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NSC 2012 Commentary: Round 26

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Go to: 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, Round 29, Round 30, Round 31, After the Tournament.

Round 26

Kristen Chew stops by the playing room just as this round gets under way. I hear her say, "I'm swearing off roller coasters." I know there is a story there.

Ah, the big dogs are at table 1. Nigel Richards (Malaysia) vs. David Gibson (Spartanburg, SC). Make sure to check out the 438-353 win for Nigel. David, now has two looses in a row and is hoping this is not a repeat of yesterday, where he lost three in a row. He will face Jesse Day (Berkeley, CA) next round and he's cautiously shaking his head about it.

Connie Creed (Philadelphia, PA) is looking mighty relaxed. In her game this round against [error: no such id: daveenglehardt], she has her foot up on a chair. She look silk she is relaxing, but maybe she's hurt herself. Let's hope not.

Bryan Pepper is just letting it all hang out. I'm expecting him to take off his black & white stripes and let us see his Grateful Dead T-shirt. He's barefoot and fancy free today!

Ben Withers (Houston, TX) is in the top row of the Collins division, facing Steve Polatnick (Miami, FL). I see RECANES, GNASHERS, and GAOLERS.

[error: no such id: martyg] vs. Mark Kenas (Madison, WI). I watch them go to the challenge machine and look up ERGOTISE# (which was played through the G). Also on their board, LEPORInE and PRAEDIAL#.

On a Bob Lipton (Vero Beach, FL) vs. Winter Zxqkj (Houston, TX) board, PIVOTMEN jumps out. Also the fun WOX#.

[error: no such id: joels] vs. Daniel Milton (Vienna, VA): IODATING and DISKInG are on their in-progress board.

Chris Canik (Austin, TX) has come to the point in the tournament where everything he touches turns to gold. I catch a game at table 1 in division 3 between he and Tom OLaughlin (Hartland, WI). While I watch, Chris puts down TuRNKEY (hooking OIL to make NOIL) for 82. The in-progress board shows SOUNDeD for 71 and ARISING for 75, both which appear to be Chris. The kid from Texas takes this one, 451-343.

Adam Fine (Gaithersburg, MD) vs. Arthur Moore (Ocoee, FL): Adam's UnDENTED on the triple line (which drew a challenge) and Arthur's SELECtED and IRONERS. Adam's win, 385-375.

Brett Jackson (Pensacola Beach, FL) vs. Gary Perman (Blairsville, PA). Game in progress, I see ASTONIED played to the D, REGRANTS played through the N, and MICRObE played later in the game. It was Gary's win: 435-343.

On a [error: no such id: shawna] vs. Roy Dixon (Dade City, FL) board: UNcRATeD and the fun WOODY.

Nigel Peltier (Portland, OR) scored 284 points on a single turn by playing GRIZZLES this round. No more info was made available!

I catch Katya Lezin (Charlotte, NC) and Daiva Markelis (Charleston, IL) walking to the challenge machine, so I join them. Daiva types in TANLINE* and Katya says, "Now wait, before I hit this button. I actually use this word all the time. And with all those funky words in this dictionary.... " She hit the button, not acceptable. They both groaned and Daiva pulled her shirt aside and said, "Here is my tanline." And Katya said, "Yeah, I know! I have them, too." And then the rest of what she said more resembled unintelligible groaning. Anyway, their game done a few minutes later, I happened by to see INTEREST and StIBInED, but the tiles were being picked up swiftly. Both women, fast friends, talked about how fun the game was (Daiva's, 416-378) and how Katya shared a SCRABBLE movie with her parents that included Daiva and her husband, Marty Gabriel (Charleston, IL). I see these two hooking up for a poolside pina colada later on!

Mohd Khairi Zulkalnain (Ames, IA) is at a lookup machine. He just played Evelyn Callaway (Bryan, TX) who challenged off his HOUHERE#. And yesterday he had three Collins words called off: BASTIDE#, GOSPODA#, and NACRITE#. Hard to switch dictionaries!

The two young phenoms in division 2 squared off this round and it was a 471-343 win for Adam Ginzberg (Swarthmore, PA). I see OUTPREeN for 72 by his opponent, Jackson Smylie (Toronto ON), and SLAKERS, ANATASE, and RElIEVO for Adam.

Jason Keller (Highland Park, NJ) has his hand in his forehead. He lost his div 1, table 2 game to Rafi Stern (Seattle, WA) this round, 576-404. I see Jason's ELOIGNEd and REJECTED and Rafi's LEGATOS, MAlEMIUT, and DARIOLES. Sensing more to the story, I listen in and glean that Jason got stuck with an unplayable Z and Rafi just one tiled him on the way out. Ouch.

Kenji Matsumoto (Berkeley, CA) vs. Dave Wiegand (Portland, OR). The game is picked up and Kenji long gone, but Dave has that wonderfully readable scoresheet and despite saying to me, "It was over early, I knew I was going to lose," I ask to see his scoresheet. Nice guy, Dave slides it across the table to me. Kenji earned his 531-350 win, in part, with jANITOR, PERMUTED, and BAILORs. Way to go, Kenji!

Komol Panyasophonlert (Thailand) is again sitting at one of his completed boards, contemplating the universe. On the board, his loss to Ian Weinstein (Coral Springs, FL), 433-472. Komol explains that there was some tit for tat going on throughout the game. Ian played TAILRACES through the second A, Komol played SINUATE. Ian played REVOTES, Komol played VELLEITY. Then toward the end, cOMpADRE to the triple came down for Ian. The final blow was Ian's UNZIP down the triple.

News flying around like crazy, Nigel Richards (Malaysia) got another chance at David Gibson (Spartanburg, SC) and won, 438-353. Players whispering about who is in it, who is out.

"He killed me," Robin Pollock Daniel (Toronto ON) says while gesturing to her completed game with Jesse Day (Berkeley, CA). pERINEAL, SUBErIC, and the fun REENJOY are on the board. Of the latter word, she says it was her only good play and she made it through the JO. A 431-313 win for Jesse.

"You are here again to witness another of my losses, Sherrie," quips Will Anderson (Croton, NY). Sure enough, I am, and a painful one at that. He lost by only 7 points to Conrad Bassett-Bouchard (Piedmont, CA). I think the tiles had been picked up and both players give me a fun word they played. Will's WAKELESS and Conrad's CEMETERY, which he then quickly says, "I hope I spelled it right, did I?" Sure enough, he had the all-E version, he got it right!

Chris Lipe (Rome, NY) wanders by. "My news? I have a bye, I can't lose this round."

Go to: 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, Round 29, Round 30, Round 31, After the Tournament.