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2005 National SCRABBLE® Championship Commentary: Round 20

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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 20

With a flourish of excitement, Diane Firstman (Brooklyn, NY) made her way over to the Internet table to tell me all about her game with James Leong (Vancouver BC). While she was settling in, James came over and told her something about a phoney. She deflated like a balloon, but went on to tell me about the game anyway. Diane opened the game with GAROTTe for 70 and James exchanged 6. She then played DUNNERs*/GAROTTES for 72. Next, holding DEESSTU, she found and played GUSSETED for 74. James challenged and lost his turn in the process of learning a new word. Her next play was JEEZ for 40. After four turns, it was 256 for Diane and 18 for Jamesa. Later on, he played ACrIDINE through the D for 70 and RIGATONI for 60, losing the game, 332-466.

I'm beginning to wonder if this man is human. Michael Early (Fort Worth, TX) appears to be undefeatable! He is now 19-1, having just defeated Dominick Mancine (Louisville, CO), 495-418 at table 1 in division 2. I'm swept away before I can do much gawking.

Harriet Strasberg (Roseville, MN) asks me to see her table 50, division 3 game against Pam Grazette (Kew Gardens Hills, NY). It was Harriet's win, 427-342, but how she did it was subtle and minimal. She played three tiles and got 61 points: PRAM through the R, hooking to create POW/COXA/MEM. And on a subsequent play put down two tiles for 34 points: YOKES from the YOK, creating COXAE/MEMS. Lots of ooh-la-las.

At table 1 in division 5, two young and rising stars faced off, and the game was close, too! Aaron Jacobs (Brookline, MA) played IsATINE for 71 and EROTISM for 89. Nat Gardenswartz (Newton, MA) played ELUvIAS for 66 and went out with UNHURT to the triple for 39, which won him the game.

My good game sensors told me to chexk out table 65 in division 3 and sure enough, I caught Gene Rawlins (Scarborough ON) finishing his best game of the tournament so far, defeating Donna McDonough (Clackamas, OR), 441-392. Donna played REsUMED for 70 and PANTIES for 82 (which was her outbingo) and Gene's bingos were FAITNERS* for 66, PALACES for 82, and SARDINe for 77.

Grinning ear to ear as only he can do, Doug Brockmeier (Yorba Linda, CA) tells me that he's won 8 games in a row in division 2, just beating Judy Levitt (Los Angeles, CA), 466-384. From memory he tells me that she played MORTICE for 70 and ISOGRAm for 72 and he played ADVENTS for 85 and bingoed out with ETESIaN for 66. Judy was up by two before he ended the game. I wasn't there when it happened, but I can imagine how loudly she gulped. I encouraged him to let me photograph a board of his soon.

At table 4 in division 1, Lester Schonbrun (Oakland, CA) eked out a squeaker win against Jeff Widergren (Los Gatos, CA), 446-423. In the endgame, between parallel plays of VIRGATE and STRANDS separated by an empty lane, Lester played PEC, which created APT/LATER/ARECA and more importantly blocked the board from anything dangerous that Jeff might try.

A division 1, table 1 win for Jim Nanavati (Burlington ON), who defeated Dave Wiegand (Portland, OR), 365-361. Jim is now at 13.5 wins and Dave is at 15. Jim opened the game with PODESTA for 76 and it wasn't until turn 16 that Dave got down his first bingo of MERCAPTO for 66. two turns later, they traded blank bingos: Dave's DiGITAL for 63 and Jim'w SIcKEST for 80. Check this game out in the annotated game section.

With a 491-301 game, Robert Crowe (Fort Wayne, IN) defeated Ed Liebfried (Exeter, NH) in division 2. Bob played TElEVIEW through the third E for 92 and INDRAFTs through the D for 72. Ed played SIGNAGE for 67 and ROASTING for 68. When later I spoke to him about the game, he said he wasn't feeling very sharp at all this afternoon.