Monday 16th December 2013 (Series 69, 3rd QF)

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Graeme Cole
Series 65 Champion
Posts: 2025
Joined: Tue Jul 06, 2010 9:59 pm

Monday 16th December 2013 (Series 69, 3rd QF)

Post by Graeme Cole »

Countdown recap for Monday 16 December 2013.

C1: #3 seed Glen Webb (8 wins, 945 points) is a financial advisor from Cradley Heath. His octorun concluded with the first episode of this series. His total of 945 points is exceptional, but so is the standard in this series - he ended up #3 seed after being overtaken by Jen and Dylan. This is also his second quarter-final appearance - in Series 23 in 1992 he won two heats, and was promoted to #8 seed after someone dropped out. On that occasion he was defeated by the eventual champion, and he'll be hoping to improve on that record today. Incidentally, and unusually, Fiona Davies, the player who dropped out of the series 23 finals, giving Glen the opportunity to play, was granted a special playoff match to qualify for the finals of the following series, which she won.
C2: #6 seed Jonathan Liew (8 wins, 754 points) is a sports reporter for the Telegraph. It seems every series has its Mystery Finalist - the other finalists know they exist because their seed number is one lower than expected, but nobody recognises them because their games haven't been broadcast yet. This series the Mystery Finalist happens to be Jonathan Liew. Despite implying in his first game that he wasn't very good at the numbers, he's shown himself to be very good at six small. This helped him win most of his games comfortably, except a slight scare in his fifth game where he recovered from 18 points behind in the last two rounds.
DC: Susie Dent and Richard Madeley.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

R01: R N L M E I O D N
R02: U I A Q R C G L E
R03: 100, 8, 6, 5, 10, 3. Target: 934.
TTT: RATERISE - "You'll need to use these carriers for as long as you live."
R04: O I E S R D P T G
R05: C F P S O A E O Y
R06: 6, 10, 7, 5, 8, 9. Target: 973.
R07: T L H S I E O A T
R08: E A O M N S P W I
R09: 50, 2, 7, 1, 5, 3. Target: 569.
TTT: AURABIBS - "Of all the interesting animals, this is a bit of a boar."
R10: A U E S H M T R I
R11: N K D N A E O A R
R12: E O E D B Z G R I
R13: F S V T O A E S U
R14: 4, 4, 6, 8, 1, 10. Target: 857.
R15: T R I P L E A C E (conundrum)


And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

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Enjoy the show.

Round 1: R N L M E I O D N

C1: MINORED (7)
C2: MINDER (6)
DC: NIMROD (6) REMIND (6) MERLIN (6)
Score: 7–0 (max 7)

A darrenic start for Glen - you can MINOR (or MAJOR) in a subject.


Round 2: U I A Q R C G L E

C1: GLACIER (7)
C2: GLACIER (7)
DC: ACQUIRE (7)
OT: AURICLE (7) GRACILE (7) LACQUER (7)
Score: 14–7 (max 14)

Jonathan is off the mark now. Richard shows that the Q isn't always completely useless like it normally is.


Round 3: 100, 8, 6, 5, 10, 3. Target: 934.

C1: 934. (100-6)*10-(8-(5-3)) (10)
C2: 933.
Score: 24–7 (max 24)

Jonathan makes an uncharacteristic slip on the numbers, which allows Glen to steam ahead.


Teatime teaser: RATERISE -> ARTERIES


Round 4: O I E S R D P T G

C1: PODGIEST (8)
C2: PODGIEST (8)
DC: PERIDOT (7) PERIDOTS (8)
OT: DIOPTRES (8) RIPOSTED (8) STODGIER (8)
Score: 32–15 (max 32)

Both Glen and Jonathan have PODGIEST, and Susie seems to be in two minds as to whether PERIDOTS would be allowed. PERIDOT is a mass noun meaning a semi-precious mineral. In the online edition a count noun sense is included so the plural would be fine there, but the print edition contains only the mass noun sense.


Round 5: C F P S O A E O Y

C1: FACES (5)
C2: scoopy
DC: SOAPY (5) SPACEY (6)
OT: SCOPAE (6)
Score: 37–15 (max 38)

It was probably worth the gamble, but Jonathan's six turns out to be a dud. There were two sixes, SPACEY (spaced out, as if on drugs) and SCOPAE, the plural of SCOPA.


Round 6: 6, 10, 7, 5, 8, 9. Target: 973.

C1: 975. (7+5)*8*10+9+6 (7)
C2: 977.
RR: 973. ((5+8)*10+9)*7 (10)
Score: 44–15 (max 48)

Jonathan predictably tries six small, and it's reasonably difficult. Jonathan usually isn't beaten on these, but Glen has obviously been practising six small as well, and he takes the round.


