Waugh v. Zimmerman

In lieu of going to Reno, I went out to the Baton Rouge Scrabble Club last night, like I've done for most Thursdays this summer.

Last night was memorable because I played 8 bingos in three games: 4 in the first game (MOTIVATE, CHATTING, NASTIER, BEADIEST), 3 in a row in the second (MANNErS, DIORITEs, and ADULTERY), and one more in the third (TATTLINg).

The second game was against Dave Zimmerman, who's NSA rating is 1499. I played horribly against him, except for a stretch where I played three bingos in a row. I actually had a fourth bingo, but missed it (I knew the word but forgot how to spell it). Instead I played a horrible blunder, screwed up the end game and ended up eating the Q, losing quite handily.

Luckily, I finally found a Scrabble score sheet that I like that has a place to record racks. So I thought it would be instructive to go over this game with Maven (a Scrabble game analyzer), not only to go over my mistakes, but also so I can learn how to use Maven better.

I'll start by looking at the final board. If you click on it, it will pop up in a separate window.

#1) MW: EEFHLLP HELP G8 for 18 points. (EFL) Total: 18

I went first. Maven likes PELF (EHL) G8 for 18. I guess the EHL leave is easier to use than EFL. HELP also has the W- hook (WHELP), which I knew.

I didn't know PELF however. HELP comes in second, with FELL coming in third.

DZ: CLINGER H3 for 11 points. Total: 11

I can't really analyze Dave's moves, since I don't know his rack. But I suspect that he liked this move because it played off 6 tiles, which gives a better chance of getting a blank or any other power tile.

#2) MW: EFLNNOV FOP J6 for 16 points (ELNNV) Total: 34

A horrible play given the leave. CLOVEN 3H for 24 (FN) is best. NONLIFE 5D and LIVEN 5G are not bad either.

DZ: YOW F6 for 30 points Total: 41

There's that W- hook.

#3) MW: EELNNNV -LNNV 0 points Total: 34

So with my ELNNV leave, I drew an E and and N. I saw that if there was another E out, I would have ELEVEN (wish in one hand...). The exchange wasn't a bad idea, but I even screwed that up. I should have exchanged -ELNNV, keeping -EN. I muttered to myself after the exchange when I realized what I had done.

Surprisingly, EVENLY 6A for 20 points sims 3 points better than the exchange. Perhaps there is sufficient counterplay on the double words lines to make up the difference in opening up the triple word line. Even knowing that, I doubt I would have ever played it.

DZ: RAH for 22. Total: 63

#4) MW: BEEJNSU BUNJEES 0 points

BUNGEES is good, BUNJEES* is not. What makes this an even more boneheaded play is that I supposedly know all the J 6s, and BUNJEE* is not one of them. I know that.

JUBE 9C is best. I considered JUBE L2, but I wasn't sure if I was confusing it with JEHU. I have a great knack for convincing myself that good words are bad. I blame this on playing my palm pilot too much. Because it won't let me play phoneys, I can be lazier about committing words to memory, which of course, bites me on the butt when I play on a real board.

DZ: FIERY 6B for 19 points. Total: 82

#5) MW: BEEJUNS JEE D4 for 20 points. Total: 54

Again, JUBE 9C is better: more points (31), better leave (ENS). JEE is worse because it allows the A- hook.

DZ: NOVA L6 for 23 points: Total: 105

Dave takes a 51 point lead.

#6) MW: BDEENSU BUD K9 for 16 points: Total: 70

As I put this down, I saw that it would allow for a 50+ XI play. I did it anyway. I guess I couldn't find anything else, other than VEND at 8L.

Maven likes BUSED M9 for 29. I didn't know it. BEDU is good, as well as BUNDS. Didn't know those either.

DZ: ZITS M3 for 33 TOTAL: 138

#7) MW: ?AEEENS JEE D4 for 10 Total: 80

I was lucky to draw the blank, but I couldn't find any bingos. Maven found EVANESCE 3B for 83. That would have been hard to find, even had I known the word. SERENADE 11E is one I could have found.

So a fishing I did go.

VANE or VENA at 8L are not bad. EAR 9G sims pretty well.

DZ: AA 3C for 15 points. Total: 153

#8) MW: ?AENNSV VAN 2A for 14 points. Total: 94

Drats! I drew the cursed V. So I went fishing again. But I did have some bingos: VANNERS and NOVENAS. I think I should be able to remember VANNERS from here on out.

DZ: UVEA A1 for 24 points. Total: 177

Dave takes advantage of an opportunity to dump some vowels.

So at the end of 8 turns, its a certifiable 83 point butt-spanking. My highest play is 20 points, and I haven't even broken 100. For shame Mike Waugh.

Here's the board at that point.

#9: MW: ?AEMNNS MANNErS M9 for 82 Total: 176

That rack is bingo gold. Other ones include: MANNOSE, NEWSMAN, SANDMEN, LENSMAN. In one turn I nearly doubled my score.

Maven says that I picked the right play, even if it opens a 3x3 lane.

DZ: POTIONS 15G for 30 points. Total: 207

He blocks the 3x3 lane.

#10) MW: ?DEIORT DIORITEs C5 for 63 points. Total: 237

I got a lucky draw after the bingo. I tend to think that and ?ER with any two different vowels and two low point consonants will make a bingo.

However, it took me too long to find something here. I came up with DIORITES because I know DIORITE as a probable singleton. I wasn't sure if it took an S or not. EDITORs should have been obvious; it would have scored a little more and would have been better defensively.

Other bingos: TRIODES, PERIDOT, OUTRIDDEN, DOLERITE, EROTIZED.

DZ: BIRK 8A for 45 points. Total: 252

So after I take the lead, Dave takes it right back. My bingo only netted me 18 points.

#11) MW: ADLRTUY ADULTERY 13H for 64 points. Total: 301

I'm proud of this natural 8. But looking at the alphagram, I guess it's a pretty easy word to find, since most of the letters are in place. But that makes 3 bingos in a row. Maybe I don't suck after all.

DZ: WYES 12O for 42 points. Total: 294

Again Dave is able to find a high scoring short word to stay in the hunt.

(to be continued)