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NASC 2015 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.

Round 21

What a crazy and fun last game it has been!

It seemed like it was only minutes after the round ended and I found Zachary Ansell (Los Angeles, CA) sitting at a table with all his gear in a bag smiling broadly. I said, “You are done already?! You look happy, was it a good game?” He said, “It was a GREAT game! I was down by 100 points. She had played FOXIEST for 115, but could only make small plays after that. I kept making 30-point plays and I caught up and then won by 10!” It was a 438-428 win for Zachary. His opponent, Maureen Morris (Calgary AB), may not have been as happy, but there was no telling as she was away from the table by that point.

A special table has been set up division 2 for Kent Croswell (Hot Springs Village, AR). He has a back condition and though he can play sitting, he can’t do it all day. His opponents are offered to sit at a stationary high table in a bar stool while he stands or they can stand with him or they can insist on a normal seated game. Most of his opponents have chosen to sit at the bar stool while he’s played standing and all has been fine.

Hannah Lieberman (Charlotte, NC) is lying on a couch on the back side of the playing room, looking into her phone like any teenager. She waves as I walk up and tells me that she went 5-2 today and she’s in better spirits than she was when yesterday’s games wrapped up.

A new 4, VULN, jumps out on a board between Cynthia Seales (Stone Mountain, GA) and Kay Patterson (Fair Oaks, CA). Larger plays: CORDAGES, ASUNDER, and NErITIC. It was a close game, but Cynthia eked out the win, 396-385.

OPTICALS, LESBIAN, and FOoTIER are the bingos a game between Cheryl Melvin (Grand Rapids, MI) and Peter Dolgenos (Sacramento, CA). She has only six tiles left on her rack and one is the blank. I wander off and let her work her way through them. She wins, 378-322.

Their game is close to endgame status and I see NAPERIES on the board between Stefan Fatsis (Washington, DC) and Geoff Tongue (Tacoma, WA). As I’m scribbling in my notepad, I look up and see both blanks on Geoff’s rack. I mosey on away so as not to convey any information in my interest. I later learn that Geoff won, 383-336.

Ruchi Gupta (Knoxville, TN) didn’t get to share a round 12 game with me earlier, so she pulls me aside to give me some highlights. She was playing Ryan Chepita (Ottawa ON). After she played PETUNIA, he played BOUNCERS. She thought that maybe they would have a tit for tat back and forth bingo contest, but it turns out that it was all about her at that point. Her next several plays included DECLINER, EXAM for 63, front hooking IDIOT to make VIDIOT (one of our new words!), FLATTERY, and finally UNSALTED. Her big win, 524-338.

Dan Horowitz (Wilmington, DE) is delighted to point out his 131-point PLOTZINg played from the P to the bottom middle triple. His opponent, the ever-cheerful Tom O'Laughlin (Hartland, WI), got down LaNCERS, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Z play and Dan won, 423-367.

Sander Post (Ottawa ON) vs. Cooper Komatsu (Los Angeles, CA): rOSEATE is Sander’s bingo and NAILeRS belongs to Cooper. I happen by as Cooper plays out with LIGER to the R, back hooking to create DAL. Sander challenges perfunctorily, but he knows the play is good all the way around. They return to the board and Sander turns over his two tiles: LU. These two points, doubled, give Cooper 4 points and a one-point win, 355-354. I’m sure Sander had his reasons, but he didn’t ask for or preform a recount, he just filled out the paperwork and congratulated Cooper on a great game. I don’t think Cooper’s feet touched the carpet as he floated on a cloud of pure joy to hand in his slip.

I walk over to Collins land and Bradley Whitmarsh (Attleboro, MA) said, “I bagged Amit Chakrabarti (Hanover, NH).” Amit stood there silently and nodded in agreement. I see Amit’s MARTAGON and DISCASE. Bradley played AGIStED, REtAINED through the blank T, and InVIABLE from the first I. A 573-371 win for Bradley. He tells me that he went 6-1 today and went from a cumulative spread of -148 to +342, but it was all a bit too little and too late. He is in that dreaded 9th place spot where he will miss the playoffs and will have to play in the “consolation group.” He then says, “Don’t take that as a complaint. I think this new playoff idea is a good one and I’m happy that they are giving it a try. I think it brings excitement and that is a good thing.” Leave it to Bradley to look at the sunny side of nearly everything in life. I’m a big fan of this gentle giant.

