTRIES     SNOOK(E)(R)

Betty           2-2           +348         MAFT(I)RS 78     HEARER(S) 69    AU(D)ITEE                                                    INFESTED    (C)AFTONS (phony)

Victoria         1-2         -184

Tom             1-1         +134                 (S)TrEAKER 73

Susanna       1-1           +64             A(N)TSIER 67 ENTESIA (phony) RENTERS 76

Cheryl         1-3         -272             ANILINE(S) 66     RENDERED 61

Parker         0-1         -100

PS: I am tied up this Sunday and working next weekend, so I won't be at club for 2 weeks.

Club on Sunday, July 31?

I will not be there, again. I hope the turnout will be as good as it was last week. Who will be there?

Results from club play, 7/24/11

*If the Margaret - David game results were interpreted correctly...

Also, this was Andrea's last club meeting. She is moving away with her family. Come back and visit any time, Andrea! One of us could offer you a place to stay, I bet.

NAME	W - L	SPREAD	BINGOES
David	2-1	+198	RETIREE 72     EqUATES 67
			cOLDEST 81
Margaret	2-1	+118	FLaNGES 81     tUNNELS 62
			ARMOIrE 89
Tom	2-1	+117	STrANGE 69       MARTiNS 63
			(G)LITTERS 70
Victoria	2-2	-13	BREWSKi 92       sENATOR 75
			CLIENTS 92
Kelly	1-1	+76	STEA(D)IEd 62       SECRETE 76
			ARMOIrE 89
Jan H	3-1	-46
Andrea	0-3	-287	UNBAI(T)Ed 60
Janny	0-2	-163	CILIARY 80

Club on Sunday?

I will not be around Sunday, and neither will Steve. Anyone else?

Club results for July 17

Sorry, the results I got don't indicate blanks, etc.
NAME         W-L       SPREAD         BINGOES

Mike           4-0         +567         prenamed obeisant groaner deviates subindex
                                        sheened insuree pardons sexpots heroine overdoes

Victoria         2-1       -198         centime

Janney         1 -1       -76           fainted

Will             0-1       -18           savager

Jan             1-2       -41           goatees

Betty           1-3       -67           saviour birling pawners curlings

Club Sunday July 17

Sorry I'm late with this. I'm on the other side of the world for a few weeks and it slipped my mind. Who will be at club today?

Club Results, July 13

Margaret avenged her Knoxville tourney performance by going 3-0, with myself among her victims. There were 6 others in attendance as well; here are the complete results (sorry for the formatting problems):

NAME	W - L	SPREAD	BINGOES
Margaret Yoder	3-0	+226	HITTIng 83 CRISTAE 77
			fONDLER 81 UNLiNKS 76
			tABlETS 83
David Brown Steve Bush	2-1 2-1	+346 +301	HISTNOE* or HISTONE 68 PORGIES 65 SERvICE 84 AMNIOtE 66 ERUDITE 74 LARDIER 67
			BERATEd 92 ONSTAGe 63
Eric Yoder	2-1	-11	STRAINED 80 DERIVALS* 76
			uRINATED 72 CHESTING* 68
Jan Hatton	2-2	+128	KINDLInG 66
Cheryl Coovert	1-2	-154	NEARINg 70 REVIEWER 68
Betty King	1-3	-280	gRANNIES 67 STEALER 78

Janny Scheelin	0-3	-122

Club results, Sunday June 26

We had 3 folks attend on 6/26. 3 games were played, for which Margaret collected the results as listed below. Thanks Margaret!

3 attended - David, Andrea, Margaret

Game 1 David (403) over Andrea (343)

Bingoes by David: INEARTH, pRONAT(E)S (the p was already there, the E was a blank) I didn't know to keep the points per bingo.

Game 2: Margaret (300) over Andrea (296)

No bingoes (is it bingos or bingoes???) (both spellings are valid - Steve)

Game 3: Margaret (434) over David (343)

Bingoes by Margaret: AGONIES, DE(B)ARkER (the k was already there, the B was a blank)

Game 4: David (425) over Andrea (300)

Bingo by Andrea: CHLORIDe (the e was already there)

Bingoes by David: GRaCe(L)ESS (the a and e were already there, the L was a blank), O(U)TRAGE (the U was a blank), READIEsT (the s was already there)

Club Sunday, July 10

I'll be there, this Sunday, then traveling for at least the next 2 weeks. Others?

Club Results for July 3

David pretty much wiped his board with the rest of us. But Will managed a 626 game (not against David) which he said was his first 600!

NAME	W - L	SPREAD	BINGOES
David Brown	5-0	+732	RETINOL 76     ALIENED 72
			MORALIZE 107     AGONIST 72
			VENTuRIS        UNSEIZE 105
			S(O)DOMITE 62     INSOLENT 68
Victoria Bledsoe	3-2	+43	INVITED 69     DETOUR(S) 78
			DIGRESS 78     (A)LIUNDE 74
			INHALED 66
Will Scott	2-1	+315	TANDOoR(I) 82     MINDSET 84
			SEAMOUNt 89     HOAR(I)ES 73
			CURATIVE 66     TERpINO(L) 72
Betty King	2-2	-126	GUTTE(R)S 68     SORINGS 60
			EX(I)STiNG 71
Jan Hatton	2-4	-573
Cheryl Coovert	1-2	-182	DOSAGES 79     (D)IARI(E)S 60
Janet Scheeline	0-3	-209

Victoria and I played four more games on Monday. I lost all four but gave her some competition in two of them.. where was all this in Knoxville when I needed it? (Caveat: My only win in Knoxville was against Victoria!)

Club on July 3

Well it's a busy holiday weekend for me, and (as usual), I'm unsure I can make it to club at this point. What about others?

Holiday games?

I don't have any plans for July 4 yet but I usually spend a couple of hours in downtown Lex. I was wondering if anyone wants to meet up somewhere for a few extra Scrabble games? Doesn't have to be downtown, we can go anywhere. Or even play at my place. I'll give you a guided tour.

Club Sunday 26June

Several of our members went to Knoxville last weekend, with mixed results. This Sunday will be a chance for them to either gloat over their success, or lick their wounds and take their frustrations out on those of us who couldn't make it there.

I'm a maybe at this point, but should be able to say for sure by Saturday evening.

On to Knoxville

Six members of the Lexington Scrabble Club will compete this weekend at the 15-game Knoxville tournament. That might be our largest representation at any tournament outside of Lexington. In addition, David Meredith and Patt Hudson of Bowling Green, and Mark Owens of Eastern Kentucky (Pikeville, I think) are entered, making nine Kentuckians of the 42 entrants. That matches the number of entrants from Tennessee. Good luck to all of us!

