Strategy Medium
5C H(A)ME +29
This actually isn't paranoid nor confident enough and there are some really unlucky things that can happen here. The play here is HEM 14m, as there's no 3x3s, you have a pretty much guaranteed score, if Jackson blocks it's game over, and if he plays/bingos elsewhere you can get 50. Yes, losing here requires some horrible draws, but this just doesn't prepare well enough. #strategymedium
Kenji Matsumoto vs. Jackson Smylie (Game 38964)
Strategy Small
K5 MIS +23
Tough move here. My hope was that reparalleling MIS with ISO would help me open more of the board on subsequent turns, but particularly blocky AMIS hooks like the one Vince played are bad news. Sim actually prefers LIS slightly over MIS on that basis, allowing many fewer points per turn to Vince by allowing fewer hooks and less lucrative plays down the L column. #strategysmall
Vince Castellano vs. Will Anderson (Game 34595)
Strategy Small
L1 MICS +48
I could go for more bingos with MOMS, which sims best. MOCS keeps a better leave overall, but I wanted to keep the O for the 8 row, which I realized might be not so important, as many other vowels are lurking. This seems like a small mistake #strategysmall
Barry Keith vs. Joshua Sokol (Game 42664)
Finding Large
12D AXE +0 (Lost challenge)
big miss, ANNEXES, surprisingly I get a chance to play ANNEXES a little later too.
don't know why I thoughty ADA was good.
#findingSADDEST #knowledgeSADDEST
Danielle Barker vs. Wayne Clifford (Game 33586)
Finding Large
E5 RE(V)ERTS +40
just dropping the D with M3 (WEAL)D is best here. Thought I'd be OK most often after this. But still a lot of game to be played. #findinglarge
Betzy Collins vs. Joshua Sokol (Game 39723)
Knowledge Large
H1 BLED +32
not sure enough of BLAWED (and i really should be because i know BLAW is a verb, but maybe its only past tense is BLAWN, who knows). but whatever, this wins. -9 #knowledgelarge
John Karris vs. Cesar Del Solar (Game 35453)
Tactics Large
C3 QI +25
wow this is awful! I def overestimated EEESX and underestimated EIQ. Us are out, I have QI as backup, and QUIN? plays at the bottom right can hit hard. M1 EXES looks like the play here. I also didn't realize K6 QI is better than this cause I set up EXES next turn for 51!! well worth the 2 point sacrifice, but EXES still kills that in a sim #tacticslarge
Joshua Sokol vs. Jackson Smylie (Game 35372)
Strategy Large
3M I(RE) +6
yeah so I started to get quite low on time here. The pool is extremely strong, and I thought my best chance was to bingo back. I didn't even know if that would score enough though. I don't think it does, like, at all. So this was just not a good move, since when Michael doesn't outrun with his bingo, he just blocks. I need to bite the bullet and play 15F INKED. I thought it might be giving him bingos he doesn't have, but a cursory glance shows that no, INKED doesn't give him anything new. Gotta try that. It would have won. He actually only bingos around 50% of the time. #strategySADDEST
Joshua Sokol vs. Michael Fagen (Game 43590)
Knowledge Large
B1 JIN +24
poor endgame. i wan't totally sure on FLOCS so didn't want to play it first. #endgamelarge #knowledgelarge. i bled a lot of spread this tourney and it may have made some difference for the cash prizes.
Cesar Del Solar vs. Charles Reinke (Game 32706)
Strategy Medium
N6 XERIC +61
I liked this for defense, but XI bingos so much it looks like it's worth it. Especially for spread purposes it's probably the correct play, which would matter a lot later in the tournament. #strategymedium
Joel Horn vs. Mack Meller (Game 34731)
Tactics Small
exch EII +0
keeping ES is also worth thinking about. i figured that one was slightly better, but sometimes it's worth not always making the top equity play. i don't think that is a mathematically apt lemma (the top play should always be made) but i figured the difference was small enough that once in a while i like going for it. -0.5 #tacticssmall
Cesar Del Solar vs. Joel Sherman (Game 33684)
Finding Small
D11 (J)URY +28
(J)EU is nice here, keeps things quite tight and keeps a more balanced leave. This seems a bit worse since it makes things a bit easier on Rob #findingsmall
Joshua Sokol vs. Robert Goetz (Game 35857)
Vision Large
O9 RALLY +16
just with BRANG*, I was about ready to snap challenge, and the longer I took, the less I felt I should challenge. This is a huge mistake, but I still figured my best chances were holding on from this position. But I missed AR(M)Y for 39, which is too many to say no to. There is very limited risk of 7 consonants next turn being pivotal enough to lose the game, and also very minimal chance of not drawing a vowel, given the 15/10 vowel/consonant ratio. Something like 10-15%? I just missed AR(M)Y, but worse, I made this play with absolutely no clue about RALLYE, a word I know. I never saw RALLYE. This was Jackson's game to come back and win. Incredibly good pressure by him, picking at my confidence levels more and more every turn. #knowledgesaddest #visionsaddest #strategysaddest #findingsaddest