An unusual occurrence took place as round 21 ended. One of the last games to wrap up was between Steve Polatnick (Miami, FL) and Geoffrey Newman (Brampton ON). They were in contention for making the top 8 for the playoffs. But one of them had to win, right? Well, guess what? They TIED! I am not kidding. It survived a recount, even. As it was explained to me and the 20 others who stood around in stunned disbelief, this tie permitted John O'Laughlin (San Francisco, CA) to vault past the two of them to secure a spot in the top 8! Talk about a strange turn of events!

Check out the standings to see who made the final 8 in each division and tune in tomorrow to see it all unfold here on the web site. I will lose both Jesse and Robin to the streaming coverage and I’ll miss them, but you will get to see/hear them live!

Hasbro helped us bring in Rashad Miller, who is responsible for providing streaming coverage of “Magic the Gathering” tournaments. This should be really good tomorrow!

Jesse Matthews writes:

For this round of Spot That Bingo:

(1) EJNORUY (Cecilia Huber (Cleveland, OH) versus Murray Goldenberg (Winnipeg MB)) (2) GIIORSV (Joe Roberdeau (Cincinnati, OH) versus Ken Louie (Whittier, CA)) (3) AELOPPSU (David Whitley (Monrovia, CA) versus Jon Shreve (Denver, CO)) (4) ACLMORTU# (Evans Clinchy (Boston, MA) versus Peter Armstrong (Oakland, CA))

Yolanda Ushry (Fort Smith, AR) just lost a close game to Lynda Wise (Toronto ON). She says that Lynda made a great play in the end game with AAAAII? by playing ?I to make kIP, JOkED and VIN for 22 to secure an endgame win, 414-394. Yolanda’s bingos were REROUTES and REMOVES, while Lynda bingoed with TENSEST and BELLIED.

John Karris (San Jose, CA) walks up to tell me that he won his last name and secured a spot in the final eight in his division. Well done!!

Constance J Creech (Metamora, MI) is jumping up and down with glee as director Arthur Moore has come over to tell her that she has made the play offs. Congratulations!

Charles Dupont (Seattle, WA) had a big win against Chloe Fatsis (Washington, DC), 482-223. Despite the score, Charles says that they were actually very close in score midgame. With one bingo line open at a critical point, Charles bingoed with OVErHEAT to take the lead, and then continued to score from there. There is, however, a happy ending for Chloe. She still made eight place overall and also qualified for playoffs. Great job both of you!

It’s been evident throughout the room that the playoff format has created a charged atmosphere and brought a dynamic element into the room. I’m looking forward to providing commentary on a live web broadcast starting tomorrow, so stay tuned for details on how to watch. Until then, so long from Reno!

Robin Pollock Daniel writes:

What an exciting round! The final eight in each division was determined, and there were some incredible games.

In CSW, Joel Wapnick (Montreal QC) took on Joanne Craig (Australia). Joel was in 7th place at 13-7, +682, and Joanne was in 6th place at 13-7, +824. Bingoes played were UNSUITED (80) and OVeRLADE (72) by Joel, and TOLERATE (77) and EARAcHES (61) for Joanne. After EARAcHES, Joanne was up 381-361 with just a few racks left to play. Joel got down FORTHY# for 38, saving two places to go out with IO# for either 12 or 17 points. Joanne’s rack of ABCEEMT couldn’t overcome Joel’s clever endgame, and he won 425-407, securing himself a place in the final CSW eight! Happily, Joanne’s cume allowed her to finish top eight as well, so kudos to both of them.

Both Reinke brothers were in contention, so I made sure I got the scoop on them both. I promised to find out who was born first so I’d know what order to list the games, and it turns out that Thomas preceded Charles by 11 minutes. So, being a second child myself, I think it only fair that I report on Charles first so that he can say he came first for a change.

Charles Reinke (Middleton, WI) played Doug Brockmeier (San Francisco, CA), who were in 12th and 10th place, respectively. Both had a shot for the top eight, but they’d need some help. Doug got down INSTRUCT for 90, and Charles’s UNDERdOG for 86 made it close. But, late in the game, up by a mere 2 points, Charles pulled the second blank, playing AIRIEsT for 65. Doug’s ZIP left Charles with a 25-point lead, and then his TONY put him up by 49. With a rack of EHIOORS, Doug placed HOVE at H2 to leave himself with SORI/SHOVE at 1H for 45 to go out. Charles had a clunky rack of CDELPRW, but hooked REVENUE with WELD to make REVENUED, and he knew it was enough to secure the win. Final score 406-398 for Charles. Alas, it wasn’t enough to make it into the final eight.

