Dunedin Lion Open - March 2010

Name	Club	Rating	Grade	Win Expectancy
Peter Sinton	DUN	1991	A	13.7
Tim Anglin	Canada	1775	A	10.5
Ian Patterson	DUN	1555	A	6.0
Karyn MacDougall	DUN	1544	A	5.8
Peter Johnstone	CHC	1542	A	5.7
Herb Ramsay	CHC	1413	A	3.3

That was the (A-Grade) field for the Dunedin Lion Open, 27-28 March 2010.
Triple round robin, so seeded in the middle my expectation was 6 wins from the 15 games.

NOTATION: Brackets show letters already on board.
Question mark shows a blank in hand.
Lower case denotes a blank played.
* shows a "word" that's actually NOT VALID.

Game #1 - v. Herb   (refer picture, above) (click it to enlarge)
Hah! Bottom seed! He should be easy! LOL.
My VIFDA for 32 was a pleasant start that gave nothing away! But by turn 4 he played ANNATES to draw level. My turn 6 offered EMPORST which looked promising. Oddly I never juggled STOMPER* out of it, but I did find TROMPES that rang some vague bell from 15 years ago. Down it went, challenged, and stayed on! (If I HAD dared STOMPER*, for 95, it WOULDN'T have survived challenge, actually!)
But 3 turns later his TEEnIER brought him level again. (I challenged it, unsuccessfully, as I knew either teenier or teenies was crook - oh well, 'tis teenies is crook, makes nothing).
However, I responded immediately with ITERANT, though the I offered a triple-triple. I then drew AEERST?, so Em(I)RATES looked promising for 122 till he blocked that spot, so settled for 66 for STEAmER, and an easy/lucky run to the win.
Later analysis shows STEAMER for 66 (and leaving heaps on) was somewhat inferior. MUCH better were 12A TESsERA(E) for 91, or the simple A1 (V)ETERAnS for 83, or - if I'd known NAGA - N2 SAkERET for 80!

Game #2 v. Karyn
My turn 2 (A)SSORTEd (LOL, that's MY "share" of the 6 "goodies" all used up!) was answered by TH(R)ONgED, then pulled ahead later with a nice find of (D)ILATION, again answered quickly by SPORTI(N)G.
Eventually it was neck and neck to the end, where I lost by just 4 points (409-413).

Game #3 v. Peter J
Always a delight to play Peter J, and usually fireworks! I was surprised he challenged my (ok) ALB early on. I thought *I* was the only one around still weak on 3's.
Turn 5 I had AEKNUW?, and tossed up between the almost equally unlikely UNaWAKE or UNWAKEd. He later said he'd have challenged either one, but turns out both are ok, and that rack makes nothing else. (Always pleasing to find EVERY combo a rack makes :-))
Coupla turns later he grabbed PLA(U)dITS, to draw level. I had AADEGOR so tried a ROADAGE for 75, which (sadly?) exposed a triple-triple. Well DURN it, after some thought he allowed my word, and slapped down ST(r)AINER for 131, and a 308-246 lead.
In hindsight we think he still SHOULD have challenged (ROADAGE is/makes zilch), then he still could have got his "RETINAS" tiles down somewhere for around 70 for something like a 250-170 lead.
Anyway he followed this with QI for 44, then (D)IGESTED, and I was toast. Trounced. Shellacked!

Game #4 - v. Peter S (by far the best player there - he's been to World Champs 3 times!)
Well, I've just lost to seeds #4 and #5 - what chance against "The King" ? :-( ;-)
I swap 4, he plays CAZ for 28, and I whip down (A)BSTRUsE for 80, plus another 5 for his challenge!
He then stretches from MY TWS square along to the next one, with (E)RODIuMS, which seems to allow my INTEGER(S) an easy spot, from HIS TWS up to the NEXT (3 o'clock) one!
He was then LIP for 18, I got QI for 31, then after a loooong thought about all the chances on a quite open board he came up with UNPLA(T)ED to draw back to level at 200 each. :-(
HOW DUMB I AM! I glanced at it, figured "you can't challenge THAT", so carried on with no more thought of it - till after the game he told me it was CROOK! ROTFL. GRRR!
Ian - remember the "rule" you tell everyone: losing only 5 for a wrong challenge, you may as well challenge ANY turn over 50 or 60 that you're not 100% sure of.

