Victim of inconsistency – May 22. 2008 May 23, 2008
Posted by Hans in Club Results.2 comments
I was able to make it out to the club last night, but fell victim to my own inconsistency. At times I play well, while at other times I lose my brain and make bone-headed plays/mistakes. I suppose this is all part of the process of becoming a better player (I hope). Maybe I was mentally more tired than I had anticipated. I think that’s something that I’ll need to watch for with the upcoming nationals in July.
Game #1 vs. Brenda S
My opening rack was a bit of a conundrum as I wasn’t sure what to play: ACDEIPT. For a moment, I thought about trying to play a phoney bingo because I didn’t see a bingo (there are no 7s), hoping that either Brenda would let the play stand or challenge it off and give me a letter I needed to make a bingo – I immediately saw IMPACTED and PEDANTIC, but thought there might be one or two more. Brenda played a good game and found a great spot to play PERSONA by hooking RAG and ER with the S and A respectively. I did manage to challenge off OUTBORE*.
FINAL SCORE: 373 – 310 (LOSS)
BINGOS: ME – SCaTTER; Brenda – SMARTEN, PERSONA
Game #2 vs. Priya F
This is a game that I wish I could take back as I gave this one away. Priya opened with WRITE and I responded with DEVOT(I)NG. I almost gave-up on that rack because it didn’t look too promising at first glance. I’m glad that I’m starting to be more patient and think through my options. A few turns later, I played another bingo and managed to pull ahead 268 – 127. Unfortunately, I then started playing like an idiot – playing AYA* (what was I thinking?!!) and allowing HOARIES* to stay on the board. After that little series of plays, I then challenged JOSS which really irked me because it’s a J word. A few turns after that, I tried PRE(B)LINd* thinking it was related to statistics/science. The worst thing is that I could have won this game at the end with a bingo. There was a free B available at D11 and I had EEELNM?. Do you see the bingo? See the end of this post for the answer. I completely missed it and tried EMENa(B)LE*. The only positive I can draw from this game is that I still had a chance to win, even with all of my blunders.
FINAL SCORE: 403 – 361 (LOSS)
BINGOS: ME – DEVOT(I)NG, RESTOrE; Priya – HOARIES*
Game #3 vs. Kaveri R
Kaveri opened with a bingo and put me on the defensive right away. I was struggling to balance my tiles for much of the game as I seemed to be get quite a few vowels early on. I also had to work to keep the board open because Kaveri likes to (and was trying to) shut the board down. She likes to play small two and three letter words that over-lap because she says it takes "more thinking" to play such a game. Even though I was behind for most of the game, I was able to string together a few high scoring plays to pull ahead late in the game: FROW (44), QANATS (32), QIS (24), and CRIED (32). By then, scoring opportunities were scarce as Kaveri had been working to shut the board down. Fortunately for me, I was able to plan my final two turns to win the game.
FINAL SCORE: 323 – 306 (WIN)
BINGOS: ME – none; Kaveri – EASIEST
Overall, my play at the club was inconsistent. I made some good plays and was able to anticipate some potential plays developing. On the other head, I also played like an idiot. I’ll need to focus more on eliminating my mistakes during games. I also think I’ll need to start a process of reviewing the words I’ve learned, as I’m not sure that I’ll have much time to learn new ones before the tournament. My new work schedule is just brutal and it’s not leaving me much time to do anything. Oh well, I guess that’s the trade-off for a pay-cheque.
ANSWER: ENsEM(B)LE is the only one that fits.
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Scrabble @ Vera’s – May 18, 2008 May 19, 2008
Posted by Hans in Uncategorized.add a comment
I missed attending club earlier this week because of a hectic schedule. Fortunately, I was invited to attend a small get-together for some games at Vera Bigall’s place. She was hoping to play a few games as preparation for an upcoming tournament in Montreal.
The attendees included: Shaun Goatcher, Tim Anglin, Anna Miransky, me, Peter Manzolillo, Heather McCall, and of course, Vera. I had never met Pete or Heather before, so it was cool meeting some new Scrabble-folk and playing against/with them.
Game #1 vs. Pete (view full game)
I had some good tiles while Pete didn’t. Nevertheless, I made some good plays to score good points. On turn #2, I completely missed the double-double opportunity (ATHEISM 92 pts) as I got locked in on the 8 letter word "THEMATIC". Later in the game on turn #8, I missed another bingo. I played GRIPE and kept E? for 42 points. There were two bingo plays (12C PERIGEE 74pts and 4A REPEATING 74 pts) available that I completely missed. According to Quackle’s "ask a championship player" option, GRIPE was still a better play – I’m assuming because of the balance between points scored and keeping the E?. The play of EXERT for 62 points at turn 9 and a late bingo sealed this game.
FINAL SCORE: 447 – 304 (WIN)
BINGOS: ME – HEMATIc, (V)ARIaTES; Pete – ANEU(R)INS
Game #2 vs. Anna (view full game)
A weird game in which the top half of the board got closed down. I’m kicking myself for completely missing a hi-prob bingo – EASTERN/NEAREST/EARNEST early in the game. In all fairness, Vera missed this bingo too (she was kibbitzing I let Anna’s play of LOS* stay on the board – bad on me. Fortunately, Anna got very frustrated with the board and started to open things up – and allowed me to play a final play bingo for the win.
