Monday 28th January 2013 (30th Championship, R1 Game 7)

[Graeme Cole]

Countdown recap for Monday 28 January 2013.

C1: Series 4 runner-up Christine Hunt (6 wins, 469 points from 10 games) from Bugbrooke, Northamptonshire, played in a series and the Championship of Champions in 1984, the Masters in 1989, and the Supreme Championship in 1996. On that last occasion she was pregnant with her daughter Charlotte, who is watching her from the audience today.
C2: Series 8 contestant Sandie Simonis (2 wins, 299 points from 5 games, including one never shown) from Pinner is the secretary of the London Scrabble League, and has achieved the title of Expert in Scrabble. Her first game in 1986 against eventual semi-finalist Andy Keeble ended in a draw, and in those days they didn't bother with tiebreaks (except in finals matches) - the two players just played again the following day. Sandie beat Andy at the second attempt. She returned for both Masters series in 1989 and 1991, winning one of the very few episodes to remain unreleased. Interestingly, Sandie can be seen on the box of the 1986 edition of the Countdown board game alongside Clive Freedman, who won the final of CoC II by becoming the first of 20 people in Countdown's history to pull off what is rapidly becoming known as a "Rawlo" - solving the conundrum and the tiebreak from ten points behind to win.
DC: Susie Dent and Mark Foster.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

R01: M C E H D A T R E
R02: N D R A Z O E I M
R03: P L U T N E T C E
R04: R S N G I A O B A
R05: 100, 25, 9, 6, 7, 2. Target: 474.
TTT: THOUREAD - "Hast thou read all the books I've written?"
R06: L F C I U O S E R
R07: N W I T S A K P O
R08: L S H N E U A P E
R09: X R S O D M D A E
R10: 25, 6, 9, 8, 9, 4. Target: 307.
TTT: LACEBAND - "The right kind of diet for a tightrope walker, perhaps?"
R11: V B U R N E G R I
R12: W T J A I E R S D
R13: T R O T S V E L A
R14: 50, 10, 5, 10, 6, 9. Target: 537.
R15: D A N G E R U U S (conundrum)
R16: I S N T S U S I I (conundrum)


And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

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Enjoy the show.

Round 1: M C E H D A T R E

C1: rematched
C2: rematched
DC: REMATCH (7) CHARMED (7) CREMATED (8)
OT: DEMARCHE (8)
Score: 0–0 (max 8)

Nobody can blame Christine and Sandie for going for this word - most were surprised that it wasn't in. REMATCH is sometimes used as a verb, but not enough for it to be in this edition of the ODE.


Round 2: N D R A Z O E I M

C1: ROMAINE (7)
C2: MORAINE (7)
DC: RANDOMIZE (18)
OT: ROMANIZED (18)
Score: 7–7 (max 26)

Regular viewers will know the familiar ROMAINE/MORAINE, which are lettuce and rocks, in one order or another. Susie finds RANDOMIZE for nine.


Round 3: P L U T N E T C E

C1: LETTUCE (7)
C2: CUTLET (6)
DC: CENTUPLE (8)
Score: 14–7 (max 34)

Christine sticks with the lettuce theme for this round.


Round 4: R S N G I A O B A

C1: SOARING (7)
C2: asorbing
DC: BARGAINS (8)
OT: ABRASION (8)
Score: 21–7 (max 42)

ABSORBING and ADSORBING are both valid, but not ASORBING^, so Christine goes soaring further in front.


Round 5: 100, 25, 9, 6, 7, 2. Target: 474.

C1: 475. (7-2)*100-25 (7)
C2: 475. (7-2)*100-25 (7)
RR: 474. (100-25+2+(9-7))*6 (10)
Score: 28–14 (max 52)

Both one away on the numbers, but Rachel spots 79*6.


Teatime teaser: THOUREAD -> AUTHORED


Round 6: L F C I U O S E R

C1: LOUSIER (7)
C2: CLOSURE (7)
Nick: LUCIFERS (8)
Score: 35–21 (max 60)

Christine takes her fifth heptad of points in five rounds. Nick asks if you can have LUCIFERS, and it's in - a LUCIFER is an archaic term for a match which is struck on a rough surface.


Round 7: N W I T S A K P O

C1: OKAPIS (6)
C2: PATIOS (6)
DC: SWANKPOT (8)
OT: SWAPTION (8)
Score: 41–27 (max 68)

A tricky selection that sees our contestants find only sixes. An OKAPI is a mammal of the giraffe family, and a SWAPTION is one of those portmanteau words from finance - the right but not obligation to engage in a swap. Susie finds that one can be a SWANKPOT - a person attempting to impress others.