Onto the firstborn. Thomas Reinke (Middleton, WI) was paired against Jason Li (Dollard-Des-Ormeaux QC) Jason was the lowest 13-7 going into the final round, with a slim +51 cume, so he absolutely had to win. Thomas was at 12-8, +787. Very few bingoes were played, with Jason getting down ROOFIEs for 75 and Thomas countering with EOSIniC for 76. However, Thomas made a massive 74-point SLEAZIER to a floating ER, tripling the Z and doubling the word, to put him up 199-179 after the fifth play. Things went in Thomas’s favour for the rest of the game, and Jason tried SUNWEAR* (UNSWEAR did not play) in desperation. Despite the disappointment of knowing the game – and the final eight – were out of hand, Jason stuck with it and admitted he played a good endgame. So many of us would have lost heart and played ‘whatever’ just to end an unwinnable, emotional game, but Jason made sure to block Thomas’s best play and leave himself an unblockable out. Jason really showed his true character there. And congrats to Thomas for making it into the final eight in the vaunted eight position. I think I know who Charles will be rooting for.

Joel Sherman (Bronx, NY) told me he played two new bingoes this game: LINTELED and STRIATUM. When I asked who won the game, Joel, who was playing Matt Canik (Austin, TX), said, “He blew the endgame; he had a tie.” With a final rack of CDV, Matt simply missed where Joel could play DEV, despite having ample time on his clock. Who hasn’t done that? I can relate, and commiserate.

Finally, in another tense game, Joe Edley (Port Jefferson, NY) played Joey Krafchick (Richardson, TX). Joe was 7th coming into this final qualifying game, 13-7, +763, while Joey was in precarious 8th, 13-7, +526. I missed their board, but got the summation from the horse’s mouth, Joe Edley, who admitted that it came down to who had the better final rack. Turned out it was Joe, with “all the vowels”, while Joey had three Rs, a J, and more consonants. Joe ended up winning 383-376, and finished in fifth place. Sadly, this put Joey out of contention, and he finished in a very respectable 11th place.

This is my final writeup for the tournament, as I am moving on to do online commentary for Table 1 with Jesse Matthews! Please join us tomorrow and Wednesday as we live stream what will surely be some incredible games. There’s a terrific video setup, and you will be able to chat and chime in with your reactions and suggestions. Be aware that this website is home to mainly 16-21 year-old gamers, so let’s try to keep it civil! The URL is twitch.tv/ggslive. Hope to see you all tomorrow!

Division 1 Round 21 Auto-Commentary

Jesse Day (Berkeley, CA) claims the lead, 16-5 +695. Matthew Tunnicliffe (Ottawa ON) is 1 game behind at 15-6 +1146, on a 5-game winning streak, #2 climbing from #3. Orry Swift (Houston, TX) is +518, #3 dropping from #1. Will Anderson (Croton, NY) is 2 games behind the leader at 14-7 +1181, #4 climbing from #6. Joe Edley (Port Jefferson, NY) is +770, #5 improving from #7. Panupol Sujjayakorn (Thailand) is +767, on a 3-game losing streak, #6 down from #4. Laurie Cohen (Tempe, AZ) is +509, #7 slipping from #5.

In Class B: Thomas Reinke (Middleton, WI) is the lead, 13-8 +885. Chris Cree (Dallas, TX) is +609, #9 rising from #13. Charles Reinke (Middleton, WI) is +595, #10 climbing from #12. Leesa Berahovich (Berkeley, CA) is 1 game behind at 12-9 +246, #22 jumping up from #27. Darrell Day (Richardson, TX) is +223, #23 down from #16. Steve Bush (Richmond, KY) is -40, on a 3-game winning streak, #24 up from #29. Avery Mojica (Overland Park, KS) is 2 games behind the leader at 11-10 +717, #26 dropping from #20. Joshua Sokol (Montreal QC) is +335, #29 jumping down from #24. Jim Burlant (Grapevine, TX) is -283, #32 up from #39. Jeremy Hall (New York, NY) is -287, on a 6-game winning streak, #33 leaping up from #38.

In Class C: Ross Brown (Ottawa ON) is the lead, 11.5-9.5 +284. Jeff Fiszbein (South Lyon, MI) is 0.5 games behind at 11-10 -17, #30 sliding from #28. Terry Kang Rau (Hudson, NY) is -214, on a 3-game winning streak, #31 up from #35. David Whitley (Monrovia, CA) is 1.5 games behind the leader at 10-11 +537, #38 up from #44. Reid Hattaway (Moscow, ID) is +132, #40 rising from #49. Robert Kahn (Plantation, FL) is -57, on a 3-game winning streak, #41 whizzing up from #51. Alec Sjoholm (Lynnwood, WA) is -81, #43 up from #50. Greg Heidler (Waialua, HI) is -364, #46 jumping down from #37. Amnuay Ploysangngam (Thailand) is -939, #49 leaping up from #55.