Club Results Sunday, June 12

We had a nice crowd today, 9 folks made it out. Below are the results, listing name, record, spread, and known bingos. Blanks are lower-case, tiles already on board are in parentheses.

Betty, 4-0, +501, LEADErS 63, DEvOTEE(S) 76, SENORAS 67, S(N)OTTIER, SQuIRES 86, REtINED*

Steve, 3-0, +218, M(I)NGLERS 63, SEARING 88, rOSEATE 72

David, 3-1, +258, (I)NCENsED 66, FALT(E)RED 61, HALITES 88, DELOUSE 75, REWRItE(S) 66, LEpTONS, AR(R)OgANT 122

Mike 3-2, -63, QUESTOR 106, oVERWET 90, AGENTIA*, CENTERE(D), CRESTAL

Victoria, 2-2, -103, AUGITES 64

Andrea, 1-2, -23, NO(V)ELIST 72, K(E)RNELED 70, (N)OTARIeS 61, TISSUeS

Jan, 1-3, -239, ToADIeS

Cheryl, 0-3, -462

Will, 0-4, -87, ROUsING 73, LAITIES 66, ROSULATe 66, AROUSeD 69, CEDULAs 70, (T)OwERING 77

Callouts to Andrea for a 3-bingo game (all three of them eights!), on consecutive turns(!), and David for high play, AR(R)OgANT, a triple-triple for 122 points! The tough luck prize goes to Will, for going 0-4 in spite of 6 bingoes...ouch!

We also have a nice contingent going to Knoxville next weekend. Good luck to Will, Margaret, Betty, Victoria, Jan, and Cheryl. Bring back the ratings!

Club Sunday, June 12

I'll be there...who else?

I may be a bit late depending on when our houseguests leave. :)

Victoria's Arden Cup roundup

I am very grateful to John and Steve for the local club
tournaments.  They gave me the confidence to sign up for a 20-game, 3-

day tournament. The other club members also gave me the

encouragement and support I needed.

I decided before I went that I would have a positive attitude and
have a good time no matter how I did. My results were 9-11, +224. I
had a total of 22 bingoes--two of them phoneys.

I was a little nervous when we first started, and I lost round 1 by
50 points (bingo: ABOULIA).  I lost round 2  by only 13 points
(KNEELING).   I started to relax and my confidence went up. I won
round 3 by 106 points (TREASURE, REALIST).

I started round 4 with SANTERO.  My opponent wanted to challenge but
did not. However, when I played YOUS adding an S to SANTERO, she
challenged both words. I won round 4 by 85 points.

In round 5 I was challenged on GENITOR and won by 132 points.

Even with two bingoes I lost round 6 by 72 points (LENDERS, AUXINES*)

Usually by rounds 7 and 8 I'm tired, and I do poorly.  Not this
time. I won round 7 by 92 points with 2 bingoes (MUSTANG, DISHERS*). 
The 8th and last round on Saturday I won by 32 points, thanks to my
opponent, who challenged NAGGIEST.

On Sunday morning I was feeling quite confident until my opponent's
first play was PREREAD. Then I stumbled to lose by 144 points.

I did not let myself get discouraged, and I won round 10 by 90
points (FITTINGS).

In round 11 my opponent and I both had one bingo each (mine:
TINKLER, his: STOGIES), but I still lost by 68 points.

I played BELLIES in round 12, but my favorite nonbingo play was
JAVELINA (only 34 pts) using the V and the L on the board. When I
played FIZ my opponent challenged. Then on his next turn, he played FIZ.

In round 13 I challenged FET and lost by 34 points even with ORDAINS.

Next I had my high game of the tournament--473 points. My opponent
challenged SPINATE. My other bingo was RANDIES, and I won by 192 points.

In round 15 I added an S to CAME to play LADDIES.  I knew they were
good, and I was glad when my opponent challenged both. Later I played
ATONIES, but I still lost by 9 points.  He asked if I wanted a
recount, and I said no. I heard another player say that she always
asks for a recount if the difference is 10 or fewer.  I did not think
a recount was worthwhile.

My opponent for the last round on Sunday was Greg, who would end up
winning first place in our division. I exchanged tiles twice and with
no bingoes, I lost by 29 points.

Monday morning I must have been tired. I lost the first 3 rounds and
came up with only one bingo, IODATES.

Then came the 20th and final round. I was determined that I would
not lose this one.  I even played a phoney (RAB*) hoping my opponent
would not notice. He didn't. I was very happy to see my first bingo
(POODLES), and even happier when my opponent challenged my second
bingo (DAMNERS). We each had 5 of the power tiles, so if he had been
alert, he could have beaten me. I won by 36 points--a good ending.

I noticed that players left the challenge slips by the computers.  I
took some of them home just to see what kind of words were being
challenged.  I wish I had done that all three days in all divisions.

The director and his assistant did an excellent job of running this
tournament.  They were well organized, helpful, friendly, even funny.
The trophies certainly were an incentive, even the smallest one.  I
could not help but stare at some of the Scrabble celebrities that
were in attendance.

The Oakton Community Center is a beautiful facility with programs
for children, teens,and seniors. It has a huge 2-story indoor
playground similar to those at McDonald's restaurants. It has a large
parking lot, and shops are within walking distance. Unfortunately,
due to a rent increase, the director will have to find another site
for next year. I prefer to have less prize money and stay in the same
location.  I certainly would like to participate again next year.

Steve's Arden Cup (Chicago) Experience

Well I finally got some time to put down some of my thoughts on my Arden Cup tourney performance in Chicago. My last several tourneys had been the relatively small venues of Knoxville and Indianapolis, and while I love those, I had been hoping to play a "mid major" tourney for some time, and Arden was one such tourney that I'd had in my sights.

It was probably my most "successful" tournament, definitely money-wise ($500 winnings), but also in that I finished with a new high NASPA rating (1530). Even beyond that, though, overall I felt mentally sharp and lucid almost the whole time.

It seems there's a growing trend for more and more people to play up to higher divisions, and this tourney was no exception. I played in Division C; the upper cutoff was 1550, and even though my rating was 1463 I was still the #1 seed. There were 6 folks in the low 1500s (and a 1362 and 1450) that played up to Division B, and when I got there, I was actually asked by the director if I wanted to do the same. I briefly considered it, but decided to stick where I was. My general policy with ratings and division placement is to "play it where it lies", and in hindsight I'm glad I did so. :)

Some stats:
-15 wins, 5 losses. I played a total of 33 bingoes to my opponents' 28. Not a huge difference, considering my overall record. I had one game with 4 (which I won) and 2 with none (1-1).