Round 8: L S H N E U A P E

C1: unheals
C2: UNLEASH (7)
DC: PEAHENS (7)
Score: 41–34 (max 75)

Christine isn't sure about UNHEALS^, and it's not in. Nor is UNHEELS^, although UNHEELED is. This means Sandie comes back to within seven points.


Round 9: X R S O D M D A E

C1: ADORED (6)
C2: ADORED (6)
DC: MODDERS (7) DEODARS (7)
OT: MADDERS (7) RADOMES (7)
Score: 47–40 (max 82)

A MODDER is someone who modifies something, especially a computer game. A DEODAR is a type of cedar tree, a MADDER is a plant, and a RADOME is a protective dome for radar equipment - yet another portmanteau, or blend as they're called nowadays.


Round 10: 25, 6, 9, 8, 9, 4. Target: 307.

C1: -
C2: 307. (8+4)*25+9/9+6 (10)
Score: 47–50 (max 92)

Christine is nowhere on the numbers game, so Sandie goes in front.


Teatime teaser: LACEBAND -> BALANCED


Round 11: V B U R N E G R I

C1: ERRING (6)
C2: BRINGER (7)
DC: BURRING (7)
Score: 47–57 (max 99)

Sometimes you get a selection that's got an -ING in it, and of course you put that on the end and see what you can put at the start. Occasionally this means you miss other words, and that's why words like SIGNATURE and RINGTONES can be difficult to spot if you don't know there's a nine. Anyway, Sandie avoids this trap and gets BRINGER to go ten points in front.


Round 12: W T J A I E R S D

C1: WAITERS (7)
C2: WAITERS (7)
DC: WARIEST (7) TIRADES (7)
OT: ASTRIDE (7) DISRATE (7) STAIDER (7) STEWARD (7) WAISTED (7)
Score: 54–64 (max 106)

Splat.


Round 13: T R O T S V E L A

C1: TRAVELS (7)
C2: RATTLES (7)
OT: LEVATORS (8)
Score: 61–71 (max 114)

Three rounds left, and the players get TRAVELS and RATTLES. Coincidentally, in Sandie's first ever game she got TRAVELS at this point. And look how that turned out.


Round 14: 50, 10, 5, 10, 6, 9. Target: 537.

C1: 535. 50*10+10*5-(9+6) (7)
C2: 539. 50*10+6*5+9 (7)
RR: 537. (50+10)*9-(6*5)/10 (10)
Score: 68–78 (max 124)

Both are two away this time, so we've got a crucial conundrum. Just like in Sandie's first game, she's ten ahead. Unlike that game, this one won't end with a draw.


Round 15: D A N G E R U U S

C1 buzzes on 22 seconds to say UNSUGARED which is correct.
Score: 78–78 (max 134)

"UNSUGARED?" asks Christine, not completely sure of it despite Nick's regular reminders to be so. It's right, so for the second time in the tournament we go into sudden death...


Round 16: I S N T S U S I I

C1 buzzes on 23 seconds to say SINUSITIS which is correct.
Final Score: 88–78 (max 134)

Susie immediately says "that's brilliant", even before the flippything turns over to show that Christine has executed Countdown's 21st Rawlo to advance to the last 16.

Tomorrow it's semi-finalists Neil Zussman and Paul Keane, and on Wednesday Dave Hoskisson (Rawlo #13) takes on Series 13 semi-finalist Mike Whiteoak. Don't forget Thursday is whatchamacallit against oojamaflip. And on Friday it's the champions of series 38 and 60, John Ashmore and Kirk Bevins. One of them talks about the hole in their backside, but I couldn't possibly spoil that story so you'll have to watch it yourself.


Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=-16

[James Robinson]

And on Friday, the champions of series 38 and 60, John Ashmore and Kirk Bevins, play the last round 1 match.

Erm, I think you'll find that there's still another week of Round 1 matches after this week.

Mainly due to the fact that 9 of the 10 contestants are the winners of the preliminaries................

Poor David O'Donnell being tossed aside for no reason...........

[Graeme Cole]

And on Friday, the champions of series 38 and 60, John Ashmore and Kirk Bevins, play the last round 1 match.

Erm, I think you'll find that there's still another week of Round 1 matches after this week.

Mainly due to the fact that 9 of the 10 contestants are the winners of the preliminaries................

Poor David O'Donnell being tossed aside for no reason...........

Yep, sloblock talked, and sloblock removed.

[Heather Styles]

It is interesting to me, as a Child of the Eighties, that Graeme should mention the 1986 board game. It seems that there are two versions of the 1986 board game, both featuring the same picture on the box, with Sandie Simonis and Clive Freedman. One is described as "The challenging word-power game" and the other as "The challenging word and numbers game". I know which one I prefer.