All scrabble stats

Sowpods in 2021

noreply@blogger.com (Hubert wee) — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 03:17:00 +0000

Disclaimer: The story below is purely a work of fiction and is not to be taken seriously at all.

- - - - - -

It is June, 2021. Since 2017, the world has been united under a single dictionary( yes, it did take the Yanks that long to switch) From the last dictionary vote, pro-sowpods players outnumbered pro-TWL players by 50.5% to 49.5%. The committee pounced on this and initiated the switch. But lo and behold, the pro-TWL players revolted, immediately deciding to boycott all tournaments for a year, citing the presence of strange words which had absolutely zero relation to North American scrabble, like KAMOKAMO and MINIMOTO. But it was not to last as the players soon trickled back within months.

Even China and Hong Kong had recently joined the new world scrabble scene recently. Their top player, Mao Gong Fu, was even seen playing a rapid game of scrabble at a Starbucks outlet.

The technology of the era had been advancing rapidly too. Boards were now well-fitted with microchips and motion sensors. Every tile was ingrained with microchips storing the value of the tile. When placed on the board, the board would read the value of the tiles and score it accordingly, but the scores would not be revealed till the end. If a player announced his score wrongly, a computerized voice would immediately voice and correct the error. However, it was still mandatory for players to announce their scores. If a player took too long to draw his tiles, a voice would quickly remind the player to hurry up.

Timers soon became obsolete as they became integrated with the board. Gone were the days of carrying around bulky timers- a small digital timer at the edge of the board was more than sufficient to keep track of time. The boards were made of lightweight plastic and weighed only 500 grams each.

In 2018, A new world scrabble body was formed, headed by Albert Hahn, who was unanimously voted by players from 10 other countries. At long last the WSC could return to America again.

But, it was not to be.

To be continued....

noreply@blogger.com (Hubert wee) — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 00:58:00 +0000

My camera is working again, so the food blog here may be up soon.

My idea of a 30 day round the world trip

noreply@blogger.com (Hubert wee) — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 02:21:00 +0000

Just an interesting idea..but for that, I'll definitely need a travelling companion.

Round the world tickets will be used- for 26000 miles and under, the estimated cost is S$4890.

Part 1- Singapore to Dubai (7hr30 min) Explore the flashy city of gold bazaars and shopping malls, and the Burj hotel (4 days).

Part 2- Dubai to Istanbul ( 4hr 15 min) İstanbul is one of the truly great romantic cities. Its history tracks back from Byzantium to Constantinople to its place at the head of the Ottoman Empire. Today it hums as Turkey's cultural heart and good-time capital. Visit the Hagia Sofia and the local scene. ( 3 days)

Part 3- Istanbul to Paris ( 3hr 45 min) Explore the numerous museums, Eiffel tower, and check out the fantastic French cuisine. ( 5 days)

Part 4- Paris to Rio De Janerio ( 11hr) Relax in the latin american culture of music and partying.

(6 days)

Part 5- Rio De Janerio to New York (11 hr) Explore the Big Apple and the Empire state building. Maybe visit the scrabble club there. (5 days)

Part 6 - New York to Tokyo ( 14 hr) Explore Tokyo and the interesting Japanese food. ( 5 days)

Part 7- Tokyo to Singapore ( 7 hr ) Back..

noreply@blogger.com (Hubert wee) — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 11:25:00 +0000

One of the higher scores from facebook's typing test application..my best is 101.

long flights

noreply@blogger.com (Hubert wee) — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 02:02:00 +0000

Some long flights-

Mexico City-Paris 12hr
Seoul-Frankfurt 12hr
Hong Kong - Johannesburg 13hr 20 min
Hong Kong-Auckland 11 hr
Frankfurt- Cape town 12hr
New York- Tokyo 14 hr 20 mins
Dubai- Sydney 14hr
Dubai-Houston 15 hr 30 min
Singapore- London 14hr
Singapore-New York 18hr (longest commercial flight now)

Click here to see a rather entertaining account of the longest flight ever from S'pore to New York

noreply@blogger.com (Hubert wee) — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 02:55:00 +0000

My google map of scrabble locations here is actually getting more page views than my blog. Over a thousand already.

What is going on?

Just updated with scrabble venues anyway

noreply@blogger.com (Hubert wee) — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 14:46:00 +0000

Becoming less active:	Ricky	JP	Andy
Becoming more Active:	Tony	Michael	Cheah

millenium cup- continued

noreply@blogger.com (Hubert wee) — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 00:18:00 +0000

My opponents phonied quite a bit. The following phonies were challenged off
TWY*
EROGENY*!
YONDS*
NAINS*
SALTERED*
HETAIRI*
HETAIRII*
ATOKED*
DJINNE*

Managed to play some nice bingos like AAABCTW, ADFIMRSW, ABDITHRY etc

Then against marlon I was trailing in this position:

Obviously the only way to win is to fish for a bingo. With 2 As unseen, I reckoned that the A might be in the bag. I fished the A, hoping to go out with PRETTIER or even PATTERER. But the I was in the bag and if only I had played off the T, I would have outed with TERPENIC to win!

last game

noreply@blogger.com (Hubert wee) — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 12:48:00 +0000

Mcup last game

The deciding game against tony

It sure looked bleak with my second-last rack of AANOWUU, but it was nice to pick up ?EX with a play of WAAC(17) to get the advantage.