-My results at the challenge table were overall positive (7 "wins" vs 4 "losses"), but there's room for improvement:

2 phoneys by me, allowed (RO*, overlooked by opp, PURAN*, deliberate, second game w/ same opp)
0 phoneys by me, challenged off (yay!)
1 valid by me, challenged (STALKIER)

3 phoneys by opp, allowed (2 inconsequential, OUTAIMS*, UNFACE*, one significant, EMBUE, probably cost game)
4 phoneys by opp, challenged off (ANESTRIS*, UREDIAN*, PAEGANT*, OUTNAG*)
1 valid by opp, challenged (ADIPOSES)

Games of note:
Game 2, vs. Susan Hoehn: It was a wild one; I opened with INDIGOS 72, then fell way behind when she played EMBUE* for 38. I still had some opening jitters, otherwise I like to think I would have challened this obvious phoney. As it were, I let it stand, and in spite of a valiant comeback ended up losing 406-409.

Game 7, vs. Phyllis Koselke: Phyllis opened with GARNETS and then ANATOMY, and I trailed by as much as 130 points early on, but I managed to fight back, to a 371-330 deficit, with AILORS and some other letter on my rack (note to self: write racks more legibly :). No good place to play, so I took a risk and played ORAL for 8, then UP for 4 to open the board, while she made a few 20-30 point plays. My risk paid off, as I was able to bingo outwith TREATIES for 77 to steal a 441-418 win.

Game 15, vs. Cheryl Melvin: Cheryl nearly avenged her Game 1 loss against me in this one, buildinga nice lead with DONATES for 70, then hooking an O on the front of it with ZORIS in the TWS lane, for 80 more. But again, I fought back with several high-scoring 5-letter plays (TWICE 44, SWINK 50). The key play, though, was sneaking in PURAN* for 35 on a board that was pretty closed up at the time, making the game nearly even. I then eked out a narrow 1-point win. It was a tough break for Cheryl, who is something like 1-7 against me overall.

Game 17, vs. Bill Rexhausen: Bill is one of those young players (early 20s maybe) who is steadily climbing the ranks, and whom I considered a dangerous opponent, especially since 1) it was the first of the last 4 games on the morning of Day 3 (and I don't normally play as well in the morning), and 2) he was in position to finish in the money (3rd place at the time, if I recall correctly). So the stakes were high, and he didn't disappoint. He steadily built a 72-point lead early, but I turned it around with HAZER 50,DEVOTING 63, and LEAKER 45 to take a 259-214 lead. Then 2 turns later, he laid down CUISINE for 77, to go up 312-281. At that point I had AGGLONR on my rack with maybe 12 tiles left. It was looking pretty dim, but then I made one of my 2 best plays plays of the tourney, ORGAN(A) in the DWS lane under LEAKER, for a 5-word parallel play and 31 points to tie it up. I wasn't sure it was good at the time, either (turns out it was). After that it was a tight endgame, but I was able to go out with LEM(A)N for the win.

Game 18, vs. Dan Terkell: Dan went up early with DISTEND 77, but I countered with ROOKIES 85 and never looked back. I broke the game open when I had DFIIMS?, and hooked the S onto his DISTEND, making FIDeISM 93 points. It was my other "best play" along with the ORGANA play the previous game.

Summary:
Overall, I had a blast. It helped that every opponent I played was pleasant, regardless of the game's outcome. And although I had a slight advantage on the bingos, I think the main key to my success was my knowledge of short words, the 4s and 5s. They made a big difference, and time and again helped me overcome bad racks with decent points. The also lend credibility to plausible phoneys (e.g. PURAN) when the need arises. I highly recommend spending time learning them!

Knoxville tournament, June 18-19

I'll be away from club on June 19 due to the tournament; also attending are Betty and Jan. Then I have to work Sunday 6/26, so that's two weeks in a row out.

Club results for June 5

Will, you better hold off on that "I beat Mike" shirt, because Mike doesn't have many more weeks to play with us.

NAME	W - L	SPREAD	BINGOES
Mike Willis	3-2	+93	EROSIONs 77     TARGETS 83
			OUTLETS 60       KATIONS 78 SAILORS 70       HAIRLESS 77
Will Scott	1-1	+47	AUDIENTs 70     GRAVEST 73
			SINKABLe 86     SEIZERS 92
Betty King	3-2	+145	SALTERN 74       STOURIE 76
			ABIDERS 70       PERINEA 77
			(C)RUSHES 76
Jan Hatton	3-1	+25	PUREENS 82 (phony)
			M(I)NGLES 89      SOARIN(G) 77
Janet Scheeline	0-2	-147
Cheryl Coovert	1-3	-263	BEATINGS 62

Club tomorrow (6/4)

Well, it looks like my return to club will have to wait one more week. I just have too many chores piled up here from last week's Chicago trip. What about the rest of you?

Steve

May 29 Club results

I'm going to have a T-shirt printed that says, "I beat Mike." A few months ago, when Mike Willis began coming to our club, I beat him in our first game against each other, and I felt pretty good about myself. After that, though, our games were one-sided. Finally, today, I beat him, and it was a barn-burner. We each had three bingos: ANTITAX, BLASTER and ADJOINT for me, TRIAZOLE, POSTURE and TOWERING for him, and the final score was 446 to 434. It was a lot of fun for both of us. On his POSTURE play, Mike hooked the S to ZIP and the E to SIC. Very cool.

Five of us were at club, and Mike led the bingo parade as usual: nine in four games. Here are the results:

Will 3-0, +211
Mike 3-1, +443
Jan 1-2, -226
Betty 1-3, -228
Janney 0-2, -200

Bingoes:

Mike 9: TR(I)AZOLE 68 POStURE 87, TOWERING 74, GENERIC 77, SELLInG 60, LINTERS 61, TINDERS 75, EXPL(O)RED 69, AROYNTS 93

WILL 6: ANTiTAX 87, BLASTER 86, ADJOINT 97, HERO(i)NES 63, SNORTED 69, (V)IRGiNAL 74

Betty 1: ORiOLES 66

Director Update

Hi everyone,

I know that some of you are already aware of this, but for those that are not, I think an announcement here appropriate.

Our co-director, John Spangler, has taken a haitus from club activities, and it's not clear when he may plan to return. In the meantime, I am acting as sole director. As such, if you have any director-related inquiries, please direct them to me. Cheryl has already updated the club website and blog to reflect this change, and WGPO has done likewise with their website.

