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NASC 2015 Commentary: Round 5

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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 5

Fortified from lunch all the players returned and are sitting in their places with bright shiny faces. John Chew is trying his hand at annotation this round. We miss him when he isn’t on the command center.

Table 2 in division 2, Martin Weisskopf (Huntsville, AL) vs. Dave Leifer (Alpharetta, GA). I see the brand new TWL sELFIEs, STOOLED, GONIDIAL, and RATLINES.

Tapani Lindgren (Roseville, CA) vs. Bill Ewing (Missoula, MT): BIDDERS, AUdITED, and ENTASIAS. Game still in progress.

Zachary Ansell (Los Angeles, CA) vs. Daniel Novinson (San Francisco, CA): ANNATeD* and PEERIES.

The battle of the Canadians at table 1 in division 3: Lynda Wise (Toronto ON) vs. Sander Post (Ottawa ON). I see SWAILED, POWERED, INtERIMS, and SOUThEST.

Table 2 in division 1 is a battle of the titans: Ian Weinstein (Coral Springs, FL) vs. Trey Wright (Sierra Madre, CA). There is a tension around them so I note IN??CTOR, FLAUTIST, MEALIER, and RUINATES. The nonbingo plays are fun, too: IXODID, AZLON down the triple, and HIJRA. Ian’s win, 460-361.

Table 3 in division 1 is pretty. I spot ORIBI, CHIVVYm and PANDAN. Bingos appear to be BRITTLEST, rESOWED, cARIOCA, and BLENDERS. Conrad’s win, 521-343. Conrad is undefeated so far today!

Table 2 in CSW was a big win for Becky Dyer (Austin, TX). She had a 523-306 win against Amit Chakrabarti (Hanover, NH). I see OUTRODE, WAMBLES, FAtSOES, and ELOINERS. I point at PULTOON# and she says it was a non bingo, but it drew a challenge from Amit and she was happy to take the extra five points. She continues her undefeated ways and moves onto Puneet Sharma (Cambridge, MA) next round.

Another CSW game between Cecilia Le (San Francisco, CA) and Mohammad Sulaiman (United Arab Emirates): LAICISe, DOTTERs, RENAMING, and TREATISES.

Speaking of twins (though his brother isn’t here this year), I stop by a game between Ron Barker (Boise, ID) and Jennifer DeWaelsche (San Antonio, TX). As I admire WhEATEN, Jennifer plays LAUREATE from the L for 68. That bingo may have been the difference as she went on to win, 365-337.

I have been admiring the event T-shirts all day. Unable to attend, NASPA artist extraordinaire Jeremy Hildebrand outdid himself again. They are white and red graphic featuring the name RENO on a black background. And three cheers for NASPA for affixing them on T-shirts cut for women this year, too! Check out Patty Hocker’s event photos for shots of the T-shirts! They are everywhere!

There are a few players whose boards are works of art. And once again, a pretty one jumps out for John O'Laughlin (San Francisco, CA) and Geoffrey Newman (Brampton ON). I’ll be honest, on CSW boards, a lot of words look like phonies to me, but on this board there actually was one: DISCRUST*. They were in the endgame, time was short, and John slapped it down. Geoff had a few difficult tiles to deal with and he had to weigh the possibility of getting them down while managing his clock and entertaining that word. In the end, he accepted it and lost by three points, 389-392. I see SOLFEGE, AUREATE, TWOnIES#, and EPINAStY. And, a fun CSW Q word: QUEYN#.

Nigel Peltier (Portland, OR) vs. Greg Heidler (Waialua, HI). I wander by and Greg has that deer in headlights look (hard for a guy with that deep a Hawaiian tan to look pale, but he was managing). Nigel picked his first rack and decided to dump. Then the clouds parted, the angels came out, and boy did they sing. Nigel got down five consecutive bingos: PETSAIS, UNStRAPS, AXOMATIC, BATWING (fun!), and the triple-triple RERIGGED. So, the game was Nigel’s right? He was up by 242 points after his fifth play. But, the other shoe dropped, and in the rest of the game, Nigel managed to score only about 100 more points. Fighting back, Greg got down INDICaTE and then followed it with VEX to the triple creating VINDICaTE for 53. Then he played ORTOLAN and after that the beautiful new word, BAREHEAD on the triple line. Nigel held and wanted to challenge but didn’t, which was fortunate, because it would have cost him the game (they figured out in endgame analysis). Nigel’s win, 539-494.

At the end of this round, I glance over the annotated sheets and see that Joel Sherman (Bronx, NY) went over on his clock by 6:10 this round in his game with Joey Krafchick (Richardson, TX). I look forward to having the time to look at the game to see what kind of knot he was tied into during that game.