Majors in 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Hubert wee) — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 01:22:00 +0000

The millenium Cup
LBH
Singapore Open
Nationals
Bangkok
Causeway

Must win at least one of these.

New blog

noreply@blogger.com (Hubert wee) — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 14:32:00 +0000

Started a new blog-the airline travel blog

Causeway travellers..

noreply@blogger.com (Hubert wee) — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 02:53:00 +0000

10 teams at Causeway next year.

(Shortest) Travel times to JB are shown.

US- Boston- London (6hr 25 min) London- Singapore (13 hr 20 min) S'pore - JB 1.5 hr
Total- 21 hr 15 min

Dallas-Tokyo (13 hr 30 min) Tokyo-Singapore (7hr 25min) S'pore - JB 1.5hr
Total- 22hr 25 min

New York-Hong Kong (16 hr) Hong Kong - S'pore (3hr 50 min) S'pore- JB 1.5 hr
Total time: 21 hr 20min

Canada- Montreal-London (6hr 25 mins) London-S'pore (12 hr 40min) S"pore-JB 1.5 hr
Total time: 20 hr 35min

Toronto-London (7 hr 15 min) London-S'pore (12 hr 40min) S"pore-JB 1.5 hr

Total Time: 21 hr 25 min

UK- London- Singapore (12 hr 40 min) S'pore-JB 1.5hr
Total time: 14 hr 10 min

NZ- Auckland-Singapore (10 hr 30 min) S'pore- JB 1.5 hr
Total time: 12 hr

Thailand- BKK- S'pore (2 hr 30min) S'pore-JB 1.5 hr
Total time: 4 hr

Philippines- Manila- S"pore (3 hr 40 min) S'pore- JB 1.5 hr
Total time: 5 hr 10mins

Nigeria- Lagos- Nairobi (5hr) Nairobi-Mumbai (6hr) Mumbai- Singapore (5hr) Singapore-JB 1.5hr

Total time: 17.5 hr

noreply@blogger.com (Hubert wee) — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 15:01:00 +0000

created a map of scrabbler locations here

View Larger Map

WSC finals game 3 analysis

noreply@blogger.com (Hubert wee) — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 23:42:00 +0000

An important game. Nigel needs 1 more game to win. Win% and equity will be shown..

Note that although there's a championship player report on the site, the report is done with relatively few iterations and isn't very accurate.

See the game here

>Nigel: BCEOPSZ H7 BEZ +28 28

Best. Playing POZ(28), leaving BCES isn't best as the COPS combo is better. An interesting situation where keeping the E isn't the best move.

Move Score Win% Equity
8G BEZ 28 59.28% 41.2
8G POZ 28 57.52% 37
8G ZEP 28 57.49% 36.9
8G COZ 28 55.85% 33.0
8G BOP 14 54.51% 29.8

>Ganesh: CGIKNRT 8F TRECKING +66 66

Best. This rack combines with every vowel so he is virtually assured of a bingo.

TRECKING 66 59.7% 69.3

>Nigel: CEEOPRS K3 RECOP.ES +74 102

Best. Nigel plays the only playable bingo.

Move Score Win% Equity

RECOPIES 74 57.7% 73.5

>Ganesh: AABGNNN 4J BEGAN +16 82

Ganesh's choice isn't the best here- I8 CANN/ZA, undoubling the Ns is 6.5 pts better. It also makes for a more open board which is favourable as he is trailing. Also superior are CAN and CANG in the same position. Keeping 2 Ns is unproductive.

Move Score Win% Equity

I8 CANN 19 33.27% 19.5
I8 CAN 18 30.34% 12.5
I8 CANG 20 30.32% 13.2
6J GONNA 12 30.19% 13.0
4J BEGAN 16 30.16% 13.0
J2 BAN 15 30.13% 12.5

>Nigel: DFIJOWX 3M JOW +46 148

A very obvious choice. Nigel surges ahead quickly with his pickup of several power tiles

Move Score Win% Equity

3M JOW 46 72.0% 44.2
3M FIX 38 69.32% 39.1

>Ganesh: AADINNO F4 ADNATION +63 145

Best. Despite having 2 bingos to 1, Ganesh is down by only 3 points and is back in the game

Move Score Win% Equity
F4 ADNATION 63 39.29% 64.9

>Nigel: AADFIUX J6 DUKA +26 174

After 10000 iterations, Nigel's choice is the best. DUKA scores decently and keeps a flexible AFIX for a potential high-scoring move later. Other choices like FAUX and CAUF are close, but DUKA is definitely superior in that it keeps the X. If Ganesh opens the board, Nigel will have no trouble capitalizing on it with a good play. Also, DUKA keeps the board tight- aver opp score is 5 pts lower after DUKA than FAUX.