Thanks,
Steve

May 22 results

Results were provided by Victoria, who will not be at club meetings for the next 2 weeks. I had to work on the 22nd and will be tied up on the 29th as well.

I corrected the May meeting dates as well... folks, I *do* make typos, feel free to point them out!

Mike 2-0 +395

Betty 3-1 +257

Jan H 2-2 +90

Victoria 3-3 -285

Janny 0-4 -457

Bingos:

Mike: OrTOLAN 69
          HEAVENs 90
          TOLERANT 77
          MALICES 85
          STRANDS 61
          2 more that were phoneys

Betty: SNARErS 76
          SILVeRN 64
          POOLErS ?
          UREASEs 71

Victoria BOTTLES 71
          DANGeRS 79

Jan H BRITTLE 85

Sunday, May 15 Club Results

Well, you would normally find last Sunday's results below, but...I messed up. I have misplaced my paper where I had them written, and I think it's possible (ok, likely) it ended up in the trash. I'm really sorry about that. If I find it, I'll post the results.

I'm thinking that for future meetings I'll just set up a simple spreadsheet to record the results, so this doesn't happen again (that is, assuming my laptop doesn't suffer the same fate as the scoresheet :-).

Also, who will be at club this Sunday, May 22? I will probably not, and the next weekend (Memorial Day) I'll be in Chicago playing at the Arden Cup tourney there. I hope to be back at club the following Sunday though.

Steve

Club Sunday, May 15

I plan to be there. Who else?

-Steve

Sunday May 8 club results

Six people made it on Mother's Day, although not all at once. :)
Jan, Betty and Andrea hung around a bit to allow me to play a second game. Thanks!

Betty was the star, going 5-1, and her only loss was by 2 points. Jan took it on the chin, going 1-4, but she's going to Disney World next weekend, so she wasn't too broken up about it. Andrea had the big play of the day: REAlIZES for 98 points.

Here are the results:

Betty: 5-1, +261
Andrea: 2-2, +27
Will: 1-1, +73
Cheryl: 1-1, -26
Victoria: 1-2, -170
Jan: 1-4, -202

Bingoes:

Betty: SArONGS 71, DECLINES 74, RELOAnED 59, REAGINS 66, AVIATEd 83, HOISTER 94, EARLIEST 68
Andrea: DOCTRINE 74, TIPLESS 79, REAlIZES 98, CANDOUR 76
Will: TITTERS 66, FROwNERS 72 (missed FRONTeS for 98)
Jan: WAFTInG 70
Victoria: (unreported)

Club Sunday, May 8

Who will be there this Sunday? Not me, unfortunately. Mother's day plus my wife's and mom's, and sis-in-law's birthdays, plus graduation for my wife (Christmas in May, as I like to say). What about everyone else?

Steve

Sunday May 1 Club Results

We had a total of 9 folks show up on Sunday. Here is how it all went down:

Name, Wins-Losses, Spread, Bingos (that I know of, with scores and blank indicated, if known):

Andrea, 0-4, -452, STOrIED 68, WHiSPER 91
Betty, 1-3, -173, SILUrID 70 (sorry Betty I know you had more bingoes than that)
Eric, 1-1, -45, DONATES 68, INSERTED 63, DAINTIER 63
Jan, 1-2, +37, bIRLING 77
Kelly, 1-2, +91 (sorry Kelly I didn't get your bingoes)
Margaret, 2-1, +101, DAEMONS, GARBLES, ESTRANGE, COASTED
Steve, 2-1, -11, AUdITEE 70, GREISEn 71, FROSTER* 70
Tom, 2-0, +60, REVALUED 66, LOOTING 64, ORIENTS 71, SERIATE 65
Will, 4-0, +391, sTOOLED 71, AIGLETS 73, SADIRON 73, pLANnING 61, GRADERS 84, CAmBIUM 68, HOLDERS 72

Feel free to post comments with corrections or additional information. Thanks to everyone for participating!

Steve

Club Sunday, May 1

I will be at club this Sunday, for a change. Who else?

-Steve

Will's Gatlinburg tournament -- short form

The revival edition of my favorite tournament, Gatlinburg, drew 53 players. I was seeded third in Division 2, which had 18 players. Going into the final game of the 20-game tournament, I was in 17th place. I was matched against the 18th-place player, Sally Ricketts, who had an equally bad run. The high point in her weekend was scoring 564 points against me on Friday morning. For the finale, I told Sally we were playing for the "title." It was a dubious title, without a doubt. I won the final game, giving me an 8-12 record and a steep drop in my rating. There were some high points. I had a 508 game, the first time I'd cracked the 500 mark in quite a while. I benefited from studying my three-I eights when I played BIKINIED in game 14, and I was able to summon the three possible eights in DEIINOR with an S on the board, so I could play the only one possible: RESINOID (the other two are DERISION and IRONSIDE). And I had a lot of fun playing against some of my favorite Scrabble buddies. But coming in seeded third and ending up near the bottom was frustrating, to say the least.
Quick stats: I finished 8-12, with a spread of +256, meaning I had some big wins and relatively close losses. I had 33 bingoes in 20 games, an average of 1.56 a game. I had five three-bingo games, which is a first for me. I averaged 395 points a game, and my opponents averaged 381. Everything except my win-loss record was pretty good. Ah, well. There's always the next tournament. I recommend Knoxville in June.

Club Results for April 17

PS - Next Sunday is EASTER! I won't be coming for a different reason - who will be at club then?

Kelly is new, she saw the ad Will placed in the Herald-Leader. Good going, Will!

NAME	WON-LOSS	SPREAD
Betty	3-1	+340
Andrea	2-1	+98
Victoria	2-1	-37
Kelly	1-2	+9
Andrea	2-1	+98
Janny	0-3	-410

Bingoes:

Betty	SORDINE 69 OUTLIVED 66 TOADIES 73 TAMARISk 80 CASTILE* 72 *next time it will be ELASTIC
Andrea	MURkIeST 74 GARDENS 73 STARTLES 80 TOILETS 72
Victoria	BECKING 81 DARNING 74 ViRGaTE 67
Kelly	ARSENAL 70

Results for April 10

Looks like a lot of games got played! I got there late, this is what I added up from Will's sheet. We also had a visitor from out of state who plays Scrabble everywhere he goes!

