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#player1 Mack_Meller Mack Meller
#player2 Siddharth_Murali Siddharth Murali
>Mack_Meller: ELMORSY 8G MY +14 14
#note This is round 31 of the 2019 NSC. A big thanks to Mack for his racks and commentary.
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Mack: This is a mistake; I should have definitely phoneyed with MORELY* and hope Sid gives me an A, B, I, O, or P after challenging it off.
>Siddharth_Murali: AGILOPW G6 WI.P +15 15
#note Sid: I played WIMP over alternatives such as OW or AGLOW, because WIMP allows me a crack at an ENX draw for A8 XENOGA(MY) for a massive score.
>Mack_Meller: ELNORSY 10D ONLY +24 38
#note Mack: I considered F3 ENROL here, as well as ONLY. This is an error. I should definitely be playing ENROL to block XENOGA(MY).
>Siddharth_Murali: AEGLNOX 8A XENOGA.. +66 81
#note Sid: Hit XENOGAMY as planned. However, I seriously considered playing F8 A(MY)LOGEN here, to create a secondary S lane since I am down (along with SONLY). Two lanes are much better than zero, so this is a medium error.
>Mack_Meller: ACEORST 9G .OSTRACE +71 109
#note Mack: This is a mistake. I definitely need to play E(X)ACTORS here, to take out the most dangerous line. I can't afford something like QUINCUNX.
>Siddharth_Murali: AAELMNO A7 A.ONEMAL +70 151
#note Sid: As I set my tiles down, Mack sighed because he realized he should have blocked this dangerous line. However, better than this play is E5 MAN(G)O(N)EL for 44, to keep multiple lanes open. It's a good idea to keep the X open, as well as the A_W lane, because a DEEHRT draw will get me HE(A)D(W)ATER. Keeping two threats available is better than one, vital for my comeback later in the game.
>Mack_Meller: ACEKORS 6C CASE.ORK +79 188
#note Mack: I played CASEWORK over CROAKERS, because I am defensively minded. My defensive instincts told me to put the K at J6 to restrict the top right quadrant. Playing a closed board is important, especially against Sid.
>Siddharth_Murali: DHINQTT L8 Q.T +22 173
#note Sid: This is a major error. M7 TI(C), despite only scoring 6 points, prevents Mack from playing a dump such as NOUV(E)AU, thereby forcing him to exchange, while enabling me to play QANAT with an A draw, or at least QAT/QI for a ton of points.
>Mack_Meller: AANOUUV N5 NOUV.AU +14 202
#note Mack: Sid cleverly figured out I could cheaply dump with NOUVEAU, but I missed the star play here: A14 LUV for defense, since I am ahead. Since there are two blanks lurking, defense is at a premium over turnover. An added advantage is that a BI draw gets me OUABAIN, and since Sid is down, as well as the fact that Sid loves open boards, there is around a 90% chance that he will open a spot for me to play it.
>Siddharth_Murali: DHINPTT O11 PHT +16 189
#note Sid: Another suboptimal play for me; I definitely need to be playing D4 PI(A)N(O) here, for 14. PIANO has the major advantage of blocking both 10-letter lanes, especially CEPH(A)L(O)P(O)D. Although CEPHALOPOD appears to require three blanks for Mack to play, I really need to play PIANO here to make sure I am not miscalculating and in case he might somehow get it down. Another advantage to this play is that DHTT is a very flexible leave, allowing me to hit words like TITHED at O1 for a massive score. Major error here, it turns out I'm having a very bad game.
>Mack_Meller: ABEEFII J9 .IBIAE +12 214
#note Mack: This is a good play to dump vowels, but wrong. J4 BIKE is best here as it sets up my F quite nicely. I am also making significant errors this game.
>Siddharth_Murali: DDEINNT 14G INT.NDED +70 259
#note Sid: I'm lucky to get a bingo down here, but B13 DID is the star play here that I missed. My word knowledge has improved lately, but I am playing Mack Meller, who brings chills down my spine. Therefore, since I am only 98% sure AXONEMALS is invalid, it is imperative to play DID. Medium error.
>Mack_Meller: ADEFGIS 12E GASIF.ED +78 292
#note Mack: I need to play C2 DEFA(C)I(N)G here to preserve a desperation shot in the endgame in the future. I am not sure if DEFACINGS is valid, and I really doubt Sid is sure. But if I play DEFACINGS now it will score so much that it will definitely draw a challenge. Later on, however, I might be able to tack the S on and have a shot in an endgame if it is valid. However, since I am down so much on a dead board, I may be unable to win in the endgame. In that case, I may be able to save some spread in the endgame by playing it in a situation where Sid cannot challenge or else he loses the game, as opposed to him letting it go and winning.
>Siddharth_Murali: ADEEHTV O1 HEAVED +56 315
#note Sid: This is the highest scoring play, but DEAVE for 41 is the wisest play. This is because of the posibility of FURLOUGH for a lot of points, which is possible even without a blank. My general strength is instantly recognizing alphagrams such as FGHLORUU as opposed to knowing whether words like AXONEMAL take an S. Anyhow, it's a scary possibility, and needs to be avoided at all costs.
>Mack_Meller: EFGIIRW 15E WIFE +41 333
#note Mack: Another error, H5 W(O) is definitely the standout play. Sid just played off 6 tiles, so there is a great chance he picked up the Z. Therefore, it is imperative to block REBOZ(O) and open up a long term annoying TWO threat which will stay open the rest of the game.
>Siddharth_Murali: ?BJLLOT 2J JOsTL. +56 371
#note Sid: JOSTLE is nice, but even nicer is N2 B(E) to eliminate all of Mack's bingos except for one: LISTERI(A), while JOSTLE allows many sevens to fit. With BE, even if he does have LISTERIA, he would be burning the blank, allowing me to possibly outscore him in the endgame with my blank. But if I can dodge listeria for just one turn, BE sets up JOLT/OBE which will finally eliminate LISTERIA once and for all!
>Mack_Meller: GIIORRU E1 GUIRO. +14 347
#note Mack: A fair try by me, but I should play 11B OI to set up OIL. Then I need to hope to draw the L and get REGULAR the turn after that, as well as hope Sid only plays one tile on his turn so that I don't empty the bag. Medium error.
>Siddharth_Murali: BEILSTZ 15M LEZ +41 412
#note Sid: Even though Quackle thinks LEZ is the 'optimal' endgame, I disagree here. I need to play BL(I)TZES for 58. Since I am up, I can afford more risks, so it is preferable to open the H4 hotspot.
>Mack_Meller: ?EIRRRU K2 .RRIs +25 372
#note Mack: This blocks Sid's outplay of OBITS, but it is best to take the style points for B8 (E)REmURI while I can, since the game is already lost.
>Siddharth_Murali: BIST 4D B.ITS +16 428
#note Sid: My first correct play of the game, because going out expedites the game since I am ahead. Thanks Mack for the great game :)
>Siddharth_Murali: (ERU) +6 434
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