Anyway, I then got JATO (44) then he got (J)INX (54) then the good scores dried up as we both killed the board and slowed everything right down. At one stage I noticed my EENVSTY made a bonus, but the only available spot had to finish with something like ...ON so I ignored it and focused on other angles... until... he played a GIRO for 11 which limited that "ON" ending to instead maybe a "TY" ending. WHOOPEE!! I GOT LUCKY!!!
He DID then draw the last S, but was unable to open any spots for himself (while I was blocking everywhere, of course!) so I eventually finished 80 ahead - Peter'' first loss.

LATER ANALYSIS shows his (E)RODIuMS for 83 (TWS) was 'ok', but better was the DWS/DWS MOR(T)ISeD for 90, and leaving nothing on!

Game #5 v. Tim
I answered his opening PEONAGE with SOOTIER (a nice 6-way overlap), but his qUINCES on turn 4 virtually sealed his win - despite my W(R)ITABLE (yes, the E in middle IS optional) on #6, then STRoLL(E)R on #7.
Perhaps if I'd remembered LIN took a letter in front I MIGHT have done better, as he got a gift 45 there, but his solid finished demolished me.

Game 6 v. Herb
This one was a whitewash in MY favour. My 3 bonuses beat his 1, and he really never got a look in..

Game #7 v. Karyn
Her opening MOULIES* worried me! I know what a MOULI* is, but just didn't know (for sure) the plural, so I challenged. Phew - a brand name, apparently!   I took an early lead with RINDIeR, but she responded with SCULLeD, then later her RESITED got a good lead. Despite my getting away with pluralising ZONAL (which I knew u can't!) for a juicy 57 I never got close.
2-0 to Karyn for the day - and she's my arch-rival, from the local club, and a mere 10 rating points below me. Oh dear, dear!

Game #8 v. Peter J
On turn #6 he offered a triple-triple, with R as penultimate letter. With BEHIORT (makes nothing) I could grab HE(R)O for 33, but preferred BROTHE(R) for 48. But as I pushed my clock I glanced at my rack and thought Arghhhh - why not BROTHIE(R)*  for 101? Turns out (A) he'd have challenged that, and (B) it would have come off. Lucky!?!
He played ONY for 20 at one stage. I challenged, wrongly, so maybe NOW I have learned that durn word. (I first saw/challenged it at a tournament last year I think, THEN saw it again - and DIDN'T challenge! - just a few games later.) It just has a hard job truly entering my skull!
Sadly turn #9 saw my IVORIES stuck onto an AUE (only spot) - and AUES* failed the challenge. But as the board was now very bonus-hostile I settled next for a 43 using my S, and managed to keep my nose in front ... until.... another ARGHHH moment:
The ONLY bonus spot had to end with a vowel then a front-hook onto AZO. (I'd toyed with HORNING/GAZO* earlier, but thought better of it. Frankly I had no idea what, if anything, front-hooks that). Down goes CORDIAL/L(AZO) (with AL of cordial Both Blanks!!). Seems HE knew L-AZO, AND had been building toward it for some time.
Another game down the gurgler, and ended day 1 on 3-5, not good for a 3rd seed.

Game #9 v. Peter S
Turn #2 he played an ISO for 25. Ulp for me, and, sure enough NEXT turn was bonusville: DESIGNS. Oh well, still 1 S and 2 blanks for me - maybe?! I had a QU, and was pleased to string it thru MA(R)QUE(E) for 38, especially as he then challenged to give me another 5.
My next turn was ReADOUT (also makes OUTDARE, OUTREAD) and I wondered if another win might be coming. My small lead was lost when I punted on a (VIBE)D* for 38, but then he got the last S for a healthy 34, then later got the other blank to put me away at the end. I reckon if I'd got that last blank I may well have prevailed (but hey, I'm not "complaining" - ever!).

