Wednesday 6th October 2021 (Series 84, Preliminary 72)

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Rhys Benjamin
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Wednesday 6th October 2021 (Series 84, Preliminary 72)

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Annedown LXXI and I've got a delayed birthday present tonight: Back to the Future, the Musical. Meanwhile my "working from home" schedule has turned into filtering data with GB News on in the background. How has Tom Harwood become a better political journalist than Laura Kuenssberg, Robert Peston, and Beth Rigby combined!?

Countdown recap for Wednesday 6 October 2021.

Today is National Badger Day. Anne tells the government to stop badger culling. So she doesn't care about bovine TB. :roll:

C1: Champion Ahmed Mohamed (5 wins, 593 points.)
C2: Challenger Richard Williams. From Newton in The Willows, or at least that's what I think he said without subtitles, and originally from Formby. Used to live near Liverpool and Everton's footballers. Research software engineer at Manchester University. Has a PHD. Went to Cambridge. Got a First in Maths.
DC: Susie Dent, who doesn't have a PHD, and Dr Phil Hammond, who does.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

Dr Phil says he's expecting a close game. Spoilers? Match-fixing? Who knows.

R01: R H O E C F E I L
R02: R U M I H O N O I
R03: 25, 1, 3, 5, 4, 4. Target: 369.
TTT: HINTSUGLY - "It really is such an ugly thing to look at."
R04: S A L E C I R P A
R05: N R E O S F O D U
R06: 1, 3, 7, 2, 2, 3. Target: 297.
R07: G M I E D B I E G
R08: T U S A K I T E P
R09: 50, 8, 6, 4, 6, 1. Target: 188.
TTT: CASINOPIT - "The bosses in the casino pit see everything. They don't need to go here."
R10: R A L A D O S O M
R11: T W E A S R M I A
R12: D O N A R I Y I T
R13: L R E U W N S E A
R14: 7, 9, 9, 10, 5, 1. Target: 899.
R15: S U B M E T R I C (conundrum)


And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

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Enjoy the show.

Round 1: R H O E C F E I L

Ahmed: HEROIC (6) (stick with)
Richard: CHEERIO (7) (try)
DC: FIREHOLE (8)
Score: 0–7 (max 8, jos 8)
Darren-o-meter: 1/1 (100%)

EIther Ahmed thought CHEERIO was a proper noun (as in the breakfast cereal), or he was just unaware of any of the sevens. A FIREHOLE is apparently a hole cut on ice, but I'm more familiar with a FIREHOLE being what happens when you eat a very spicy curry.

Round 2: R U M I H O N O I

Ahmed: MORION (6)
Richard: HONOUR (6)
OT: IONIUM (6) NOMORI (6) NUMORI (6) ORIHON (6) UNMOOR (6)
Score: 6–13 (max 14, jos 14)
Darren-o-meter: 1/2 (50%)

Flat.

Round 3: 25, 1, 3, 5, 4, 4. Target: 369.

Ahmed: 369. (25 × 4 − 5 − 3) × 4 + 1​ (10)
Richard: 369. (25 × 5 − 1 − 4 ÷ 4) × 3​ (10)
Score: 16–23 (max 24, jos 24)

Not quite Ariana level, but 10 points each.

Teatime teaser: HINTSUGLY -> UNSIGHTLY

Round 4: S A L E C I R P A

Ahmed: AIRSCAPE (8)
Richard: CALIPERS (8)
OT: AIRSPACE (8) EARCLIPS (8) PICARELS (8) REPLICAS (8) SPIRACLE (8)
Score: 24–31 (max 32, jos 32)
Darren-o-meter: 1/3 (33%)

Eights all around here. CALIPERS can have one L, surprisingly. As usual, Ahmed doesn't go for the most obvious word.

Round 5: N R E O S F O D U

Ahmed: UNROOFED (8)
Richard: FOUNDERS (8)
DC: NURSED (6)
OT: FRONDOSE (8) REFOUNDS (8)
Score: 32–39 (max 40, jos 40)
Darren-o-meter: 1/4 (25%)

Eights again, with (again) Ahmed not going for the obvious FOUNDERS.

Round 6: 1, 3, 7, 2, 2, 3. Target: 297.

