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NSC 2013 Commentary: Round 21

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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 21

Division 4's top Daniels faced off at board 1 this round. Their game halfway through, I see DREAMInG, SALTIRES, and ATONERs. I find out later that Daniel Moglen won this one, 421-339. He ends today in first place, but Phil Seitzer (Davis, CA) also has a 16-5 record with a bit less spread.

Avery Mojica (Overland Park, KS) had a very nice game this round with Joey Mallick (Cape Elizabeth, ME). He walked across the room to tell me all about the fun. Joey opened with MaNTOID* for 74 and he later got down CHEYOTES* for 84. Avery played five bingos: NEONATES for 70, OLIGURIA for 68, HETAIRAS for 65, and the bingo/bango ItERATED for 77 and RUMBLING for 82. A 522-450 win for Avery.

Sam Masling (Washington, DC) vs. Katya Lezin (Charlotte, NC) at table 1 in division 3. Their game is tense and I see HEFTIER, RoILIER, AUREATE, and SPAnNING. I miss the endgame but learn that he won by only one point, 386-385! Katya has been in first place in her division for 12 rounds!

Table 2 in division 3 was Andy Hoang (Cary, NC) vs. Mary Pastore (Pearland, TX). Midway through, I see DAUNTER, rESIDUE, and MISTREAT. It was Andy's win, 465-368. Andy ends today in second place in his division with a 16-5 record.

Jim Geary, longtime expert player, is visiting us this afternoon. He's milling around the Collins division and I've seen him peeking in on some division 1 boards, too.

I catch Crayne Spanier (Toronto ON) and Guy Ingram (Ellenwood, GA) midgame. They are both tracking or retracking. I see RESTARt for 80 by Crayne on the board.

Mack Meller (Bedford, NY) is at table 2 in division 1 this round (all of 13 years old to boot!). He put down ARSINES for 73 as I walked up to their table. Matt played ZONATE with one O left in the game and he got down OUtRAVE/OZONATE for a ton o' points. Matt's win, 408-364.

WINTERLY (blank L) for 84, DIOECIES for 63, and GASELIER to the R for 72 were bingos by Dave Wiegand (Portland, OR) in his game with Noah Walton (Portland, OR). I see LOCATORS for 64 and ANTiQUED for 88 for Noah. I missed the very end of the game and perhaps some plays, but it was a close win for Noah, 410-406.

Rob Robinsky (Hopkins, MN) looks dejected and he helps Nigel Richards (Malaysia) put tiles into Kate Walsh's tile bag (as board 1 annotator, she lends them her board for the event). The body language says it all. I ask how he did and he said he missed seeing BLURRED as a natural and he can't believe it. I assure him others have missed far worse things at the board 1 annotated board. Kate nods in agreement.

Scott Appel (Elkins Park, PA) ends today 5-2 after he defeats Ben Schoenbrun (Ardsley, NY) this round. As they squared up the tiles Scott asked Ben what he was planning to do tonight and he said, "Probably a little bit of sulking, but then I don't know." Scott said, "Well as long as you are back to yourself by tomorrow, that will be fine." My notes picked up Ben's ETOILES and Scott's TANGIER and RALLYInG. A cool play: PYJAMA for 46 by Ben.

Geoff Thevenot (Austin, TX) played Bradley Whitmarsh (Attleboro, MA) this round and their board is still there. Bradley is playing Tetris on his tablet and giggling every time someone walks by their board and says "YERSINIAE?" Geoff shrugs and admits he played YERSINIA# and then played WEIRS/YERSINIAE# on another turn. Needless to say, at some point Bradley challenged. Other plays: CEpHALIN and DRAgLINE.

So, from the awkward file, Roland Filio (Thousand Oaks, CA) approaches me and shows me a photo of "the two of us" on his phone from 20 years ago and he asks if I will take a new one with him. I smile and say that it isn't the first time I've been confused with Sherri Bykofsky and I'd love to take a photo with him. Matt Canik (Austin, TX) plays photographer and Roland gets his photo of a "Sherri/Sherrie." :)

Martin DeMello (San Francisco, CA) tells me about his game last round. He had to let his opponent, Zbigniew Wieckowski (Woodbury, MN) bingo out with a phony: ENGESTED*. The reason he had to do this is in the off-chance it was acceptable, he'd have lost the game by one point. In the Collins games, you lose points for bad challenges. So there is no such thing as a free last play challenge. Martin went 6-1 today, so he's a "happy man."

Emely Weissman (Menlo Park, CA) had a dream opportunity today. She was going first and she had AOOLLTX on her rack. Do you know what she got a chance to play?*

Denise Mahnken (Tillman, SC) is so excited to tell me about her game today with Randy Urist (San Diego, CA). He opened with BANNER and she played EXPELLED to the triple from the E for 104. Randy immediately played PROFITED to the D for 104!

Roy Kamen (Covina, CA) played a game today with NE one square past the top middle triple word square in the top row. He had KAISERS on his rack, but no place to put it down. He's sure that had he been able to play it, he would have stopped looking, but he didn't. So he focused on that NE. Can you figure out what he played?**

Robert Kahn (Plantation, FL) has had a lovely afternoon: 11 bingos in three games. He tells me about the game where he had four bingoes in a row: OOLITES, GRASsIER, DEVIATED, and SANDMeN. In another game he also had four bingos, but not in row: SANTERO, DENTInAL, ECLOGUES (blank L), and REPOSAL. In the third game he had BARTIZaN, TINDERS, and CARLINS. At one point, he held WEELTRC and was hoping his opponent would put out an H. He did and in the right row, but in the wrong place so he didn't get to play CARTWHEEL after all!

Nigel Richards (Malaysia) is in first place in division 1 with Kenji Matsumoto (Berkeley, CA) one game back.

Gerry Greenside (Las Vegas, NV) and Morris Greenberg (Brookline, MA) are 1st and 2nd in division 2, both at 16-5.

In Collins land, Geoff Thevenot (Austin, TX) is at 16-5 and Marty Gabriel (Charleston, IL), John OLaughlin (Cambridge, MA), and Evan Berofsky (Oxford, MI) are at 14-7.

Tonight Katya Lezin (Charlotte, NC) will read from her book and autograph copies and then afterwards we'll host the Town Hall!

Seven more games tomorrow!

*Emely played AXOLOTL! Woo hoo! **Roy played SNEAKIER as a nonbingo triple-triple with the K landing on the double-letter square for 153 points! Woo hoo!