Move Score Win% Equity

J6 DUKA 26 56.14% 27.1
G10 FAUX 29 56.13% 27.1
I8 CAUF 22 55.37% 25.6
G10 FAIX 29 55.32 % 25.6
11E UNFIX 30 54.93% 24.9
E5 AUF 25 54.8% 24.6
G1 FAUX 24 50.97% 17.7

>Ganesh: EFMNOST E4 FOEN +29 174

FEW (27) is marginally better here while FOEN is quite close. Also of consideration is FON(12), which combines with quite a lot of tiles but the board is not very conducive to bingoes. Also, Nigel is very unlikely to open the board at this point. FEW's advantage is that it keeps 1 vowel. MNOST could also become quite bingo prone if 2 vowels are picked up. However it doesn't open the board much.

Move Score Win% Equity

O1 FEW 27 46.85% 42.2
e4 FOEN 29 45.93% 40.8
N2 FON 12 45.5% 39.7
4D FOAM 18 43.54% 36.6

>Nigel: AFGIUXY 11E UNFIX +30 204

Nigel's play of UNFIX is almost best. N2 GONIF, keeping the X, is slightly better. Despite opening a TWS line, it outscores UNFIX and keeps the X for a potential 11D YUNX next turn. Also playable is the new word 11C GUANXI(28), which is not a bad play either. Other plays do poorly as they open too many hotspots.

Move Score Win% Equity

N2 GONIF 34 56.11% 29.2
11E UNFIX 30 55.98% 29.1
11D GUANXI 28 55.46% 28.3
E10 YUGA 25 54.97% 27.4
11B FAXING 34 53.62% 25.3
G10 FAUX 29 51.12% 21.2

>Ganesh: EEHMMST L10 HMM +25 199

Quite a mediocre play from Ganesh here. HMM doesn't score much and instead creates an even more blocked board. Superior are N2 MONTH for 36 pts or even O1 MEW for 24.

N2 MONTH 36 48.61% 46.7
O1 MEW 24 47.8% 45.6
D5 HMM 27 43.97% 39.3
J11 THEME 32 43.88% 37.5
N2 MONEME 32 43.81% 39.1
5M MEM 22 42.17% 36.4

>Nigel: ADGNOOY 2N YO +27 231

Interesting array of moves available here. Nigel's move is 3rd best, after 5K COGON for 25 and O1 YOW(27). COGON keeps the board tight while scoring, despite keeping the Y.

Move Score Win% Equity

5K COGON 60.55% 30.3
O1 YOW 27 59.24% 29.0
M11 YOGA 27 59.02% 28.9
5K COY 24 57.63% 26.2

>Ganesh: ?EEHSTW O1 W.. +27 226

Best. Nigel's play allow's Ganesh an easy dump of the W in WOW.Other options include J11 THEW/UNFIXT (34) which is slightly risky as there is a blank and 2 Ss unseen. Other plays don't come close.

Move Score Win% Equity

O1 WOW 27 66.85% 77.2
J11 THEW 34 65.02% 73.4
O1 HOW 27 63.42% 71.4
G3 WHEE 30 61.74 67.8

>Nigel: ADEGNOV 5K .OG +20 251

The scores are extremely close now and Nigel makes the best move which doesn't open any bingo lanes. Other moves like 12A VEGAN(28) AND G4 VADE do poorly as they open the board up.

Move Score Win% Equity
5K COG 20 57.63% 26.0
12A VEGAN 28 57.03% 24.1
G3 VADE 26 55.65% 23.4
3I VOR 14 53.12% 19.2

>Ganesh: ?EEHIST M10 HE +18 244

Ganesh misses a difficult bingo, mETH(OD)ISE for 63 pts but surprisingly this isn't the best move, as it opens a few lines for an opponent comeback. M10 HIE for 23 pts, while keeping the blank, is better though taking the bingo may be better as the board is not conducive for bingoes. Bingoing first also increases the chance of picking the last blank.

Move Score Win% Equity

M10 HIE 23 67.37% 69.0
M10 HIES 31 66.1% 66.5
M10 HEIST 33 64.59% 64.7
M10 HE 18 63.67% 63.8
5A METHODISE 62 60.78% 59.8

>Nigel: ?ADEINV H11 IVIED +39 290

Best. Opening up the board now is fine as the play scores well and keeps the blank.

Move Score Win% Equity
H11 IVIED 39 85.39% 69.1
m10 HEAVED 30 79.6% 57.8

>Ganesh: ?EIISTT 15H DIrTIEST +77 321

One of the best plays. Ganesh chooses not to stick the S in the TWS lane with plays like DIETISTs for an easy comeback.

Move Score Win% Equity
DIThEIST 77 57.93% 76.2
DIrTIEST 77 57.69% 75.8
DIETIsTS 77 54.43% 72.0

>Nigel: ?AEINQS 13C EQuIN.AS +86 376

Ganesh's small advantage is rapidly vanquished by Nigel's bingo.