Division 1 Round 5 Auto-Commentary

Joey Krafchick (Richardson, TX) claims the lead, 5-0 +647, on a 5-game winning streak. Ian Weinstein (Coral Springs, FL) is +442, on a 5-game winning streak, #2 improving from #3. Conrad Bassett-Bouchard (Piedmont, CA) is +342, on a 5-game winning streak, #3 improving from #7. Orry Swift (Houston, TX) is +208, on a 5-game winning streak, #4 up from #6. Matthew Tunnicliffe (Ottawa ON) is 1 game behind at 4-1 +609, on a 4-game winning streak, #5 improving from #9. Avery Mojica (Overland Park, KS) is +353, #6 leaping up from #13. Thomas Reinke (Middleton, WI) is +314, #7 rising from #14. Jason Li (Dollard-Des-Ormeaux QC) is +269, #8 improving from #12. Trey Wright (Sierra Madre, CA) is +248, #9 dropping from #2. Tasha Asberry (Cordova, TN) is +186, #10 hurtling up from #20.

In Class B: Avery Mojica (Overland Park, KS) is the lead, 4-1 +353. Thomas Reinke (Middleton, WI) is +314, #7 rising from #14. Darrell Day (Richardson, TX) is +126, #11 whizzing up from #21. Sal Piro (New York, NY) is +122, #12 slipping from #8. Norases Vesdapunt (Stanford, CA) is +10, on a 3-game winning streak, #15 climbing from #22. Charles Reinke (Middleton, WI) is 1 game behind at 3-2 +364, #16 whizzing up from #36. Joshua Sokol (Montreal QC) is +310, #18 rising from #24. Jason Keller (Highland Park, NJ) is +299, #19 dropping from #11. Patricia Barrett (Houston, TX) is +242, #21 climbing from #28. Chris Cree (Dallas, TX) is +212, #23 up from #27.

In Class C: Tasha Asberry (Cordova, TN) is the lead, 4-1 +186. Marlene Milkent (Hattiesburg, MS) is 1 game behind at 3-2 +3, #31 whizzing down from #15. Terry Kang Rau (Hudson, NY) is -12, #32 collapsing from #18. Ross Brown (Ottawa ON) is -15, on a 3-game winning streak, #33 hurtling up from #44. Amnuay Ploysangngam (Thailand) is -22, #34 hurtling up from #47. Robert Kahn (Plantation, FL) is -36, #35 dropping like a stone from #19. Reid Hattaway (Moscow, ID) is 2 games behind the leader at 2-3 +104, #37 whizzing down from #25. Alec Sjoholm (Lynnwood, WA) is +46, #38 down from #33. Joel Elkins (West Hollywood, CA) is +19, #40 tumbling from #26. Tom Bond (Everett, WA) is +16, #41 slipping from #37.

High Win: Charles Reinke (Middleton, WI) 598-269 vs. Wallace Schultz (Las Vegas, NM). Low Win: Kolton Koehler (Portland, OR) 351-292 vs. Manop Phiphatboonserm (Thailand). High Loss: Greg Heidler (Waialua, HI) 494-539 vs. Nigel Peltier (Portland, OR). Low Loss: Joel Sherman (Bronx, NY) 191-549 vs. Joey Krafchick (Richardson, TX).

Division 2 Round 5 Auto-Commentary

Elizabeth Ralston (Los Angeles, CA) remains in the lead for the 3rd consecutive round, 5-0 +532, on a 5-game winning streak. Martin Weisskopf (Huntsville, AL) is +414, on a 5-game winning streak, #2 climbing from #3. John Karris (San Jose, CA) is +281, on a 5-game winning streak, #3 improving from #6. Chris Williams (Vancouver BC) is 1 game behind at 4-1 +446, #4 climbing from #7. Kevin Fraley (San Jose, CA) is +421, #5 improving from #8. Carlene Wallis (Sparks, NV) is +281, #6 up from #13. Dave Leifer (Alpharetta, GA) is +264, #7 dropping from #2. Diana Grosman (Reisterstown, MD) is +258, #8 jumping up from #17. Howard Pistol (Oakland Park, FL) is +251, #9 jumping up from #15. Jan Cardia (Hockessin, DE) is +246, #10 up from #12.

In Class : In Class B: Martin Weisskopf (Huntsville, AL) is the lead, 5-0 +414, on a 5-game winning streak. Curtis Lee (Jacksonville, FL) is 1 game behind at 4-1 +161, on a 3-game winning streak, #11 hurtling up from #26. Mark Peltier (Seattle, WA) is +110, #14 jumping down from #5. Sam Masling (Washington, DC) is +25, on a 4-game winning streak, #16 whizzing up from #27. Amnon Igra (Sacramento, CA) is 2 games behind the leader at 3-2 +225, #19 whizzing down from #9. Edwin Roth (Philadelphia, PA) is +219, #20 plummeting from #10. Stephen Sneed (Fort Worth, TX) is +58, #30 soaring from #44. Jeff Martin (Albuquerque, NM) is +56, #32 whizzing down from #19. Brett Jackson (Pensacola Beach, FL) is +42, on a 3-game winning streak, #33 whizzing up from #46. Tod Taylor (Seattle, WA) is +28, #35 whizzing down from #20.

