Go to: Early Bird Commentary Games Players Photos Standings Prizes
... tsh Reports (A B C D CSW)
... Scoreboard (A B C D CSW)

Back to NSC 2013 Live Coverage

NSC 2013 Commentary: Round 18

[ ]

Go to: Before the Tournament, Round 1, Round 2, Round 3, Round 4, Round 5, Round 6, Round 7, Round 8, Round 9, Round 10, Round 11, Round 12, Round 13, Round 14, Round 15, Round 16, Round 17, Round 18, Round 19, Round 20, Round 21, Round 22, Round 23, Round 24, Round 25, Round 26, Round 27, Round 28, Round 29, Round 30, Round 31, After the Tournament.

Round 18

Shelley Ubeika reports that the green is leading the yellow. What that means is that Gerry Greenside (Las Vegas, NV) and Morris Greenberg (Brookline, MA) are leading the pack in division 2.

Michael Gincel (Lakewood, NJ) just had a bingo bango, playing ANOINTs and FRIDGES (nice tile drawing!) in his game with Desiree Engel (Anaheim, CA). He is now 7-11 -391. Last year this time he had a four-digit negative spread, so he'll take this. He says, "this is a great tournament!"

Stefan Fatsis (Washington, DC) vs. Doug Lundquist (Chicago, IL): OuTSINGS, PROTEIDE, TaILERS, and ARIETTA are on their board. It was David's win, 450-290. I apologize for hitting Stefan on a down game and he said, "I've won 11, where have you been?!"

Oh no, Evans Clinchy (Boston, MA) is playing Evan Berofsky (Oxford, MI) this round. I see PARETIC, LUsTRAL, RELIERS, IODIZeRS, BAWNEEN, and XANTHIC on the board (last two plays are nonbingos). Somehow, Evans has managed to fold his long legs under him on his chair (a feat for a guy 6'5"!). He is so casual, I almost miss that he won the game, 440-403.

Better late than never, I hear that Dave Wiegand (Portland, OR) defeated Nigel Richards (Malaysia) last round and now he's playing Rob Robinsky (Hopkins, MN). I see DILATED, pEONAGE, ERADIATES, and LEVIGATE on their board. I hear from Rob later than he lost. He was still mulling over what he might have done differently because it was close most of the way.

Scott Appel (Elkins Park, PA) is sitting over his division 1, board 1 board. The annotators and Nigel Richards (Malaysia) long gone to lunch, he's picking up tiles and moving them with a look of concentration on his face. I sit down opposite and ask him how it went. Ever honest, he said, "It came down to the endgame. I think I was doomed, but I definitely made it worse. He played perfectly, of course. I needed more time. I wasted too much early on. I should have been able to contain the spread more than I did and somehow Nigel managed to make more spread." So, he was replaying the endgame to see what he might see now with less pressure. Humble honesty at work.

John Luebkemann (Bermuda) vs. Noah Walton (Portland, OR). While I look away, they dart to the challenge computer. It turns out to be a perfunctory challenge of Noah's outing, NIDATION. Both of them knew it was good. I see John's ACARINES for 68 in reply to Noah's opening play. The rest was Noah: SLEETING, GUARANIs for 60, and the fun VATFULS as a nonbingo, 52-point, double-double.

Kenji Matsumoto (Berkeley, CA) vs. Mike Frentz (San Mateo, CA): two bingos, Mike's InACTIVE and Kenji's DEALATES. FEYEST and nonbingo QINdARS are on the board. Kenji's win, 403-366.

Komol Panyasophonlert (Thailand) walks toward me to turn in his result slip. We talk a bit about his games (he has gone 3-1 this morning, losing only to Dave Wiegand (Portland, OR)) and he tells me he never beats Nigel Richards (Malaysia), that they had just met up in the King's Cup last week in Thailand and he's lost to Nigel, again. Later when I mentioned this to Nigel, he said, "Well, last November at Thailand's Princess Cup, in the finals he beat me 2-0." So, the plot thickens here.

Michael Kapernaros (Saint Paul, MN) vs. Joshua Sokol (Montreal QC): Joshua played JUDOIST, FORTIEs, and LEGATION. Michael played bUNIONED* and VITAS/JUDOISTS for 56. This is the table of the tall people. Joshua, who won, 419-343, is 6'6" and Michael is a mere 6'3"!

Jeanmarie Youngblood (Brooklyn, NY) tells me she is 11-7 so far and things are going well. Her favorite two plays so far are ABSINTHE through the S and WATERBUG to the triple from the W.

A crowd has gathered around the Nick Fraher (Los Angeles, CA) vs. Jack Norman (Petaluma, CA) game. They tell me it was a close game until the halfway point. I see Jack's LINGERER, TRAINEE, and OUTLIVEd. Nick played DRAINeD, ESCROWS, ATRESIA, and the pretty nonbingo HIJABS. Nick's win, 506-406.

Orlet Bullock (Miami, FL) lost all four games this morning and is searching for a reason. He's decided it is his T-shirt. On its front, it features two stick figures, one that says, "I got your back" while carrying the other figure's back in its hand. I'm just not pulling, a new shirt it is.

Frederick Schneider (Middle Village, NY) had a great game this round with Joan Kelly (Middletown, NY). He played a 9: FRIVOLITy through the IT for 78. Later he got down (and I should say got away with!) LURIDITY*. In the game, he opened with ULU and later got down QUESTION through that U. He also played PEATIER and she got down SEDATeR. His win, 491-397.

David Eldar (Australia) vs. Trevor Halsall (Australia): I spy NEOPRENE and TRAIKED before the tiles start getting squared. It was a 506-286 win for Dave. Trevor joked, "I took it easy on him." And Dave said, "well, we are countrymen."

I finally am able to crack the enigmatic Anlaug Frydenlund (Norway). She tells me she is a student in Norway and social work is her field of study. I told her I'd come back for more later. :)

A group of Thais are all gathered around a completed game that involved Win Inthara (Orlando, FL). Prachya Pitapho (Thailand), Marut Siriwangso (Thailand), Komol Panyasophonlert (Thailand), and Piengkamol Intarasuwan (Oakland Park, FL) are looking over the play options and also alternately looking into their phones. I think they want to go to lunch. Win tells me that despite playing a 131- point triple-triple, REDIRECT, he lost this game b 39.

On a Paul Sidorsky (Calgary AB) vs. Mark Przybyszewski (Depew, NY) board, I spy the word WORKtABLE played through the OR. Nice play for Mark!