Move Score Win% Equity
13C EQUINIAS 86 81.8% 88.7

>Ganesh: AELRUUY D7 AYU +13 334

Ganesh is trailing by 55 points on a fairly closed board. The sims aren't very accurate here as quackle doesn't always block the right spots. He chooses to play AYU(13), which could set up RANA, TANA or even NANA. However this might not be necessary. 6M AYU(26) only puts him down by 29, within striking range. It is worth noting that there is already 1 bingo line along column C

6M AYU 26 7.75% 16.5
14M YU 19 7.69% 14.6
D7 AYU 13 5.88% 7.2

>Nigel: AEOPRTV C1 OVERAPT +81 457

Ganesh's play instead provides a place for Nigel's bingo to fit. If he had played 6M AYU, Nigel would have no bingo.

Move Score Win% Equity
C1 OVERAPT 81 97.33% 77.7

>Ganesh: EEELLRU 12A LEE +6 340

With 6 tiles remaining in the bag now and also trailing by 123, Ganesh has no choice but to open a triple-triple lane. With 2 triple-triple lanes open, he has a small chance of catching up.

Full game sims-

2A LEVEL 16 2.11% 1.1
12A LEE 6 1.64% -8.3
14L LEU 0.64% 6.8
N11 LURES 15 0.52 -1.5

>Nigel: AILORRT 6M AR +16 473

By leaving 1 tile in the bag, Nigel nearly guarantees the win, by going ahead by 135. This play also sets up another bingo line possibly allowing him to bingo out. However a comeback IDOLATER (140) could still be possible.

Move Score Win% Equity

6M AR 16 99.22% -15.4
M10 HEIL 18 94.63%

>Ganesh: AEILRTU A8 TAILLEUR +122 462

Ganesh plays the bingo but it is way too late.

>Nigel: DILORST 1B T.ROIDS +27 500

Best. Nigel seals it.

>Ganesh: L 11L ..L +5 467

Best.
>Ganesh: (L) +2 469

Equity loss- Nigel 2 Ganesh 30

Ave loss: Nigel 15 Ganesh 48

Nigel wins the game and is the champion.

Overall both players played quite well. Nigel had the better tiles overall and easier rack choices.

WSC finals game 2 analysis

noreply@blogger.com (Hubert wee) — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 00:54:00 +0000

Nigel now leads 1-0 and plays Ganesh again. This game is definitely more interesting than the previous one..

>Ganesh: AEEOSUY 8G YOU +12 12

Best here is h8 YOUSE(24) by about 6 pts, althought I doubt most players would play off their S for a mere 24 pts at the beginning. Even so, h8 UEY is about 2.5 pts better- AEOS is better than AEES.

>Nigel: ACIIJNP 9F CAIN +19 19

Nigel seems to have had a penchant for keeping the J and this is what he does yet again. F7 JAI is about 1 pt superior, as it dumps the J, but CAIN also sets up the J in the form of JUN. CAIN is a rather defensive move with an average opp score of just 29.

>Ganesh: AEEHRST J3 AETHERS +82 94

Best.

>Nigel: BIJKLLP 3I PALKI +28 47

Another interesting choice. Again, Nigel holds back playing off the J. Slightly surprisingly, it sims best, superior to 4I KELP or 7I JELL (37). PALKI scores while keeping the J for JUN next, which was exactly what happened.

>Ganesh: EEGIIIU -IIEGU +0 94

Ganesh changes all but IE. Keeping just E is 1.5 pts better though.

>Nigel: BIIJLOR 7I J.RBIL +42 89

Best by far.

>Ganesh: EEFIOTW L1 WO.E +30 124

Also best.

>Nigel: GGIMORS O3 OGRISM +49 138

Best, finally using the S for a good score.

>Ganesh: EFGISTV 1L .EFT +30 154

Best.

>Nigel: ?BCEGOO N6 B.OG +27 165

Best also.

>Ganesh: GINRSVZ 5H RI.Z +26 180

After a 4-ply sim, 7J TING (22) superior to RITZ by 3 pts. VIGS/BLOGS is also not too bad

>Nigel: ?ACEOWY 6F WYE +19 184

Best.

>Ganesh: DGMNQSV -GVNQDM +0 180

Best. Ganesh has no choice but to change.

>Nigel: ?ACNNOR M9 ACORN +20 204

ANCON in the exact same position, keeping ?R, is better by 6 pts.

>Ganesh: AAEENST 5E EA +9 189

Best for it creates 2 openings for a bingo later.

>Nigel: ?ADENOO 4A ODONAtE +73 277

Best score although it is slightly risky. 12H wANDEROO(68) would have been slightly safer.

>Ganesh: AEINSTT D3 A.TIENTS +62 251

Best. With such a nice rack, the only bingo is through the N.

>Nigel: AGHNOQU 11I QUOH.G +38 315

Also best.

>Ganesh: DEEILRU A4 .URIE +15 266

HUE(18) is about 8 pts better here. Better score and leave, while leaving the TWS open for a possible comeback.

>Nigel: AAFNNTX 3A TAN. +21 336

Yet another unexpected move from Nigel. Playing B8 FAX(28) to block the main bingo line would be better.

>Ganesh: ?DDELPU B8 DUPLiED +85 351

Ganesh plays the bingo to lead by 15.

