Countdown recap for Wednesday 4 March 2009.
C1: Champion Kirk Bevins (2 wins, 224 points.)
C2: Challenger Ben Nicholas, a carpenter.
DC: Susie Dent and Dr Phil Hammond.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
So those who hang around here will know Kirk, genius of the game, apterous' top-rated player and winner of the Duel every month since anyone can remember. People have predicted great things of him, and he didn't disappoint with a superb 127 in his first game, and only a slight wobble in his second. Can he handle the pressure in Game 3?
R01: T M G E A E C O T
R02: S D W I E P I O F
R03: S H R A I E X A N
R04: C T O U A R R S E
R05: 25, 3, 4, 10, 3, 9. Target: 593.
TTT: PINGLASS - "The older they get, the thicker they get."
R06: C R T L U A E K N
R07: S F P I O I R E V
R08: O G M S A D E T I
R09: S M J E E A R E D
R10: 100, 7, 1, 2, 9, 6. Target: 141.
TTT: LESSPURE - "It puts you off eating lentils for life."
R11: B D D L I A E I G
R12: O E T Q S A E P O
R13: N N T I A I N O A
R14: 50, 7, 1, 2, 6, 2. Target: 159.
R15: S M A R T I R O N (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Enjoy the show.
Round 1: T M G E A E C O T
C1: ECOTAGE (7) - Kirk mispronounces it and apologises to Susie. Cute! It's sabotage as part of an eco-protest, apparently, although I'd be willing to bet that Kirk actually learnt it from
this game.
C2: COTTAGE (7)
Score: 7–7 (max 7)
Round 2: S D W I E P I O F
C1: SWIPED (6)
C2: SWIPED (6)
DC: IODISE. (6) But Phil affixes PIE to the previous COTTAGE for 10.
OT: FODIES POISED WIFIES (all 6)
Score: 13–13 (max 13)
Round 3: S H R A I E X A N
C1: HERNIAS (7) - "this one is for Phil". (Kirk you flirt!)
C2: NEARISH (7) - well risked.
DC: RASH on the medical theme. Nothing else.
Score: 20–20 (max 20)
Round 4: C T O U A R R S E
C1: OUTRACES (8)
C2: courters - accompanied by a nervous look, and indeed it's not in. A surprising omission, but this kind of agent noun is always a gamble.
DC: Rachel has REACTORS. (8) "Not just a pretty face," says Jeff, although Rachel doesn't get a reaction shot...
OT: CAROUSER (8) CREATORS (8) CURATORS (8)
Score: 28–20 (max 28)
Round 5: 25, 3, 4, 10, 3, 9. Target: 593.
C1: 593. (9-3)x4x25-(10-3). (10) A fairly direct method, but not trivial by any means
C2: 603.
Score: 38–20 (max 38)
Jeff tells Kirk, "Your students are going to be mighty impressed." Indeed they should be, as he goes into the first adverts break with a healthy lead despite the flattish rounds, and without dropping a point. Good stuff.
Teatime teaser: PINGLASS -> SAPLINGS
Round 6: C R T L U A E K N
C1: CENTAUR (7) - pronounced almost correctly.
C2: TRANCE (6)
DC: TACKLE (6) TRUCKLE (7) (a verb meaning "to behave obsequiously") RECTAL (6)
OT: CAULKER (7) UNCRATE (7) CENTRAL (7) CLUNKER (7) NEUTRAL (7) NUCLEAR (7) UNCLEAR (7) TACKLER (7) TRUNCAL (7)
Score: 45–20 (max 45)
To
caulk is to seal with a waterproof filler;
caulker is the agent noun therefrom (bit of an odd inclusion IMO.)
A
clunker is a delapidated machine, or something unsuccessful.
Truncal is the adjective from trunk (as in human anatomy.)
Round 7: S F P I O I R E V
C1: IVORIES (7)
C2: SPIRE (5)
OT: PRIVIES (7)
Score: 52–20 (max 52)
A
privy, as the low-minded of you will know, is an outside toilet.