Game #10 v. Tim
Second crack at the "foreigner"! Opened with UNHEAP*, scored 24, left nothing on, turned over tiles, and left me a handy E. All good, till he challenged it off! :-( He then opened with ZED for 26, so quick as a flash I had UNHEAPE(D) for 69!
Well.... until IT came off too! Not an auspicious start!
Tim then swapped 5 then followed with bATISTE, and despite my later DARTLES and STOURIE I was never in the hunt.

Game #11 - v. Herb
This game turned out very even. His LEARING (challenged) and STERILE were matched by my BOONIES (challenged) and ORATION, then near the end now IF my (STERILE)R* had been valid I'd have probably won. Or even if I'd had the courage to add a D to VIOL I'd have probably won.
As it was - lost by just 2 points. (Bottom seed Herb lost his first 7 games yesterday, but SINCE then he's now WON his next 4! A slow starter??)

And me ? - hey, that's my FIFTH loss in a row! . . Buck up there, Otarine Pants!

Game #12 v. Karyn
Well, can't complain about my first 7 tiles. After a moment's thought down went ANESTRI, one off the TWS. (Well, *I* knew it doesn't take S, but SHE might not.)
Soon after I played REDA(T)E for just 14, mainly just to get turnover, and also to mess up a few spots for 8s and/or other things. Sadly she had a blank, AND she had a 7, so done went WhIRLED/(REDATE)D for 79. But - it gave me (I)NKIER for 45.
I later played JAE* for 26, challenged off. That's another "bogey" word for me - just as I can NEVER learn that ONY IS a word, seems I can also never remember that JAE* isn't.
My BOX (53) and ZOEA (33) got me a bonus ahead and in full control midgame. (AND it earned me 5 points later when I added an E to it!)
Time to close down!? Really, there was only 1 bonus spot, had to be an 8 thru an I, with not much leeway space-wise. I let it stay (as I was getting close to my own bonus anyway). But she whacked down VE(I)LINGS/(ABET)S, and we were even again. :-(
Well, no more bonus spots, so I cashed in my S for 30, then SHE cashed in the last blank for a big (on that board) 27 with (F)EINTs to a TWS corner. She led by 17 - I had AAEGOTU, she had just 2 tiles (and I don't tile-track except S, ?, QZJX so I had no idea what they were. I figured I was dead, probably. Played AGATE to be 1 behind, then she DIDN'T go out, but played C(HAP) for a lead of 12. The very best I could see for my OU was 9, so if she had a 1 left she'd win. :-( No choice, so I played the 9, then she revealed her W!! Hooray, a very very last gasp escape from a 3-0 whitewash.
Later analysis showed her (F)EINTs (27) should have been (F)ECkIN (39) - but since neither her nor I had even heard of it it's not even a valid "if only".

Game #13 v. Peter J
Peter didn't like this game - I loved it. And no, NOT because of who won, but because the tiles fell really badly for both of us throughout. (Any time we have a game with only ONE bonus there's obviously something afoot).
His Turn #1: swap 7. Turn #7: swap 5. Turn #12: swap 6.
Not to be outdone:
My turn #2: swap 7. Turn #4: swap 7.  Turn #7: swap 7. Turn #11: swap 2 !!
But in midst of that I managed a well-placed ZOEAL (73) on turn #9, and 3 turns later squandered(?! LOL) a blank on QAIDs (72). He then ditched his S for a CHI(V)ES (32) then watched my shutting up shop. But I couldn't quite block one possible bonus spot, until almost at the end it was *I* who got RApIERS on it, and left poor Peter lucky to scrape over 300.