FINAL SCORE: 454 – 387 (WIN)
BINGOS: ME – P(R)INTERS, GENTIlE (that’s GENTILE); Anna – sALTERN, ROADIES
Game #3 Hans & Heather vs. Vera (view full game)
We decided to play a ‘team’ game and it was quite fun. Heather is a very good player and it was interesting to see how another player approaches the game. She and I seemed like a good fit because we shared a similar approach to the game.
This game was a fun game as we had some good plays. Having some very good tiles always helps. Nevetheless, Heather and I seemed to find plays that the other didn’t see. OVERGAIN* was a 50/50 proposition for me, but Heather convinced me. A few turns later, I convinced Heather that APOSTATE was good (I thought so). Unfortunately, Vera didn’t think so and challenged. From there we sort of steam-rolled the rest of the game with fortunate timing that led to high scoring plays.
FINAL SCORE: 498 – 278 (WIN)
BINGOS: ME/Heather – O(V)ERGAIN*, APOSTA(T)e; Vera – iNULASE
Game #4 Hans & Heather vs. Vera (rematch) (view full game)
A game of small plays with very few (apparent) opportunities to score big. Heather and I struggled with having very few vowels for much of the game. Me missing DOCENTS early or chickening out on TROPINS didn’t help. Vera played a smart game and didn’t give us many free opportunities. Having a few glasses of wine probably didn’t help the brain think 
FINAL SCORE: 367 – 316 (LOSS)
BINGOS: ME/Heather – none; Vera – ReDDENS
Game #5 vs. Pete (rematch) (view full game)
Unlike the first game, this one was very close. I pretty much lost the game on turn #9 when I played UNALTER(S)*, completely missing NEUTRAL(S). For some reason, I have difficulty seeing the EU combination.
FINAL SCORE: 350 – 331 (LOSS)
BINGOS: ME – rEALIZE(S); Pete – DIReCTS
Overall, I had fun playing as I hadn’t even thought about Scrabble in over a week. In the two ‘team’ games I played, I was intrigued by how everyone seems to have different word knowledge. For example, Heather (a >1500 level player) didn’t know many of the words that I suggested – some examples included ARVO, ENGRAM/ENGRAMME (I wasn’t sure about the second one), APOSTATE, CUTEY (I chickened out and wasn’t able to convince her it was good), and TROPINS. Granted, she could say the same for me as I had never seen DOCENTS before and a few others. What impressed me most was how she was able to see (and evaluate) different scoring options that developed on the board. The only other time I played a team game was in Buffalo 2007 during the evening with Joe Bihlmeyer. He was in charge for most of the game, but I had my moments like insisting that INCENTS was good.
Playing games is fun, but I think I need to study more. Missing hi-prob words and bingos is not fun, especially if it leads to losses. In any case, it was a good break from a hectic week. I know what I need to review to get ready for the 2008 Nationals.
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Club night – Th. May 8, 2008 May 9, 2008
Posted by Hans in Club Results.add a comment
Turnout at the club was a bit low, but everyone seemed to have fun nevertheless. I don’t recall any noteworthy plays or situations in my three games so I’ll just post quick recaps.
Game #1 vs. Gene T
Didn’t have much chance in this game as I was stuck with Os and Is for most of the game. Gene had good tiles and used them effectively to prevent any chance of a come-back.
FINAL SCORE: 409 – 258 (LOSS)
BINGOS: ME – none; Gene – cASTING, RECITeR
Game #2 vs. Dave K
This was almost a complete opposite to my first game against Gene as I had the majority of the power tiles and both blanks. At one point, I had TISANE+F but didn’t immediately recognize it and even when I did, I didn’t immediately see the bingo. After a few moments of thought, I saw it and found a very interesting spot front hooking two words. Later in the game, Dave tried playing JUG(G)ER* against me which I immediately challenged off. He honestly seemed surprised that it wasn’t good. Earlier in the game, I missed a somewhat obvious EXHALeS, good for 106 points – ouch! I also challenged NOO as I didn’t recall seeing before (how do I mess up on the 3s?). I also played BRIEF/(BI)F* knowing that BIF* wasn’t good – for some reason, I had a feeling that it would stay on. Dave didn’t even flinch and accepted it.
FINAL SCORE: 489 – 272 (WIN)
BINGOS: ME – FAINEST, RUSTLIn(G); Dave – none
Game #3 vs. Percy F
It’s been a while since I last played Percy and so I was a bit taken aback by how quickly he plays. I was a bit rattled at his pace, but then adjusted. After Percy opened with NEWT, I was a bit unsure of what to play. I had BGINNOR and was about to give-up on the play before I found a bingo. Can you see it? There are three that will play. I think the game turned two turns later when in his haste, Percy tried to play VALUE for 40 points, but created VNA* by accident. I’m sure that when he was looking at the board during my turn, he saw VAN. Guess that’s an example of why one should slow down a bit, turn the board around and review the play before hitting the clock. I thought he would have seen the error when he was (re)counting the score. After that error, I pretty much pulled away. I got away with VIZAR* as I mistook it for VIZIR.
