Game #9 - Ian vs. John Baird - WHAT WOULD YOU PLAY ?
Expected: 4.1 wins, Actual: 7 wins. _ Rating change: 1559 to 1641 
SUMMARY:
| Opponent | (my) | # | W/L | My Score | Opp. Score | Diff. | My Bonuses | His/Her Bonuses |
| Murray | ? | 1 | L | 318 | 367 | -49 | - | - |
| John B | ??ss | 2 | W | 517 | 359 | +157 | SNIRTLE HEADROOM REPAINT ARTSIER | - |
| Paul L | ?ss | 3 | L | 311 | 460 | -149 | UNTAILED | PESETAS |
| Blue | ?sss | 4 | W | 428 | 349 | +79 | LAXITIES ENLARGE | LISTINGS |
| Shirley vE | ssss | 5 | W | 418 | 410 | +8 | RESOUND TATTERS | VEILIER CORNEAL |
| Lynn W | ?sss | 6 | L | 401 | 431 | -30 | CLOSETED SITULAE CANTERED ATONERS | PENNIES |
| Shirley H | ?ss | 7 | W | 442 | 328 | +114 | ANISOLE | RESTIVE |
| Murray | s | 8 | L | 385 | 511 | -126 | REMITTER ENACTED | GOALIES CROAKIER TATTERED |
| John B | ?s | 9 | L | 376 | 388 | -12 | TONSURE | SOOTIER |
| Paul | ?ss | 10 | L | 361 | 365 | -4 | DESTINE gratiate(Bogus*) | OPENERS |
| Blue | ?s | 11 | L | 394 | 558 | -164 | ATELIER WITCHED | AVENTRE AUTOCADE DOUANES |
| Shirley vE | ?ss | 12 | W | 383 | 373 | +10 | SNIRTLE | LESSORS |
| Lynn W | ?ss | 13 | W | 422 | 340 | +82 | SHUNTER FILLERS | BANTIES |
| Shirley H | s | 14 | W | 406 | 364 | +42 | DENARIES | NUTTERS ANGINAS |
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Game 1 
Well well, no way could I have won this one! _ He got all the S's, a blank, QZJX - I didn't stand a chance.
Hmmm, that's ONE view, maybe! _ The TRUTH is that tho it didn't seem bad at the time, later analysis shows I played like a dummy!! _ His 2nd play was GLAIR/(LA)G/(DI)L/(D)A. _ I looked hard at GLAIR that I didn't much like (but decided to accept) - and I figured he wasn't gonna play a crook 3 so DIL must be ok. _ Turns out DIL WAS garbage, he knew that, but as he placed it he had the feeling I looked "accepting", so he carried it through. I'll deny it till the day I die - but - I don't plan to play poker against Murray anytime soon. 
I then had HE?DING, but nowhere to play it. _ Turns out that (GLAIR)E would have done nicely as a hook, and yes, of COURSE I know GLAIRES, so I shoulda figured that one. _ That was turn 4, and that infernal blank was still with me till turn 16, when I finally ditched it for 18!
In between I'd managed to accumulate AABDET?, and figured worth trying the maybe plausible ABLATED to clutch a slight lead. _ He challenged - I waited agog, as he keyed in ABALTED which Zyzzyva (of course) said was bogus. _ But Murray, I said, you've miskeyed my word. _ Really?, he grinned, pointing over to the board. . . .
. . Arghhhh - I'd misplayed it there as, indeed, ABALTED (the L was the blank, which probably confused the issue slightly - I steadfastly refuse to accept it had any connection with my preference to play "upside down"!)
(P.S. ABLATED is in fact ok).
Not silly, he then blocked that (only) spot, and I figured I was dead meat. _ Turns out his block left a free "A" dangling, and I should have seen the beautiful - and wellknown - 8 from AABDET? + A !!! (Can you ?)