Round 8: O G M S A D E T I
C1: DOGMATISE (18) - a beautiful spot for sure. Fans of the show will surely remember David O'Donnell and DC famously
missing this, which is probably where Kirk picked it up.
C2: STAGED (6)
Score: 70–20 (max 70)
So, Kirk makes it past the half-way stage and still hasn't dropped a point. Ben hasn't scored in this half and, in terms of result, the game is all but over. But can the Bevatron maintain the onslaught?
Round 9: S M J E E A R E D
C1: SMEARED (7)
C2: REDEEMS (7)
OT: EMERSED (7) MEDRESE (7)
Score: 77–27 (max 77)
Emersed (also
emerse) is an adjective denoting an aquatic plant which reaches above the surface.
Medrese is a variant spelling of
madrasa, which is not in fact a curry but an Islamic college.
OoW: Hiday and heyday. Not a particularly exciting one.
Round 10: 100, 7, 1, 2, 9, 6. Target: 141.
C1: 141. 100+7x6-1 (10)
C2: 141. 100+7x6-1 (10)
Score: 87–37 (max 87)
Teatime teaser: LESSPURE -> REPULSES
Final adverts break. Kirk still on 100%. His fans in the audience are getting seriously itchy.
Round 11: B D D L I A E I G
C1: ALIBIED (7) - apparently alibi can be a verb. The first darren of the game and the Bevatron makes no mistake.
C2: BAILED (6)
Score: 94–37 (max 94)
Round 12: O E T Q S A E P O
C1: PESETA (6) - Kirk starts to look happy as the game as is now entirely beyond doubt. But does he know that he's on for a max game?
C2: SPATE (5)
DC: STOOP (5) PASTE (5)
OT: TOPEES (6)
Score: 100–37 (max 100)
Round 13: N N T I A I N O A
C1: NAIANT (6) - Kirk explains that "it's something to do with fish," and then does a sideways gesture. It's actually an adjective denoting fish which swim on their side. This guy should write dictionaries.
C2: annoint - correct spelling is ANOINT
OT: ANOINT (6) NATION (6) TANNIA (6) TANNIN (6)
Score: 106–37 (max 106)
A
tannia is a Caribbean plant.
Tannin (mass noun) is a yellowish substance present in bark, moss etc..
Round 14: 50, 7, 1, 2, 6, 2. Target: 159.
C1: 159. (2+1)x50+7+2 (10)
C2: 159. (2+1)x50+7+2 (10)
Score: 116–47 (max 116)
So, only the conundrum stands between Kirk and greatness. A nice -ING please!
Round 15: S M A R T I R O N
The silence is deafening... A few seconds in, Kirk starts scribbling frantically on the paper in front of him. This is usually a sign that the conundrum is a real bastard, and sitting in the audience I felt totally deflated - he was going to fall at the final hurdle through little more than bad luck.
But suddenly! At 16 seconds, the brave Sir Bevins glances up at the monitor, and...
C1 buzzes on 18 seconds to say... RAINSTORM... which is correct!
"RAINSTORM leaves Kirk on Cloud 9," says Jeff, scriptedly. Kirk has hit the max game. Simply brilliant.
Kirk sits back, satisfied with a solid performance but apparently unaware that he's become the first man in Countdown history to score a perfect 15 round game. We didn't find out for sure til we got back to the hotel and ran all the rounds through the solver at which point I jumped up and shouted a lot. I couldn't believe he'd done it; Kirk is a phenomenal player but even now he's hit only 4 perfect games in practice, in over 500 attempts, and to pull it out in front of the cameras and everything was just insane. His second record in three games, and this time,
one that will never be beaten.Score: 126–47 (max 126)
Jeff: "You're out to beat that 127, aren't you?" Give the guy a break!
Then to end, my favourite exchange of the show:
Phil: Have you got the whole week off?
Kirk: Errr....
Kirk (remembering the pretence, deadpan): yes.
Phil: Excellent. Well, if not I'll give you a sick note. Would you like bird flu?
A memorable game of course, but spare a thought for Kirk's opponent Ben who didn't play a bad game and could easily have got a teapot on another day. Not all doom and gloom for him, though, as Susie commissioned him to make a table and eight chairs!
Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=60
