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NASC 2015 Commentary: Round 11

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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.

Round 11

Diana Bowen (Charlottesville, VA) sat down opposite Evan McCarthy (Windham, NH) (he and his then partner, Bradley Robbins, are former School SCRABBLE National champions) and sweetly introduced herself and they shook hands. A very sportsmanlike way to start a game. I mentioned for her to watch out with him since he had some chops. I can’t wait to see how their game unfolds! Evan got down PLAYERS for 77 and she played ENVIROS for 74. The better plays, nonbingos in fact, were her AXONE for 63 and his clever front hook of WRY with an A, playing JARS down to the triple for 43 points (which tied the game up!). The win came down to better tiles on Evan’s part. School SCRABBLE infusion worked this round, 373-360, Evan’s win. He is 6-5 now and excited about a good afternoon.

Sheng Guo (Amawalk, NY) played Marvin Kraus (Newton, MA) this round and it was an all Marvin affair, 439-314. I see EERIEsT on the board. A group of has begun to form at their end of the table. Turns out, today is Austin’s birthday and he is about to be feted with a big birthday lunch! That ought to take the sting of the last game away!

Across the room,Austin Shin (United Kingdom) was playing John O'Laughlin (San Francisco, CA). I walk up as John puts down TONSILARY* through the disconnected L and Y. Austin challenges and off it comes. I spy SWALiER# and PeENGES# on their board. I think John tried one more play that came off the board after that but I was gone by then. Austin’s win, 381-346.

Chris Cree (Dallas, TX) and Matthew Tunnicliffe (Ottawa ON) squared off this round and they are busy concentrating. I see RANTiNGS, COEDITS, and HEAvILY on their board. In the endgame, Matt was up by about 60. Chris needed to bingo, so he played off one tile. He got the very tile in the bag he wanted, a T. Then he got down VEINLETS from the V on the triple line. Chris pulled out the win, 408-397.

Conrad Bassett-Bouchard (Piedmont, CA) is in a foul mood, or so he says, he is still smiling and jovial and fun. He has won only one game so far this morning. A good lunch and he’ll win them all this afternoon!

Matt Canik (Austin, TX) and Joshua Sokol (Montreal QC) were picking up their tiles. I was able to catch MONKISH for 90, yAChTIE for 99, and JEALOUS for 87. All Josh’s plays. YACHTIE is actually a new word! Josh wins this one.

Joel Wapnick (Montreal QC) vs. Leslie Charles (Trinidad and Tobago). I see MIDLEGS, SECONDI, CARAcOLE, and HaROSET on their board.

Greg Heidler (Waialua, HI) had two fun things happen in his game with round with Jeremy Hall (New York, NY). Greg misplayed his bingo, REFRACTS, by transposing the last two letters. No shock, Jeremy challenged and then blocked the spot by playing TI. But the block didn’t work. Greg found and played CRAFTIEST through the TI for 104! Then Jeremy played UPGRADE, hanging the U in the triple lane and Greg found DEBOUCHE through that U for a 203 natural triple-triple, which had the added bonus of drawing a challenge. It was a 540-395 win for Greg.

Robin Pollock Daniel writes:

Sal Piro (New York, NY) vs Leesa Berahovich (Berkeley, CA). Despite Leesa triple-tripling with OLDSTERS for 131 and then getting down vIOLATE for 67, Sal stormed back, sprinkling the board with such lovelies as DIAPERS (84), EvERSION (77), hOTLINE (67) and ARCUATE (82). 527-445 for Sal.

A really lovely play on a board between Orry Swift (Houston, TX) and Joshua Sokol (Montreal QC): ?AC?TIE, end-hooking JOE as the first letter for 90 points. Can you guess the word?* Also spotted on the board, MONKISH for 99.

*yAChTIE (in a room full of boards, great minds think alike!)

Jesse Matthews writes:

Murray Goldenberg (Winnipeg MB) has got a pretty ugly rack against Mad Palazzo (Richmond Hill ON). Holding OTUUUUW, he opts to exchange the 4 Us.

Keith Forman (El Cajon, CA) and Constance J Creech (Metamora, MI) are about a third of the way into their game, and I see the beautiful UNPLAITS on their board.

Dave Leifer (Alpharetta, GA) and Chris Williams (Vancouver BC) are having a high scoring game. I see COALPIT, MALFED, VOLITION and a high-scoring QUARTZ that overlapped four tiles.

The opening play in the matchup between Lilla Sinanan (Stoney Creek ON) and Chris Schneider (Chicago, IL) is BRUHAHA#. A lovely play, but they’re playing TWL so on their board it’s a phoney!