NAME	WIN - LOSS	SPREAD
Mike Willis	5 - 1	+705
Will	3 - 3	-171
Betty	3 - 3	-131
Victoria	2 - 4	-241
Janny	0 - 2	-181
Cheryl	0 - 2	-187

Now for some BINGOES

Mike	HINDERS   76 IRRIGATE   68 FRIGATE   76 THIAZINE   137 SLUSHING   98 RESUPINE   87	BEIGNET   71 AUTHORS   69 RERISEN   67 TENSIONS   74 MIDWIFES   67
Will	DEACONS   72 BULLETS   69 STAVING   75 AVERAGE   87	REGIONS   68 TORNADIC   62 PUNIEST   89
Betty	TERNION   67 EARINGS   68 TINNERS   68	UNDEALT   70 (B)OARISH   64
Victoria	NONALIEN (phony)   59 URINATE   64 NULLING   64

Club Sunday, April 17

Who will be there this Sunday? I'm a "maybe" at this point.

Club Sunday, April 10

I will not be able to make tomorrow's session. What about others? Steve

Club results, Sunday, April 3

Club results, reported by Victoria:

We had four people at club today.  Jan was back from Arizona.  She 
sold her house there, so she will now be joining us throughout the year.

Here are the results:

Steve 2-0 +326 RADIALE  79 MOOrIEST  70 OVERTHIN  65
Victoria 2-1 -112 GROSSInG  59
Andrea 2-2 -46 TARRING  64 HeALING  78 BAITING  70
Jan  0-3 -168

Andrea played HeALINGS and was challenged by Jan.  We all 
learned that it does not take an S.

Club Sunday, April 3

I'll be there. Who else?

Club results, March 27

There were four of us on Sunday, including a surprise guest, Mike Willis from Texas. Mike, a longtime tournament player, is working in Ashland for the next few months, so he could be a regular for a while. Victoria and I were gracious hosts: We "let" him win three out of four games.

The results:

Mike Willis: 3-1, +133
Victoria: 1-1, +45
Will: 1-2, -42
Janney: 0-1, -136

Bingoes:

Mike: MIDWIFES 67, TOLANES 72, BERATED 73, DEVILISH 64, AUREOLAS 59
WILL: REGIONS 68, TORNADIC 62, PUNIEST 89, SEALERS 68, ANNATES 90
VICTORIA: URINATE 64, NULLING 64

Club on March 27, and publicity

I again am a maybe for club on Sunday. I wish I could commit, but I've got too many things going on right now. I hope others can make it.

Cheryl's post urging us to publicize club got me moving. I ran into a former colleague who plays three-minute games online, and I gave her a copy of the flyer. I also gave one to a co-worker whose 12-year-old daughter is getting into the game (I had earlier given them the cheat sheet).

Also, I put a blurb for our club on the Herald-Leader's online events listing. There's a delay in posting, so once it shows up, I'll repost it here in case anyone wants to make a correction or recommend a wording change.

Club on Sunday, March 20

Who is planning to be at club?
I am not likely to be there.

Sunday March 13, part III

Betty played twice with one bye, Victoria and I played three times with one bye each. The results:

Betty	2-0	+131
Victoria	2-1	+12
Cheryl	0-3	-144

Bingoes:
Betty    (P)ORTALS 65
Victoria MILTIE(R) 72

Club on Sunday, 3/13, part II

Victoria, Betty and I were at club; unfortunately I did not bring the results to work with me, will post next time I get near some Internet (which I will have at home - the new place- after this Thursday).

I will be out of town also this coming weekend.

Club on Sunday, 3/13

I probably will be at club on Sunday. Anyone else?

Club results?

I'm guessing the turnout at club was low on Sunday? Did anyone play? If so, what were the results and highlights?

3/6 Club Session

Starting this weekend, I'll be travelling most of March, and my next time at club probably won't be until early April. However, the venue (Perkins) is still open to any and all that want to attend, so don't let my absence dissuade you. :)

Like always, feel free to comment here on whether you'll be attending this weekend's session starting at 3pm. I'll try to post an attendance survey at the appropriate times for the next few weeks' sessions also, subject to when/if I can get to the internet.

Have fun in my absence,
Steve

Feb. 27 LCT Results

It was a rainy Sunday; what better weather for a Scrabble tournament? 8 competitors ventured out in the soggy mess for 5 rounds of action. A special congratulations to Andrea Carman on her first tournament victory, going 4-1 as the 3rd seed, and gaining a whopping 108 rating points along the way. Woohoo!!!

The full results are below. Thanks to everyone for attending!

Steve Bush, Director

Format: Name, W/L, Spread, OldRating, NewRating, Prize
Division A
Marc Broering, 5-0, +745 , 1720, 1743, 1st place, $20
Will Scott, 3-2, +110, 1367, 1386, 2nd place, $10
Frank Lee, 1-4, - 403, 1368, 1341, high game (424), $5
Connie Breitbiel, 1-4, - 452, 1288, 1274

Division B
Andrea Carman, 4-1, + 109, 554, 662, 1st place, $20
Andy Wade, 2-3, - 4, 1083, 1046, 2nd place, $10
Betty King, 2-3, - 40, 735, 727
Victoria Bledsoe, 2-3, - 65, 483, 498, high game (469), $5

Feb. 27 LCT (formal) Announcement

Our next local club tournament will be held on Sunday, February 27, from 3:00 p.m. to around 9:00 p.m. at our regular meeting location, Perkins Family Restaurant, 2401 Richmond Road, Lexington. Steve Bush will direct. The February LCT is open to anyone who wishes to play, regardless of whether he or she is a member of the local club. It will be rated by the Word Game Players' Association (WGPO); no NASPA membership is required. The entry fee is $10. WGPO does not require individuals to be WGPO members in order to play at tournaments that it rates but encourages them to join; there are no membership dues for WGPO. You can join WGPO on its web site at http://www.wordgameplayers.org/join .

The tourney format will continue to be a five-round tournament, including a meal break at Perkins, with pairings and prize structure determined by the tournament director on the basis of the number of players participating. WGPO fully rates local club tournaments. Seedings will be determined by players' WGPO ratings, with NASPA ratings used if the player has not yet established a WGPO rating. Entry deadline is 5 p.m., Saturday, February 26, in order to ensure a timely start for the tournament.

To register either leave a comment to this blog entry OR send an e-mail to Steve at bush3262@yahoo.com. Here are the responses received so far, as of Saturday, February 26, at 4:00 p.m. EST --

9 WILL BE ATTENDING: Andy Wade, Andrea Carman, Marc Broering, Victoria Bledsoe, Betty King, Frank Lee, Connie Breitbiel, Will Scott, Steve Bush (directing)

2 WILL NOT BE ATTENDING: Cheryl Coovert, Janet Scheeline

0 ARE UNSURE ABOUT ATTENDING:

Hope to see you there!
Steve Bush, Tournament Director

Club results, Sunday Feb. 13

There were four of us at Perkins, so the pairings were easy: round-robin plus a king of the hill.