Joshua Sokol vs. Jackson Smylie (Game 41797)
Strategy Medium
13H (E)CAD +30
Took a stupidly long time here and still didn't even think to look for a play like B1 OCEANID for 38. I did ECAD over other plays like DECANI in the same spot (my other primary choice) to keep IN together for -ING words down to the G of TROMPING. But the AINO leave is just too imbalanced and the pool not bingo prone enough. Just EOAN in the same spot is Quackle's pick, and if I want to keep IN together something like 2B ODA looks like a much better way to do it. #strategymedium 11:17
Will Anderson vs. Robert Linn (Game 33173)
Tactics Large
C3 GAM +18
If Andrew doesn't block along the F or E file, C7 GAM is best by far. BEGO is still there at 7B but I have to end in an E. But I think he blocks too often and I just lose. Here, I thought he can't block both bingo spots on column F and row 2. Seemed like my best shot. However, he can just play with GAME on the 6th row to block everything. So I'm kind of boned regardless. So maybe it's back to C7 GAM, since that might outrun some blocks? Maybe I just have to make a desperado play opening up row 15 such as (S)AG and go for CAMEOED or CAROMED. That also threatens DORMICE, but Andrew can probably block both lines and still win. Toughens things tho. #tacticslarge
Andrew Golding vs. Joshua Sokol (Game 38156)
Tactics Small
4C IT +19
I kept the A here to perserve the chances of drawing something that hooks AG going down on column M. A better idea is probably just QI, going for ARIETTA/ATRETIC/ITERATE/INTREAT/ARTISTE, but IT is ok too. #tacticssmall
Seth Lipkin vs. Will Anderson (Game 32815)
Strategy Small
13H (R)UNAbOUT +66
Will: Didn't notice that OUTVAUNT plays at 14F. There's already a gigantic S hook on the board so making another one isn't quite the same problem it would normally be, and OUTVAUNT doesn't open a 9x lane for Josh. #findingsmall #strategysmall
Will Anderson vs. Joshua Castellano (Game 34619)
Finding Small
I3 KEA(S) +29
I missed a rare opportunity to play KAAS here, in the same spot. #findingsmall
I'm not too worried about the C hook here, since The C is usually a word-starter and he only has 6 squares to play a word starting in C.
Joshua Sokol vs. Christopher Sykes (Game 33129)
Finding Large
10J PUNS +27
huge lowlight where I completely fail to see the possibility of a word fitting through an I in 3rd position. Andy had a 1/3 chance of winning by 2. I recounted everything after seeing a possible word there would tie. Found Andy underscoring MAW by 2, got pissed off, and was not able to see the possibility of EV(I)CTION. Horrible. Obviously, 9s may exist, and they happen not to. Terrible. #findingSADDEST
Joshua Sokol vs. Andy Hoang (Game 43837)
Tactics Small
M8 (U)P +14
i always struggle a bit with making obvious fishes like this but it seemed to work with a lot of letters, and through the A, etc. quackle prefers N1 PST for 29 or O7 PHT for 14. i think i would have played PHT if i'd thought of it. -2.5 #tacticssmall #visionsmall
Nigel Peltier vs. Cesar Del Solar (Game 32701)
Knowledge Large
2C SAVELOY +0 (Lost challenge)
Will blocked LAYOVERS, and with nothing to lose but spread, I decided to check whether HUNTABLE takes an S. O1 SYLVAE has the highest valuation. #knowledgelarge
Will Anderson vs. Alec Sjoholm (Game 32902)
Knowledge Large
7E R(A)B(I)C +15
thought it might be PREFOLIATE* but yeah, never was going to be sure of PERFOLIATE, which is best here. Dave Wiegand thought CARPETBED* was good, as did I. #knowledgesaddest
Carl Johnson vs. Joshua Sokol (Game 46180)
Tactics Large
D3 JIVE +31
suddenly, things aren't so clear. I don't remember if I missed VIN(Y)L or not. I think I really need to deal with one of the threats this turn. This seems like a tactical failure. #tacticsSADDEST
Joshua Sokol vs. Joey Mallick (Game 40795)
Strategy Medium
A12 AGUE +22
playing on the 7 row makes a lot of sense here to block X plays like RAX 7K and J/X plays making IKAT. I like 7K GAT upon reflection. I now misread my pevious indicated score of 389 as 387, so 409. instead of 417. #strategymedium
Avery Mojica vs. Joshua Sokol (Game 38198)
Strategy Large
6J B(U)RP +14
H7 VERB for 9 would have allowed the X spot to be open, although that's not a move I want to make against Mitchell. Against most other players, I might have done that as the opponent would have had to deal with the X hotspot allowing me the VERBS hook. #strategylarge