Ahmed: -
Richard: 294. (not written down) (3 × 2 + 1) × 2​ × 3 × 7 (7)
Score: 32–46 (max 47, jos 47)

1, 2, 2, 3, 3 - yeah, that was always going to happen, wasn't it? Richard extends his lead out to 14.

Dr Phil talks about some more diaries from the NHS, including a story about a woman whose breast implants coincided with weight loss to the point a doctor said "would you like me to pop those for you before you go to bed?"

Round 7: G M I E D B I E G

Ahmed: BEGGED (6)
Richard: BEGGED (6)
DC: MIDGIE (6)
OT: BIGGED (6) BIGGIE (6) GIDGEE (6) MIGGIE (6)
Score: 38–52 (max 53, jos 53)
Darren-o-meter: 1/5 (20%)

Sixes all around here.

Round 8: T U S A K I T E P

Ahmed: UPSTATE (7)
Richard: PATTIES (7)
DC: SITUATE (7)
OT: PUKIEST (7) PUTTIES (7)
Score: 45–59 (max 60, jos 60)
Darren-o-meter: 1/6 (17%)

Sevens all around again, with the gap still at that crucial and critical 14 points.

Round 9: 50, 8, 6, 4, 6, 1. Target: 188.

Ahmed: 188. 50 × 4 − 6 − 6 (10)
Richard: 188. 50 × 4 − 6 − 6 (10)
Score: 55–69 (max 70, jos 70)

thank u, next

Teatime teaser: CASINOPIT -> OPTICIANS

Round 10: R A L A D O S O M

Ahmed: ARMLOADS (8)
Richard: MORALS (6)
DC: LADOOS (6)
OT: AMORADOS (8)
Score: 63–69 (max 78, jos 78)
Darren-o-meter: 1/7 (14%)

ARMLOADS of letters here from Ahmed, and by golly did he need them. The lead goes down to just six points. Game on!

Round 11: T W E A S R M I A

Ahmed: MAESTRIA (8)
Richard: WARMEST (7)
DC: WARIEST (7)
OT: ARTEMIAS (8)
Score: 71–69 (max 86, jos 86)
Darren-o-meter: 1/8 (13%)

Ahmed takes a crucial lead with an 8, one of two available.

OOW Susie gets an email about "many a nickle makes a muckle" (or something like that).

Round 12: D O N A R I Y I T

Ahmed: OTARIID (7)
Richard: ADROIT (6)
OT: ARIDITY (7) IDIOTRY (7) TARDYON (7)
Score: 78–69 (max 93, jos 93)
Darren-o-meter: 1/9 (11%)

Ahmed extends his lead, and this feels a bit important. He gets the lead out to 9 points, and obviously can now win the game if he wins with a nine on this next round.

Round 13: L R E U W N S E A

Ahmed: RENEWALS (8)
Richard: RENEWALS (8) (not written down)
Score: 86–77 (max 101, jos 101)
Darren-o-meter: 2/10 (20%)

Ahmed and Richard RENEW their hostilities and the gap stays at 9 points with two rounds to go.

Round 14: 7, 9, 9, 10, 5, 1. Target: 899.

Ahmed: 899. 5 × 10 × (9 + 9) − 1​ (10)
Richard: 899. (9 − 7) × 5 × 10 × 9 − 1​ (10)
Score: 96–87 (max 111, jos 111)

Richard, unsurprisingly, goes for 6 small again. But this is easy enough for both contestants and it's a crucial conundrum, with Ahmed in front.

Round 15: S U B M E T R I C

Ahmed buzzes on 0.5 seconds to say CRUMBIEST which is correct.
Final Score: 106–87 (max 121, jos 121)

Oh. Almost anticlimactic. Ahmed instabuzzes on the conundrum to win and get yet another century. Amazingly, his raw score was only 9 off the max, and it's still a ridonkulous 13-max game from him.

I seriously hope Richard Williams gets another shot in the not-too-distant future. 10 maxes will win you most games (probably) and he would have beaten most of the contestants in the series.

Anyway, Ahmed will be back tomorrow. Join us then. Goodbye. ;)


Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=84
The forum's resident JAILBAKER, who has SPONDERED several times...
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