This would probably not interest you regular 20secondslapse readers/authors, but I had to post it somewhere, and between this and my badminton blog, this seemed the more appropriate place.
So I woke up t 5:30am to catch a taxi, a bus and a 40 minute train to some ulu place that seemed like 100KM south of Brisbane. After arriving, I realized that I was early, and had to wait outside the doors before they were opened. The next one hour was spent trying to organize the tables, food, registrations, before the Queensland Scrabble State Championships could begin.
Game 1: Lorraine
The game started neck to neck before I spotted JeOPARDY through a R. She then immediately struck back with a bingo, two over 50 power tile scores, and another bingo in 4 consecutive moves to throw me way behind. Spent 15 minutes on the last move trying to find a place for my MUNNIES, but the board was too blocked up. Eventually lost 409-340. Definitely not the start I intended.
Game 2: Rita
The benefit of losing the first game is that you get thrown way down the King of the Hill rankings, and get paired against a weaker player for the second and third rounds. Got SALTIER to win 362-251.
Game 3: Carol
She started off strongly, leading by 50 points all the way until she had to change and I put down AlIMONY. She retaliated with SQUIRMS to pull slightly ahead, but I finished strongly with NIXE (47) to clinch the game by 319-309.
Game 4: Trish
She is the highest rated player in our division, I am told. So logically, I should play conservative and block. For whatever reason, I decided gung ho open up, and for whatever reason, this worked so superbly I got the highest score of the tournament. I score big with BEADIER (78), TRADERS (75), ANTIsERA (82), supported by ZOA (40), DEX (49) and JUTE (40) to win 482-229.
At this stage it was lunch, and I had a feeling the tile faerie will reverse my luck.
Game 5: Erika
At this stage, I was playing the leader, Erika. I was told that she was the second highest rated player in my division, and she was ‘damn good’. No fear, I play gung ho like the previous game. And gung ho it was. Two successive bingos ThRONED and STONIER put me ahead by 100 points, but her power tiles in the late game managed to pull her close. I eventually won 373-351.
Game 6: Sharon
After dislodging the leader, I played the other leader in our division. It was a tight game all the way, with no bingos, but I eventually lost 372-355.
Game 7: Wendy
Notice a trend here how all my opponents seem to be women? At this stage I had a slight fever, but ploughed on bravely. Her two successively bingos and power tiles took her 200 points ahead of me by the 6th move, but I never gave up and kept smiling. The tournament organizers gave me a gift for continuously smiling even though I was 200 points down. My spectacular comeback did materialize however, with my bingo STAINER and SATIRES and stinker XI, but her powerful outplay but her firmly out of my reach. Lost 397-353, but earned the praise of many for not giving up :D.
During the break, when Glenys Logan called the tile fairy a ‘bitch’, I wholeheartedly concurred.
Game 8: Jeanette
Another woman continues my spectacular collapse. She bingoed early on with SEQUOIa (94) and extended it to SEQUOIAS with her JUTES to score (52) in the next turn. Desperately trying to save the game, she pulled ahead with another bingo which scored her 68 points. Lost the game 462-338.
From 4-1 to 4-4. From near first place to god knows where. Fucking brilliant.
Game 9: Trevor
Finally, a guy. This Trevor was extremely friendly and funny. When I opened with JOCKS for 52, he commented: and I thought this was going to be a friendly game. At this stage I was extremely exhausted, and just opened the board and powered my way through, much to the dismay of Trevor. Got LENDERS and RAZED for 65 and 45 respectively. However, when I noticed that he was keeping a blank, and although I did not tile track, had the feeling he was going to attempt to outplay me by a bingo, I closed up all the openings that I opened. I think he noticed that too, and tried to open up. I did it just in time to prevent him from outplaying with a SEAGIT? Rack, to win 397-280.