High Wins: Jesse Day (Berkeley, CA) 543-345 vs. Panupol Sujjayakorn (Thailand); David Pearl (Long Beach, CA) 543-279 vs. Siri Tillekeratne (Calgary AB). Low Win: Marty Gabriel (Charleston, IL) 362-344 vs. Trey Wright (Sierra Madre, CA). High Loss: Kate Fukawa-Connelly (Lawrenceville, NJ) 465-466 vs. Ross Brown (Ottawa ON). Low Loss: Laurie Cohen (Tempe, AZ) 239-457 vs. Will Anderson (Croton, NY).

Division 2 Round 21 Auto-Commentary

Jeff Martin (Albuquerque, NM) stays in the lead for the 5th consecutive round, 15-6 +1049. Gunther Jacobi (Portland, OR) is 1 game behind at 14-7 +1209, on a 3-game winning streak, #2 climbing from #6. Kevin Fraley (San Jose, CA) is +1172, on a 3-game winning streak, #3 climbing from #5. John Karris (San Jose, CA) is +1135, on a 4-game winning streak, unchanged at #4. Kevin Bowerman (Chapel Hill, NC) is +933, #5 up from #7. Chris Williams (Vancouver BC) is +827, #6 climbing from #8. Howard Pistol (Oakland Park, FL) is +794, on a 3-game losing streak, #7 jumping down from #2. Tod Taylor (Seattle, WA) is +372, #8 down from #3. Kit Morehead (Berkley, MI) is +258, #9 leaping up from #14. Michael Baker (Portland, OR) is 2 games behind the leader at 13-8 +826, #10 up from #16.

In Class : In Class B: Jeff Martin (Albuquerque, NM) is the lead for the 5th consecutive round, 15-6 +1049. Tod Taylor (Seattle, WA) is 1 game behind at 14-7 +372, #8 down from #3. Kit Morehead (Berkley, MI) is +258, #9 up from #14. Stephen Sneed (Fort Worth, TX) is 2 games behind the leader at 13-8 +565, on a 6-game winning streak, #12 rising from #20. Edwin Roth (Philadelphia, PA) is +409, #15 dropping from #12. Paul Mishkin (San Francisco, CA) is +190, #18 dropping from #11.

In Class C: Elizabeth Ralston (Los Angeles, CA) is the lead, 13-8 +217. Edward Gowash (Fort Worth, TX) is 1 game behind at 12-9 +700, #21 falling from #17. Gwen Stewart (Ellicott City, MD) is +29, #30 tumbling from #23. Carolyn Easter (Birmingham, MI) is 2 games behind the leader at 11-10 +27, #37 jumping up from #46. Cynthia Pughsley (Oakland, CA) is -25, #40 down from #35. Paula Catanese (Mountain View, CA) is -43, on a 3-game losing streak, #41 down from #32. Linda Oliva (Lisbon, MD) is -516, #45 down from #37.

High Win: Gunther Jacobi (Portland, OR) 595-321 vs. Paul Mishkin (San Francisco, CA). Low Win: Jan Cardia (Hockessin, DE) 349-343 vs. Guy Ingram (Ellenwood, GA). High Loss: Edward Gowash (Fort Worth, TX) 468-494 vs. Kit Morehead (Berkley, MI). Low Loss: Linda Oliva (Lisbon, MD) 281-419 vs. Matt DeWaelsche (San Antonio, TX).

Division 3 Round 21 Auto-Commentary

Charles Dupont (Seattle, WA) stays in the lead, 16-5 +1585, on a 3-game winning streak. Bill Ewing (Missoula, MT) is +818, remaining unchanged at #2. April McCarley (Austin, TX) is +572, remaining steady at #3. Lynda Wise (Toronto ON) is 1 game behind at 15-6 +531, #4 rising from #6. Greg Feldkamp (Cleveland Heights, OH) is 2 games behind the leader at 14-7 +821, #5 dropping from #4. Daniel Novinson (San Francisco, CA) is +645, #6 climbing from #8. Yolanda Ushry (Fort Smith, AR) is +592, #7 sliding from #5. Chloe Fatsis (Washington, DC) is +59, #8 sliding from #7. Michelle Davis (Riverdale, GA) is -65, on a 3-game winning streak, #9 climbing from #12.