>Nigel: AFIINVX A13 FAX +47 383

Nigel leads by 32 now and there 9 tiles unseen- ADEEMLSTV. From the pool Ganesh could have MALTEDS, DELATES or even VELETAS to bingo out.. As he is trailing now, blocking is not the right thing to do. FAX here is best as it doesn't allow a parallel play hooking AD. FAX wins 58% of games, while FIX wins just 40%.

>Ganesh: ADELMTV K10 M.VED +11 362

Best, blocking VISIER for 50 pts.

>Nigel: EIINSV E10 IVIES +18 401

Best also.

>Ganesh: ALT N13 ALT +8 370

LEAT is 3 pts better not that it matters now

>Ganesh: (N) +2 372

Equity loss Nigel 11 Ganesh 22

Quite a well-played game for both sides. Nigel played the endgame well to win. No bingoes were missed.

WSC finals game 1 analysis

noreply@blogger.com (Hubert wee) — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 01:33:00 +0000

I have decided to do an analysis of the final games, using Quackle, also because the Championship player reports are not fully accurate. Sims will be 2 to 4 ply with enough iterations.

See the game here.

Nigel starts game 1.

>Nigel: AAGOTVZ H6 GAVOT +18 18

Nigel makes quite an unconventional start, playing GAVOT in the middle of the board for 18 points instead of 22. He aims to double the Z on the next move right beside the A or O he has opened. Also this is rather defensive as it doesn't directly open any double-double lines (except for a bingo hooking GAVOT).

After 6000 iterations, 8d GAVOT is about even with nigel's choice, surprisingly. Other choices like ZAG don't do well as they use the Z for too few points. Ave. opp score is 37.6 after H6 GAVOT compared to 39.8 for the more open H4 play.

>Ganesh: AEEFGOU I9 FEAGUE +26 26

Best, although it is extremely open. Other choices like FEU or FOU don't do very well due to the vowel-heavy leave.

>Nigel: AAERXYZ H13 YEX +46 64

Also best. The best score available, while finishing off the TWS.

>Ganesh: CDNOPTT 11I ADOPT +16 42

Inferior by 3 pts to j7 POTT. The disadvantage is that POTT leads to very closed boards, and Ganesh is already trailing.

>Nigel: AAARTUZ L9 ZUPA +30 94

Best. Other choices are 6H GAZAR (35) and L9 ZUPATA (34) which are both inferior by 2 pts. Keeping the U is quite unproductive..

>Ganesh: BCDNNRT -CNDBN +0 42

Exchanging isn't best here. Ganesh is already trailing by 50 points and 7g BAND(11), 7f BRAND or even 14F BREED(18) would be slightly better. Simulation backs this up.

>Nigel: AAHRRST G5 RAH +22 116

2nd best. M8 HART(22) is slightly better. Other good choices include M8 TARTAR(30) and M11 THAR.

>Ganesh: IILNRTT 13K INTIL +26 68

Best. Trailing by 64, Ganesh opens a triple-triple line..

>Nigel: ADLORST I5 LOD +19 135

3rd best. 14l SOD and F4 LOD(19) are very slightly better.. F4 LOD results in a slightly higher score next turn, as any bingo hooking LOD could fit easily.

>Ganesh: ACORTUW O8 COTWAL +36 104

A bad miss. OUTCRAWL would have brought Ganesh ahead by 34 pts and given him an advantage. COTWAL is some 67 pts down.

>Nigel: ?AIRSTV 4H VARSITy +81 216

Best, also VASTIeR in the same place.

>Ganesh: ?BBFRRU 3L BUB +25 129

Best. Other options include 9e RUBOFF for 17 pts which is 5 pts back as it opens an easy TWS line.

>Nigel: DDMNOPR M7 DROPT +25 241

Best also, in score.

>Ganesh: ?AEFGRR O1 FRA +26 155

Inferior by 2 pts to J4 RAGER, but this is quite overrated as it doesn't open the board and Nigel is quite unlikely to open it now that he has a good lead. H1 GRAV for 24 pts is better as it opens the board a little and keeps ?FER

>Nigel: DIJMNSU 14L SIN +29 270

A very strange move by Nigel to say the least. 8 pts inferior to JUD. F4 JUD(30) would have effectively closed the board down and prevented any possible comeback. If Nigel had played JUD, Ganesh would have to play dENIGRATE (63) which opens the board quite a bit

>Ganesh: ?AEGINR F7 sERINGA +66 221

Best.

>Nigel: DHIJMNU 8A INHUME +36 306

Best. INHUME scores well and keeps the J for a decent score later. Also worth considering is k7 JUD which scores 24 and keeps the board closed. There are quite a lot of Es left- 8/29 tiles.

>Ganesh: EEIKMOS F2 MOKE +18 239

An attempt by Ganesh to set up SMOKE, even if there is still 1 more S out there. However it is inferior to E8 MOKE(32) by 16 pts, keeping a better leave of EIMS.

