1st game... relatively good opponent...
Her second turn is SHEAREr and a 29-92 lead. By my fifth turn I've played back to back bingos (REPETEND... which didn't draw a a challenge as hoped... and LEISTER)... and she has WHIZ for 87. I'm still behind by 52 after averaging over 38 per turn! Then again, in 5 turns she's played both blanks, an S, Z, X and J. I figure I'm okay, with all that ammunition expended by her already, I can outplay her easily enough with even tiles... unfortunately, I was hamstrung on every rack thereafter anyway... after 10 turns, the gap was still 52 on a closed board. Her 12th turn opened a triple (????) which I was happy enough to take (SUQ/LACS for 42... I held SUQU and 3 consonants)... after 13, 353 to 365, still behind. After 14, 366-365 after I challenged her LIBRE*. But my rack now was VUTTTRN, and I couldn't exchange, AND almost nothing was playable.
380-405 loss. Thoroughly frustrating type of game!
2nd game, pretty good new guy... Playing second, held IODAEY?, dumped COY. (Lexpert confirms I had no bingo available, tho I did look for a minute). Open in either direction on the center star was an A. On my next turn, held ADEGIR?... no double double opportunities, looked at A- 8's... saw none (and there weren't). Tried the other direction, and gave GERArDIA a try for 80. He didn't know it, but didn't challenge. I even doubted it somewhat myself. The only other option to hit the trip was GARDEnIA, which didn't occur to me. I was a little worried about the G sitting up there... but I drew SWELLIN out of the bag, wasted no time playing SWELLING, 89. (There are no 7's in it). Drew the Z, played it into the lower left side triple column for 48. He tried ZHID*, which I got rid of. He said it was alternate for YID, and that it's in HIS dictionary. A couple turns later, after he dutifully blocked that Z spot, he blocked the E I needed for AGENESIA. The board now suited 7's or 9's moreso than 8's... and AAEGINS holds no 7's. I got rid of an A for 10, allowing me AGONIES next turn, fairly cheaply. The choice between AGONISE and AGONIES came down to whether I wanted to leave an E under the middle right TWS (and invite, in worst case, trip trip) for AGONISE... or alleviate THAT risk with AGONIES, but invite possibility of XI for 52 under the E. I risked the XI. He plays XI =)
After 10 turns, 395 to 239 for me.
Ends up 489-294.
3rd game, pretty good experienced tourny player.
She opens with TRUCE. She asks me later if CRUSTAE is a word, I say no (CRISTAE). She didn't see CURATES till I pointed it out to her after the game. 5th turn, takes me a while to see ARRESTS, took the only hook (WOVENS). 9th turn she tries WAIStIE* on me, I get rid of it. I have RURUVOT at this point, dump RU safely for 4. A great pick of EA in return lets me get down OUTRAVE. After 10, 209-318 for me. She exchanges, a couple turns later plays NEATESt/OUTRAVES, only slightly making up the differential from my last 64-point play of FLEX. My rack had been FLEXION, but it wouldn't play. I picked up the other blank... OBEYINg wouldn't play, took EBONY for 43. She dumped her Z, I played ZIg, won 476-310. If not for the easy Z play for 22, was going to play out with bI(FLEX) for 15.
4th game... another pretty good new player!
After 5 turns, was down 100-117. Got ALDRInS down in 8th turn, after 10 was up 284 to 251 after her SOiLING. I had plenty of bingo racks in the end, but we got trapped into one of those 1/2 board games, where half the board was untouchable. 458-343 win.
Several of our players are heading off to Saskatoon, SK this weekend to do battle with George McSomething (1800) of Flin Flon, and Siri T. of Calgary. And whoever else is there. I'm staying home =)