Dayton, Day 1
The playing room is great - it makes me want to roller skate around from division to division. My first opponent turns out to be the 81st seed, but it was also Andrew Solomon, who had previously beaten me (and bricap, and many others) when I had visited Chicago. It wasn't how I was hoping to warm up into the tourney.
vs Andrew: I bingo first turn, but he controls the board, and I play a bad mid-game that makes me fall way behind. L 319-408
vs Lynda: I blank on IODITE*, play it, and then let her hook to it for far too many points. We both hold a blank at the end, but I feel like I need to play a bingo when I don't have one, so I chance it with mARROON. She's distracted and doesn't even hold, plays her bingo in response, making it a 378-388 game in her favor. I'm holding AFFGGSW to her LL. Takes me a long time, but I find WAFF for 29, and squeak out a win by 3. W 407-404.
vs Doug: My tiles come together, his don't. My blocking plays like VIEWY and USQUE score really well, his fishing plays don't. W 437-269.
vs Robin: She outbingos me 3-1, I miss VEGANI(S)M to get back in the game at the end. Last rack, I go to pull the final tile, and there's nothing there. I'm quizzical, because I tracked carefully. She looks down and realizes she has eight on her rack. I have no idea how long she's had eight on her rack. I should've, I guess, called the Director. Instead, I treat it like a regular overdraw, pull the blank off her rack, but have no way to capitalize on it. L 381-429.
Lunch! I get a very tasty panini that takes a long time to make. I meet some new people, but mostly am still overwhelmed by the event.
vs Darin: We trade bingos to open, and then I get two more to his one, so it's 281-320 after six turns, my lead. It's close to the end, with a decent endgame on my part, I think. He's also pressured on time by the end, which might have helped me out. W 440-434.
vs Wendell: I'm sure I feel like Doug felt in our game earlier. He can capitalize on all of my opening plays, and my tiles never come together. I was too focused on bingos early, though, and missed a couple of decent scoring plays that I should've made instead of fishing plays. I do get away with the stylish dump of ANURIAN early, which cleaned up my AAINOUR rack. L 292-499.
vs Glenn: On turn 13, I'm down 30, and look at the bag. I'm holding IIIEQRV, seven in the bag, 285-308 and he's been fishing. The bag is AAAEEIO BFLNRRT -- much prettier than what's on my rack. I can either try to block the last bingo lane (which doesn't score), or trade and give him back this junk in case he bingos, and then Q/V stick him (the board is ugly - I can probably stick him with both). So, I trade, holding RE (Quackle gives my play a 15% shot at winning). He fishes, I try FE(A)RABLE*, it comes off. His 19-point play gives me a 48-point comeback with FEEB, and he challenges. I get lucky and draw decent tiles out of the bag, and stick him with QVRII one turn later. W 380-341.
vs Andrew: I bingo first turn, but he controls the board, and I play a bad mid-game that makes me fall way behind. L 319-408
vs Lynda: I blank on IODITE*, play it, and then let her hook to it for far too many points. We both hold a blank at the end, but I feel like I need to play a bingo when I don't have one, so I chance it with mARROON. She's distracted and doesn't even hold, plays her bingo in response, making it a 378-388 game in her favor. I'm holding AFFGGSW to her LL. Takes me a long time, but I find WAFF for 29, and squeak out a win by 3. W 407-404.
vs Doug: My tiles come together, his don't. My blocking plays like VIEWY and USQUE score really well, his fishing plays don't. W 437-269.
vs Robin: She outbingos me 3-1, I miss VEGANI(S)M to get back in the game at the end. Last rack, I go to pull the final tile, and there's nothing there. I'm quizzical, because I tracked carefully. She looks down and realizes she has eight on her rack. I have no idea how long she's had eight on her rack. I should've, I guess, called the Director. Instead, I treat it like a regular overdraw, pull the blank off her rack, but have no way to capitalize on it. L 381-429.
Lunch! I get a very tasty panini that takes a long time to make. I meet some new people, but mostly am still overwhelmed by the event.
vs Darin: We trade bingos to open, and then I get two more to his one, so it's 281-320 after six turns, my lead. It's close to the end, with a decent endgame on my part, I think. He's also pressured on time by the end, which might have helped me out. W 440-434.
vs Wendell: I'm sure I feel like Doug felt in our game earlier. He can capitalize on all of my opening plays, and my tiles never come together. I was too focused on bingos early, though, and missed a couple of decent scoring plays that I should've made instead of fishing plays. I do get away with the stylish dump of ANURIAN early, which cleaned up my AAINOUR rack. L 292-499.
vs Glenn: On turn 13, I'm down 30, and look at the bag. I'm holding IIIEQRV, seven in the bag, 285-308 and he's been fishing. The bag is AAAEEIO BFLNRRT -- much prettier than what's on my rack. I can either try to block the last bingo lane (which doesn't score), or trade and give him back this junk in case he bingos, and then Q/V stick him (the board is ugly - I can probably stick him with both). So, I trade, holding RE (Quackle gives my play a 15% shot at winning). He fishes, I try FE(A)RABLE*, it comes off. His 19-point play gives me a 48-point comeback with FEEB, and he challenges. I get lucky and draw decent tiles out of the bag, and stick him with QVRII one turn later. W 380-341.