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Back to 2005 National SCRABBLE® Championship Live Coverage

2005 National SCRABBLE® Championship Commentary: Round 1

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Go to: Anagrams Championship, Before the Tournament, 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, Round 19, Round 20, Round 21, Round 22, Round 23, Round 24, Round 25, Round 26, Round 27, Round 28, Final Round 1, Final Round 2, Final Round 3, Final Round 4, Final Round 5.

Round 1

The pairing program we are again using this year was written by Jeff Widergren (Los Gatos, CA) and it is designed to keep players within a few seats of each other within each session, which is good for monitoring belongings. As with other events, the NSA is providing wonderful wooden boards and racks while the players bring their own tiles and digital timers. For the most part, this works wonderfully, since there is much more diversity in Protiles colors this way.

Just before the games began, I caught Jesse Wornum (Portland, OR) schmoozing his way across the room, hugging nearly every woman he encountered. I know this to be a fact since I was also swept up in the warm greeting in the hallway just prior to the doors being opened!

Division 3's director, Bryan Pepper, came up to me to point out some nicely developing boards in his divison. At table 52, I catch a game in progress between John Ortman (Roseville, CA) and Kevin Leeds (Atlanta, GA). I notice John's 107-point SEAQUAKE and 76-point AGONIES. Kevin has played HEAVENLY for 86. I learn later that John won the game, 373-351.

At table 15 in division 3, Bob Yarmchuk (Tucson, AZ) is playing Ed Saunders (Oro Valley, AZ). I see four bingos: Bob's OPTIONEE for 70 and ROMAINE for 65 and Ed's mEANIES for 63 and SMARTIES for 80.

Table 2 in division 1 is finished and Trip Payne (Boca Raton, FL) is smiling broadly as he's just defeated Marlon Hill (Baltimore, MD), 435-388. Marlon got away with a 74-point, 9-letter ROUSTINGS* through the IN. Trip played ORDAINED for 70 through the R and MISTUNE for 73. They both tried phonies that were challenged off: TINNATUS* for Marlon ands HOTTIES* for Trip. Turns out that the latter was a pretty prescient play on Trip's part, HOTTIES* will be acceptable when we adopt our new word source later this year or early next!

Michael Baker (Portland, OR) had opened his game versus Lester Schonbrun (Oakland, CA) with PAINFUL, which he thought meant he'd jump out to a lead and win. Instead, it became a metaphor for the whole game and he lost, 389-481. Mike managed to get away with NIMMERS* for 69 and the acceptable FLANErIE for 74. Lester played ALLEGER for 69, NIDeRING from the N for 74, and CORRODES for 62.

Division 1's Kenji Matsumoto (Aiea, HI) just had a monster game, defeating Ronald Howard (Irvine, CA) by nearly 200 points. The board was disassembled by the time I reached it, but Kenji explains that despite the win, he was behind nearly the whole game.

I catch Dave Wiegand (Portland, OR) and David Poder (Huntington Beach, CA) just as their division 1 game wraps up. The latter loses this match of the Davids, 416-474. The winning Dave managed to bingo out with MESQUITE through the E. He also played lABIATE for 72 and RADIANCe for 70. David Poder played SERVINGS for 80 and ANURETIC from the A for 74. The prettiest play of the game, though, was Dave's find of RHIZOPI to the PI for 42. When I ask him what it is, he says, "the plural of RHIZOPUS." Always a joker...

Lawren Freebody (Hawthorne, CA) played her first tournament game in five years this round and scored a resounding 633 points, defeating her opponent, Larry Tapper (Weaverville, NC). I have no game details, but am told Lawren received a round of applause outside the playing room when her cousin, Jeanne Freebody (Santa Cruz, CA), announced this to the crowd!

One of my favorite people at a tournament is the non-assuming, quietly competent Jim Kramer (Roseville, MN). He tentatively approches my table with a tidbit and in classic Jim form, it isn't about Jim. He says he just ran into Tim Adamson (Saint Paul, MN), a fellow clubmate, also playing in division 1. Tim boasted that he'd made his game of the tournament, despite it only being the first game. He knew he'd do no better in the next 27 games. Holding DEEGIO?, Tim played through an LO, can you find his play?*

As round 1 games were wrapping up, Keith Smith (Austin, TX) ran up to John D. Williams, Jr., and gave him a copy of Total SCRABBLE^®: The Unofficial SCRABBLE^® Record Book. The self-published book is full of major tournament results and records (hightest-scoring play, list of players who've earned 700 points and above in tournament play, etc.) Keith has been mightly busy as of late, compiling result information. I look forward to seeing what else he produces in the near future.

Lisa Kessler, helping in division 6, runs up to tell me about some good plays in her division. At table 1, L Cheryl Francis (Old Town, ME) got down two bingos: TREATING for 61 and PONDERs for 73. Sheri Justice (Kansas City, MO) was proud to play two natural bingos: HEALERS for 76 and AUREATE for 63. She says she got no blanks in that game, but it was alright. Stephanie Huang (Tempe, AZ) got back-to-back bingos: sCORNED for 74 and TOASTED for 84.

*Tim Adamson (Saint Paul, MN) played IDEOLOGuE.