I haven't had time or inclination to post recent club nights...
We held 8 game sanctioned tourney today.
I was originally thinking I'd just be a word judge... but after a less than satisfying Calgary tourney, felt like kicking arsines.
Game 1: Renate D., the best-drawing player I've ever seen! And a chronic sandbagger. She finally got her rating past 1000, which landed her 8th highest seed of the 10 player division 1.
I open by exchanging... her second turn is MaRRIES, which at least allowed me to dump QAT for 41. Her next turn, DELVERS.
3 turns in, and I'm 107 down, and she's played half the blanks and esses already. Fortunately I resist challenging DELVERS.
Onto MA I stick MATZO for 36, later milk the MATZOT hook for a 27 point dump.
8th turn I draw the blank... with considerable shock that it escaped her... and throw down SNIFtER for 86. This gives me a tiny lead. After 10, it's 319-320 for her. Turn 13, I have AEILORT rack and an open E on the triple, played AEROLITE for 77. She challenged.
Ended up 478-372 for me.
Game 2, John W, rated 1085.
This game was just silly.
3rd turn, holding AILOOTS, found open N, played SOLATION. The positioning is horrible... ISOLATION hook to TWS lane.
Fortunately, he challenges SOLATION.
I draw EEIKLRS. The first O of SOLATION offers ROSELIKE for 66... or I could consume my S and the ISOLATION hook with KIERS for 51, drawing to EL. I took ROSELIKE.
LeXpert says... there are no EEIKLRS 7's, and the other 8's are SERfLIKE, SLeEKIER, and tRISKELE. He takes WILT to the top middle triple. After 5, he has 66, I have 197. With ABEMNTU, I find a T with just enough room to squeeze ABUTMENT in. I draw ADEINR?. Sheesh.
He plays a B- word to the left middle triple... I play the unimaginative BEARDINg off his B for 86. The coolest bingo in that spot would go to BILANDER, I think.
I pick up CDEELMO. Thanks to his earlier play of WILT, I have WELCOMED for 101, and am already apologizing.
5 bingos in 8 turns.
After 10, I'm up 598 to 208, holding Q and the other blank. I misplay this one... taking a 33 point EQUAL that allowed 8's, instead of a 27 point EQUAL that blocked lanes.
He bingos out with HEARINGS. Final 531-342.
Game 3, Elvira T, 1250.
I have VVFRNL? to open with. I keep RN with the blank, but only draw A for a vowel.
We each draw a blank early... but I get mine down first, SCURrIL, 91 pts.
She apparently missed JITTERs/PONEs because she had fixed her mind on JITTERy. Also, she saw FETTLES at one point, doubted it, and didn't play it.
AFter 10, I'm up 317-156 on a pretty closed board. She hangs a possible bingo hook, I have ADEGHNS rack. I almost played HANGED for 28 or so... which would have allowed her play of WAVERED/WHANGED for about 110. Saw GNASHED just in time. Ended 485-220 for me. She never got that bingo down.
Game 4, Steve U., 1350 ish.
This guy comes out sporadically to club, and has played a single tournament... in novice, where he murdered everyone.
I've never played him before.
TORNADOs, UNDERLIE for me, none for him, not too thrilling a game. 375-308.
I'll continue this later...