In Class B: Claudia Finn (Seattle, WA) is the lead, 13-8 +30. Dave Krook (Mississauga ON) is 0.5 games behind at 12.5-8.5 -62, on a 3-game winning streak, #17 up from #22. Carol Tillson (Silver Spring, MD) is 1 game behind the leader at 12-9 +275, #24 leaping up from #30. Zachary Ansell (Los Angeles, CA) is +50, #25 rising from #31. Margo Kuno (Philadelphia, PA) is -77, #28 jumping down from #20.

In Class C: Chloe Fatsis (Washington, DC) is the lead, 14-7 +59. Cooper Komatsu (Los Angeles, CA) is 2 games behind at 12-9 +442, on a 4-game winning streak, #20 improving from #24. Chris Autio (Missoula, MT) is +281, #23 jumping up from #29. Nancy Hanley (Wilmington, DE) is 3 games behind the leader at 11-10 +321, #33 rising from #39. Sander Post (Ottawa ON) is +289, #34 down from #28. Cecilia Huber (Cleveland, OH) is +130, #36 tumbling from #27. Anne LaDu (Des Moines, IA) is +110, #38 climbing from #42. Nandini Dickens (Bethesola, MD) is -145, on a 4-game winning streak, #42 leaping up from #49. Joey Gordon (Fort Worth, TX) is -246, #43 dropping from #34.

High Win: Nancy Hanley (Wilmington, DE) 494-293 vs. Alan Mason (Evreka, CA). Low Win: Meredith Leigh (Des Moines, IA) 346-310 vs. Ruth Brower (Hockessin, DE). High Loss: Michael Bassett (Port Clinton, OH) 446-472 vs. Eli Shupak (Toronto ON). Low Loss: Chloe Fatsis (Washington, DC) 263-486 vs. Charles Dupont (Seattle, WA).

Division 4 Round 21 Auto-Commentary

Hannah Rozear (Durham, NC) stays in the lead for the 4th consecutive round, 17-4 +901, on a 7-game winning streak. Jennifer DeWaelsche (San Antonio, TX) is 2 games behind at 15-6 +890, hovering at #2 for 4 rounds. Chan Fonseka (Dublin, CA) is 3 games behind the leader at 14-7 +718, steady at #3. Jack Peters (Nantucket, MA) is +564, #4 rising from #5.

In Class B: Jennifer DeWaelsche (San Antonio, TX) is the lead for the 4th consecutive round, 15-6 +890. Richard Banker (Ankeny, IA) is 3 games behind at 12-9 +427, on a 3-game losing streak, #10 down from #7. Diana Bowen (Charlottesville, VA) is +394, #11 leaping up from #16. Maxine Marcus (Anaheim Hills, CA) is +230, on a 6-game winning streak, #13 rising from #18. Debra Bates (Sherwood Park AB) is +193, #14 falling from #11. Jim Laris (Altadena, CA) is -36, #17 tumbling from #12. Jamie De Jong (Ottawa ON) is -86, #18 up from #22.

In Class C: Jack Peters (Nantucket, MA) is the lead, 14-7 +564. Dustin Brown (Fairfield, CT) is 1 game behind at 13-8 +800, #5 climbing from #6. Donna Leigh (Menomonee Falls, WI) is 2 games behind the leader at 12-9 +444, #9 jumping up from #14.

High Win: Laurie Holz (Los Angeles, CA) 535-286 vs. Desiree Engel (Anaheim, CA). Low Win: Janice Konkol (Amherst, WI) 329-324 vs. Jennifer Hay (Portland, TX). High Loss: Jennifer DeWaelsche (San Antonio, TX) 404-417 vs. Hannah Rozear (Durham, NC). Low Loss: John Green (Lealman, FL) 260-354 vs. Jean Wolin (Toronto ON).

Division CSW Round 21 Auto-Commentary

Dave Wiegand (Portland, OR) stays in the lead for the 8th consecutive round, 17-4 +1558, on a 4-game winning streak. Peter Armstrong (Oakland, CA) is 2 games behind at 15-6 +757, on a 3-game winning streak, still at #2. Austin Shin (United Kingdom) is +478, on a 3-game winning streak, #3 improving from #4. Joel Wapnick (Montreal QC) is 3 games behind the leader at 14-7 +700, on a 5-game winning streak, #4 rising from #7. Evans Clinchy (Boston, MA) is +311, #5 down from #3.

High Win: Dave Wiegand (Portland, OR) 635-269 vs. Michael Gincel (Lakewood, NJ). Low Win: Leslie Charles (Trinidad and Tobago) 363-339 vs. Martin DeMello (San Francisco, CA). High Loss: Pat Schuberg (Australia) 421-448 vs. Carmel Dodd (Australia). Low Loss: Sharon Sorensen (Australia) 260-487 vs. Walker Willingham (Bainbridge Island, WA).