Victoria had the bingo of the day, in terms of points, low probability and overall coolness: INFIXeS for 106. She said she had been studying the fives that have X, and it came in handy.
Steve had the second-coolest bingo: the anagram of GONDOLA. He also had high game with 526.

Results:

Steve 3-1, +248
Betty 2-2, +190
Victoria 2-2, -86
Will 1-3, -162

Steve 437 LOaFERS 66, HOsTAGE 83
Will 313 LOITERS

Betty 398 STAGIER 83
Victoria 294

Victoria 372 MORALEs
Will 357 SARDINE 73

Betty 439 EMERGES 97
Steve 331 DEALERS 73

Will 402 DESTINY 75
Betty 383 TIERING 63, COBbLES 89

Steve 526 INERTIA 84, DONGOLA 85 SOLDIERS 70, GRENADEs 60
Victoria 297

Victoria 378 INFIXeS 106
Will 336 DEVIATOR 74

Steve 396 rEVISES 67 STAINER 73
Betty 393 BLENDiNG 86

Club Today (Sun. 2/13)

Just a quick last-minute post to say that I'll be there. Will said he's coming too. Any others?

Next LCT: Sunday, February 27

Hi everyone,

I'm pleased to announce that after a few months' haitus, the Lexington Scrabble Club's Local Club Tournament is back! The date will be Sunday, February 27, at the same locale (Perkin's Restaurant).

As in the past, the following will apply:
-5 game format
-WGPO (not NASPA) fully-rated tournament
-Start time: 3pm
-"Registration" deadline 5pm the day before, i.e. Saturday 2/26
-Visitors from other clubs are welcome.
-Entry fee TBD. Likely $10-15 like in the past.

I will post a more "formal" announcement in the next week, wherein I'll keep a current list of entrants, but I wanted to at least get the news out now so you can be planning for it. Of course, if you are already planning to play, feel free to post a comment here, or email John or me, and I'll add you to the formal announcement when I post it.

Let me know if any questions. Hope to see you there!

Steve

Club results, Feb. 6

We had five players: Betty, Cheryl, Janny, Victoria and Will

Will 3-0, +435
Betty 2-1, +226
Janny 1-1, -60
Victoria 1-3, -215
Cheryl 1-3, -386

Bingoes:

Will:
ROMANCE 78
AnGRILY 71
ANGAR(I)ES 60
REPEATS 84
EQUINES 80
FASTeNS 70
AER(I)ALED* 62
ATR(O)PINE 64

Betty:
HEIFERs 82
SWAYING 89
INTeRN(A)L 66
S(E)RIAtES 60

Cheryl:
FAIRIES 61
RELATING 63
SUITINg 77
(S)TUDDiNG 76

Will's Knoxville tournament

Here is my game-by-game overview of the Knoxville tournament. It's long, so I apologize in advance. I hoped to be able to just put a link here, but that's beyond my capability.

Here is the short form: I was the top seed in Division 2 and finished 8-7, +35, in sixth place. My rating dropped from 1409 to 1375. In three losses, I let go a phoney, and in each case, challenging it off might have changed the outcome. Ah, well. There's always the next tournament.

Here's my full report:

Will Scott's Knoxville Tourney, January 2011

Game 1, vs. David Meredith

Division 2 had 14 players, so the format was a round-robin for the first 13 games, then a king-of-the-hill matchup for each of the final two rounds. As the top seed in my division, I was to play the field in reverse order, from the 14th seed to the second seed. David was the 14th seed. I'd played him before and I knew he would be tough, but he'd had almost no sleep the night before and was visibly bleary. However, he managed to stay awake enough to hand me a loss right away. It didn't help that I missed the bingo MALTOSE. My lone bingo was SLATTED, but he answered with NONARTS, and two turns later he played ZEE/ZA for 63 points, and I couldn't catch him. Will 339, David 410.

Game 2, vs. Jacob Cohen.

Jacob is a very nice guy from Asheville. He has played tournament Scrabble for only a little more than a year, but he's a quick study and is rising. We had a closely fought game, and on turn 9, he extended END to ENDGRAIN, down to a triple for 33 points, giving him a 44-point lead. I held, thinking it probably was two words, but I decided not to risk it. (It turned out to be a phoney.) I held ELNOTVY and had decided to play NOVEL when I realized I had NOVELTY and a fat spot, so I played it for 96 points. He played BUR for 11, and I played RIOJA through the I for 28 points, extending my lead. Jacob played ION for 16, and I put down POSY, hooking the S to RIOJA, for 39 points and a 92-point lead. I drew the last tile, the Z, to go with EEI on my rack, and then Jacob bingoed out with ELOINER through a triple, hooking the R to ODE. It was the only possible bingo lane on the board. He took the 26 points on my rack and finished a point ahead, 389-388. I ask for a recount, but we find two more points for him, so it's a three-point victory for Jacob, 391-388.

Game 3, vs. Charlie Bond.

Another nice guy, Charlie was a longtime player who quit the game in the 1990s and returned a couple of years ago. I jumped ahead with ARSENAL, but he later played AUGITES to get within 9. From there, he won the battle of four- and five-letter plays, winning 380-311.

Game 4, vs. Margaret Swanson.

The action was in the second half of the game. I had built a nice lead, but on turn 9, Margaret played AGITATE to go ahead by a point. Two turns later I played DRUNKEST for 64, then ZA for 31. I almost blew the game by playing AGITATER*, which she challenged off, but two turns later, after she played SINUATE, I was able to answer with LIBRATE for 71. Finally, a win: 421-353.

Game 5, vs. Frank Schin.

With a rack of CDMNRXV, I opened by exchanging two. By turn four, I had a bingo: IRONERS for 71. Two turns later, holding EGOSTU?, I bingoed again with OUTGaZES for 68. Frank challenged, thinking I was trying a hail-mary because there was nowhere to play OUTAGES, but it came back good, and I built a 115-point lead. Frank kept chipping away and briefly went ahead, but I regained the lead with NICETY for 42. I win, 397-369.

Game 6, vs. Vicki Blizzard.

Vicki iss the co-director of the local club and the tournament, but I cut her no slack. I bingoed with BEACHING on my first turn, and maintained a good lead. On turn 8 I played STEIN through a triple, forming KAYOS, UT and RE for 58 points. Vicki then bingoed with LEDGERS, but I was able to answer with TiNGLES. Another win, 453-344.

Game 7 vs. Bill Snoddy.