>Nigel: ACDIJLY A8 .CILY +14 320

Another strange move from Nigel. ICILY doesn't score well or block effectively. Much better is 7b ICY 28. It blocks a few lines and also threatens JA atop for 59. There are many other better plays too- 2M JAR (38) and G1 JAY (30).

>Ganesh: EEEEISS E8 .ESE +20 259

Best.

>Nigel: ADEJNRW K4 SWEARD +33 353

Ganesh blocked Nigel's UNDERJAW for 96 ! G1 JEW(30) and 2M JAR (38) are much better- keeping the J at this stage isn't very good.

>Ganesh: EEEEIOS 1F SEE +20 279

Ganesh picks up too many Es and has to play some of them. As there is only 1 tile in the bag, fishing for a bingo now is quite pointless.

>Nigel: IJLNOQT N6 QI +34 387

Best.

>Ganesh: EEINO J3 IRON +20 299

Best too.

>Nigel: JLNOT G14 JO +28 415

Best.

>Ganesh: EE 4D EE. +14 313

Best.
>Ganesh: (NLT) +6 319

Overall I felt that Ganesh played fairly well overall despite his miss of OUTCRAWL, but really one mistake is enough to decide the game sometimes. Nigel, despite making some strange plays, played quite consistently throughout the game to win.

Equity loss- Nigel 31 Ganesh 94

WSC day 3 and 4

noreply@blogger.com (Hubert wee) — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 04:05:00 +0000

With 11 wins so far, I needed 7 wins to make the finals..

I was due to face Suanne first, who has been doing quite well this tournament.

Game 17 vs Suanne- Suanne starts slow with AHI(12). I play BIO(18) below while she plays PERIA*(22). I neglect to challenge it as I can get down DERAIL(E)R(61). The score is close until I bingo again with FATIGuE(84), while she replies with MISDIET(91). TUNY(46) and REZ(32) for me give me an advantage while she struggles with few vowels. At the end she is unable to play off her J and Q, having no vowels, giving me the spread I need.

W 443-364

Game 18 vs John Olaughlin.

I start off strongly with CORNETs(72) and PERTHITE(72) to his BIJOU(28). John finally bingoes with ERINItE(61) while I maintain my lead with STERVES(78) and other high-scoring plays. John gets down SALINAS(66) later, but I have the tiles to win easily.

W 460-378

Game 19 vs Panupol

Panupol opens with a blank bingo- AgISTED(68). I havfe BEJOOSU and play JOBED(30). We both exchange tiles at the same time but after that I reply strongly with LAVeERS(98) and HERDER(42) to counter his STARRIER(60). AMNIOTE(82) for me followed by a nice ZOEAL(91) with 5 overlaps 2 turns later give me a good lead. At the end Panupol gets OX(51) but I out with TISANE(13) to win.

W 463-436

Game 20 vs Tim
Excellent tiles this game- My first few moves are PRAISED(76), FISSULAR which was challenged, FISTULAS(61), ENAMOUR(91), CERATOID(63) and LACKEY(54). Tim has ENROOTED(68) and JOINtERY(101) which I only discovered was phony after the game.. A late SaLIGOT(84) for me extends the spread.

W 589-384

At this point I have 15 wins and have a chance at making the finals, if I win 3 of the remaining 4 games..

Game 21 vs Charnwit- Charnwit is a rather defensive player. He opens with JEE to which I play JUCO(14) and his PENMEN(14) blocks my ACIERAGE(92). The rest of the game was unfruitful- KNIVED(51) and TINNY(49) to minimize the spread of his DEVIANTS(64) and ReALIsT(70)

L 340-372

Game 22 vs Jighere

A crucial game. However it was not to be. This is one of the most closed games I have played.
Jighere gets 2 easy bingos with the blanks later to win while I can't do very much.

L 283-438

Game 23 vs Nigel- Another important game which would definitely have some consequences on Nigel's chances of making the finals....He started with FIREDOG(77) but EXO(58), HITCHER(97) and JEW(49) gave me the advantage. See the board below

Game 24 vs Akshay- Not much chance this game either. Akshay gest 3 bingoes straight- VISITEE, MeTICAL and vELIGER. I have ZOOEA(42), CURDIEST(76) to narrow the spread.

L 370-443

Fairly satisfied with my 7th place finish, especially as it was my first WSC...The finals were well played overall and Ganesh' miss of OUTCRAWL was a waste.

Congratulations to Nigel.

WSC- day 2

noreply@blogger.com (Hubert wee) — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 00:29:00 +0000

Day 2 dawned, and I was to play with Dean Saldanha, not an easy opponent.

Game 9 vs Dean who finished 47th

I start with WOW(18), keeping 2 Ss. Dean replies with JEW(14) followed by an exchange of tiles. I continue scoring well with OHS(34), CIG(23) and AYES(40) atop his nice RELIEVO(68).. Dean changes yet again later while I rush ahead with OSTIATE(75) which Dean held briefly. But Dean bingoes with MATIlDA(74) while I DEEITTQ and put down TIED(27). I hold on to the Q for a few turns, and finally get rid of it in SQUAIL(35). Close to the end I hold EGIPOV? and play TAV, leaving 1 in the bag. I pick an R and bingo out with PiEROGI(81).

