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NSC 2002 Commentary: Round 23

Congratulations to our new National Champion, Joel Sherman!

See also: video clip 1 (2 MB), video clip 2 (2 MB). (video courtesy Roger Cullman)

Go to: Before the Tournament, Round 3, Round 4, Round 5, Round 6, Round 7, Round 8, Round 10, Round 11, Round 12, Round 13, Round 14, Round 15, Round 16, Round 17, Round 18, Round 19, Round 20, Round 21, Round 23, Round 24, Round 25, Round 26, Round 27, Round 28, Round 29, Round 30, Round 31, After the Tournament.

Round 23

Gregg Foster (Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA) has won four in a row in Division 2. He got away with CANDYMEN* this game, but confesses that he accepted his oppoent's play of SLANTERS*, which is also phoney.

I wander by Division 1 and see Jan Dixon (Wilmington, DE) play GITANOS/HETARES*. The play was challenged by Ron Hoekstra (Kentwood, MI) and it came off the board. While he was waiting for the ruling, I noticed his tiles arranged to read DEEPFOG.

Talk about phonies! Rich Baker (Westhampton Beach, NY) got away with DORVE* in Division 1 and his opponent, Steve Tier (Rego Park, NY) didn't see it until Rich pointed it out. He mistakenly transposed the letters when he put them down. At their board, Steve played OUTRANGE from theO for 68, TORTURE for 65, and the nice NONVITAL from the NO. (It wasn't a bingo, but it sure cleaned up his rack! Rich got down EsPOUSER through the U for an 86-point double-double and the fun ZYDECO play from the Z for 21. Another nice rack cleaner! Both agree that Rich's late-game play of TUNNeLER to the R for 70 was what clinched it for Rich, 445-399.

As I pass by table 7 in Division 3, I watch Joan Brown, word judge, take two challenges. One in a game between Stephen Dennis (Atlanta, GA) and Tina Udelson (Los Angeles, CA) for AEROS* and another in a game between Su Edwards (Cambridge ON) and James Abbott (Vernon Hills, IL) for GORENS*. Both plays were ruled unacceptable and the games resumed.

Oh, in late-breaking sports results news: the Padres defeated the Braves, 6-2, at last night's game. Mark Milan (San Juan Capistrano, CA) said more than 50 of them were there. He showed me one photo from his digital camera of the SCRABBLE^® players watching the game with a laptop on one person's lap. And on the laptop? Computer SCRABBLE^®, of course! They never take a break, do they?

John and Kristen Chew were out for a late dinner last night. Their waitress was bouncing with excitement because she had waited on Brian Cappelletto (Chicago, IL), the World SCRABBLE^® Champion, earlier that evening. Some people know a real celebrity when they see one!

Lois Greene (Dayton, OH) brings me to her board in Division 5 where she defeated Rita Mayes (Elizabethtown, KY), 517-315. Rita played NAILERs, and Lois excitedly pointed out her four bingos: BANDITS for 82, ERASION for 72, GALAXIES to the S for 68, and ROUsTED for 86. She says she doesn't think she'll be having a game like this again any time soon.

At board 1 in Division 6, Edgar Thomas (Cambridge, MA) defeated Dielle Saldanha (Richmond BC), 417-390. They sheepishly point out two phoneys on their board: BAIDING* and WENG*, but I assure them that phoneys are on many boards! Dielle played STeNToR for 62, and FAINTED. Edgar got down GUINEAS and COTTERS. Dielle still leads the Division by one game, 19-4 +1583, and Edgar is now in 5th place at 17-6 +587.

At nearby table 3 in Division 6, I hear a groan, see a head fall into a set of hands, and a "I think you got me" expel out of Jesse Cromer (Waxhaw, NC). In a tight game, Jesse tried to play out with LUTI*. Not liking it much at all, Geoff Tongue (Tacoma, WA) challenged. As soon as Jesse heard the challenge called, he knew he'd made a mistake. The play came up and Geoff went out to win the game, 377-362. Checking out their board, I see Geoff's DEVaLuES for 79 and Jessie's RAPINES for 79. They shook hands at the end and their good sportsmanship radiated out and warmed us all. I know that sounds corny, but it's true.

Across the room in Division 1, Adam Logan (Berkeley, CA) defeated Joey Mallick (Cape Elizabeth, ME), 432-349. Joey played THREAPED through the last E and WANgLER while Adam got down OULEARN. I noticed that Joey, who wasn't at the table, had left out a list of his racks that game. So I took a picture. They weren't pretty!

Sam Kantimathi (El Dorado Hills, CA) flags me down to tell me about his favorite Division 1 play today against Randy Hersom (Morganton, NC). Randy opened with FLY and through that Y, with a rack of ?PERHEP, Sam found HYPERoPE!

Behind the Division 1 curtain, Joel Sherman (Bronx, NY) defeated David Weisberg (Hollywood, FL), 450-441. The game was very close thoughout. David played UNFAIRER and THRENODE. Joel played TOASTIER, EUGENIST, and TROWELeD.

Patricia Barrett (Houston, TX) defeated Komol Panyasoponlert (Thailand) this round by two points, 412-410. They were doing a recount, which later was upheld. I see iNVEIGlED on their board.

Dave Wiegand (Portland, OR) defeated David Weisberg (Hollywood, FL), 439-368, in Division 1. Dave got down ALPHoRNS through the P for 74 and ARGENTAL for 60. David told me he was hanging in and then got down SLOSHED for 83, which put him in the lead. In the end, though, Dave got the second blank and bingoed from the K on the triple line: KERATOiD for 91. David managed to stick Dave with the Q, but it was only a bit of spread help.

Division 6's John Jacobsen (Fairfield, CT) walks up to tell us about his last game. Earlier in the tournament, he lost to Terry Kang (Philadelphia, PA), 328-370 when she managed to find mISTIMED to the D to bingo out. This round, he got his revenge opening with three consecutive bingos: SOIGNEE, IRONERS, and DENTILs, adding a fourth ROTATINg to go on to a 530-197 win.

We end this round with Joel Sherman (Bronx, NY) two games up on the field in Division 1, 19-4. Sal Dijamco (Margate, FL) is one game up on division 2 with a 18-5 record. Dorcas Wallace (Bethel Park, PA) tops Division 3, 17-6 +1172 (she has two ties!). Two games up in Division 4 is Norbert Saldanha (Richmond BC), 19-4 +1781. Two games up in Division 5 is Scott McDougall (Williamsburg, VA), 20-3 +1170. One game up on Division 6 is Dielle Saldanha (Richmond BC), 19-4 +1583.