Bill is the director of the Asheville club and tournament, and a pleasure to play. I had held a slight lead when he played ENTRAINS for 62, but I answered with TaNGOING for 68 to maintain the lead. He played EX for 42 and IF for 31, while I played OVULI* for 18 (I was thinking of OCULI, but fortunately, Bill didn't challenge) and TUBER for 24, and my lead was down to a point. But after he played DICED for 27, I was able to find IMITATEeS for 72, and Bill ran out of tiles. Will 417, Bill 361.

Game 8 vs. Yolanda Ushry.

For some reason, I always have a good game against Yolanda. I'm 6-0 against her, with an average victory margin of 106 points. This game was no different. I opened with the fun 6-letter word ZOUNDS (it's good only with the S), and after a 6-point play of UT, I made a string of big-point plays: 32, 35, 27, 26, QUARTO for 50, DUCKIES for 78, EYE for 34. She answered my bingo with her own, DERIDING, but I had built too big a lead and won, 430-337.

Game 9 vs. Aaron Finkel.

Just as I have Yolanda's number, Aaron has mine. He opened with VEALIER, while I, stuck with two Us, played GURU. Looking at my first rack now AAGHRUU I wonder if I might have been better off playing AARGH, keeping the two Us. A quick analysis by Quackle says AUGUR is the best play. Of course. Late in the game, just as I've clawed back to a three-point gap, Aaron drops SLINGER on me, pluralizing my earlier play of KENDO for 85 points. I finally get a bingo, STINGE(R)s, but it's not enough. Aaron 449, Will 388.

Game 10 vs. Mary Ellen Weisskopf.

In this back-and-forth game, I open with KITHE for 34, but I then get stuck with low-scoring plays, and Mary Ellen takes the lead on turn 4 with RADIANS for 71. I answer and retake the lead with SOUPIER for 89. Two turns later, Mary Ellen goes ahead with RESTABLE for 83, but I take it back with FOCAL for 49. After exchanging two of my three Rs, I find a spot for DRAGNET for 69, followed by ZEE for 49, and I win a high-scoring match, 456 to 403.

Game 11 vs. Gerri Bergeron.

As I played against higher- and higher-rated players in this tournament, I failed to raise the level of my game. After playing off two of my three Is with MINI for 11 points on my first play, I pick up both blanks and manage a bingo on turn 4 with (T)OstAdAS for 71 to take the lead. Stuck with two Us again on turn 6, I play my old standby, GURU, for 6 points, and then Gerri drops MISTRUAL* through the A for 70. I call hold. Hmm. I see MURALIST in that combination, but that won't fit. I dont like it at all, but I lose my nerve and decide not to challenge. Immediately after the game, I check it and find out the bad news. ALTRUISM, MURALIST and ULTRAISM are the good words in that combination. Later, I play ANOI(N)TED for 68, but it's not enough, and I can't manage any decent scoring plays after that. Gerri 388, Will 338.

Game 12 vs. Reid Warren.

Reid is a tough player, and he was 2-0 against me coming into the tournament. He opens with COX for 24, but I respond with ZOA for 45. That's my highlight of this game. On turn 4, he bingoes with VOCALES*, and it took me FOUR DAYS to realize that this was a phoney. The kicker is that I had studied this rack and I knew the only two anagrams: ALCOVES and COEVALS. Unfortunately, the door to that piece of information was shut on Sunday, when I needed it. I barely paused when he played it; I thought Id seen the word somewhere, so I didn't call hold and really scrutinize it. After that, Reid exchanged and then he played BRANNIER. That's the one on which I called hold, and it's the one I challenged, and it's the one that's good. Ouch. With his free turn, he played SENARII to go up by 136 points. I managed to play REdOL(E)NT for 68, but it wasn't nearly enough. Reid 453, Will 315.

Game 13 vs. Tom O'Rourke.

We both struggled to score early, and I burned a lot of time trying to find points in dreadful racks. Tom played MIRZA for 44 on turn 9 to open a 53-point lead, and I distinguished myself by playing five turns with single-digit scores. Still, by the end of turn 13, I was down by only 46. (Hey, it could have been much worse.) Then my luck changed. I drew both blanks, making my rack GINRS??. There was one obvious bingo lane through a double-word score. Tom couldn't capitalize, but he wisely blocked it with TAO for 13. There was one other possibility, however. I had seen it a few turns earlier but couldn't make use of it. There was an H on the board, leaving the possibility of an eight-letter bingo, but it had to end with the H and the seventh letter had to be S, to make SPA. While Tom deliberated before his TAO play, I plotted my move. Had he not played in that spot, I could have played REGINAS for 67. When he blocked that, I dropped GReeNIS(H) for 64. The bag was empty, so I took 8 points off his rack and won by five, 308-303. Whew. That almost made up for my two previous boneheaded losses. Almost. It was my lowest-scoring game of the tournament. I always try to avoid a sub-300-point game, and that is about the only goal I achieved in this tourney.

Game 14 vs. Mary Ellen Weisskopf.

In the first of two King-of-the-hill rounds, I was still in the hunt for fourth place, providing I had a blowout win and the fourth-place player lost by about 200. Didn't happen. What did happen was that I opened with OCTANES for 74 and two turns later played PLAISTER for 62, taking a commanding lead, if only temporarily. Mary Ellen played GLISTER for 79 to narrow the gap, I scored a total of 163 points in my next four plays, but then she played (D)eWiNESS to a triple for 83. Fortunately, I drew the better tiles in the final three turns and won, 432-381.

Game 15 vs. Margaret Swanson.

We played about even until she dialed up REDIALS for 77 on turn 7. I was able to stay close and finally got down a bingo, SONATaS, for 70 to take a 34-point lead. From the second A in my bingo, she laid down APOSTLES, but then she picked it up, fearing a strong comeback play to the triple-word score. Instead she played POST for 21. I couldn't close the board, but I refused to open it further, making two- and three-tile plays. It backfired. She bingoed (I forgot to record the word and I can't remember it) and I got stuck with all vowels in my final full rack. Margaret 399, Will 351.

Final notes: I finished 8-7, with a spread of 35 points, and my rating dropped from 1409 to 1375. Ouch. During the tournament, it seemed to me that I was plagued by Is, and I was sure I drew the lion's share of them. According to my tallies, I drew slightly more than half, and I often did have two or more on my rack, but part of the reason for that was my rack management, leaving an I on my rack while making a middling play. I also hurt myself by allowing two phoney bingoes in two straight games. Add it all up and it was a lack of focus overall. I can only hope to be better prepared mentally in my next tournament.

