Friday 22nd February 2013 (30th Champs, QF 2)

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Graeme Cole
Series 65 Champion
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Friday 22nd February 2013 (30th Champs, QF 2)

Post by Graeme Cole »

Countdown recap for Friday 22 February 2013.

C1: Series 53 Ginger Ninja Jon O'Neill (11 wins, 1299 points from 13 games) is a Catastrophe Risk Analyst from Rainham, London. He reached his series semi-final in 2005 aged 15. To reach the quarter-final of this tournament, he's beaten Kai Laddiman and Darryl Francis, the latter with a personal best of 122.
C2: Series 66 champion Jack Worsley (13 wins, 1283 points from 13 games) is a maths student at Bolton University. He won Nick Hewer's first episode of Countdown, and also Nick's first series. He's still undefeated in 13 games. Obviously the bit I most remember is him doing this in the first round of this championship, but he also beat Christine Hunt on Tuesday to secure his place in the quarter-final today.

Both of these players are among the greatest, particularly at 4 large.

However, neither of them are doing a Ridiculously Ambitious 25-hour Head-To-Head Countdown Marathon for Comic Relief. This is part of comedian Mark Watson's 25-hour stand-up show at the Pleasance Theatre, Islington, next Thursday and Friday. And, unless your name is Mark, Innis or Zarte, you're not doing a Ridiculously Ambitious 25-hour Head-To-Head Countdown Marathon either. However, you can help in another way. At the time of writing they've raised £1330 and their target is £2000. That's not even close enough for five points. And, get this, next Friday is the grand final of this huge eight-week Countdown championship, and they have to miss it to do this. This level of dedication should be commended. So if you haven't already, go and help them hit their target!

DC: Susie Dent and Dr Phil Hammond.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

R01: E U E P D L T L R
R02: T R N L A O U E T
R03: I E O P T N Z R E
R04: P B S L I O I E A
R05: 75, 100, 50, 25, 7, 2. Target: 861.
TTT: GOTCOINS - "I've got some coins so I'm dashing off to spend them."
R06: M R D G I E O A M
R07: E I O S P Y W S R
R08: M S B D U A E S I
R09: E A E D G F V T H
R10: 6, 7, 2, 4, 10, 10. Target: 313.
TTT: HITGENES - "It sounds like it's pouring down with bedding."
R11: O A U S K R T E H
R12: R T N C U A I E A
R13: I O E X N S N G J
R14: 25, 4, 10, 8, 1, 6. Target: 988.
R15: C H E E S E P R O (conundrum)


And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

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Enjoy the show.

Round 1: E U E P D L T L R

C1: DRUPELET (8)
C2: repulled
Score: 8–0 (max 8)

Jono takes an early lead with DRUPELET, as it turns out the plausible REPULLED^ isn't in. DRUPELETS are those little individual globules of fruit that make up a blackberry or raspberry.


Round 2: T R N L A O U E T

C1: TOLERANT (8)
C2: TOLERANT (8)
DC: RATTLE (6) NEUTRAL (7)
Score: 16–8 (max 16)

Only one eight available, and both Jon and Jack find it.


Round 3: I E O P T N Z R E

C1: PIONEER (7)
C2: POINTER (7)
DC: PROTEIN (7)
OT: POETIZE (7) REPOINT (7)
Score: 23–15 (max 23)

The first non-darrenical round of the contest, and it doesn't trouble either player.


Round 4: P B S L I O I E A

C1: OBELIAS (7)
C2: POSABLE (7)
OT: BAILIES (7) BOILIES (7)
Score: 30–22 (max 30)

More of the same, and still only DRUPELET in the first round separates the two. Numbers time...


Round 5: 75, 100, 50, 25, 7, 2. Target: 861.

C1: 861. (75+50-2)*7 (10)
C2: 861. (75+50-2)*7 (10)
Score: 40–32 (max 40)

Jono notes that Jack is particularly good at 4 large, and also 3, 2, 1 and 0 large. So Jono decides to stick with what he knows and go with 4 large. And both players put their pens down pretty quickly.


