I only played two games last week and won one and lost one, to take my record to 89-15:
382-357 against Sid. Both bingos came very late in the game. Sid played SANiCLES (60) and I bingoed out with SWIFTER (100) to win, after being behind (before the bingo) 266-357.
I sat out game #2.
319-356 against Chris Lo. The game started so promising with my first draw of AIJOP?? but I could never get a decent rack–or, more importantly, see any of the bingos I already had. As I drew my first seven tiles, I saw the possibility of playing the fantasy word JIPIJAPA, but I was going first. I drew an O, so even if I was going second, that tropical plant would have to wait for another game. JIPIJAPA, by the way, stands at 31598 out of a possible 31736 8LW. I opened with AJI (20). My first rack produces no 7LW yet three eights, only one of which I could see immediately: JAPOnIca. The other two are JAlOPIes and POpInJAy. I knew the other two, and it was likely I would have seen JALOPIES, but since I was playing first I didn’t give 8LW any thought. Chris responded through my I with FILCHING (68). From then on it was a series of the clunkiest racks–even while holding both blanks. I had BEOPV??, which makes only one 7LW, PrOVErB, which came early in the game and would have fit. I should have seen it, but BPV with two blanks looks hideous. The only 8LW with that rack are PrOVaBlE and PrOVErBs. I broke up the clunky VP and then drew into BHINW?? which makes no 7LW and only three 8LW: BroWNIsH, the flashy WHIzBaNg and WIsHBoNe. I was hesitant to play my H since I wanted to use it to front-hook AJI. I gave it up to flank the A in AJI to play HWAN (18) and then picked BIPRT?? Had I not foolishly challenged YEOW (23) I would have had a spot for BaPTIzER through the E in YEOW, or either PRoBITs or PRoBITy, but the best play would have been to slot the R further down and play BIPaRTy. I didn’t see that, however if I let YEOW go, then down goes my bingo. Instead, I lost a turn and Chris played his second bingo through the O in YEOW, VIGNERON (64), which took away my bingo chances. I then went to rack extremes: too many vowels then too many consonants: one rack was BIIOU?? and I saw BIlIOUs but there was noplace to play it. That rack also makes nIOBIUm. I later held BDLLN?? and saw neither BLaNDLy nor BLiNDLy, but that was moot as I had to find a 7LW that started with an A or E to slot to the left of an L. An E was available if it was in fourth or fifth position, so any of the possible 8LW with that rack wouldn’t have fit (haNDBELL, LeNDaBLE, uNBiLLED or wiNDBELL). After un-doubling my D’s to play DIB (15) to open the left TWS row, I picked another D. I was finally able to play through that infixed E, making cONCEDeD (66), which is the only 8LW that fits.