In Class C: Elizabeth Ralston (Los Angeles, CA) is the lead for the 3rd consecutive round, 5-0 +532, on a 5-game winning streak. Diana Grosman (Reisterstown, MD) is 1 game behind at 4-1 +258, #8 climbing from #17. Bruce Shuman (Wilmington, NC) is +70, #15 rocketing up from #25. Carolyn Easter (Birmingham, MI) is 2 games behind the leader at 3-2 +250, #18 hurtling up from #33. Paula Catanese (Mountain View, CA) is +124, #25 dropping from #18. Linda Oliva (Lisbon, MD) is +91, #26 up from #35. Gwen Stewart (Ellicott City, MD) is +79, #27 whizzing up from #41. Edward Gowash (Fort Worth, TX) is +60, #29 hurtling up from #53. Katya Lezin (Charlotte, NC) is -20, #39 rising from #47. Cheryl Melvin (Grand Rapids, MI) is -43, #40 collapsing from #24.

High Win: Brett Jackson (Pensacola Beach, FL) 518-465 vs. James Porter (Cleveland Heights, OH). Low Win: Jan Cardia (Hockessin, DE) 323-291 vs. Amnon Igra (Sacramento, CA). High Loss: James Porter (Cleveland Heights, OH) 465-518 vs. Brett Jackson (Pensacola Beach, FL). Low Loss: Matthew Ridout (Lexington, KY) 273-444 vs. Elizabeth Ralston (Los Angeles, CA).

Division 3 Round 5 Auto-Commentary

Zachary Ansell (Los Angeles, CA) takes the lead, 5-0 +376, on a 5-game winning streak. Lynda Wise (Toronto ON) is +321, on a 5-game winning streak, #2 climbing from #4. Bill Ewing (Missoula, MT) is +250, on a 5-game winning streak, #3 rising from #7. Sander Post (Ottawa ON) is 1 game behind at 4-1 +503, #4 down from #1. Richard Strick (Santa Monica, CA) is +423, #5 up from #8. Ben Greenwood (Florence, MA) is +384, #6 climbing from #14. Dave Lockrem (Blaine, MN) is +370, #7 improving from #11. Charles Dupont (Seattle, WA) is +268, #8 up from #10. Claudia Finn (Seattle, WA) is +267, on a 3-game winning streak, #9 soaring from #19. Daniel Novinson (San Francisco, CA) is +253, #10 dropping from #2.

In Class B: Zachary Ansell (Los Angeles, CA) is the lead, 5-0 +376, on a 5-game winning streak. Claudia Finn (Seattle, WA) is 1 game behind at 4-1 +267, on a 3-game winning streak, #9 soaring from #19. Lindsey Dimmick (Baton Rouge, LA) is +250, on a 4-game winning streak, #11 jumping up from #18. Margo Kuno (Philadelphia, PA) is +235, #12 improving from #16. Carol Tillson (Silver Spring, MD) is +223, still at #13. Sonia Wilmot (Littleton, CO) is 2 games behind the leader at 3-2 +122, #24 soaring from #46. Betsey Wood (Concord, MA) is +116, #25 hurtling up from #39. Rhonda Morris (Oklahoma City, OK) is +26, on a 3-game winning streak, #32 zooming up from #44. Kay Adam (Volin, SD) is -53, #37 collapsing from #26. Mary Ellen Weisskopf (Huntsville, AL) is -57, on a 3-game winning streak, #38 rocketing up from #54.

In Class C: Sander Post (Ottawa ON) is the lead, 4-1 +503. Dan Horowitz (Wilmington, DE) is +180, on a 4-game winning streak, #14 rising from #15. Cathy Poole (Winston-Salem, NC) is +171, #15 down from #6. Cooper Komatsu (Los Angeles, CA) is 1 game behind at 3-2 +286, on a 3-game winning streak, #20 leapfrogging up from #30. Nancy Hanley (Wilmington, DE) is +83, #27 leaping up from #36. Nicole Kazarian (Worcester, MA) is +73, on a 3-game winning streak, #28 leapfrogging up from #40. Chris Autio (Missoula, MT) is +66, #29 dropping from #22. Chloe Fatsis (Washington, DC) is +38, #31 collapsing from #12. Ani Migirdicyan (North York ON) is -84, #39 plummeting from #27. Joey Gordon (Fort Worth, TX) is -91, #40 collapsing from #21.

