| Player 1 |
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#player1 Sid Sid
#player2 Avery Avery
>Sid: ?ADIIPT 8G PI +8 8
#note This is round 32 of the 2019 NASC in Montana (we're having nationals here since it was basically free).
Sid: I got so mad that there weren't even any Collins-acceptable bingos in this rack. I should really just exchange 7 and turn over more tiles, since I have about a 20% chance of drawing a bingo with there being about 100,000 bingos in Collins. Avery might get confused and think we're not playing TWL. Another alternative is to play PIx for 8, floating an X which Avery might misscore, giving me a better chance to get an extra minute. Also, PIx has no front or back hooks, so the defense is strong. Both PIx and exchanging 7 are better than my play.
>Avery: ACDEORR 9C CORRADE +73 73
#note Avery: Sid is bound to be closing the board very soon, so I should exchange the R and hope Sid gives me a V at 8B and a Z at 8M (along with some other floaters) so I can get OVERCAPITALIZED. There really isn't a clear way to victory other than that. This is easily the turn where I lost the game.
>Sid: ?ADIRTW E5 TAWD.IeR +94 102
#note Sid: Not a bad idea, but I6 WATER is golden to set up MOUTHWATERINGLY, whicih Avery might challenge since he hasn't been studiyng his 15s lately. If I draw an N or G, WATERING will set it up further, even though I use my blank (it also blocks the bottom very well). Four chances at drawing the other one is great though - bingoing gives me more chances to draw the 7 remaining I's, maybe even all at once.
>Avery: AHHNUXY F5 AX +52 125
#note Avery: I guess I was under time pressure or something - I didn't see the star play of 5E TUNA, setting up my H's and my Y at 4H, while also keeping 6F alive. Taking away the scoring spots is bad, since that means I have fewer to work with later. Also, keeping HHXY is awesome since I have lots of chances to score more than I would with seven one-point tiles on my rack.
>Sid: AADIKNO 7G OKA +23 125
#note Sid: C9 CODA has to be better. I'm already 20 down, so opening lots of hotspots is essential. I also thought CODAK was a variant spelling of KODAK, so I was confident my setup would work. It's probably good in Collins.
>Avery: EHHLNUY 6I HUNH +17 142
#note Avery: I had a feeling he had the other blank, so this play is awful. I shouldn't be risking him having overdrawn by 7 and me not noticing, since he could play SUBCONTRAOCTAVE. I thought HUNHY might also be a Collins-only variant of HONEY.
>Sid: ?AADINY C3 rADIAN.Y +78 203
#note Sid: I looked for a while but could not come up with 10I NAYsAID. That gives me a shot at drawing MO(N)ORH(Y)ME, which is much more likely than SUBCONTRAOCTAVE. Forgoing 12 points now for a shot at 134 seems reasonable. Additionally, Avery may forget to check the blank designation slip and could play a phoney 2.
>Avery: EEFILMY D1 FLEY +39 181
#note Avery: I felt like H12 was just calling for ZEBU for way too many cheap points from Sid, so I really should have listened to the voices in my head and played 12C FI(R)MLY.
>Sid: BDINPRT B4 DIB +32 235
#note Sid: 8B IN sets up my B very nicely, and since more words that I know start with B rather than P, I figured my P was worthless here. I had also mistracked and thought the Z had already been played, so IN would have been even smarter.
>Avery: AEIMOTV B10 MOVIE +45 226
#note Avery: I overlooked K4 AMNIOTE, which is very smart here since Sid cannot realistically address L4, 8J and J10 at the same time. However, if he drew into MEHNDIS at L4 with the magically reappearing blank powerup that he bought on the black market, I am screwed! But I must take a risk like that to catch up.
>Sid: AENPRRT 4F PARTNER +82 317
#note Sid: Avery is Agnostic, so I figured PAX might make him so mad that he would leave the room. However, just PAX for 12 is great, since I can use my magically reappearing blank powerup and play PAx for 4 points later to piss him off more.
Avery: I left the room.
>Avery: AAEGOOT 1D .OOTAGE +33 259
#note Avery: I had just run through my list of words that included 3 A's and 3 O's, so I knew fishing for OSTEOSARCOMATA, ACCOMODATIONAL or LOLLAPALOOZA(S). 2D LO is superb, since I know Sid still believes LOL* is valid. I knew he was under time pressure and I needed to form at least 2 more blanks using his power-up, so I wanted to distract him by playing LOLLA*, steal the power-up and extend it to LOLLAPALOOZA using my newly formed blanks. It was tough also envisioning how to make the blanks, but I knew they had to be Protiles, since those crappy Samtiles never work.
>Sid: INOSUUV 12D U.INOUS +16 333
#note Sid: I should play G3 VAU here, since I'm so close to a bingo. Blocking the board with a bingo leave is awful, and since I'm ahead, I can afford to fish and I will still be ahead, even if Avery bingos for 69!
Avery: I was too busy laughing at the 69 reference to notice that Sid had overdrawn by 11.
>Avery: AGIJLMO A5 GOJI +46 305
#note Avery: I think I recorded my rack wrong here, because I'm pretty sure I had 7 blanks. But if this is right, 14B EMOJI looks good since Sid will almost never challenge. 2G AGO is also good to take out 2 of the most likely spots for him to score, strengthening his already-scary lead.
>Sid: CILNRSV H11 C.VIN +30 363
#note Sid: Knowing how my luck with vowels works in tournaments and with 11 left to draw, 3C rEI is a strong play since I also prevent myself from playing a phoney 3 there later by misremembering what the blank was designated as.
>Avery: AELMTTZ 2J METAL +36 341
#note Avery: MATTE is better to set up LEZ! I thought playing it at the top would elicit a challenge more often than playing it at the bottom.
>Sid: FGLLRSS M1 G.LS +20 383
#note Sid: I should be taking the MOVIES hook right now for 11, since 11 points for him would be enough to put him back in contention (I'm fine being up 22). I also considered exchanging 7 to hunt for the Q for QI, to demonstrate that I've been studying my 2s. I'm pretty sure I'm the only person who does the 'Daily 2s' list on Aerolith.
>Avery: EEETTWZ 3G ZEE +49 390
#note Avery: I like 5E TAT to set up my W at 3G.
>Sid: FILQRSS J10 QI. +32 415
#note Sid: I haven't moved onto studying my 3s yet, so I wasn't sure if this was good, but he accepted. With the knowledge that QIS is valid, 14G QIS seems safe to prevent any possible bingos in that menacing pool.
>Avery: EEETTUW A14 WE +20 410
#note Avery: I considered taking up Dutch Scrabble to be able to find a word in this rack more easily. 7L EEW is also a possibility, since Sid might consider it to be a verb and put an S on it. Also, it would set up my E at K7 for plays like NET, which would give me 10 valuable points in this tight endgame.
>Sid: FLNORSS 14F FL.RS +18 433
#note Sid: Since the Q is the highest scoring tile on this board besides the Z, I should try to make it harder to play with. 11J IF blocks any QU- words.
>Avery: BEEETTU C13 TEE +16 426
#note Avery: I need as many points as I can get, so trying URINOUSBUTT here might be worth a try.
>Sid: NOS O2 SON +12 445
#note Sid: I should pass since he doesn't have an out.
>Sid: (BETU) +12 457
#note This presentation on strategy was brought to you by two people who hate Pokemon Go.
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