Our friend Jack Eichenbaum died late last year and he was often in attendance at the Scrabble tournaments Mark and I attended each year in Florida. This year our friends Howard Pistol and Dave Postal organized a commemorative tournament in his name. The tournament was held at the home of Dave in Palm Springs. Mark and I stayed nearby at a luxurious rented house, shared with tournament players John Karris and Trip Payne. We could all easily walk over to Dave’s place. Twenty games over four days, with five games each day.
01 John Karris 346-541. I played LASSOING (77) and John played WIshING (79), HOARIEST (93) and ZOA (67) in successive turns. I thwarted his third bingo by challenging off RETILLED* yet left the spot open but John didn’t play TILLERED on his next turn.
02 Ed Roth 425-390. I played DONATES (70) and STiFFENS (76) and Ed played SANTERAS (59) and TRAILING (63).
03 Trip Payne 381-392. I played UNDREST (85) and Trip played NEAReST (64) and SUNDIAl (64). One of my racks was LOOPPYY which makes no sevens yet unbelievably makes a single 8LW, POLYPODY. At one point I was exactly one hundred points behind yet caught up.
04 Bruce Adams 394-343. I played SMALTITEs (69) through -TE- and Bruce played AUsTERE (62).
05 Brian Nelson 484-345. I played TORTONI (61), URBANEST (64) and AZO (67) in successive turns and then had a late bingo with ADVANcES (69). Brian played SQuAT (75).
06 Ed Roth 393-388. I played GeNTLER (74) and Ed played ANODISED (59). I lost a challenge to Ed’s PALET and TROW, which were played in the same turn.
07 Mark 465-393. I played TETANIZE (89) and SABATON (76) and Mark played SCOUrING (83) and RElINES (71). Mark made a move that spoiled my chance to play a flashy XYLAN for 62.
08 Howard Pistol 401-400. I played AEROSATS (62) and OVERCOAT (98) and Howard played DEBeAKS (75) and sEEMING (86). I came back from a serious deficit and tied the game at 376, knowing that Howard’s final rack was BEEIIOW. He had two places to bring his score to 400, yet I had a fifteen-point outplay with my remaining A that he could not block (if he did, he would lose, so he had to leave it and earn points elsewhere). With his final score at 400, I played for fifteen, ending up with 391, and earned ten points from his rack to win by one.
09 Adam Boocher 505-298. I played ROADIES (78), IMPuDENT (92) and SPRAYErS (90). I however was more pleased with my flashy play of AXOLOTL (42), which I played through the first L from the top right TWS down. The word fit perfectly and the layout did not permit the word to be pluralized.
10 Brian Nelson 386-286. I played COSTLEsS (70). My opening play was NIZAM (38) with the N on the star. If Brian knew the three-letter extension to the centre right TWS then I tip my hat to him, yet I was finally able to play NIZAMATE / AM (61) which he challenged unsuccessfully.
With five games each day, I was happy to go undefeated on day two.
11 Bruce Adams 336-408. I played CREOLES (78) and Bruce played RIGHTIER (66, which I unsuccessfully challenged), PALINODE (65) and HEBrAIZE (94). This loss by 72 could have been reduced if only I had looked harder for a bingo outplay. With my final rack of CEEIRS?, I only had an H to play through yet was preoccupied with placing that H in fourth position and stacking the final letter on top of an O. I was too focussed on finding a bingo with the H in fourth, or even third position, yet if I had gone one position even further to slot the H in second, I could have played CHISElER, stacking the lER on top of OLE. I still would have lost but the differential would have been only four points.
12 John Karris 500-322. I played ZA / TIZ (66), MINDERS (76), AIrLIFT (86) and SHAVErS (90) and John played GAROTED (84).
13 Trip Payne 471-406. I played OFFEREE (76), a disconnected RETAILErS (82) through the first E and A, and DENTINES (70). Trip played GAMBITs (77) and PIRATES (76). My final rack was AGKNOOR and I would have loved to play KANGAROO (I knew Trip held the last A) yet there was no place on the board to permit an 8LW.
14 Dave Postal 360-414. I played DOWNIEST (78) and Dave played ROOSTING (65) and DISPENsE (89).
15 Ed Roth 367-433. I played CONTeSSA (82) and GERENTS (82) and Ed played ALGINATE (80) and SAUtEED (83).
16 Mark 282-434. Mark dominated this game while I could only sit back and struggle. I exchanged all seven of my opening rack of AAABHLU yet replaced them with the even worse NNTUVVW. Perhaps I should have played AHA as my first move. Had I gone second and Mark opened the game with a C, I see that I could have played BACALHAU. (I did not know it.) I did manage to get down HOIDENS (75) and Mark played sTRaNDS (64) and REACTION (70).
17 Trip Payne 411-450. I played CAVORTER (76), BISTREs (83) and NETTLIER (65) and Trip played PENATES (75) and DOPAMINE (80). I had the chance to win the game if I could find a playable bingo with the rack ADHIOT? There was a spot for TOADIsH, yet Trip blocked it. That rack yields only one other 7LW, which I considered briefly yet passed on: AnTHOID. It all seems so familiar after the fact but I didn’t have the confidence even to try it as a Hail Mary outplay. As it turns out, it would not have altered the final standings even if I did win this game.
18 Bruce Adams 413-391. I played TADPOLE (91) and Bruce played OSSIFIC (67), BARNACLE (78) and TITMoUSE (77). I challenged off his EARNABLE (83)* and then he played BARNACLE on his next turn. I was then able to play TADPOLE along the right TWL lane. I am glad I had enough time to figure out the endgame. Bruce had the second blank and I could see lucrative scores for him if I didn’t do something.
19 John Karris 355-393. I played ANODISED (72) and John played ENvIRON (67) and ZONaL (66), which sealed it for him. After struggling through most of the game (I managed to tie it with ANODISED, my fourth-last play) I knew it was all over when John snapped back with ZONaL.
20 Dave Postal 377-452. I played ArIGHTED (78)* and ANEARED (79) and Dave played rEADOPT (69) and sTOOLED (66). My first bingo rack was ADEGHIT yet that rack only builds through an L to make ALIGHTED or GILTHEAD. I was correct in knowing that ARIGHT was a word, yet an adverb only. I played ArIGHTED through Dave’s r in rEADOPT.
35 bingos for me / 32 for my opponents
In spite of my 11-9 record I still finished in third place and won $50.
We went out for a late lunch at Lulu California Bistro after the tournament on Monday afternoon. Counterclockwise from right: Bruce Adams, his partner Geno, Ed Roth, his husband Bernie, Don Poulin, Dave Postal, Brian Nelson, his husband Mike, Howard Pistol, Mark, John Karris and Trip Payne.