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#player1 Chris_Cree Chris Cree
#player2 MSI_Forums MSI Forums
>Chris_Cree: ADEEMRU 8F EMU +10 10
#note This is game 8 of What's Your Move, a fun collaborative Scrabble game hosted on the Mind Sports International Forums. Find the explanation here: http://forum.mindsportsinternational.com/yaf_postst522_What-s-Your-Move--Explanation.aspx . This was a special game of WYM, as Chris sent me detailed commentary about his thought process on every move, which he played with a board and timer. I've copied his commentary into this game. Enjoy! Chris Creeee: ADEEMRU ? Among my weaknesses are finding higher probability words with an M in them probably because the M can be in so many places in a word. So, I gave this rack a full minute. I usually eschew opening plays like MURED. I do not like opening DWSDWS?s to start at the cost of playing away my best bingo tiles. RE is about as powerful as it gets and I typically do not break those 2 up unless there is a very good reason. So, it is EMU for me, U on the star for vowel safety. There are a lot more 8?s ending and starting in E than beginning or ending with U. Time remaining: 24:00
>MSI_Forums: CIOOOTY 7D TOYO +18 18
>Chris_Cree: ADEHQRS D5 QA. +12 22
#note CC: Tough decision here in between QAT and exch Q, but I have a philosophy for this kind of rack at this stage of a game and I am not going to change now. I will take the 12 and be done with the Q for this game (I have had too many games in my career where even if I hit the bingo I draw the Q right back or at some other very inopportune time and am limited with choices on a more open board leaving too much for opponent). I have a better than average leave and threaten 35 next turn if nothing else decent happens.
>MSI_Forums: ?CCIIOS E4 OI +26 44
>Chris_Cree: DEHIORS 8A HODS +41 63
#note CC: Well, that was weird. The same 2 letters opponent plays, I draw; OI. So, I miss the bingo but am able to capitalize on the QAT-created S-hook for 41 with HODS. The leave of EIR is sound and the bag should be a smidgin/smidgen/smidgeon consonant heavy assuming opponent had to have 4 or 5 vowels to play OI and I drew OI. Opp.?s play is a fish. Hopefully, they are not biting yet as they did not for me. I used 52 seconds there tracking, drawing and playing. Time remaining: 22:45
>MSI_Forums: ?CCINSS I2 SCeNICS +72 116
>Chris_Cree: EGIILRV 4H V.LIGER +28 91
#note CC: Sure. Opp plays blank, 2 S?s, both C?s hit DLS?s and I miss. I spent a while looking for bingos with all of the letters. I only see words with the N and none play. I hate to spend my ER, but I want to play off the VG. V(e)LIGER gets 28. VIG(S ) was my only other real consideration and it feels like too much to give up holding an L with the IER. Were it a T, S or ? with IER, maybe, but not here. CIVIL keeping GER is OK, but the G is often clunky. I am not overly concerned playing away the E as only one has been played thus far in 7 total moves and 22 tiles. This will make 2 E?s played in 28 letters. Opp has just drawn 7 random tiles and I am drawing 6. This feels like a crap shoot play but I like it as much as anything else. If opp is going to draw both blanks and 3 S?s, I am a huge underdog anyway. I might as well try to get my paws on one of them while scoring as much as the rack allows. Time remaining: 20:20
>MSI_Forums: AAAEEIL N2 AE.IAL +16 132
>Chris_Cree: ADEGILN O5 DEALING +84 175
#note After a weeklong break due to the MSI tournament in Vegas, we resumed What's Your Move. CC: Here ya go - ADEGILN ? Well, how ?bout that? Opponent?s PBD (post-bingo draw) wasn?t manna from heaven. It appears they have to work through some vowels. A?s and E?s are easier to work through than I?s and U?s, but at least they didn?t pick up AEIRST?. I do catch two breaks here. And, who knows? Maybe I blocked a big play through the C like AE(C)IDIAL. Instead, opponent bought a dumping rack and I have LB?ed (luckboxed*) into DEALING O5 for 84. We shall see what their 5 letter dump bought and what my PBD is. Note ? I considered ALIGNED to not allow an S hook for only a brief second or two. The randomness of the bag through just 54 played tiles could just as easily allow an 8 to the D (more probable than to an N or G as opponent is almost certainly holding another E) or to the E of ALIGNED. The board is wide open and that is how I like it. If opponent does draw his third S, I need other places open to possibly capitalize. Time remaining: 19:30
>MSI_Forums: AAAEEPR N10 AA +11 143
>Chris_Cree: KNRTTUU 3B TURK +23 198