W 482-328

Game 10 vs Patrick (Kenya) who finished 6th

Patrick opens with the unassuming AVA(12). I have AAGENKU and play KAGU(21). Patrick fishes off the Y for 10 points and bingoes next with SODAINE(78), missing a better bingo. REEARNED(63) followed by ROSINATE(69) get me back into the thick of things. A series of high-scoring plays from me- FIX(58), CHARD(40) and ZEA(40) increase my lead to 80. Patrick then gets a double-blank bingo- lITERaL(75) but I have the tiles at the end to win narrowly.

W 435-419

Game 11 vs adam Philpotts who finished 51

Open with FOXY(34) while Adam overlaps BIMA(30) atop. I take the lead with TENPINS(73) next. Adam has ADMOTT? and phonies with STOMATeD. I choose to block MATTOiDS to play safe while Adam has to play TOM(25). I phony with CARAPE* next while Adam narrows the gap with IKAT(42). But later I get SCAURIES(83+5) and FRESHETS(92+5), as well as ELOINEd(79) to win easily. Adam only has PRELOADs(72).

W 500-349

Game 12 vs Nigel who finished 1st

My win against Adam has brought me to 4th and I face nigel next on table 1 to be annotated for the first time ever. I have STAGIEsT(82), AIRBOAT(74), AWN(45) and JEU(47) to his HEROISE(85) and ANOTHER(75) to win narrowly.

W 432-408

Game 13 vs Joel Wapnick who finished 4th

Open with JEW(26) and rush ahead with FREITIER(94) next turn. Joel has ENORmOUs(70) and ERMINES(76), but I have LEAPT(30), REALISTS(70), EH(36) and even ZOOT(48+5). Surprised to see Joel challenge ZOOT. It seems that many of the american players aren't that good on the Collins words- even Tim challenged NAS. However my ZOOT gives him an easy ZEBU(45). He has a late SCANTIER but I have good enough tiles to win. This is my 9th straight win in a row.

W 500-473

Game 14 vs Jighere who finished 3rd

Open with LAW/AERT. Jighere bingos with OLIVInES(63). Jighere is also one of the most defensive players I have played. He plays to close the board down, and will slowly block every opening if he is leading. Another extremely blocked game. I made several openings only to see them being blocked quickly.

L 340-369

Game 15 vs Ganesh who finished 2nd

I start with UPLAY(28) while Ganesh plays GUM(17) and CREEPERS(64). 2 turns later, I get ROTENONE(64) only to see him play BAKERIES atop for 124. I attempt to narrow the gap with WIZ(44), BAIRDS(26) and VULN(34) but it is quite futile as he plays CHOOSES(68) and REcITINg(74) later for a large win. Not much chance here.

L 357-551

Game 16 vs Edward who finished 13th

Edward is one of the fastest opponents in the room. I score consistently again with HUB(21), WOO(31), GAZAL(35) and BoYSIER(79) to his GOATIEr(68). ANTACID(70) from me, followed by OX(48) several turns later make for an easy win.

W 421-339

Pleased to finish the day joint 6th. We venture down to the Indian restaurant again for some more delicious food After that I meet up with Adrian for 2 games of scrabble. I won the first one handily but lose the next one.

Photos up

noreply@blogger.com (Hubert wee) — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 00:36:00 +0000

Finally managed to get some of the photos up to facebook.

View them here. You don't need to be a member to see them. More to come soon.

WSC report- Day 1

noreply@blogger.com (Hubert wee) — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 11:01:00 +0000

I reached the Taj President early at 7.40 on Friday morning for the first day of WSC. We were staying at the Ascot Hotel, a well-furnished hotel not far from the venue. Other players- Tim Adamson, Jim Kramer and a few Brits were also staying there.

The pairings were already out and I was matched with Gerry Carter.Having played with him many times before, I knew that he was not one to be underestimated

Game 1 vs Gerry (Thailand) who finished 38th

Start with the unpalatable AIIIMTV after his opening YAULD(26). I decide to play ATIMY for a handful of points while Gerry bingoes with TORSADES(86). I have AIIIOVZ and play AZO(48). More mediocre racks of several Is follow. He blocks my SINICISE on move 5, while I get down INCENSE(82) to trail by 50. A late HASTIER(86) narrows the gap by much. The scores are 392-388 to Gerry but he holds EFIRM?? to my AADFWR to win rather easily.

L 422-436 Current position: 59th

With that loss I am paired with Greger from Sweden who is a rather nice guy.

Game 2 vs Greger Nassen(Sweden) who finished 103rd

I begin with AEGINRU which has no 7s so I change the U. Greger plays GLARY(26) and I play REARNING(86)* which I now realise is phony. It stays though and he plays QI(31). 2 turns later, I get down BlOVIATE(76) folowed by FrONTAGE(74). Greger plays a late LANDERS(74) but I play FAIRIES(74) to further extend my lead. A comfortable win.

