I won all three last night so my record so far is 11-1:
422-288 against Jonathan. I played COWRIES (79) and got 63 for ZA / ZEN. Jonathan played HAULINg (66). In spite of the score I struggled through this game at the beginning, picking seven of the nine I’s, where on two occasions I had three of them on my rack at the same time. In successive plays I made IXIA (27) followed by DIVINg (22, using the blank g Jonathan had played).
423-392 against Steve. We each opened with a bingo. Steve started the game with DUNGIER (72) and with my first draw of ELNPR?? I tried to find a DWS-DWS through the U, provided it was slotted in the fourth or fifth position. It is hard sometimes to work with both blanks and while I saw plenty of DWS bingos, I could not find any of the five that would yield a four-timer. They are: PENdULaR, PRELUNch, PuRULENt, REPLUNge and uNPURELy. I ended up making PRUNELle (66) since the blanks wouldn’t give Steve any new letters to build through. However if I was only able to find a DWS bingo through the U I wish I had found the flashiest one of all: kERPLUNk. I also played TENTIER (73). Steve was behind and opened the board up by playing OUT (4). With the remaining tile pool I thought that he must be holding the L to make LOUT. My rack at the time was ADEIORS, and I saw RADIOES / DOUT but didn’t play it because I had a moment of doubt where I didn’t think OUT took a front D. I thought Steve must be setting up a play with an L for LOUT. (ROADIES, by the way, wouldn’t fit there.) So I played SAROD / ZEROS (35) and then drew the L. I wondered then why Steve would have made such a dinky play as OUT if he didn’t have the only front hook for it at the time. He then played VIDS / DOUT (29) which sent my mind on a whirl because I was now faced with the same word that could have allowed me to play RADIOES. After agonizing about it for only a few seconds I let it go, since I could play LIEVE (24) right after. This game was a lesson on how important it is to review one’s 4LW, or at least the 3-to-make-4’s, as I had totally forgotten that OUT took a front D.
364-340 against Peter H. I played TRAINEE (70) and Peter played ASTErIA (74). I tried to pluralize his bingo along the TWS with CRONEYS (97)* which he challenged off. I was ahead at that time and thought I could take a chance on it. Had I shied away from such a high-scoring play, only to discover that it was acceptable, I know I would have been more upset than having it challenged off. My rack of CENORSY makes no 7LW but only three 8LW: CRYOGENS, CYNOSURE and NECROPSY. I challenged ERUVs unsuccessfully, which I didn’t know was an acceptable plural. I thought that the only plural of ERUV was ERUVIM.