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Back to 2005 Canadian National SCRABBLE® Championship Live Coverage

2005 Canadian National SCRABBLE® Championship Commentary: Final Round 1

Congratulations to the first-ever two-time Canadian Champion, Adam Logan!

Go to: Registration, Round 1, Round 2, Round 3, Round 4, Round 5, Round 6, Round 7, Round 8, Round 9, Round 10, Round 11, Round 12, Round 13, Round 14, Round 15, Round 16, Round 17, Round 18, Final Round 1, Final Round 2, Final Round 3, Final Round 4, After the Finals.

Finals 1

Adam and Tony shake hands in their room and begin their first finals game.

John Stardom is doing paper annotation while Kristen Chew handles the computer for Adam Logan (United Kingdom). Mad Palazzo handles paper annotation while Rebecca Sobel works the computer for Tony Leah (Ajax ON). Both annotator laptops are at an angle to John Chew's laptop at the very end of the table.

I take one or two quick picks and then am banished out of the room with the rest. I hear the fire doors click behind me and then the next set of fire doors click and then the doors to the playing room, also large and metal click. We in the viewing room are three heavy doors away from the players.

Robin is now at the front of the big board room and we are working at the rough edges of getting the game going in here.

I catch this game in progress. It is now 208-135, Adam's lead. I'm told that in the playing room, Tony is taking his time tracking his tiles, methodically, in a relaxed and careful manner.

In the playing room, Robin has interesting input. She says that she's been watching Adam's games on the web site throughout this championship (since his have been the most frequently featured) and she knows that he isn't into the one or two tile playoff style. He is going to play a lot of tiles.

Robin is suggesting 8s, COROTATE someone suggests.

Robin asks if the gallery thinks that Tony is worried about Adam's word knowledge.

After Adam plays TAROT, the score 266-164 and Robin thinks that Tony is in trouble this game.

There are between 30 and 40 players in the viewing room for game 1.

With AAEGHII, the audience agrees with Tony for passing all but the E. Some suggest he should have maybe kept the H.

The players like Adam's next play of CLOT.

Holding ACEINOU, the gallery is suggesting JOUNCE. Robin has a feeling he is going to play JOY. Robin suggests he play ENJOY to open up the board in a dramatic way. When they hear that Tony played JO, they don't liked it so much. Adam holds ADGHSTZ and plays HAZY. Agreement on the play.

Tony holds ACENSUU and Robin suggests he is now struggling for not having a more open board. Agreement that he has to lose a U. Craig Rowland (Mississauga ON) suggests UH, creating an A hook above HAZY. Tony plays UNAU. The crowd loves it, Zev Kaufman (Toronto ON) says it is beautiful, but Robin doesn't like it.

Adam plays DUSTING, keeping an S through the U in Tony's triple line opening play.

Tony has ACEEERS. David Boys (Dorval QC) suggests ACE/AID/CRESTING/EX. Tony played TREE/EMU/EYE and the players like the R and D hooking possibilites.

Adam holds AABHST?. The crowd instantly sees and shouts out BHAkTAS, which is what Adam plays. Robin says that the game is pretty sewn up now. 431-213, score now.

Robin wondered if Tony challenged, everyone says he wouldn't as he would know it, but she says she would have challenged out of desperation, even though she knows it!

Tony now holds AACEORS. David suggests ROACHES to end the game quickly. We laugh. Tony plays OCA, saving AERS, which makes sense.

Adam now holds ADILLN?, with the game's second blank. John Chew, running Maven in the playing room suggests NAILfOLD, which no one in the gallery found. Robin found it when I gave her the blank F.

The room is suprised when Adam plays LANOID*, which goes unchallenged.

This game ends 475-278.

Adam Logan (United Kingdom) beats Tony Leah (Ajax ON) 475-248. See recorded game.

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