NSC 2011
I hadn't played a Scrabble tournament in about a year and a half before this year's Nationals. In fact, I hadn't studied a single word during most of that time, and I only really studied, reviewing all 4s and 5s and some 7s and 8s, for about two weeks before the NSC. So I'm totally thrilled to have gone 15-16 with a big positive spread. I honestly didn't expect to win many games at all, and a near .500 record was way beyond my expectation.
At the same time, playing in Division 1 for the first time made me realize that I hate being the guy who has learned enough to be dangerous but not enough to be feared. I missed plenty of bingos, including ADGMNOOR, which I had down cold just a couple weeks ago because it showed up in the very first set of Aerolith Toughies, which I drilled the hell out of. I played plenty of phonies I thought were good, including the horrible CATLINE* which refuses to extricate itself from my brain. I hooked an E on JUGA, which I know better than to do, if only I had thought about it for half a second. I challenged words I certainly should have known, including INDUSIAL. And I let phonies go in critical situations, like a D hooked on COOMBE. Probably my worst moment was when I threw away a certainly won endgame by missing a simple out-in-two that would have blocked my opponent's best play. Instead I made one of the few plays that could lose, even though I had calculated that it would lose.
I'm not saying this to dwell on the negative. In fact, in general I'm pretty happy with how I played. However, I want to get to a point where I do not make these kinds of blunders, and it is going to take a lot of work. I felt like my wins were mostly luck and my losses were mostly skill. I had two 300-point blowout wins, and I lost two games by 1 point, including the botched endgame I just mentioned. I'm confident enough (or arrogant enough) to believe that I am capable of becoming a world-class player, but it is going to take a lot of hard work. I think this Nationals has finally kicked my butt into gear. I have a year to prepare for the next NSC, and I'm not going to squander it. Obviously I'm not going to become a Nigel or a Wiegand in a year, but maybe I can take the first step.
Overall the experience was great, and I'm glad I went. It was excellent to see so many friends I have not seen in a long time. I also thought the experience of running a vendor table was interesting, though I don't know if I'll do it again. I do have a bunch of extra T-shirts and things that I'll list on the Zyzzyva web site in case anyone is interested. And I discovered that Dallas in summer isn't so bad if you just never leave the hotel.
So now it's back to work on the iPhone app and making my way through the dictionary. Although I'm a Collins player, I think I need a stronger base in OWL2 first. So that's what I'm going to concentrate on this year. If there's a Collins division at next year's NSC, I'll probably play in it because I want to support Collins play in North America. Otherwise, I'll be diverting my personal study stream through the OWL2 tunnel and plan to emerge much stronger in a year.
At the same time, playing in Division 1 for the first time made me realize that I hate being the guy who has learned enough to be dangerous but not enough to be feared. I missed plenty of bingos, including ADGMNOOR, which I had down cold just a couple weeks ago because it showed up in the very first set of Aerolith Toughies, which I drilled the hell out of. I played plenty of phonies I thought were good, including the horrible CATLINE* which refuses to extricate itself from my brain. I hooked an E on JUGA, which I know better than to do, if only I had thought about it for half a second. I challenged words I certainly should have known, including INDUSIAL. And I let phonies go in critical situations, like a D hooked on COOMBE. Probably my worst moment was when I threw away a certainly won endgame by missing a simple out-in-two that would have blocked my opponent's best play. Instead I made one of the few plays that could lose, even though I had calculated that it would lose.
I'm not saying this to dwell on the negative. In fact, in general I'm pretty happy with how I played. However, I want to get to a point where I do not make these kinds of blunders, and it is going to take a lot of work. I felt like my wins were mostly luck and my losses were mostly skill. I had two 300-point blowout wins, and I lost two games by 1 point, including the botched endgame I just mentioned. I'm confident enough (or arrogant enough) to believe that I am capable of becoming a world-class player, but it is going to take a lot of hard work. I think this Nationals has finally kicked my butt into gear. I have a year to prepare for the next NSC, and I'm not going to squander it. Obviously I'm not going to become a Nigel or a Wiegand in a year, but maybe I can take the first step.
Overall the experience was great, and I'm glad I went. It was excellent to see so many friends I have not seen in a long time. I also thought the experience of running a vendor table was interesting, though I don't know if I'll do it again. I do have a bunch of extra T-shirts and things that I'll list on the Zyzzyva web site in case anyone is interested. And I discovered that Dallas in summer isn't so bad if you just never leave the hotel.
So now it's back to work on the iPhone app and making my way through the dictionary. Although I'm a Collins player, I think I need a stronger base in OWL2 first. So that's what I'm going to concentrate on this year. If there's a Collins division at next year's NSC, I'll probably play in it because I want to support Collins play in North America. Otherwise, I'll be diverting my personal study stream through the OWL2 tunnel and plan to emerge much stronger in a year.