Mitchell Brook vs. Samuel Kaplan (Game 36290)
Tactics Small
H7 DEFT +16
shiiiiiit I missed FREMD. #findinglarge I was also close to exchanging here, and I think it is fine, especially cause DEFT doesn't take an S so overlaps may not leave me with much. ERST sims best, followed by EMRST then DERST then DEFT quite a bit below #tacticssmall as well for the DOUBLE FAIL!!1
Jackson Smylie vs. Doris Bourbonnais (Game 35371)
Strategy Small
8F BALM +16
Too fancy, no human is gonna let me bomb my Z after playing BALM that way. Just play NAV/VAN or LAMB in the normal spot or exchange. #strategysmall
Will Anderson vs. Carl Johnson (Game 32904)
Finding Large
D7 FOOLERs +0 (Lost challenge)
big oofs all around here, frens. 15A FOREtOL(D), 15A OvERFOL(D), 15A FORsLOE(D) 15B REFLOO(D)s all would have been fine #KNOWLEDGESADDEST #FINDINGSADDEST #VISIONSADDEST
Nitya Chagti vs. Steve Krieger (Game 39134)
Strategy Medium
3K (D)IT +10
i wanted to keep the ED for the tricky lane on row 2, and still open something. at this point my win % is so low that i don't bother too much with worrying about what my best play could be. maybe DIT just takes way too many hooks or something. quackle likes J12 TID(E) which doesn't create a new lane. however, it blocks a scoring spot for her. if i have to get lucky i might as well play the extra tile to draw for an N for ING or some crap.. who knows? scrabble is too hard. -4 #strategymedium
Lisa Odom vs. Cesar Del Solar (Game 33680)
Strategy Small
12A (C)RYPT +24
Not thrilled to open the double-double but this was by far the most palatable equity move; 7E KEPT was my other option, and Quackle prefers it slightly based on just a bit better defense. #strategysmall 17:51
Ben Schoenbrun vs. Will Anderson (Game 33172)
Finding Small
11H SHOVE +33
although SHOVE opens the board for a comeback, it increases his average by a ton since the board is otherwise dead. VE(N)OSE is nice for that, but I also like keeping the I column open for better opening plays later. GO(N)E is interesting to open the board and keep the S. I probably don't need to panic here and should play VENOSE. #findingsmall
Jackson Smylie vs. Charles Reinke (Game 33126)
Strategy Medium
10F GOOSE +19
7F GOEL# is the clear best play, as it preserves the closed position and keeps the best possible leave, including an S to hook onto AUA# or LUV. #strategymedium
Alec Sjoholm vs. Peter Armstrong (Game 37351)
Finding Large
14I VOLCAN(O) +28
sick that it still fits for even more (which means her play would still fit for even more had I made the right decision but anyways. #findingsaddest
Joshua Sokol vs. Liz Gottlin (Game 39720)
Knowledge Medium
L4 (N)oNVOCAL +63
A tiny voice in the back of my head said "NONVOCAL takes an S" and I chose to ignore it because, well, it just doesn't seen like NONVOCAL should take an S
spoiler alert: nonvocal takes an S but we both didn't know it
#knowledgesadder
Mike Baron vs. Matt Canik (Game 33084)
Knowledge Large
12E GARNETs +66
this is a very poor placement for my bingo, reminds me of playing newbs who play a blank bingo hitting nothing for 20 fewer than an actual good play. my main problem is that i just completely forgot HUMERAL took an S. if he had put an S on it i would have been like oh yeah! also, the pretty R(EH)EATING is available, and should be eminently findable by me. even BERATiNG is a ton better. i suppose i was trying to play defense, if one was to assume HUMERAL didn't take an S, my move might be defensible compared to BERATING. in any case, i'm very likely to win this game now no matter what, but i should learn the words better. #knowledgelarge -22
Cesar Del Solar vs. Jackson Smylie (Game 32702)
Tactics Small
12A BARF(S) +26
My issues evaluating V-containing leaves continue. FAVES is the better option; it scores 4 more than BARFS and bingos approximately 1% more without yielding any higher opp. avg. score. #tacticssmall
Will Anderson vs. Joshua Sokol (Game 32895)
Tactics Medium
13K NEG +12
13I ENTER might be correct here. I inferred he had the last D so I thought setting up an S he was less likely to have was the way to go. Could be led to believe otherwise. My bingo is also unlikely to get me there after NEG, so I should be scoring. #tacticsmedium
Thomas Reinke vs. Joshua Sokol (Game 33143)
Vision Small
9D HIYA +28
Not bad in terms of opening up, but 9F HAY is a little safer. I will get X parallels more often next turn and Joel would have to open up for cheaper on his next move. #visionsmall
Samuel Kaplan vs. Joel Horn (Game 36488)
Strategy Large
10I (W)HANG +20
9H (ZA)G actually sims best here. Really cool fish. I was unsure of THANGS and would rather have played THANGS or (T)HANG over this. #strategylarge #knowledgesaddest
Noah Walton vs. Joshua Sokol (Game 48346)