Pre-tournament club night. Special guest appearance by early arriving tuatera777 (Ben W), whom I didn't play.
And another guest appearance by a local news photographer, who got up close and personal with my first game...
1st game... vs good player (Will). He's lately been averaging 372. He goes first, and his second play is COTtAGE, hanging C in triple word lane. I hold AAEESU?. I'm somehow relieved that the photographer catches me as I play CAESURAE down the triple... rather than something like CAT or BONE or whatever. The remaining S's go to Will. I'm swimming in I's, play BLINI for 20... hoping he leaves it alone. A few turns later, he does ARTIEST/BLINIS. I'm not sure about BLINIS, but I leave it alone (BLINIS is ok). After 10 turns, it's 314 to 313 for him. I've just dumped AZON for 26, blocking a potentially good spot for either J or X, which were unaccounted for... until I draw both in return for AZON. I get the J down for 34, the X for 28, 2 tiles at a time; meanwhile he's played the last S and stayed pretty much even. After 13 turns, 386-392 for me... but he plays out with his 14th turn. 392-402 final, I'm holding LUT I think. Don't think there was much else I could have done, other than possibly exchanged once.
Game 2... another good player (Derek), entering this weekend for his first tournament. He holds the club high game record, 614. (Don't worry, I'm working on it).
He draws one S, pretty late... everything else is mine, basically. I open with DITZ, next turn CaLOYER/DITZY... later on, OVERUSES through the V. To his credit, he gave no thought to challenging CALOYER. QUITS went for 74. At the end, I held ADDGIT?... Lexpert says no 7's OR 8's in that mess. Milked it best I could... GADID, then a 23 point S play, and a 13 point T play. Final 532-297.
3rd game... pretty easy player. She averages 303, says the club stats sheet. I open FAKIR 32 from FRANKII rack (momentarily considered FRANK 34 to set up FRANKING, but a leave of II is tempting fate a little too much even for me!). Now had EIIINR?... (had I played FRANK, would have had EIIIIR?). I knew there was something here, but couldn't think of it (truth be told, I didn't feel desperate enough to NEED to find it). Lexpert says RIPIENI is the only 7, and INVIRILE the only 8. Not sure if either would have been playable. I just stuck IF for 5... unusual for me, I usually don't nickel and dime my way to bingos. Next turn, NITERIe. She challenged. (???? Last week, she challenged me on ANALITY, EXINE, OSTEOID, got burnt each time... what does it take???). Dumped UNIQUE for 35. After 10 turns, I was up 260 to 152... I'm not thrilled with 26 points a turn. I get down FOLIAGE (87), hooking A as LEVA (I assured her it was good). Z comes up... I play ZERO to the O... on a triple... hooking the R as UNIQUER. I almost have her convinced to leave it alone, I have tiles coming out of the bag... and put them back as she decides to challenge me anyway... UNIQUER sounded like such horrible English to her. But it was ok.. and she vowed to stop challenging me from then on. So naturally I take her up on it, playing the normally harmless DINT for 36... to a TWS, hooking as FOLIAGED (which looked fishy to me too). She left it alone(I checked later, it's good). I fished a little for a third bingo near the end... ALEIIND has no 7's, and only options for 8's were ALCIDINE, GLIADINE, and FINIALED (don't know if any were playable). AAIRSTU next rack, no 7's, only 8's from Lexpert are AQUARIST and TIMARAUS. Dumped AU, setting up easier hook, and now AEIRSTU. No 7's but 11 8's (unfortunately N accounts for 4 of them). Possibly SURICATE was playable, but I'd eliminated the others. Played UREA to the triple hooking the A as AMICE. She checked that one after the game... every word of mine she doubted or outright challenged was good =). Ended 545-266.
4th game... Good player (Eugenio N.). He goes first, plays OUT for 6, odd combo AND placement. His next is XI for 34 (hence the odd choice of first play). That's okay... 40 points for 2 turns to play the X, 20 points per turn average, I can live with that. He dumps BYS for 20 something. In short order plays off the J and Z, another S. Then NEATEST for 63. After his ninth turn, he's 264, I'm 164 with my ninth to come. Rack is ENORRS? No 7 hooks except an incredibly cheap one for words beginning with E or S. Best 8 lane is DWS putting F in 3rd or 4th position. I saw the playable FORERUNS... had doubts.. and didn't like missing the double word. Didn't see REFRONTS (would doubt that one too much anyway if I had). In the end I played thru a different 8 lane; I fished for a challenge, playing the (to me) incredibly ugly iN(T)RORSE for 64, setting up two triples... guaranteeing me one even if no challenge. There were also bingo lanes thru R, E, and S, but nothing playable. The only alternative thru the T was its twin ANTRORSE.
Unfortunately, Eugenio had Q AND blank, played QA(i)d for 63. ANTRORSE wouldn't have helped ... he'd have Qu(a)something, no doubt. REFRONTS might have been the difference. I finished the last 5 turns nickel and diming my way through UAILIRIOI combos, while he picked off easy 20+ points with H, Y, M, W plays. Final 322-439.
But nice to get that game out of the way BEFORE the tournament. =)