First club mtg in February

Good luck in Knoxville, folks! Who is coming to play here at home this weekend? I'm planning to be there.

Knoxville is a NASPA tournament isn't it?

Big weekend in Knoxville

Five members of the Lexington club and two honorary members will play in the 15-game Knoxville tournament this weekend. We Kentuckians will comprise 17 percent of the field.
Here is the breakdown (players' seeding in their divisions are in parentheses):

Div. 1 -- Kelly McKenzie (3) and Steve Bush (9)
Div. 2 -- Will Scott (1) and David Meredith (14)
Div. 3 -- Andy Wade (3), Betty King (12) and Andrea Carman (14)

This is Andrea's first venture outside of Lexington, so wish her luck!

Jan. 23 Club Results

There were four of us at club today.

Before we go to the results, this disclaimer: I couldn't read my own writing for Janney's and Betty's game, but it looked as if Janney won, 339-336. If this score is incorrect, please let me know and I'll make the necessary changes.

Results:

Will: 3-1, +220
Janney: 2-1, -90
Victoria: 2-2, +87
Betty: 0-3, -217

Bingoes
Will: SANTERO 71, COOLEES* 78, rEASONE(D) 60, TE(N)SIBLE 74, ATONABL(E) 68
Victoria: aVOIDE(R)S 78, SALTinE 65, FLEDGEs 70
Janney: OVErUSE 84

Notes: Janney had a great day. She was pretty happy when she beat me in the opener (my shameful phoney of COOLEES fell short), and she had the high play of the day -- OVErUSE for 84 points -- in her second game, a narrow win against Betty.

Betty had a rough day, but she got all of her bad luck out of the way, clearing the way for a strong showing at Knoxville next weekend. Our club will have quite a contingent there: Steve, Andy, me (Will), Andrea and Betty. With Kelly McKenzie, our quasi-club member from Northern Kentucky, six players will represent Kentucky.

Against Betty, I was holding BEEILST. There was an N on the board, and after some shuffling, I came up with a possibility: TENSIBLE. It seemed plausible enough as a word, but would it be -ABLE or -IBLE? What the heck -- down it went. Betty challenged, and I was ready to pick up my tiles when the ruling came back: acceptable. I don't know who was more surprised.

In that same game, I got to play the fun fives INCOG and THRUM. I think that was the first time I'd played either of those words. (the anagram of INCOG is COIGN.)

Will

Attendance Survey for January 23 Club Session

Please indicate whether you will be attending club this coming Sunday, January 23, by leaving a comment to this blog entry OR by e-mailing John at JMSinKY@aol.com

RESPONSES ABOUT CLUB ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 23

(as of Sunday, January 23, 2011, at 11:00 a.m.)

• 2 WILL BE ATTENDING CLUB on Sunday, January 23 -- Victoria, Will
• 2 WILL NOT BE ATTENDING CLUB on Sunday, January 23 -- John, Steve
• 0 IS UNSURE ABOUT ATTENDING CLUB on Sunday, January 23 --

Club Results, Jan. 16 Session

There were 5 of us that made it out to club yesterday; here are the results (name, record, spread, bingoes with score if known):

Steve: 2-0, +67, URALITES 68, InDAGATE 70
Betty: 2-1, -16, FOREIgn 72, OErSTED 71, CAPERING 67
Will: 1-1, +84, TORSADES 67, OLEANDERS, STARING, SEASIDe
John: 1-2, +17, dUALIST 79
Janny: 0-2, -152

Thanks for everyone's attendance. Hope to see you next time!

What happened at club? (and corrected survey for Jan. 16)

I'm always eager to hear about club results when I miss club. Who's got the scoop?

Also, here's a start to who's coming on Sunday (I (Will) originally posted that I would be there, but I just realized that I have a commitment that takes precedence, so I won't make it):

RESPONSES ABOUT CLUB ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 16

(as of Sunday, January 16, at 11:45 a.m.)

Respond by leaving a comment to this post or e-mailing John at JMSinKY@aol.com

• 4 WILL BE ATTENDING CLUB on Sunday, January 16, 2011 -- Betty, John, Steve, Will (probably)
• 1 WILL NOT BE ATTENDING CLUB on Sunday, January 16, 2011-- Cheryl
  
• 0 ARE UNSURE ABOUT ATTENDING CLUB on Sunday, January 16, 2011 --

Addendum from John, 1/15:

RESULTS FROM CLUB ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 9

There were seven players at club last Sunday, January 9; four rounds were played. Here are the results and a list of bingos played with their scores:

Andy -- 4-0, +355

Steve -- 2-2, +318

David -- 2-1, +318

John -- 2-1, -46

Andrea -- 1-2, -400

Betty -- 1-3, -149

Adam -- 0-3, -396

• Adam -- (S)TALKERS 62
• Andy -- PRESAGE 89, GRATEFUL 80, BINDE(R)S 78, VASTIER 78, CREATION 74, INANEST 70, REI(G)(N)ITE 64, DO(R)MANTS* 63
• Betty -- RESHAVE 73, UTI(L)ISED 62
• David -- DRAUGH(T) 82, SEATING 76, CORSETS 75, OUTDREW 68, UNIDEAED 62
• John -- OVE(R)TO(N)E 77, GRA(M)PIES* 64, (N)ATURES 64
• Steve -- DIPT(E)RAN 80, DRAINAGE 68, LATHERE(D) 63, OTALG(I)A 62

Most Bingos Played -- eight by Andy

Highest Score for Bingo -- 89 for PRESAGE by Andy

Survey for January 9 Club Session

Club members are asked to indicate whether they will be attending club on Sunday, January 9, by leaving a comment to this blog entry OR e-mailing John at JMSinKY@aol.com .

RESPONSES ABOUT CLUB ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 9

(as of Saturday, January 8, at 2:05 p.m.)

• 5 WILL BE ATTENDING CLUB on Sunday, January 9, 2011 -- Adam, Andrea, Betty, John, Steve
• 1 WILL NOT BE ATTENDING CLUB on Sunday, January 9, 2011 -- Victoria
• 0 IS UNSURE ABOUT ATTENDING CLUB on Sunday, January 9, 2011 --

Addendum from John: Steve and I have discussed whether to hold a local club tournament in January and have decided to postpone resuming our LCT's until February. Steve will direct the February LCT, date yet to be determined, and, assuming my recovery from heart surgery continues to go well, I will direct the March LCT.

There is a two-day NASPA-rated tournament at Knoxville on Saturday and Sunday, January 29-30. For more information on this, here is a link to its flyer on cross-tables.com . You must be a member of NASPA to play in a NASPA-rated tournament.