Emily Brodeur (Nashville, TN) and Edwin Roth (Philadelphia, PA) have a big game going on. I see UNHaIRS, GLOBATED, INTAGLIO with an S hooked on later, and CHARIEST on the board.

In the battle of Texas I see a creative phoney play. One of Stephen Sneed (Fort Worth, TX) or John Dalton (Dallas, TX) has played TUXLESS*, and it stayed.

Robin Lewis (Houston, TX) and Carol McDonald (Northboro, MA) have had a close game. Robin played SCURVIED*, GOOIEST, and OUTLEARN. Carol added an S onto OUTLEARN later in the game to play FINDS, and then extended that with OUTFINDS a few turns later. Carol also also played WACKIER to clear off some bad tiles, but it wasn’t enough as Robin stole the game 405-387.

Division 1 Round 11 Auto-Commentary

Orry Swift (Houston, TX) stays in the lead for the 3rd consecutive round, 10-1 +750, on a 4-game winning streak. Jason Li (Dollard-Des-Ormeaux QC) is 1 game behind at 9-2 +454, on a 3-game winning streak, #2 up from #4. Joey Krafchick (Richardson, TX) is 2 games behind the leader at 8-3 +789, #3 slipping from #2. Ian Weinstein (Coral Springs, FL) is +763, #4 rising from #8. Charles Reinke (Middleton, WI) is +620, on a 5-game winning streak, #5 climbing from #6. Joe Edley (Port Jefferson, NY) is +463, #6 rising from #9. Darrell Day (Richardson, TX) is +440, #7 up from #10. Trey Wright (Sierra Madre, CA) is +427, #8 dropping from #3. Jesse Day (Berkeley, CA) is +83, #9 dropping from #5.

In Class B: Charles Reinke (Middleton, WI) is the lead, 8-3 +620, on a 5-game winning streak. Darrell Day (Richardson, TX) is +440, #7 rising from #10. Joshua Sokol (Montreal QC) is 1 game behind at 7-4 +604, on a 4-game winning streak, #11 jumping up from #16. Thomas Reinke (Middleton, WI) is +545, #12 jumping up from #20. Chris Cree (Dallas, TX) is +479, #13 down from #7. Sal Piro (New York, NY) is +242, #17 climbing from #25. Nigel Peltier (Portland, OR) is -130, #21 down from #13. Norases Vesdapunt (Stanford, CA) is -310, #22 whizzing down from #12. David Whitley (Monrovia, CA) is 2 games behind the leader at 6-5 +507, #23 up from #31. Kate Fukawa-Connelly (Lawrenceville, NJ) is +492, #24 whizzing down from #14.

In Class C: Tom Bond (Everett, WA) is the lead, 6-5 +372, on a 3-game winning streak. Jeff Fiszbein (South Lyon, MI) is +217, #29 rising from #34. Tasha Asberry (Cordova, TN) is -183, #35 dropping from #29. Alec Sjoholm (Lynnwood, WA) is 1 game behind at 5-6 +126, #37 down from #30. Reid Hattaway (Moscow, ID) is +33, #38 jumping up from #44. Greg Heidler (Waialua, HI) is -142, #43 zooming up from #53. Terry Kang Rau (Hudson, NY) is -176, #45 rising from #52. Amnuay Ploysangngam (Thailand) is -577, #50 down from #42. Ross Brown (Ottawa ON) is 2 games behind the leader at 4-7 -190, #51 falling from #48. Siri Tillekeratne (Calgary AB) is -231, on a 3-game winning streak, #53 leaping up from #62.

High Win: David Whitley (Monrovia, CA) 634-380 vs. Joel Elkins (West Hollywood, CA). Low Win: Kenji Matsumoto (Berkeley, CA) 378-369 vs. Ross Brown (Ottawa ON). High Loss: Jesse Day (Berkeley, CA) 446-500 vs. Charles Reinke (Middleton, WI). Low Loss: Norases Vesdapunt (Stanford, CA) 253-551 vs. Ian Weinstein (Coral Springs, FL).

Division 2 Round 11 Auto-Commentary

Chris Williams (Vancouver BC) stays in the lead for the 5th consecutive round, 10-1 +1047, on an 8-game winning streak. Howard Pistol (Oakland Park, FL) is 1 game behind at 9-2 +659, on a 3-game winning streak, remaining unchanged at #2. Kevin Fraley (San Jose, CA) is 2 games behind the leader at 8-3 +936, on a 4-game winning streak, #3 climbing from #5. Charlie Southwell (Arlington, VA) is +758, on a 5-game winning streak, #4 up from #6. Jeff Martin (Albuquerque, NM) is +624, #5 improving from #7. Martin Weisskopf (Huntsville, AL) is +477, #6 rising from #11. Kevin Bowerman (Chapel Hill, NC) is +398, on a 5-game winning streak, #7 improving from #10. Carlene Wallis (Sparks, NV) is +389, #8 jumping down from #3. Paul Avrin (New York, NY) is +297, #9 jumping up from #14. Elizabeth Ralston (Los Angeles, CA) is +155, #10 tumbling from #4.