Round 7: T L H S I E O A T

C1: TOTALISE (8)
C2: THISTLE (7)
DC: TOASTIE (7)
OT: HELIOSTAT (18)
Score: 52–15 (max 66)

Now Glen goes even further ahead with TOTALISE. Well done if you got HELIOSTAT.


Round 8: E A O M N S P W I

C1: WOMANISE (8)
C2: WOMANISE (8)
DC: SNOW
Score: 60–23 (max 74)

Only one eight available and both see it. The game is still looking very much like Glen's, though.


Round 9: 50, 2, 7, 1, 5, 3. Target: 569.

C1: 569. (50+7)*2*5-1 (10)
C2: 569. (50+7)*2*5-1 (10)
Score: 70–33 (max 84)

Not the most interesting numbers round, but it takes Glen a little closer to the semi-final.


Teatime teaser: AURABIBS -> BABIRUSA


Round 10: A U E S H M T R I

C1: MURIATES (8)
C2: ATHEISM (7)
DC: THESAURI (8)
Score: 78–33 (max 92)

MURIATES are salts of muric acid, and it comes up on the show often enough that Susie doesn't have to look it up to know that. Relevant: MATURES takes each of the letters of PAINT to make five eights, one of which is MURIATES, and HASTIER takes any vowel, including an U to make THESAURI.


Round 11: N K D N A E O A R

C1: DARKEN (6)
C2: DANKER (6)
DC: NAKED (5) DRANK (5)
OT: ANORAK (6) NARKED (6) ORENDA (6) RANDAN (6) RANKED (6)
Score: 84–39 (max 98)

ORENDA is an invisible magic power believed by the American Indian Iroquois to pervade all natural objects, and the RANDAN something Scots metaphorically go out to celebrate on. It seems to be the Scottish equivalent of "going out on the lash".


Round 12: E O E D B Z G R I

C1: ZEROED (6)
C2: DOZIER (6)
DC: BODGER (6)
OT: BERGIE (6) BODGIE (6) BOERIE (6) BORIDE (6) BREDIE (6) BRIDGE (6) EDGIER (6)
Score: 90–45 (max 104)

Our contestants pick the two sixes that use the Z. Glen's place in the semi-finals is now beyond doubt.


Round 13: F S V T O A E S U

C1: ESTUFAS (7)
C2: SAFEST (6)
DC: STOVES (6) FATSOS (6)
OT: SUAVEST (7)
Score: 97–45 (max 111)

Having already won the game, this was the icing on the cake for Glen - ESTUFAS was a great spot. An ESTUFA is a heated chamber used for the storage of Madeira wine.


Round 14: 4, 4, 6, 8, 1, 10. Target: 857.

C1: 860. Mistake in working.
C2: 856. Mistake in working.
RR: 856. (7)
OT: 856. ((10+8)*6-1)*(4+4) (7)
Score: 97–45 (max 118)

It was a shame Jonathan couldn't finish on a 6 small solve - he thinks he has 856, which is the closest possible with these numbers, but before he's even started he realises his total is actually 866. Then Glen realises he's made a mistake before Rachel even makes a pen mark on the board.


Round 15: T R I P L E A C E

Glen buzzes on 2.5 seconds to say REPLICATE which is correct.
Final Score: 107–45 (max 128)

Glen finishes with a quick conundrum solve to get his fourth century. He'll be playing Callum Todd on Thursday, and from what we've seen of Glen today and Callum last Friday, it could easily go either way. Tomorrow we'll get to see whether it's Bradley Cates or Alex Fish who goes through to play Dylan in Wednesday's semi-final.

Andy McGurn will be doing the Monday recaps from the start of 2014. I've been doing recaps for two years now and in that time I've received a number of nice comments about them. Thanks for all that. This is my last regular recap, but I might yet do the odd guest recap in the future. Until then...

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Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=69
Peter Mabey
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Location: Harlow

Re: Monday 16th December 2013 (Series 69, 3rd QF)

Post by Peter Mabey »

Susie misremembered - it's muriatic acid, not muric. In fact, a muriate is an obsolete term for a chloride, for the same historic reason that hydrogen ought really to be called oxygen.
Phyl Styles
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Posts: 110
Joined: Sat Nov 19, 2011 12:41 pm

Re: Monday 16th December 2013 (Series 69, 3rd QF)

Post by Phyl Styles »

Thanks, Graeme, your recaps are always well thought out, with touches of subtle humour, much appreciated over the years
Jack Worsley
Series 66 Champion
Posts: 979
Joined: Tue Sep 06, 2011 10:32 pm
Location: Blackpool

Re: Monday 16th December 2013 (Series 69, 3rd QF)

Post by Jack Worsley »

Phyl Styles wrote:Thanks, Graeme, your recaps are always well thought out, with touches of subtle humour, much appreciated over the years
+1, I'm going to miss your recaps, although I'm sure Andy will do a good job too.
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