I won two out of three last night to take my record to 8-1:
389-351 against Trevor. Both of my wins were against players who took a wide lead at the beginning of the game. I wasn’t discouraged as the game can turn around yet it isn’t always easy to think that way when you keep drawing drek. I played ESTIVAL (99) and Trevor played NUTSIER (74) and LeARNER (70). I could have won by a bigger margin had I seen the playable bingo in AAELNU? The 7LW had to underlap a Y and while cANULAE and LAcUNAE are also bingos, only ALUmNAE would have fit. With a rack of clumsy consonants after Trevor played NUTSIER I used his U to play DUFFY (38)* which I knew was phony. Trevor held me on it but let it go. I can reason that had he challenged it and been unsuccessful, he may not have had the chance to play his second consecutive bingo, LEaRNER. However in giving me the 38 points I managed to unclutter my rack and I found myself with AEILSTV, which I played on the right TWS row, pluralizing LEaRNER and getting the V on the DLS.
367-386 against Max Panitch. I played NEUrOID (64) and Max played GLEAMIER (62).
462-331 against Steve. Steve took a huge lead and at one point the score was 212-109 in his favour. I played BESTEAd (94), TRANCES (92) and PURINEs (75). Steve played REAVOWED (75). My bingo with my final rack (I went out with it) had to place the P in first, second or third position and I saw UPRIsEN, the anagram of PURINEs, but wasn’t 100% sure of it. It was the only 7LW that would have stretched to a DWS, however. I shouldn’t have doubted myself, because UPRIsEN occurred to me the moment I found PURINEs. I had set up the play NAGGY (20) hoping to front-hook it with an S along the left TWS row. My rack was ABEEST? and while I saw numerous 7LW, I wanted to slot the B on the DLS such that the S was two places after it. I am glad that I found the only two words: BESTEAd and the oddball newie plural TABESEs. I held the rack AFIOPSS which makes no 7LW yet builds through an H to make the only 8LW, SOAPFISH. I also held EFINORT which would have played through an open C yet missed INFECTOR.