In Class : In Class B: Jeff Martin (Albuquerque, NM) is the lead, 8-3 +624. Martin Weisskopf (Huntsville, AL) is +477, #6 leaping up from #11. Mark Peltier (Seattle, WA) is -74, #11 climbing from #17. James Porter (Cleveland Heights, OH) is 1 game behind at 7-4 +278, #15 leaping up from #22. Tod Taylor (Seattle, WA) is +138, on a 3-game winning streak, #19 leaping up from #25. Guy Ingram (Ellenwood, GA) is -14, #21 dropping from #15. Ken Smith (Pukalani, HI) is -85, #22 tumbling from #16. Curtis Lee (Jacksonville, FL) is 2 games behind the leader at 6-5 +189, #29 climbing from #36. Kit Morehead (Berkley, MI) is +99, #31 climbing from #39. Jonathan Lindh (Chicago, IL) is +84, #32 soaring from #43.

In Class C: Elizabeth Ralston (Los Angeles, CA) is the lead, 8-3 +155. Carolyn Easter (Birmingham, MI) is 1 game behind at 7-4 +179, on a 3-game winning streak, #17 jumping up from #23. Gwen Stewart (Ellicott City, MD) is +111, on a 3-game winning streak, #20 leaping up from #27. Paula Catanese (Mountain View, CA) is 2 games behind the leader at 6-5 +299, #24 rising from #32. Edward Gowash (Fort Worth, TX) is +255, #27 dropping from #21. Carol McDonald (Northboro, MA) is +67, #33 down from #26. Cynthia Pughsley (Oakland, CA) is +56, #34 whizzing down from #24. Diana Grosman (Reisterstown, MD) is -293, #41 zooming up from #54. Bruce Shuman (Wilmington, NC) is -381, #43 whizzing up from #55.

High Win: Lila Crotty (Metairie, LA) 516-353 vs. Paul Izikoff (Miami, FL). Low Win: Mark Peltier (Seattle, WA) 348-306 vs. Kay Patterson (Fair Oaks, CA). High Loss: Glenda Short (Oklahoma City, OK) 414-454 vs. Caesar Jaramillo (Seagraves, TX). Low Loss: Carole Denton (New Carrollton, MD) 289-420 vs. Jonathan Lindh (Chicago, IL).

Division 3 Round 11 Auto-Commentary

Bill Ewing (Missoula, MT) stays in the lead for the 4th consecutive round, 11-0 +746, on a 11-game winning streak. Tapani Lindgren (Roseville, CA) is 2 games behind at 9-2 +363, #2 improving from #6. Ben Greenwood (Florence, MA) is 3 games behind the leader at 8-3 +930, #3 falling from #2. Daniel Novinson (San Francisco, CA) is +657, #4 up from #8. Charles Dupont (Seattle, WA) is +600, #5 slipping from #3. Paul Hagelstein (Waco, TX) is +385, on a 3-game winning streak, #6 climbing from #11. Dave Lockrem (Blaine, MN) is +339, #7 sliding from #4. Lynda Wise (Toronto ON) is +337, #8 rising from #10. Miriam Gregory (Vancouver BC) is +337, #8 leaping up from #14. Margo Kuno (Philadelphia, PA) is +266, #10 rising from #12.

In Class B: Margo Kuno (Philadelphia, PA) is the lead, 8-3 +266. Zachary Ansell (Los Angeles, CA) is +182, #13 down from #7. Carol Tillson (Silver Spring, MD) is 1 game behind at 7-4 +311, #16 jumping up from #21. Sonia Wilmot (Littleton, CO) is +194, on a 3-game winning streak, #18 climbing from #22. Rhonda Morris (Oklahoma City, OK) is +140, #19 climbing from #25. Claudia Finn (Seattle, WA) is +68, #21 jumping up from #26. Mary Ellen Weisskopf (Huntsville, AL) is -57, #23 down from #17. Lindsey Dimmick (Baton Rouge, LA) is 2 games behind the leader at 6-5 +198, #31 jumping up from #39. Betsey Wood (Concord, MA) is +69, on a 3-game losing streak, #36 plummeting from #20. Kay Adam (Volin, SD) is -195, #39 rocketing up from #52.