High Win: Regenia Hidalgo (Colleyville, TX) 563-236 vs. Gloria Miller (Santa Monica, CA). Low Win: Mary Pastore (Pearland, TX) 337-314 vs. Alan Mason (Evreka, CA). High Loss: Michael Machi (Arcata, CA) 404-409 vs. Joe Roberdeau (Cincinnati, OH). Low Loss: Gloria Miller (Santa Monica, CA) 236-563 vs. Regenia Hidalgo (Colleyville, TX).

Division 4 Round 5 Auto-Commentary

Jennifer DeWaelsche (San Antonio, TX) stays in the lead, 5-0 +486, on a 5-game winning streak. Hannah Rozear (Durham, NC) is +441, on a 5-game winning streak, remaining steady at #2 for 3 rounds. Peter Hopkins (Toronto ON) is 1 game behind at 4-1 +162, #3 up from #8. Margaret Hughes (Los Angeles, CA) is +158, on a 4-game winning streak, #4 leaping up from #10. Pamela Pudelka (Corpus Christi, TX) is +149, on a 3-game winning streak, #5 improving from #9. Jennifer Hay (Portland, TX) is +134, #6 leaping up from #14. Keith Forman (El Cajon, CA) is +113, on a 3-game winning streak, #7 rising from #11. Jim Laris (Altadena, CA) is +36, #8 jumping up from #15. Jack Peters (Nantucket, MA) is 2 games behind the leader at 3-2 +323, #9 jumping down from #3. Jean Wolin (Toronto ON) is +306, #10 rising from #17.

In Class B: Jennifer DeWaelsche (San Antonio, TX) is the lead, 5-0 +486, on a 5-game winning streak. Jim Laris (Altadena, CA) is 1 game behind at 4-1 +36, #8 leaping up from #15. Richard Banker (Ankeny, IA) is 2 games behind the leader at 3-2 +253, #12 dropping from #5. Paul Rickhoff (Saugus, CA) is +55, #17 jumping down from #12. Jamie De Jong (Ottawa ON) is +45, #18 improving from #22. Debra Bates (Sherwood Park AB) is +28, #20 jumping down from #13. Rachel Gillette (Lafayette, CO) is +26, #21 leaping up from #28.

In Class C: Margaret Hughes (Los Angeles, CA) is the lead, 4-1 +158, on a 4-game winning streak. Pamela Pudelka (Corpus Christi, TX) is +149, on a 3-game winning streak, #5 rising from #9. Jennifer Hay (Portland, TX) is +134, #6 jumping up from #14. Keith Forman (El Cajon, CA) is +113, on a 3-game winning streak, #7 climbing from #11. Jack Peters (Nantucket, MA) is 1 game behind at 3-2 +323, #9 tumbling from #3. Dustin Brown (Fairfield, CT) is +139, #15 jumping down from #7. Sheng Guo (Amawalk, NY) is +3, #22 improving from #24. Donna Leigh (Menomonee Falls, WI) is 2 games behind the leader at 2-3 -54, #29 dropping from #25.

High Win: Hannah Rozear (Durham, NC) 441-396 vs. Jack Peters (Nantucket, MA). Low Win: Chan Fonseka (Dublin, CA) 317-298 vs. Maxine Marcus (Anaheim Hills, CA). High Loss: Jack Peters (Nantucket, MA) 396-441 vs. Hannah Rozear (Durham, NC). Low Loss: Karen Kaminski (Demotte, IN) 213-382 vs. Sylvia Strong (Valparaiso, IN).

Division CSW Round 5 Auto-Commentary

Becky Dyer (Austin, TX) claims the lead, 5-0 +603, on a 5-game winning streak. Jason Ubeika (Mississauga ON) is +563, on a 5-game winning streak, #2 sliding from #1. Dave Wiegand (Portland, OR) is 1 game behind at 4-1 +567, #3 rising from #5. Bob Jackman (Australia) is +400, #4 leaping up from #12. Leslie Charles (Trinidad and Tobago) is +357, #5 up from #9. Puneet Sharma (Cambridge, MA) is +320, #6 dropping from #4. Walker Willingham (Bainbridge Island, WA) is +224, on a 4-game winning streak, #7 up from #11. Steve Polatnick (Miami, FL) is +182, #8 jumping up from #14. Austin Shin (United Kingdom) is +162, #9 climbing from #15. Amit Chakrabarti (Hanover, NH) is +147, #10 tumbling from #3.

High Win: Evans Clinchy (Boston, MA) 575-408 vs. Matthew O'Connor (DeWitt, NY). Low Win: Mina Le (West Palm Beach, FL) 353-350 vs. Carmel Dodd (Australia). High Loss: Puneet Sharma (Cambridge, MA) 451-489 vs. Jason Ubeika (Mississauga ON). Low Loss: Pat Schuberg (Australia) 274-443 vs. Tim Weiss (Jersey City, NJ).