FOOTNOTE: As I later ran the game thru Quackle, I found where I'd scored 38 for FIE running along under EXIT - seems neither of us noticed my "IE" in there! _ ROTFL, as us internetters say. _ I ALSO found that in addition to those mentioned, I'd missed playable bonuses on turns 2 (ADLINST), turn 8 (DEENSTU), turn 9 (ADEEFI?), and turn 11 (DEEENSV).
AND I failed to capitalise on his monumental blunder very late on, where he blocked a bonus spot by playing MELT, but vertically 1 off the top row - and he even KNEW I had a blank. _ But I didn't grab the sMELT when I should've. _ So THAT all is why I lost - nothing to do with "the tiles" at all!!
Game 2 
John's in a wheelchair so doesn't travel to tournaments often. _ I'd met him only once before, at the last CHC event I attended, 18 months ago. He said he vividly remembers ONE of those 2 games anyway, apparently I got everything, he got nonstop crap. _ I won! _ (Oddly *I* couldn't even remember having even played him before. LOL)
Anyway, my bonuses on turns 3, 5, and 6 kinda settled the game early, so again *I* got most of the goodies and slaughtered him. _ (Though I was pleased with my finding AEHMOO? to add to an existing R for a nice 8).
Game 3
He began with AIA for 6, dead centre. _ I would NEVER play that! _ Firstly, it scores a measly 6, next to nothing, so can only be justified if leaving an EXQUISITE (e.g. ERS?) rack - but mainly it gives opponent 2 blue squares beside vowels - a ZA would score 44 - even something "simple" like HOB gets a gift 33. _ Further, it doesn't seriously stop any 7, and in fact offers A or I to make into an 8.
Far preferable to swap (and maybe improve the leave even more) and risk opponent getting lucky with TALAQ or ZOEAL for 48.
Anyway he WAS punished quite bigtime - my simple JOB got me 49! _ But then HE bonused, and now slightly on the back foot I scored just 90 over the next 8 turns, more and more and MORE urgently in need of a biggie. _ At one stage, holding AEEHINO and no good play available, I counted tiles and figured A and E were slightly low (i.e. a lot already played) so I swapped EHINO. _ Well, I luckily drew a blank .... but along with: AEEE! Doh! _ It was six miserable turns later that that blank finally went down in a bonus, and I was THEN still 89 behind. 
Game 4
After 10 turns we were still neck and neck on a fairly closed board, then I got lucky with a COX for 55. _ All blanks and S's were gone, so 55 was a good margin at this point, then he used the main bonus spot I hadn't had a chance to block, for PYALITE(S). _ This would put him 20 ahead, and you can't expect to catch up to Blue in an endgame, so I HAD to challenge (even though I thought it looked probably fairly right). _ WHOOPEE - it was crook! - so I cantered home. _ Nice for the bottom seed to topple the top seed!
Game 5
Near the end I got a fortuitous TATTERS onto her REQUIN for 93 - and a 16 point lead. _ A couple of turns later she played tIT hooking on to 3 other words and announced "19, and out". _ It appeared this would sneak a win for her by 420-418 ... but ... she'd been low on time, and never actually pushed her clock after she played - so when we noticed it was a minute over - 10-point deduction. _ What a cruel way for Shirley to win - er, oops, LOSE!
Game 6
I've played Lynn (retiring NZASP President) many times over the years. This time I got 4 bonuses . . . and lost! 
Game 7
Simply, got an early lead, and held it easily. :-) .
Game 8
His GOALIES first up, followed by (C)ROAKIER on turn 4 (and using up both blanks) then TATT(E)RED on turn 5 settled this game good 'n' proper.
Oh well, can't complain. I won 4 out of 8 today, and my expectancy's only 4.1, so tomorrow is all cream. 
Game 9
Reckon THIS time I just didn't get the tiles, so couldn't peg him back. But I did make one (in hindsight!?) large blunder. We'd been level, then he got SOOtIER down for a good lead again, but I had an "interesting" rack. See the board picture above - John leads by 220-148, and I'm holding AAEEFLX. What would YOU have played (and why ?)!