FINAL SCORE: 431 – 325 (WIN)
BINGOS: ME – BRO(W)NING, (D)EfLATES; Percy – none
So now that I’m "officially" attending the US Nationals in Orlando, I’m going to focus less on games and game situations. Instead, I’m planning on studying for the next few months. That means reviewing my bingo stems, power tiles, three letter words (!), and trying to learn some more words.
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On my way to Orlando May 8, 2008
Posted by Hans in News.add a comment
Well, it’s official. I’m going to … the 2008 US National Scrabble Championship. Booked my flight and hotel and plan to register today.
Hope to see you there. I’ll be playing in Division 4 (1100-1299).
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A second opinion on some analysis May 3, 2008
Posted by Hans in Analysis.add a comment
Recently, I did some analysis of a game and reported some of the simulation results done by Quackle. Allen Pengelly, a director of the Cambridge club, contacted me and offered a second (differing) opinion and pointed out some flaws of my analysis. Here’s his response and commentary:
I did my own analysis for your game vs Geoffrey
If I’m not mistaken, what Quackle does during the SIM is actually calculates your win percentage if the scores were even at that point – not taking into account the 70 point difference.
If you run the "Ask Championship Player for choices" instead, then it
calculates the point spread into the percentages.That is the reason why it says that JAB only has a 25% chance of winning – becuase most of the time your opponent will counter with a Bingo along the bottom line when you play JAB, whereas when you play PIG, JIGS, PIGS or JOW then the only way for the opponent to bingo is if they have the tiles for LOAMIEST at B2.
The really interesting part is that when you run the SIM, the best option from the championship player (PIGS) is not mentioned at all.
PIGS, JIG, JOW, and JAB all result in a 100% win rate, but the option that will give you the best average point spread is PIGS. PIG is worse than any of these options because it creates a 1 in 8 chance that the player will lose by 1 point.
The best play does change depending on how far ahead or behind the player is though. JAB becomes the best play if the player is between 20 and 23 behind – because it creates a 1 in 8 chance of winning (when the blank is in the bag), whereas all the other plays can’t generate enough points to win.
I can share the numbers with you later on if you want to see them, but I just wanted to show you that PIG is not the best play.
Allen Pengelly
So, I guess the lessons here are that a) I’m not using Quackle properly (or at the very least as well as I can), and b) getting comments and analysis from other humans can yield more insight. Thank-you Allen.
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Back to the winning ways… May 2, 2008
Posted by Hans in Club Results.add a comment
Not much time for analysis, so the recaps will be concise. I was pretty tired last night, but had a relatively successful evening. Had a bit of luck on the last game, but that’s how it goes.
Game #1 vs. Gene T
The game turned on two plays: 1) Gene tried to play OUT(P)ACER* that I quickly challenged off, missing OUTRACE by hooking HOW to make (HOW)E; and 2) My brain wasn’t thinking and I couldn’t remember all of the anagrams for ANTLERS/RENTALS (STERNAL and SALTERN) and played SLANTER* because it was the only word that would fit (in hindsight, STERNAL works). Because of those two plays, I was able to win the game. Oh yeah, Gene opened with KEPATI* that I thought was quite dubious. But, I wanted to use the I to play J(I)VIER so I let it go.
FINAL SCORE: 437 – 330 (WIN)
BINGOS: ME – OLESTRA, SLANTER*, ATELiER; Gene – OUTRACE
Game #2 vs. Valeria K
I opened with two bingos in a row and then held on for a win. I challenged HIMS because I had never seen it before. Even though I had great bingo prone tiles at the end, I couldn’t find anything because the board was closed up.
FINAL SCORE: 390 – 364 (WIN)
BINGOS: ME – TRAcKED, ROSA(R)IES; Valeria – none
Game #3 vs. John D
I’m pretty sure that I should have lost this game. I had about a 45 point lead, but I had a feeling that John had some good tiles. I thought about playing FI(Q)UE for 38 points, but that would open up the TWS lane. After I played elsewhere, John plays Ac(Q)UIRES for 86 to pull ahead. I was able to draw close, but wasn’t able to find anything to get me tied. Fortunately for me, John was over-time and he started playing quickly to avoid going over by another minute. In his haste, he played GED/GER* that I challenged off. Combined with the loss of a turn and the time penalty, I managed to eke out a win.
FINAL SCORE: 370 – 366 (WIN)
BINGOS: ME – none; John – DEfINI(N)G, Ac(Q)UIRES
On a side note, there’s an announcement for a local tournament (Toronto) on July 12-13, 2008. I’m thinking of playing in this tournament because it won’t affect my placement in the nationals in Orlando because the qualification period will be over. For more information, follow the link and view the PDF flyer.
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