In Class C: Chloe Fatsis (Washington, DC) is the lead, 8-3 +236, on a 4-game winning streak. Cooper Komatsu (Los Angeles, CA) is 1 game behind at 7-4 +527, #14 up from #18. Joey Gordon (Fort Worth, TX) is +93, #20 tumbling from #15. Dani Roter (Valley Village, CA) is 1.5 games behind the leader at 6.5-4.5 +135, #25 jumping up from #30.

High Win: Daniel Novinson (San Francisco, CA) 525-307 vs. Betsey Wood (Concord, MA). Low Win: Emily Lichtman (New York, NY) 324-312 vs. Tom O'Laughlin (Hartland, WI). High Loss: Lynn Dreyer (Tacoma, WA) 391-475 vs. Lindsey Dimmick (Baton Rouge, LA). Low Loss: Linda Tedrow (Moscow, ID) 263-411 vs. Megan McMahon (Worcester, MA).

Division 4 Round 11 Auto-Commentary

Jennifer DeWaelsche (San Antonio, TX) seizes the lead, 9-2 +668. Hannah Rozear (Durham, NC) is +589, #2 up from #3. Jim Laris (Altadena, CA) is +281, #3 slipping from #1. Rachel Gillette (Lafayette, CO) is 1 game behind at 8-3 +499, #4 improving from #5. Peter Hopkins (Toronto ON) is +276, on a 4-game winning streak, #5 rising from #7. Jack Peters (Nantucket, MA) is 2 games behind the leader at 7-4 +449, #6 down from #4. Dustin Brown (Fairfield, CT) is +419, on a 3-game winning streak, #7 rising from #8. Chan Fonseka (Dublin, CA) is +415, on a 4-game winning streak, #8 rising from #10. Richard Banker (Ankeny, IA) is +316, #9 dropping from #6. Laurie Holz (Los Angeles, CA) is +197, #10 climbing from #11.

In Class B: Jennifer DeWaelsche (San Antonio, TX) is the lead, 9-2 +668. Jim Laris (Altadena, CA) is +281, #3 down from #1. Rachel Gillette (Lafayette, CO) is 1 game behind at 8-3 +499, #4 climbing from #5. Richard Banker (Ankeny, IA) is 2 games behind the leader at 7-4 +316, #9 falling from #6. Laurie Holz (Los Angeles, CA) is +197, #10 improving from #11.

In Class C: Jack Peters (Nantucket, MA) is the lead, 7-4 +449. Dustin Brown (Fairfield, CT) is +419, on a 3-game winning streak, #7 climbing from #8. Keith Forman (El Cajon, CA) is 1 game behind at 6-5 +6, #17 jumping up from #24. Sheng Guo (Amawalk, NY) is -124, #21 dropping from #13. Jennifer Hay (Portland, TX) is -168, on a 3-game losing streak, #23 jumping down from #14. Donna Leigh (Menomonee Falls, WI) is 2 games behind the leader at 5-6 +105, #29 rising from #36. Margaret Hughes (Los Angeles, CA) is -90, on a 5-game losing streak, #30 collapsing from #20. Chandra Hebert (Lafayette, LA) is -271, #33 down from #30.

High Win: Chan Fonseka (Dublin, CA) 545-273 vs. Pamela Pudelka (Corpus Christi, TX). Low Win: Dustin Brown (Fairfield, CT) 324-286 vs. Paul Rickhoff (Saugus, CA). High Loss: John Green (Lealman, FL) 379-389 vs. Debra Bates (Sherwood Park AB). Low Loss: Jean Wolin (Toronto ON) 261-513 vs. Hannah Rozear (Durham, NC).

Division CSW Round 11 Auto-Commentary

Dave Wiegand (Portland, OR) remains in the lead for the 4th consecutive round, 10-1 +976, on a 7-game winning streak. Becky Dyer (Austin, TX) is 1 game behind at 9-2 +836, remaining steady at #2 for 4 rounds. Austin Shin (United Kingdom) is +437, on a 5-game winning streak, #3 climbing from #4. Peter Armstrong (Oakland, CA) is 2 games behind the leader at 8-3 +461, on a 3-game winning streak, #4 rising from #7. Evans Clinchy (Boston, MA) is +439, on a 3-game winning streak, #5 improving from #8. Amit Chakrabarti (Hanover, NH) is +288, #6 sliding from #3.

High Win: Judy Romann (Bainbridge Island, WA) 530-329 vs. Michael Gincel (Lakewood, NJ). Low Win: Austin Shin (United Kingdom) 381-346 vs. John O'Laughlin (San Francisco, CA). High Loss: Tony Leah (Ajax ON) 430-467 vs. Peter Armstrong (Oakland, CA). Low Loss: Stefan Rau (Hudson, NY) 298-447 vs. Steve Polatnick (Miami, FL).