Email me - tmp8 at eaglekiwi dot com - then I'll tell you what *I* played, etc etc. (Or better still, sign up - free - to Multiply here, then you can add your Comments directly beneath the blog!)
An interesting side issue - after my initial UNITE, John played WEBBED along the bottom for 26. _ But (Quackle reveals) HE COULD have got 37 with that same word - Where, I ask you!!
Game 10
Excitingly close game, till I hiccupped a bit and he got a late lead. Desperate, and holding a blank plus other "fair" stuff, I made a hook for an 8 thru an F. _ I then tried (F)LATRATE (L=blank) which would give me an 11-point lead. _ He considered, challenged, relaxed. _ Grrr, oh well... NEXT turn I tried elsewhere with gRAT(I)ATE, which would leave me 12 behind, plus his 4 tiles.
He wasn't born yesterday - he figured if he challenged and lost 5 points he'd lose the game, so he let me have it, gave me 8 from his rack, and so BEAT me, by 4. _ Good thinking Paul! _ (P.S. It's just as bogus as flatrate was. LOL)
Game 11
I beat him yesterday, but today it's 'business as usual' LOL. _ Despite my respectable 394 I was annihilated by 164.
Game 12
Another cliffhanger between us. _ Right down to the last racks, where my desperate (ELF)S / SCUP for 31 forced a challenge, as she was sitting with an unhelpful DJPTV, and would lose if ELFS stayed - which it DID! _ I won by 10.
Game 13
Tiles just flowed my way this game - though near the end her H(UM)ES on a TWS threatened me, till I managed to have it removed! _ Next she played S(UM)LY - again after great internal debate and calculation I challenged, and THAT came off too.
I'm embarrassed to admit that earlier I'd challenged her BANTIES. That's ANTIES+B, and I've studied that stem more than any other, yet BANTIES didn't ring a bell. _ I knew BESAINT, BESTAIN, and BASINET, but I guess now I "know" the other one too. {blush} _ Guess I'd figured 3 was plenty to know - no big deal in knowing EVERYTHING a combo makes - I'd sooner just memorise "some", then get on to next combo.
Game 14
Things just went my way - though if I hadn't remembered EARNIES (makes nothing by itself) + D then things might have been different!
MY words challenged: UNTAILED SITULAE EERY ELFS WITCHED DENARIES - abalted upbased ke situale koar daziest eclan beying
OPPONENTS' words challenged by me: BIZES BAPS VEILIER LOTI ANISOLES FERMIS JAGA DOUANES KAIMS LESSORS QUINO ALF BANTIES VITAE OUTWON COZES - pyalites restiver humes sumly eskier
(Note: I've tried to become heaps more aggressive with my challenging - if there may be even a SHRED of doubt, I tend to challenge these days. Loses lotsa 5 pointses, but just occasionally gets something big off the board - AND keeps the ooponent "honest"!)
MY boguses NOT challenged: ie(!) gratiate(special circumstances!)
OPPONENTS' boguses NOT challenged: dil
| Christchurch * 7-8 May, 2010 | ||||||||
| . | NAME | CLUB | WINS | Spread | AVE | Bonuses | New NZ Rating | Rating Change |
| 1 | BLUE Thorogood | CHC | 10 | 838 | 452 | 28 | 1891 | -23 |
| 2 | PAUL Lister | CHC | 10 | 251 | 414 | 24 | 1780 | 77 |
| 3 | JOHN Baird | CHC | 7 | -11 | 394 | 22 | 1663 | 51 |
| 4 | IAN Patterson | DUN | 7 | -51 | 397 | 24 | 1641 | 82 |
| 5 | Shirley van ESSEN | CHC | 6 | 107 | 406 | 24 | 1749 | -85 |
| 6 | MURRAY Rogers | NEL | 6 | -115 | 387 | 13 | 1717 | -63 |
| 7 | LYNN Wood | WEL | 6 | -414 | 384 | 10 | 1655 | -2 |
| 8 | Shirley HOL | CHC | 4 | -605 | 381 | 20 | 1557 | -8 |
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