Game #14 v. Peter S
What's to say ? He got both blanks and 3 S's, for 2 bonuses and a good score. MY one S came far too late - I lost.
Interesting was his very first play: BLING. As I've just learned B-LIN, may as well now extend that knowledge to BLIN-G. It's one thing to "see" such things in lists, but when they're actually played in a real game situation they sink in a lot better - for me anyway. ;-)

Game #15 v. Tim
3 wins out of 8 yesterday, and today so far just 2 out of 6 - I think I'm underperforming a tad. Can I beat Tim THIS time, so I can then say I beat everyone at least once ?
Well, I actually (almost!) felt sorry for my opponent this game. My Turn #1: ZO(A) for 32. Turn #2: DIL(A)TION for 60. Turn #3: HADRONE* challenged off (phew, makes nothing, so at least I didn't miss anything), Turn #4 HONDA for 46, Turn #5: DEGREES.
After 5 turns, despite his BROW(N)IER along the way, I led 218-164, then my Turn #8: SIDEMAN (79) followed by JO (54) surely sealed it.
Poor Tim got no blanks and only 1 S this game - and that S he played as EES* for 21 on a tight board, only to have it taken off again. But understandable as he plays American dictionary at home in Toronto, so has a relatively scant knowledge of "our" words. I'm amazed he can compete as well as he does. This was the only (tiny) blemish that I noticed in our 3 games.


SUMMARY:

Opponent		(Round)	W/L	My Score	His/Her Score	Spread	My Bonuses	His/Her Bonuses
H E R B		1	W	495	409	+86	TROMPES ITERANT STEAMER	ANNATES TEENIER
K A R Y N		1	....L	409	413	-4	ASSORTED DILATION	THRONGED SPORTING
P E T E R  J.		1	....L	389	539	-150	UNWAKED ROADAGE*bogus!!	PLAUDITS STRAINER DIGESTED
P E T E R  S.		1	W	503	423	+80	ABSTRUSE INTEGERS SEVENTY	ERODIUMS UNPLATED*bogus!!
T  I  M		1	....L	364	527	-163	SOOTIER WRITABLE STROLLER	PEONAGE QUINCES
Herb		2	W	466	346	+120	DEMONISE ASTRIDE BELATING	RAIDERS
Karyn		2	....L	387	455	-68	RINDIER	SCULLED RESITED
Peter J.		2	....L	371	402	-31	-	DILUTES CORDIAL
Peter S.		2	....L	383	446	-63	READOUT	DESIGNS OLEINES
Tim		2	....L	337	444	-107	DARTLES STOURIE	BATISTE
Herb		3	....L	415	417	-2	BOONIES ORATION	LEARING STERILE
Karyn		3	W	411	406	+5	ANESTRI	WHIRLED VEILINGS
Peter J.		3	W	443	409	+34	RAPIERS	-
Peter S.		3	....L	345	441	-96	-	DECRIES LASTING
Tim		3	W	514	344	+170	DILATION DEGREES SIDEMAN	BROWNIER

Seeding#	N A M E	NZ Rating Before_After	EXPECTED Wins	ACTUAL Wins	Spread	Bonuses	Ave Score
1	Peter_S.	1991__1955	13.7	12	+1551	28	439
2	T i m	1775__1731	10.5	10	+273	26	419
3	I a n	1555__1550	6.0	6	-189	27	415
4	Karyn	1544__1546	5.8	6	-265	21	394
5	Peter_J.	1542__15?????	5.7	6	-99 ??	24	395
6	Herb	1413__1555	3.3	5	-855	22	383

 So, at least I recovered a bit in Round 3, to finish "level" - so looking forward to next (Easter) weekend and the NZ Masters - top 24 players in the country battle a round robin over 3 days.

THIS weekend has been a great dress rehearsal and settler - I'm "expected" to win just 5.7 out of 23 at the Masters - I aim for 10 (but would even settle for 12!?)