Teatime teaser: GOTCOINS -> SCOOTING


Round 6: M R D G I E O A M

C1: IDEOGRAM (8)
C2: IDEOGRAM (8)
Score: 48–40 (max 48)

Jack's got eight, and Jono reckons he's got the same eight. The opportunity to say "probably the same eight" in a broad Sunderland accent before pulling out a completely different eight, a joke that would have been understood by about a dozen people in the world, was sadly missed. There isn't another eight, anyway. An IDEOGRAM is a character that refers to an idea rather than a sound. Our alphabetic characters represent sounds so aren't ideograms, but Chinese characters are, for example.


Round 7: E I O S P Y W S R

C1: SWIPERS (7)
C2: OSPREYS (7)
DC: PROWESS (7) PYROSIS (7)
Score: 55–47 (max 55)

It's a tricky selection, but both contestants get the max again. In the quarter-final of the Best Series Ever, you need to be consistently good, and both these players are exactly that.


Round 8: M S B D U A E S I

C1: DISABUSE (8)
C2: DISABUSE (8)
DC: SEBUM (5) IAMBUSES (8)
Score: 63–55 (max 63)

Maxes again. Susie comes up with IAMBUSES, which are metrical feet that have nothing to do with distance and everything to do with poetry. An IAMBUS consists of a short or unstressed syllable followed by a long or stressed syllable. Like BALLOON.


Round 9: E A E D G F V T H

C1: HEAVED (6)
C2: DEFEAT (6)
DC: DEATH (5)
OT: HAFTED (6) HEATED (6) HEFTED (6)
Score: 69–61 (max 69)

For the first time in the contest, the players can't get above six, and that's only because it's impossible to do so. Dr Phil finds DEATH.


Round 10: 6, 7, 2, 4, 10, 10. Target: 313.

C1: 313. (10-2)*4*10-7 (10)
C2: 313. (6+2)*4*10-7 (10)
Score: 79–71 (max 79)

Swirly takes one look at stuff like this and goes for the exact opposite of four large. Both of them get it, which means Jono's on a max after two parts.


Teatime teaser: HITGENES -> SHEETING

Round 11: O A U S K R T E H

C1: AUTHORS (7)
C2: SHOUTER (7)
DC: EARSHOT (7)
OT: KASHRUT (7) KURTHAS (7) THAKURS (7)
Score: 86–78 (max 86)

Dr Phil is within EARSHOT of a SHOUTER, and it's sevens all round. KASHRUT is Jewish religious law concerning suitability of food and other things (KOSHER is specific to food), a KURTHA is a type of South Asian shirt, and a THAKUR is a respectful Indian term for a landowner or nobleman.


Round 12: R T N C U A I E A

C1: CRANIATE (8)
C2: CRANIATE (8)
DC: CURTAIN (7) URINATE (7)
OT: CARINATE (8)
Score: 94–86 (max 94)

CRANIATE for Jack and Jono. CARINATE is also fine, but it's useful to remember that CRANIATE is a noun, and takes an S on the end but not a D, and CARINATE is an adjective which can be spelt with a D on the end but not an S. Don't get them mixed up. It's even more useful to remember the anagrams ERADICANT and ASCERTAIN, which saves you having to remember which can take an S and which a D.


Round 13: I O E X N S N G J

C1: JONESING (8)
C2: JONESING (8)
Score: 102–94 (max 102)

How often is the "spot of the day" an -ING word? Almost never. Even if you spotted it, most players wouldn't even think it was a word. But it is: to JONES on something is to have a fixation on something, or an addiction to it. Just the numbers and conundrum to go, and Jono's still yet to drop a point. Hate to tell you this Jono, but Jack's come back from this position before.


Round 14: 25, 4, 10, 8, 1, 6. Target: 988.

C1: 988. (25*10-(8-6+1))*4 (10)
C2: 988. (25*10-(8-6+1))*4 (10)
Score: 112–104 (max 112)

Sometimes you ask for one large and you get six small. After all, 25 is only really an honorary large. It's not a trivial spot - for the second time today Jack didn't have time to write his solution down - but both players get it.

So we have a crucial conundrum. The only offering so far today that wasn't a max was Jack's disallowed word in R1, which means we're on 27 out of 28 maxes.

There has never been a game with 28 maxes out of a possible 29. There has also never been a game where someone got 14 maxes and lost. Either of these can happen here. If Jono gets the conundrum, he'll have got a perfect score. So far only two people in 15-round Countdown have done this...