And you thought the excitement for the day stopped there. Of course not. Exhausted, I took the 40 minute train back to Brisbane. On the train, I met an extremely cute Korean girl that attempted conversation. You know Victor is very exhausted when he doesn’t make a conscious effort to try to flirt with a woman, especially one who likes the music of Big Bang. Fell asleep on the train, but was woken up by the nice Korean girl when the train reached my station.
At the railway station, I was supposed to wait 30 minutes for a bus, but decided to hail a cab. After 10 minutes of failed hailing of a cab, I finally called the taxi company to send a cab my way (for a 2 dollar surcharge: I initially wanted to save the 2 dollars…stingy university students ma…). On my way back to my unit, I suddenly had diarrhea and had to stop at a toilet on the way back.
And now I am typing this on my 40 minute train ride to my second day of the Queensland State Championships – This tournament is certainly shaping up to be the most eventful of all tournaments I have ever been to!
Am typing this just after I’ve missed my train and have to wait 30 minutes for the next one.
Game 10: Svendt
He puts the first bingo down, DEcORATE for 72 before I retaliate with PaLMERS for 75. We then trade power tile moves with ZEA for 48 and DIX for 40. My SOLVITE* got challenged off, and he bingos the next move. Lose 422-325. Definitely not the start I want.
Game 11: Arnold
I open with 3 unusable (literally) racks when he powers tiles his way to a 50 point lead. I eventually pull back with a 78 point bingo. When he challenged it and I got up, I accidently saw that he had a J on his rack. The next move, he tried to bingo futilely with a word without J. My suspicion is that he is keeping tiles. Win eventually by trapping him with both Vs (351-301).
Game 12: Anne
My karma in this game was at its all time low. She bingos 4 times, got all power tiles to win 421-330. I managed to bingo once, but was too depressed to write it down.
At this point I am 6-6 and I am depressed. But then the most extraordinary this happens.
Game 13: Keith
I feel bad for bullying this man by time pressuring him. His score got deducted by 40 as a result of the time penalty. I, on the other hand, got NAILERS, EXIDE and AZON for 72, 50 ad 48 to win comfortably by 384-236.
Game 14: Anne
I was drawn against the player with the least wins in my division as a result of the no repeat rule. She applies a brilliant strategy of restricting my (perceived) bingo power, but I eventually manage to win by trapping her with the Q and both Vs by 308-268.
Game 15: Noni
Noni is the leader and eventual winner of this tournament. She has been undefeated all day, and played an open game, much to my delight. I open with GLEANERS and ENTAILED for 71 and 70 respectively to bring my score to 223-106 after round 4. I follow up with VoTings for 83 to defeat her for the first time today at 435-390.
Game 16: Sharon
That’s right, the same Sharon from day 1. Everyone was asking me to ‘kick her arse’… Apparently she is not too popular over here. I bingo with ANTIAiR and ARRESTS to win 437-252.
Game 17: Trish
This is the same Trish from day 1 whom I beat by 250+ points. When she found out she had got me, she cried in dismay. I told her that it would be a good time for her to exact her revenge. Apparently the tile gods liked me better. My ZO, WAILeRS and XI managed to get 69,72 and 53 points respectively for me to win by 483-298.
I ended up at 4th place, but could have gotten 2nd place if Noni won her last game and Trevor lost his last game. So I go home empty handed and nearly broke. Mission failed.
One note about the players in division 2: Division 2 players in Australia are not as ‘easy’ as division 2 players in Malaysia. Don’t pray pray with them! They are extremely lethal with very impressive word knowledge/strategy. But I was glad I was able get from 6-6 to 11-6 with sweeping wins. The average age of the players on the other hand, is perhaps 4 times mine.
In the masters division, Chris May amazingly won 16/17 games to beat a strong field of Joanne Craig, Bob Jackman, Olga Visser to the title.
Number of bingos: 24 (Average 1.4 per game)
Average points scored each game: 355
Average points per move: 21.4
I think those are OK statistics.
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