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Recap for Wednesday 4 March 2009

Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2009 11:05 pm
by Charlie Reams
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

Re: Recap for Wednesday 4 March 2009

Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2009 11:20 pm
by Matt Morrison
Charlie Reams wrote:TTT: PINGLASS - "The old they get, the thicker they get."
Don't usually read recaps but enjoyed this one Charlie, very well summed up. Just to be anal, a cheeky little typo quoted above - needs 'older'.
With a slight shake of the head, Kirk seemed to react like he thought he'd got the conundrum wrong after he'd said it, though that could just have been relief I guess.

Re: Recap for Wednesday 4 March 2009

Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2009 11:22 pm
by Allan Harmer
Epic recap worthy of this unique game.

Well done Charlie!

Re: Recap for Wednesday 4 March 2009

Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2009 11:38 pm
by Kirk Bevins
Matt Morrison wrote:Kirk seemed to react like he thought he'd got the conundrum wrong after he'd said it, though that could just have been relief I guess.
It was. I didn't know for certain that I was on a max game but I knew I wasn't beaten by Rachel or DC and I was so happy to spot RAINSTORM - a beast in my opinion.

Re: Recap for Wednesday 4 March 2009

Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2009 11:39 pm
by Matt Morrison
Kirk Bevins wrote:
Matt Morrison wrote:Kirk seemed to react like he thought he'd got the conundrum wrong after he'd said it, though that could just have been relief I guess.
It was. I didn't know for certain that I was on a max game but I knew I wasn't beaten by Rachel or DC and I was so happy to spot RAINSTORM - a beast in my opinion.
Kirk, you're a beast in my opinion. :)

Re: Recap for Wednesday 4 March 2009

Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2009 12:13 am
by Matt Coates
just 2 things charlie

his total for 2 days is 124, not 121, and in the best winners link kirk should be 1st and 4th, there is no mention of his first game

Re: Recap for Wednesday 4 March 2009

Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2009 12:20 am
by Kirk Bevins
Matt Coates wrote:just 2 things charlie

his total for 2 days is 124, not 121, and in the best winners link kirk should be 1st and 4th, there is no mention of his first game
You mean 224, not 221 (or indeed 121).

Re: Recap for Wednesday 4 March 2009

Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2009 12:28 am
by Matt Coates
haha, yup

Re: Recap for Wednesday 4 March 2009

Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2009 12:35 am
by Phil Reynolds
Excellent recap Charlie. It was almost like being there. ;)

Two observations:
Charlie Reams wrote:TRUCKLE (7) (a verb meaning "to behave obsequiously")
That may be one definition of it, but its most common usage in my experience is as a noun meaning a barrel-shaped block of cheese.
Tannin (mass noun) is a yellowish substance present in bark, moss etc.
Again, no denying that, but most people associate tannin with tea.

I like cheese and tea.

Re: Recap for Wednesday 4 March 2009

Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2009 1:06 am
by Julie T
Fantastic, Kirk! Epic game! :D

BTW, re your chat at the start about wanting to meet Phil Taylor, the darts player.
Maybe I should bring my son Philip to the next Co Event, instead of Alex, then at least you can meet a Phil Taylor, LOL! :lol:

Re: Recap for Wednesday 4 March 2009

Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2009 8:16 am
by Allan Harmer
Julie T wrote:Fantastic, Kirk! Epic game! :D

BTW, re your chat at the start about wanting to meet Phil Taylor, the darts player.
Maybe I should bring my son Philip to the next Co Event, instead of Alex, then at least you can meet a Phil Taylor, LOL! :lol:
And his middle name is 'The Power'

How could you Julie?? :o

Re: Recap for Wednesday 4 March 2009

Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2009 10:29 am
by Julie T
Allan Harmer wrote:
Julie T wrote:Fantastic, Kirk! Epic game! :D

BTW, re your chat at the start about wanting to meet Phil Taylor, the darts player.
Maybe I should bring my son Philip to the next Co Event, instead of Alex, then at least you can meet a Phil Taylor, LOL! :lol:
And his middle name is 'The Power'

How could you Julie?? :o
He wasn't named after the darts player, Allan, if that's what you mean. Pure concidence! 8-)

Re: Recap for Wednesday 4 March 2009

Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2009 10:55 am
by Dinos Sfyris
Unbelievable! Well done Kirk! And thanks Charlie for giving it the smashing recap that it deserves :)

Re: Recap for Wednesday 4 March 2009

Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2009 11:01 am
by Charlie Reams
Phil Reynolds wrote:
Charlie Reams wrote:TRUCKLE (7) (a verb meaning "to behave obsequiously")
That may be one definition of it, but its most common usage in my experience is as a noun meaning a barrel-shaped block of cheese.
You're right, but I went for the more productive definition, since TRUCKLED and TRUCKLING are potentially useful.
most people associate tannin with tea.
I thought that too, was quite surprised the the ODE's definition didn't mention it.

Re: Recap for Wednesday 4 March 2009

Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2009 11:08 am
by David O'Donnell
Absolutely phenomenal! To not drop the ball over 15 rounds is a great achievement - well done, Kirk!

Re: Recap for Wednesday 4 March 2009

Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2009 11:56 am
by Martin_May
Wow! That's probably the best game I've ever seen. Good going Kirk!