Round 15: C H E E S E P R O

Jon buzzes on 2.5 seconds to say ECOSPHERE which is correct.
Final Score: 122–104 (max 122)

It's three now! Jon O'Neill joins Kirk Bevins and Conor Travers on the list of people who've managed the most prestigious achievement that can be made in a single game of Countdown. It's also the first 15-round max game that ended with a crucial conundrum, and that's also thanks to Jack, who after slipping up in round 1 played perfectly from then on, right up until the final conundrum. To play that well, so consistently, under all the pressure there was, is a huge credit to both players. Jack joins another, equally short, list of people who lost a game despite maxing 13 rounds. (Exercise for the reader. :-))

So I'll be back next Monday for my last recap of the series - that's between the aforementioned other two members of the 15-round max club, Kirk and Conor. Then the winner of that plays Jono on Thursday.


Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=-16
Neil Bellers
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It's a wonderful week, once more

Post by Neil Bellers »

What a tremendous week, for us mere viewers. Thanks to all the team here for the dazzling recaps. I am aware that the top contestants do post their daily comments elsewhere, but as simply an enthusiast today’s broadcast had me applauding at the end of a fantastic contest.
Then I had to catch up with the analysis for the confirmed ‘max’ verdict…no doubt really of course. How can there be any ‘losers’ with such a high standard by all ?? Maybe have a round-robin ‘swiss’ tournament, similar to the best in the chess world, next year and featuring all the quarter-finalists with one contest against each of the others ?
"Repulled" now goes into the legends of the the Countdown ledgers as one of those words that does sound very acceptable, and can only be added to the Dent Dictionary if more of us start to use that in a regularly-repeated phrase....
Most of the 'rival' brain-challenge programmes should be ashamed that they have a more high-profile television exposure, when next week’s Countdown should really be featured on the national news ! However this of course would spoil the low-profile sense of high achievement in a sporting and modest atmosphere that we all appreciate so much. Great credit as well to all involved who have not revealed the outcome in advance, and leaving the rest of us to face up to the Final Famous Five days of wonder next week.
Patience is the best virtue, I'm sure of it !
Oh, pass the scones / rock cakes......
Oliver Garner
Series 62 Champion
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Re: It's a wonderful week, once more

Post by Oliver Garner »

Neil Bellers wrote:Maybe have a round-robin ‘swiss’ tournament,
THIS - 16 player round robin - then a best of 3 quarters, best of 5 semis and a best of 7 final, which would be shown live over an evening. It should also be played to Hyper Touchdown rules blindfolded with 3 seconds a round. Not sure that the general viewing public would be as enthusiastic though!
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Jon O'Neill
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Re: Friday 22nd February 2013 (30th Champs, QF 2)

Post by Jon O'Neill »

Cheers Graeme, great recap.
Gavin Chipper
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Re: Friday 22nd February 2013 (30th Champs, QF 2)

Post by Gavin Chipper »

I don't think anyone's mentioned it but both Jono and Jack showboated the 4 large game by going for 75+50 instead of 100+25. Ponces.
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Graeme Cole
Series 65 Champion
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Re: Friday 22nd February 2013 (30th Champs, QF 2)

Post by Graeme Cole »

Gavin Chipper wrote:I don't think anyone's mentioned it but both Jono and Jack showboated the 4 large game by going for 75+50 instead of 100+25. Ponces.
Not showboating. If you practise 4 large a lot, you automatically do 75+50 to get 125 in preference to 100+25. This is because having a 100 and a 25 left over is nearly always more useful than a 75 and a 50.
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Adam Gillard
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Re: Friday 22nd February 2013 (30th Champs, QF 2)

Post by Adam Gillard »

Graeme Cole wrote:
Gavin Chipper wrote:I don't think anyone's mentioned it but both Jono and Jack showboated the 4 large game by going for 75+50 instead of 100+25. Ponces.
Not showboating. If you practise 4 large a lot, you automatically do 75+50 to get 125 in preference to 100+25. This is because having a 100 and a 25 left over is nearly always more useful than a 75 and a 50.
But Rachel started writing a 1 and had to hastily adjust it to write a 7.
Mike Brown: "Round 12: T N R S A E I G U

C1: SIGNATURE (18) ["9; not written down"]
C2: SEATING (7)
Score: 108–16 (max 113)

Another niner for Adam and yet another century. Well done, that man."
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