W 526-361 Current position:33rd

Game 3 vs Michael Gongolo(Ken) who finished 30th

Michael changes 3 tiles while I hold EEMRSUU and play UMU. I bingo with TUYERES(65+5) next followed by RADIX(47). He quickly plays AERATING(70). Scores are close till the end when Michael plays COZ/OB/ZA for 69 points, effectively finishing the game. My last rack of DMGNS?? is not useful.

L 375-434 Current position-72nd

Game 4 vs Wajid Iqbal(PAK) who finished 58th

I have BDJIMRU to open and play JUD(22). Wajid plays WOP and I play IMBRUE(25), keeping another I..Later I get TAILBONE(74) and STIRRES(88) to surger ahead while he has ANOTHER(77). I play FIND(35), BENTY(34) and VLY(22) to lead narrowly. At the end, he has SEDATiNG(72) to draw close. I set up a TWS score with ZEE which he blocks with AA(8). I play SAiGH(69) which I am surprised to find invalid while he outs with AURIC to win by 60. A waste indeed.

L379-415 Current position -76th

Lunch break- The buffet spread is pretty good, much better than the typical Indian food you would get in Singapore. Dhal curries, chicken masala, mutton curry, salads and even some sinful deserts like rasmalai and kulfi

Game 5 vs Mohan Chunkath(IND) who finished 80th

I begin with FOREL/EH(24), while Mohan plays LOZEN(28) to which I reply with HEFTY(45). Later I get down BITTERER to the R for 72, and follow up with EXORDIAL(67) and DUSTINGS(64) to take the lead. But Mohan attempts a comeback with mAIDANS(70), picking the last blank. On a closed board, I have HINNOLU to his AADIPO?. Fortunately there is no bingo for him and I win easily

W 413-359 Current position- 57th

Game 6 vs Sam (US) who finished 29th

A cracking game. I reply with KAIE(22) to Sam's opening OX(18), while he plays LINDIES(72) which I reply with a double-double DENOTING(90). Sam takes the triple with HOUSED(32) while I play COVERING(78) to his ROQUE(45). Then I get down another bingo-INLAYER(72) which Sam replies with JOHN and TENURIAL(72). After the 6 turns, I lead 356-284. A series of high-scoring moves continue-GET(45), FADS(57) and ZEsT(77). Fortunately I manage to bingo on the 2nd last turn with PROGrA(M)S for 69 and out with QUEP next.

W 565-434 Current position- 42nd

Game 7 vs Chris Ntege (UGA) who finished 100th.

Chris opens with THUD(16) while I have an easy FEERINS(79). I play GOLI(AR)D for 36 next, followed by QI(35) and ECTOzOA(70) to his STONIER(69) and ZOEAE(48) More consistent scoring-XU(40), VODOU(26) and NEW(40) further extend my lead. A late ARSENAL(79) brings my score above 500..

W 529-367 Current position- 28th

Game 8 vs Ralph Lobo who finished 41st

Lat game of the day. I had played with his brother, Douglas several times before but it was my first matchup with Ralph. I hold ABEENIW and play WEB(16), missing a few superior plays. Ralph dumps both Vs with VIVE(18) The game is close until I bingo first with SCRUPLeR(2), immediately drawing a challenge. I have a surfeit of As later- AAAAILZ, AAALSZ?. At the end, Ralph is stuck with the Q, which is a boost to my spread.

W401-324 Current positon -22nd

Pleased to have won all of the afternoon's games to finish 22nd for day 1, despite a rather shaky start. After the games we venture down to Konkan Cafe, an Indian restaurant in the Taj which serves very good Indian cuisine. The steamed pomfret fillet with spices is absolutely delicious. Very good service too.

After the first day, Paul Allan from Scotland leads the field for now, followed by Nigel and Charnwit

Comments welcome.

PS: I'm on facebook.

Mumbai

noreply@blogger.com (Hubert wee) — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 20:55:00 +0000

Leaving for Mumbai now. Hope to finish in top 20. WSC here I come !

noreply@blogger.com (Hubert wee) — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 08:36:00 +0000

WSC looms.

mumbai

noreply@blogger.com (Hubert wee) — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 02:09:00 +0000

Leaving for India on Thursday. Hope to do well and finish in top third.

JG mini- again

noreply@blogger.com (Hubert wee) — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 23:40:00 +0000

Finished 3rd with a record of 5-3+565, one of my highest spreads at minis ever.. Fairly balanced racks this time, and more than a few opponent phonies..Good practice for the WSC indeed

Ave score: 475-404
Bingos:17-17
J:5/8
Q: 3/8
X:1/8
Z:6/8
S:17/32
Blanks:6/16

Total moves:101-102
Ave. moves per game: 12.63-12.75
Score per move: 37.6-31.7

noreply@blogger.com (Hubert wee) — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 03:07:00 +0000

There are 4 types of pple. Those who don't blog and don't read blogs, those who don't blog but read blogs, those who blog occsaionally( 1-2 wks) for the sake of posting and the enthusiastic ones who post every few days.

BTW, the answer to the previous puzzle is SIC(KNURS)INGS.

For those who don't know, I do have a food blog here. Do check it out..