C1: Champion Dylan Taylor (4 wins, 478 points) is apterous's greatest ever half-Honduran player. He's played exceptionally well in his run so far, dropping only a single point in his first game and scoring well into three figures in the other three.
C2: Challenger Mark O'Regan is an accountant from Cork. His "Countdown coach" Niamh*, whom he happens to live with, is in the audience.
DC: Susie Dent and Gloria Hunniford.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
* This name is pronounced "Neve". No, I don't know why either.
R01: E I O B F D K R D
R02: M G N L U A I T E
R03: 50, 6, 3, 8, 7, 10. Target 630.
TTT: RIGFUNGI - "Working out the answer to the numbers game, perhaps?"
R04: V R P W O I U H E
R05: Y S L P O I A W E
R06: 25, 1, 3, 7, 1, 8. Target 588.
R07: O E U N S T B O N
R08: S N J L E A I L R
R09: 50, 8, 7, 1, 4, 3. Target 177.
TTT: BASINOAR - "You might have to think about scraping together the answer to this."
R10: D Z R M E A I R O
R11: C E A I R T C D O
R12: R M F S O U I N A
R13: T M N S E I E U A
R14: 25, 3, 7, 1, 6, 4. Target 666.
R15: S E M I N I C E R (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
I would do the facial expressions of Zarte Siempre, but there's a limit to how long a GIF can be.
Round 1: E I O B F D K R D
Dylan: FOREDID (7)
Mark: forbide
DC: BIDDER (6) FODDER (6)
Score: 7-0 (max 7)
Dylan opens with FOREDID, and Mark understandably risks a seven to match him but FOREDID was the only seven there.
Round 2: M G N L U A I T E
Dylan: GLUTAMINE (18)
Mark: TEAMING (7)
DC: LIGAMENT (8)
OT: EMULATING (18)
Score: 25-0 (max 25)
For some reason I only saw GLUTAMINE and not the more commonplace EMULATING. This puts Dylan comfortably in front after only two rounds.
Round 3: 50, 6, 3, 8, 7, 10. Target 630.
Dylan: 630. (50 + 6 + 7) * 10 (10)
Mark: 630. (50 + 6 + 7) * 10 (10)
Score: 35-10 (max 35)
Mark is off... himself, thanks to a reasonably straightforward numbers game.
TTT: RIGFUNGI -> FIGURING
Round 4: V R P W O I U H E
Dylan: PURVIEW (7)
Mark: POWER (5)
Score: 42-10 (max 42)
Again, only one seven, and again, Dylan digs it out.
Round 5: Y S L P O I A W E
Dylan: SOAPILY (7)
Mark: PLAYS (5)
DC: PAISLEY (7)
OT: WOYLIES (7) SLIPWAY (7)
Score: 49-10 (max 49)
Susie is confused as to why SOAPILY is even in the dictionary, and eventually suggests that if a drama were played like a soap opera, it might be played "soapily".
Round 6: 25, 1, 3, 7, 1, 8. Target 588.
Dylan: 587. (25 * 8 - 1 - 1) * 3 - 7 (7)
Mark: 591. (0)
RR: (25 * 3 + 8 + 1) * 7 = 588 (10)
Score: 56-10 (max 59)
Easy enough to get one away, but this numbers game eludes even Dylan. Not Rachel, though.
Round 7: O E U N S T B O N
Dylan: BONNETS (7)
Mark: NOUNS (5)
DC: OBTUSE (6)
OT: OUBOETS (7) BOUTONS (7) NEUSTON (7)
Score: 63-10 (max 66)
Dylan marches on as Mark can only find NOUNS for five. Three unusual sevens go unclaimed... OUBOET is an informal South African form of address to an older brother or male friend, a BOUTON is the part of a nerve which forms a synapse with another nerve, and NEUSTON are small aquatic organisms that live on the surface film of water.
Round 8: S N J L E A I L R
Dylan: JAILERS (7)
Mark: RALLIES (7)
DC: NAILERS (7)
OT: LARNIES (7)
Score: 70-17 (max 73)
Mark RALLIES to equal Dylan in this round.
Round 9: 50, 8, 7, 1, 4, 3. Target 177.
Dylan: 177. (50 + 8 + 1) * 3 (10)
Mark: 177. (50 + 8 + 1) * 3 (10)
Score: 80-27 (max 83)
And a low numbers target doesn't cause much trouble for either player.
TTT: BASINOAR -> ABRASION
Round 10: D Z R M E A I R O
Dylan: AIRDROME (8)
Mark: MARRIED (7)
Score: 88-27 (max 91)
AIRDROME, the American term for an aerodrome, gives Dylan an even wider lead.
Round 11: C E A I R T C D O
Dylan: ACCREDIT (8)
Mark: TRACED (6)
DC: EROTICA (7)
Score: 96-27 (max 99)
This was a good spot. I was convinced that if there were an eight from this lot it'd be from EAIRTCDO. ACCREDIT also gives Dylan his fifth win.
Round 12: R M F S O U I N A
Dylan: UNIFORMS (8)
Mark: INFAMOUS (8)
DC: INSOFAR (7)
Score: 104-35 (max 107)
Plenty of players might miss the two eights on offer in this round, but not Dylan and Mark.
Round 13: T M N S E I E U A
Dylan: MATINEES (8)
Mark: MEANEST (7)
Score: 112-35 (max 115)
I wonder what Dylan was going for with the fifth vowel? Maybe he'd spotted the MATINEES option, but there's no nine. TMNSEIEU only stems with C and R. Exercise for the reader...
Round 14: 25, 3, 7, 1, 6, 4. Target 666.
Dylan: 666. ((25 + 1) * 4 + 7) * 6 (10)
Mark: 666. (25 * 4 + 3 + 7 + 1) * 6 (10)
Score: 122-45 (max 125)
Both our contestants take ten points from a devilish target.
Round 15: S E M I N I C E R
Mark buzzes on 11 seconds to say REMINISCE which is correct.
Final score: Dylan Taylor 122-55 Mark O'Regan (max 135)
A late surge for Mark - he scored more points in the last four rounds than in the whole of the rest of the game put together. It's easy to judge him harshly from the scoreline today, but it takes a lot to score highly against Dylan. It also takes a lot to beat him to a conundrum, as anyone who's played him online will know, and Mark managed it. Nevertheless, it's back over the Irish Sea with Mark and his goody bag, as Dylan prepares for his sixth game tomorrow.
