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Team USA: Next player, Previous player.

Brian Cappelletto

[photo of Cappelletto] Brian Cappelletto, a 30-year-old options trader from Chicago, is the reigning North American champion. He placed 10th at the 1997 WSC in Washington, D.C.

[15-003] [24-009] [24-010] [25-015]
Round 1. Cappelletto plays Andrew Fisher of Great Britain. In 1997, Cappelletto beat Fisher 452-356.
Cappelletto lost to Fisher 317-513, and is now in 93rd place, 0-1 -196.
Round 2. Cappelletto loses again, to Australia's John Holgate, 415-428. Brian should have challenged John's TETANOUS*. He moves up though to 92nd place (it was a close loss), and is now 0-2 -209. His opponent writes:
By a twist of fate Cappelletto (USA's top rated player and national champion) had also lost by 198 (to Andrew Fisher).

Brian started off with two bonus words - MELANGE and SUITCASE - and a 40-point X play. By midgame I was 142 behind on a tight board. Then I found ANGINOSE around an I and 72 for JIZ. I was still 70 behind with a few tiles left and TETANUS on my rack. I laid down TETANOUS* around an O for 60 something. Strangely Brian didn't challenge. Was he thinking of TETANOID or TITANOUS? I scraped home by 13 points. Such was my surpise I nearly challenged his out play of LENS - surely LEN (like KEV* and DES*) is spelt with a capital...

Round 3. Cappelletto loses his third straight game, to Selwyn Lobo of the U.A.E, 404-557. Brian was out-bingoed PRESIDER (158), ATINGLE, DEBATING, OREGANO to his ECURIES. He's now in 97th place, 0-3 -362.
Round 4. Cappelletto wins his first game, 502-249 vs. Romania's Caitlin-Eugen Caba. He climbs to 79th place, 1-3 -109.
Round 5. Cappelletto wins again, 513-355 against Ricardo Gonzalez of Saudi Arabia. His spread is now positive, and he's in 58th place, 2-3 +49.
Round 6. Cappelletto continues his comeback, beating Sri Lankan Naween Fernando 392-315, and is now in 42nd place, 3-3 +126. An onlooker reports the late game:
At this moment, 2 points separate Brian Cappelletto (US) and Naween Fernando (Sri Lanka) on Table 30. Two tiles (E & S) left in the bag. Brian plays off a single W and next turn plays out on the bottom row with LIF(T)MEN.
Round 7. Cappelletto wins a 4th consecutive game against Howard Warner of New Zealand, 454-405. He's back up to 29th place, 4-3 +75.
Round 8. Cappelletto ends his day on a 5-game winning streak, with a 454-331 win against fellow countryman Bob Lipton. This brings him up to 19th place, 5-3 +298.
Round 9. Cappelletto lost to Femi Awowade (NI) 479-493. Cappelletto is now #31, with a record of 5-4 +284.
Round 10. Cappelletto won against Alec Webb (UK) 441-301. Cappelletto is now #20, with a record of 6-4 +424.
Round 11. Cappelletto won against Joe Edley (US) 417-319. Cappelletto is now #13, with a record of 7-4 +522.
Round 12. Cappelletto won against Ron Tiekert (US) 449-422. Cappelletto is now #9, with a record of 8-4 +549.
Round 13. Cappelletto lost to Adam Logan (CA) 389-460. Cappelletto is now #15, with a record of 8-5 +478.
Round 14. Cappelletto won against Trevor Hovelmeier (ZA) 426-401. Cappelletto is now #13, with a record of 9-5 +503. Hovelmeier was happy to play non-bingo CORNFED$.
Round 15. Cappelletto won against Odette Rio (PH) 428-399. Cappelletto is now #11, with a record of 10-5 +532.
Round 16. Cappelletto won against David Boys (CA) 456-342. Cappelletto is now #6, with a record of 11-5 +646. Cappelletto bingo-ed BROMIZE.
Round 17. Cappelletto won against Adam Logan (CA) 415-353. Cappelletto is now #3, with a record of 12-5 +708.
Round 18. Cappelletto won against John Luebkemann (US) 438-345. Cappelletto is now #2, with a record of 13-5 +801.
Round 19. Cappelletto won against Mark Nyman (UK) 456-403. Cappelletto is now #1, with a record of 14-5 +854. Nyman played CATHOOD#, which does mean "the state of being a cat or having the nature of a cat."
Round 20. Cappelletto lost to Joel Wapnick (CA) 379-474. Cappelletto is now #3, with a record of 14-6 +759. Here's the game. 
At Table 1, Joel Wapnick (Canada) has won 
over Brian Cappelletto (United States):

Annotated game:

BC: AGOIKT?    8G   KO       12   12
JW: BONNYP?    9F   BONY     23   23
BC: AGITOR?    10I  ARGOTIc  66   78
JW: PN?LOTX    11K  OX       33   56
BC: DODIIYO    12I  DIDY     49  127
JW: PN?LTZP    exch PLTPZ     0   56
BC: IOOVAET    10B  VITAE    24  151
JW: N?TEEEA    06   ANTECEdE 68  124
BC: OOTREAI    N2   OORIE    19  169
JW: AEEUSZT    M3   ZEA      50  174
BC: TAPPTCW    1L   WATT     39  208
JW: EUSTFMS    14   FUMETS   45  219
BC: PPCSUNR    4I   CUPPER   24  232
JW: SAEAILS    15G  ALIASES  88  307
BC: SNREIFA    D6   FAINTERS 74  306
JW: OCHDGLR    8A   LOGIC    24  331
BC: MBQRWJN    11C  NEW      24  330
JW: HDRRULI    M7   HURT     12  343
BC: QRJMBEH    J3   JUBE     15  345
JW: DRLIING    C1   RIDGLING 82  425
BC: HMRQLEV    2B   QI       22  367
JW: UADNEIO    K3   OPINED   35  460
BC: HMRLEV     13A  HEMS     18  385
JW: UA         4C   GAU       8  468
JW:                +VRL      +6  474
BC:                -VRL      -6  379
Round 21. Cappelletto lost to Nigel Richards (NZ) 344-441. Cappelletto is now #6, with a record of 14-7 +662.
Round 22. Cappelletto won against John Holgate (AU) 492-379. Cappelletto is now #3, with a record of 15-7 +775. Brian needs to win both of his remaining games to have a good chance of getting into the finals. Nice play this round: TRISTEZA$. Holgate writes:
Brian Cappelletto wwas my opponent in Round 22. Three wins could still get mne into the final. However, Brian played an early bonus with TRISTEZA. I played REVISOR underneath exposing a DWS. He relied with 72 for REVISORY and YUNX. Ouch. I drew a P for PREVISORY* but Brian played TAWPIE/ PREVISORY* for 52. Amazed that he also had a P I failed to challenge!. My Round Two TETANOUS* had come back to haunt me. Cappelletto found the brilliant DATELINED through a separate A and I then played RIALTOS. I replied with CONTROLE for 72 but still lost by 113. Now my fate was sealed.
Round 23. Cappelletto lost to Andrew Fisher (UK) 361-366. Cappelletto is now #8, with a record of 15-8 +770. He's out of the running for the finals.
Round 24. Cappelletto lost to Andrew Cook (UK) 350-409. Cappelletto finishes #11, with a record of 15-9 +711.

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