Tuesday 17th May 2016 (Series 74, Prelim 69)

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Tim Down
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Tuesday 17th May 2016 (Series 74, Prelim 69)

Post by Tim Down »

Last time I wrote a recap champion Tony Lock was earning his second win. Since then Tony has amassed just one more win because horses.

C1: Champion Tony Lock (3 wins, 261 points.) A retired bank worker from Chalfont St Peter. A fisherman and Spurs fan.
C2: Challenger Ian Newman. A retired millinery salesman from Mawnan Smith in Cornwall. Owned a hat and clothes shop in Truro.
DC: Susie Dent and Janet Street-Porter.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

R01: S V R O I A W R I
R02: S E O G C A M G E
R03: 75, 8, 7, 3, 4, 2. Target: 353.
TTT: SNAILPEG - "You'd better be quick; thinking time is running out."
R04: S D O U H S O E T
R05: N Y P L A O E P G
R06: 50, 5, 9, 10, 5, 6. Target: 156.
R07: D S N I E I M N O
R08: T R E I L P A D I
R09: 10, 3, 6, 9, 1, 2. Target: 121.
TTT: SEMIFLAY - "The month goes really quickly for these little creatures."
R10: N Z R E A T I R U
R11: T J T R A I A U D
R12: R S T E A U S V O
R13: K M X R T E U O A
R14: 100, 8, 2, 6, 1, 9. Target: 409.
R15: W O N D E R P U G (conundrum)


And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

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Enjoy the show.

Round 1: S V R O I A W R I

Tony: WARS (4)
Ian: VISOR (5)
DC: ARROWS (6)
OT: OWARRIS (7)
Score: 0–5 (max 7)

A nasty selection to start the show and our champion falters with a four leaving challenger Ian to take an early lead with his VISOR. DC goes one better; there was also a 7, OWARRIS, which is the highly questionable plural of OWARRI or OWARE, a board game, originally played in West Africa, consisting of small balls passed into the holes of an oblong draughtboard or table.

Round 2: S E O G C A M G E

Tony: CAGES (5)
Ian: CAMEOS (6)
DC: OMEGAS (6)
OT: GAMGEE (6) SOCAGE (6)
Score: 0–11 (max 13)

Once again Ian goes one better than Tony, this time scoring a max. Other available 6s include:

SOCAGE: A feudal tenure of land involving payment of rent or other non-military service to a superior.
GAMGEE: Surgical dressing consisting of a thickness of cotton wool between two layers of gauze.

Round 3: 75, 8, 7, 3, 4, 2. Target: 353.

Tony: 354.
Ian: 353. 75 × 4 + 7 × 8 − 3 (10)
Score: 0–21 (max 23)

Tony goes 1-large but is 1 away. Ian makes no mistake with his exact solution and moves further ahead. Not a great start for Tony.

Teatime teaser: SNAILPEG -> ELAPSING

Round 4: S D O U H S O E T

Tony: SHOUTED (7)
Ian: SHOUTED (7)
DC: SOOTHES (7) SOOTHED (7)
Score: 7–28 (max 30)

Finally Tony is on the board as everyone gets an easy 7 from an unremarkable selection.

Round 5: N Y P L A O E P G

Tony: APPLE (5)
Ian: PLANE (5)
DC: PLAYPEN (7) PANOPLY (7)
Score: 12–33 (max 37)

Back to 5s for the contestants while DC show us a nice pair of 7s.

Round 6: 50, 5, 9, 10, 5, 6. Target: 156.

Tony: 155. (9 − 6) × 50 + 5 (7)
Ian: 156. Mistake in working.
RR: 156. (5 − 10 ÷ 5) × 50 + 6 (10)
Score: 19–33 (max 47)

Once again Tony is one away on a relatively easy numbers game but this time gets away with it when Ian realises he’s made a mistake in his exact solution. This could make a big difference.

Round 7: D S N I E I M N O

Tony: mains
Ian: DEMONS (6)
DC: DIMENSION (18)
Score: 19–39 (max 65)

Tony’s now using phantom letters and Ian scores with his DEMONS while DC have a nice 9. It’s safe to say that Tony is not having his best game.

Round 8: T R E I L P A D I

Tony: PLAITED (7)
Ian: PLAITED (7)
DC: DIPTERAL (8)
Score: 26–46 (max 73)

More solid from Tony with PLAITED but Ian’s right there with him. DC has DIPTERAL, a term from architecture meaning for something having a double peristyle. What’s a PERISTYLE? I don't recurse, I'm afraid.

Round 9: 10, 3, 6, 9, 1, 2. Target: 121.

Tony: 121. (9 + 3) × 10 + 1 (10)
Ian: 121. 2 × 6 × 10 + 1 (10)
Score: 36–56 (max 83)

Tony gambles with 6-small but it comes out very easy and both contestants score maximum points.

Teatime teaser: SEMIFLAY -> MAYFLIES

Round 10: N Z R E A T I R U

Tony: TRAINER (7)
Ian: TRAINER (7)
DC: TERRAIN (7) RETRAIN (7) TAURINE (7)
OT: AZURITE (7) RETZIAN (7) RUINATE (7) RUNTIER (7) URANITE (7) URINATE (7)
Score: 43–63 (max 90)

Another 7-fest and everyone’s having a piece of it.

Round 11: T J T R A I A U D

Tony: TRAIT (5)
Ian: TRIAD (5)
DC: DATURA (6)
OT: DATURIA (7)
Score: 48–68 (max 97)

5s for the contestants. Susie has DATURA but misses DATURIA, as has happened before.

Susie talks about trousers and synonyms thereof.

Round 12: R S T E A U S V O

Tony: STARES (6)
Ian: vesture
DC: SAVOURS (7)
OT: OSSATURE (8)
Score: 54–68 (max 105)

Tony claws some more ground back when Ian uses the same E twice. DC goes one better but misses the unique max OSSATURE, which is something resembling a skeleton; a framework or underlying structure.

Round 13: K M X R T E U O A

Tony: OUTRAKE (7)
Ian: MARKET (6)
Score: 61–68 (max 112)

Tony is on a roll now and pulls out his best spot of the day with OUTRAKE, which has lost its bevy of whimsical alternative spellings (OOTREEAK, anyone?) in a recent dictionary update, and he’s back in touch.

Round 14: 100, 8, 2, 6, 1, 9. Target: 409.

Tony: 409. 8 ÷ 2 × 100 + 9 (10)
Ian: 409. 8 ÷ 2 × 100 + 9 (10)
Score: 71–78 (max 122)

Ian plays it safe with 1-large and it’s a very easy one so it’s crucial time.

Round 15: W O N D E R P U G

Tony buzzes on 8 seconds to say GUNPOWDER which is correct.
Final Score: 81–78 (max 132)

Tony completes the comeback by solving the tricky conundrum and snatches victory from the jaws of defeat.

This game was Ian’s for the taking having got himself a decent lead early on but a couple of slip-ups by Ian and a couple of good spots by Tony turned the game. You feel Tony will need to up his game when he takes on Apterite Robin McKay next. Join James for that.

Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=74
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