Nats in a nutshell.
I went to Nationals for the time off work more than anything else. I was simply due for a vacation. I'm really happy with how things turned out. I got to hang out with a lot of different groups of people at lunchtime, dinner, try out some craft beers, get some walking in, a dip in the pool, and even shot some footage of a new Scrabble variant- Sprint Scrabble. All I really did for preparation was learn about 700 4's 5's 6's 7's 8's by playability a while ago, and review them all in the last 2 weeks before Nationals. I finished 16-15 +260. My opponents were for the most part really good sports and pleasant people, and I hope they can say the same about me.
For starters I've got a bingo list.
The bingo count was 52-49 my favor.
I played 8 Collins only. They played 7 Collins only.
There were no games I got shutout without a bingo and I shutout my opponents twice.
Mine:
ZOOLATER
AGATIZED
OUTLaID ENDUREs
PRETTIED JOYANCES
NEUTRALS BEARDIE#
AEGIrINE# OSTRACA ICeLIKE
ARIlLOID
BARNETS#
COOLANT VARlETTO#
AUDItIVE WIThERED
PERSoNA
bONEYARD STORAGE
SOUTANE
DISPAR(IT)Y
RELOCATE RErAISE
ADROITER STRaYER LINULAE* PEASANT
MILLiON GUERITES# CLANGORS
LADINOS WANDERER
AORIsTS
NARCOSE BURSTER
FEtATION
GAHNITES LAUDERS
SEAGOINg AIRLINE
MINNIEs ATEMOYAS TOOTHIER
ARENITIC#
REhANGED
TrENTAL# DOSAGES
AsTROID#
REGAINED ODONATE
PLAINTS
Theirs:
GAPPIEST
MARgINED KILTIEs
TORTONIS BARONIES
uROSTEGE# ABROGATE
MOIDERS# FRItTATA fIGHTERS
RETAILED
LISTELS SUmOIST MANROPE
NEGA(T)I(O)nS
aNTHEMS
BEFALLEN
OUTRIDE ENCLAvES
LANDLER PLENISTS dETAILER
BUNtIER# EmP(UR)PLED
THEATER
(none)
JOURNEYs
TESTATES
TERRAIN
PANtHER SNEAKER
SIRTUIN#
AROUSEd ENCASED DELETING
TENTAGE <--fixed, EMBAILED#
GASTREAS
ENTASIA AiRLINE
aMASSED AUNTIES
(none)
INTERNED
BIrYANI LiGNITE VASTEST
GALLoNS HIREAGES#
NURLinG
Because I have all my scoresheets, I decided it would be okay to do a blank count after all. It was very even. 29 for me:31 for opponents. 21 games the blanks were split (11W-10L) . 4 times I had both (3W-1L). 5 times my opponents had both (1W-4L). That adds up to 15-15, plus a bye gave me a 16th win. An anomaly if anything, was a 13 game streak where both me and my opponent shared the blanks. Also Orlet Bullock noticed that we both lost if we sat at opposite sides of the table, but we both won if we sat on the same side, so we tried to sync up our feng shui for the final two days.
It seems like I did a lot of winning against the higher seeds, but didn't fare as well as I should have against the bottom seeds. I played very well in some games, and mucked up some other games pretty bad. Looking back, my bingo list looks pretty lame. I probably could have hit a lot more bingos if I started some serious review. Something to think about for tournaments in the near future.
It's kind of magic how Nigel took that last game by winning by just a few more than the 170 points he needed to win by, in div 1. He must have been in Gibson's head.
I think Sam Kantimathi deserves some serious street cred for winning the Collins division. Well done Sam! They guy's been on fire for months now. I had my money on Geoff T. to take Collins, and I'm sure he will do that one of these years. I also have to tip my hat to Marsh Richards for her excellent finish in the Collins division. I hope everyone had fun. I am very much thinking about going to Vegas to do this again next year.
For starters I've got a bingo list.
The bingo count was 52-49 my favor.
I played 8 Collins only. They played 7 Collins only.
There were no games I got shutout without a bingo and I shutout my opponents twice.
Mine:
ZOOLATER
AGATIZED
OUTLaID ENDUREs
PRETTIED JOYANCES
NEUTRALS BEARDIE#
AEGIrINE# OSTRACA ICeLIKE
ARIlLOID
BARNETS#
COOLANT VARlETTO#
AUDItIVE WIThERED
PERSoNA
bONEYARD STORAGE
SOUTANE
DISPAR(IT)Y
RELOCATE RErAISE
ADROITER STRaYER LINULAE* PEASANT
MILLiON GUERITES# CLANGORS
LADINOS WANDERER
AORIsTS
NARCOSE BURSTER
FEtATION
GAHNITES LAUDERS
SEAGOINg AIRLINE
MINNIEs ATEMOYAS TOOTHIER
ARENITIC#
REhANGED
TrENTAL# DOSAGES
AsTROID#
REGAINED ODONATE
PLAINTS
Theirs:
GAPPIEST
MARgINED KILTIEs
TORTONIS BARONIES
uROSTEGE# ABROGATE
MOIDERS# FRItTATA fIGHTERS
RETAILED
LISTELS SUmOIST MANROPE
NEGA(T)I(O)nS
aNTHEMS
BEFALLEN
OUTRIDE ENCLAvES
LANDLER PLENISTS dETAILER
BUNtIER# EmP(UR)PLED
THEATER
(none)
JOURNEYs
TESTATES
TERRAIN
PANtHER SNEAKER
SIRTUIN#
AROUSEd ENCASED DELETING
TENTAGE <--fixed, EMBAILED#
GASTREAS
ENTASIA AiRLINE
aMASSED AUNTIES
(none)
INTERNED
BIrYANI LiGNITE VASTEST
GALLoNS HIREAGES#
NURLinG
Because I have all my scoresheets, I decided it would be okay to do a blank count after all. It was very even. 29 for me:31 for opponents. 21 games the blanks were split (11W-10L) . 4 times I had both (3W-1L). 5 times my opponents had both (1W-4L). That adds up to 15-15, plus a bye gave me a 16th win. An anomaly if anything, was a 13 game streak where both me and my opponent shared the blanks. Also Orlet Bullock noticed that we both lost if we sat at opposite sides of the table, but we both won if we sat on the same side, so we tried to sync up our feng shui for the final two days.
It seems like I did a lot of winning against the higher seeds, but didn't fare as well as I should have against the bottom seeds. I played very well in some games, and mucked up some other games pretty bad. Looking back, my bingo list looks pretty lame. I probably could have hit a lot more bingos if I started some serious review. Something to think about for tournaments in the near future.
It's kind of magic how Nigel took that last game by winning by just a few more than the 170 points he needed to win by, in div 1. He must have been in Gibson's head.
I think Sam Kantimathi deserves some serious street cred for winning the Collins division. Well done Sam! They guy's been on fire for months now. I had my money on Geoff T. to take Collins, and I'm sure he will do that one of these years. I also have to tip my hat to Marsh Richards for her excellent finish in the Collins division. I hope everyone had fun. I am very much thinking about going to Vegas to do this again next year.