Re: Recap for Wednesday 4 March 2009

Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2009 1:51 pm
by Peter Mabey
Charlie Reams wrote:
Phil Reynolds wrote: most people associate tannin with tea.
I thought that too, was quite surprised the the ODE's definition didn't mention it.
... nor red wine, my preferred source. :lol:

Re: Recap for Wednesday 4 March 2009

Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2009 4:48 pm
by Phil Reynolds
Peter Mabey wrote:
Charlie Reams wrote:
Phil Reynolds wrote: most people associate tannin with tea.
I thought that too, was quite surprised the the ODE's definition didn't mention it.
... nor red wine, my preferred source. :lol:
That's funny. Red wine is also my preferred sauce.

Re: Recap for Wednesday 4 March 2009

Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2009 5:34 am
by Jason Larsen
Hump Day! I hope Jeff is excited today! Here is my episode review.

Introduction: No wonder Jeff and Rachel are such a good team!

Kirk, you've got the "Drew-Do" again! Did I tell you it looks nice!
Round 1: Kirk, you must know your science! And you must be left-brained. Ben, I had your word too! If I were checking your work, I'd validate that word without a bit of a problem!
Round 3: A very appropriate word from Kirk, knowing Dr. Phil is in Dictionary Corner today.
Round 4: I thought COURTERS would be a word because if you court someone, you're dating a lot of people. I guess not. Too bad, Ben. And Rachel -- you are one smart cookie! And incredibly cute, too!
Round 6: Ben, again, I had your word.
Round 8: Wow, Kirk! Good going! And a very appropriate word, too!
Round 9: That was an obvious 7.
Origins of Words: Kirk, you could say that you're in your _________ right now!
Round 10: Another easy numbers game.
Round 12: Kirk, have you been to Spain? If not, I'm very impressed you got that word!
Round 13: NAIANT fish act like Michael Jackson! Once again, Kirk, you know your science!
Conundrum: Kirk, what were you writing during the Conundrum and what was that expression on your face? I didn't understand it.
Closing Thought: Jeff, I didn't get your joke directed at Rachel. Also, again, don't rush the end of the show! If you don't savor every moment, you have everyone going, "What the heck?"

Re: Recap for Wednesday 4 March 2009

Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2009 10:20 am
by Dinos Sfyris
Jason Larsen wrote:Hump Day!
:?:
I may regret this , Jason, but do explain...

Re: Recap for Wednesday 4 March 2009

Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2009 6:26 pm
by Kirk Bevins
Jason Larsen wrote: Round 12: Kirk, have you been to Spain? If not, I'm very impressed you got that word!

Conundrum: Kirk, what were you writing during the Conundrum and what was that expression on your face? I didn't understand it.
Closing Thought: Jeff, I didn't get your joke directed at Rachel. Also, again, don't rush the end of the show! If you don't savor every moment, you have everyone going, "What the heck?"
No I've not been to Spain so thanks. As for what I was scribbling down when the conundrum was revealed, errr... I was writing a letter home asking for help.

Re: Recap for Wednesday 4 March 2009

Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2009 7:08 pm
by Jason Larsen
Dinos, Hump Day refers to the half way point of the weekend, or Wednesday. I like to refer to it that way because by that day everyone is looking forward to the weekend after a long week at work.

Kirk, how could you have written a coherent letter in less than 30 seconds? I think you're kidding!

Re: Recap for Wednesday 4 March 2009

Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2009 11:53 pm
by Kirk Bevins
Jason Larsen wrote: Kirk, how could you have written a coherent letter in less than 30 seconds? I think you're kidding!
I'll give you one guess as to what you think I was actually writing down during the conundrum...

Re: Recap for Wednesday 4 March 2009

Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2009 11:54 pm
by Matt Morrison
Kirk Bevins wrote:
Jason Larsen wrote: Kirk, how could you have written a coherent letter in less than 30 seconds? I think you're kidding!
I'll give you one guess as to what you think I was actually writing down during the conundrum...
I'm going for a hastily scribbled Intercity 125 with a smiley face next to it.

Re: Recap for Wednesday 4 March 2009

Posted: Sat Mar 07, 2009 12:01 am
by Michael Wallace
Kirk - did you save your papers from this show? You totally need to frame them or something.

Re: Recap for Wednesday 4 March 2009

Posted: Sat Mar 07, 2009 12:09 am
by Jason Larsen
Could it be the possible unscrambled letters?

Re: Recap for Wednesday 4 March 2009

Posted: Sat Mar 07, 2009 12:28 am
by Kirk Bevins
Michael Wallace wrote:Kirk - did you save your papers from this show? You totally need to frame them or something.
Yes, all my sheets are kept by the computer for reference :)

Re: Recap for Wednesday 4 March 2009

Posted: Sat Mar 07, 2009 12:30 am
by Kirk Bevins
Jason Larsen wrote:Could it be the possible unscrambled letters?
Huh? I was writing down the conundrum in a circle to see if it jumped out at me - and it did!

Re: Recap for Wednesday 4 March 2009

Posted: Sat Mar 07, 2009 12:44 am
by Jason Larsen
Very nice, Kirk!