#note CC: PBD nets two U?s ? sure. Q is gone, so they are of not much value as a pair. One, with a T, is not all bad with the O dangling off HODS. Maybe an OUT- word can be had. This turn took a couple of minutes. First, it takes a little bit to reassess the board when leaving it for a day. Second, It is getting more complicated each play. I had noted the PK hooks to OI, so it comes down to TURK 3B-E and TRUNK M10-14. I will go with TURK as it takes out the dangling S and takes away carte blanche access to the H and O of HODS. Opp?s AA play sets up an accessible 7 line down column M. TRUNK would take that out, but at what expense? Did they pick up case S? I am mostly worried of a DWSDWS off of the I in VELIGER as opp has most likely kept something like ANTER, INTER, AINER or AITER. I do not think I will avoid opp.?s bingo anymore, so I am just keeping the best balance I can to retort. Assuming an 80 point play by opponent, I can take the lead back or stay close on turn. Time remaining ? 17:10
>MSI_Forums: ABEEFPR M10 PREFAB +35 178
>Chris_Cree: BENOTUW L12 WEB +35 233
#note CC: Wow. Opponent must have had something like PATER and drew BF to play that. I wish I had played TRUNK. Anyway, I would normally play W(E )B M3 here, but there are 3 unseen T's, and 6 unseen E?s and the bag is a smidgin consonant heavy. The danger spot for me here is a row 14 play of ZONAE or something so I will take WEB M12-14. Time remaining ? 16:00
>MSI_Forums: EELNVWY O1 WYN +34 212
>Chris_Cree: DFINOTU M1 UNF.D +41 274
#note CC: DFINOTU ? Well, I got my OUT- word, OUTFIND, but it is a ?nongo?. To me, my choices are (O )UTFIND, F( E)D and UNF( E)D. UNFED for 41 is too much to pass up and the spot is too easy for opponent to capitalize on fishing two, keeps pressure on opponent and keeps that lead at a distance where even after opponents? bingo I can retake the lead on turn. IOT is nothing to write home about. With opponent?s WYN, the bag looks less consonant friendly, so there is still plenty to foul rack. Time remaining ? 14:35
>MSI_Forums: EEHLNRV K8 HELVE +28 240
>Chris_Cree: EIJOORT 2F JOI.T +30 304
#note CC: I keep waiting for the hammer to drop, but it keeps on not happening just yet. I am very happy to see the DWL-DWL alley and the E(WE)/R or D/EF spot go away. Opponent is playing like he does not have his second blank yet. My choices are JO H1-2 and JOI(S )T 2F-J. I am going with JOIST as it plays 4 vs 2 in pursuit of 4 remaining premiums (XZS?). Plays away T with 3 unseen and I with 3 unseen and scores one more point to boot. Time remaining ? 12:55
>MSI_Forums: AENOPRS 10D PERSONA. +64 304
>Chris_Cree: DEGIORU A4 DOUG.IER +65 369
#note CC: DOUG( H)IER A4-10 is a no-brainer here as far as the play is concerned. It is about as good as I can hope for catching my third U to go with the earlier U-less Q, catching one non-bingo S to opponent?s 3 and 0 blanks, thus far, to opponents one or both predicated upon our PBD?s. I cannot foresee everything, but opponent will almost certainly have to draw EX? to catch us with a XERIc or XENOn play for 81 down column B and, if so, I can might still hang on with a play like (B )IZ. So, it is all up in the air now hanging on both players? PBD?s. Time remaining: 12:00
>MSI_Forums: ?AEIMNO 14K O.. +5 309
>Chris_Cree: EIRTTTX 15F TITTER +20 389
#note CC: TITTER 15F-L - 20. This leaves XI for 27 at H1-2 and EX for 25 at 10A-B. We dodged so many bullets here. A big PBD that included EIRX. I didn?t even see the possibility of OOZIER for 75 up until now much less the big X plays available on column B for 81. Opponent must have drawn I, E or ? as last tile. I spent over 12 minutes on this rack making sure I had tracked correctly and that there was no 7 in AEIMNZ? I think ? I hope that I have this one. Time remaining ? 5:00
>MSI_Forums: ?AEIMNZ 14B MAIZEs +41 350
>Chris_Cree: X H1 X. +27 416
#note CC: XI 27 and out. My last thought is: this is the kind of game that has had me traveling around the world for 34 years; the glory of winning a no blank, one S game. Things have to balance opponent's good fortune to be sure. Both DEALING and DOUGHIER were fortunate to draw. Opponent not having OOZIER was fortunate as well. Q will say whether I played well or missed a bunch of stuff, but it felt like I played ok. I usually can feel it when I have made mistakes. I did not get the twist in my stomach this game. Thx for letting me be a part of this. I look forward to analyzing myself and the forum. Noah: Thanks again to Chris and all the forum participants for playing! Both sides played a very good game.
>Chris_Cree: (N) +2 418
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