It's that time of the week again! This time we have a champion in red hot form, let's see if he can keep it up.
C1: Champion Giles Hutchings (2 wins, 248 points.) An apte-forumite from Farnham, Surrey who is hoping to study mathematics at university next year. His performances have been breathtaking so far. After recording the highest debut score of all time (129), yesterday he became one of the few people to have won a game by 100 points or more, as he saw off Mike Lee 119-19.
C2: Challenger Zulfi Ebrahim (or something like that). We don't get to see his nameplate but Giles has offered us a reasonable guess at how his name's spelt. He's a research analyst for the civil service in Harrow, London. His hobbies include cricket and badminton and he is the father of three teenage children.
DC: Susie Dent and Julia Bradbury.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: Q M E A C T E N T
R02: J R S V I A O P E
R03: 25, 2, 6, 9, 5, 8. Target: 423.
TTT: FILMDIED - "It could be a scarecrow's favourite position"
R04: N C G N I E O T I
R05: U O I F G S E V S
R06: 50, 7, 8, 6, 5, 4. Target: 756.
R07: R N X A O E P I N
R08: A E A K L S O T G
R09: 25, 6, 2, 9, 7, 4. Target: 197.
TTT: ROCKDEER - "Didn't drink the whole bottle so did this to it"
R10: B D E U N S E A Y
R11: M I E R M A I D H
R12: R T U O F T W I E
R13: D S L O E M O E I
R14: 50, 4, 2, 7, 10, 5. Target: 355.
R15: P I T Y V I C T A (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Enjoy the show.
Round 1: Q M E A C T E N T
C1: METATE (6)
C2: MENACE (6)
OT: CEMENT (6) CETANE (6) TENACE (6)
Score: 6–6 (max 6)
A flat start to the day.
Round 2: J R S V I A O P E
C1: VAPORISE (8)
C2: VAPORISE (8)
DC: VIPERS (6)
Score: 14–14 (max 14)
Both Giles and Zulfi spot the darren, one that you wouldn't expect most contestants to get, so it looks like we're in for a high quality game today.
Round 3: 25, 2, 6, 9, 5, 8. Target: 423.
C1: 423. (9 + 8) x 25 - 2 (10)
C2: 422.
Score: 24–14 (max 24)
A simple numbers game appears but unfortunately for Zulfi, he goes down the wrong path and leaves the door wide open for Giles, which is not a good idea on current form.
He makes no mistake to take the lead.Teatime teaser: FILMDIED -> MIDFIELD
Round 4: N C G N I E O T I
C1: ENTICING (8)
C2: COINING (7)
DC: NOTICING (8)
OT: NICOTINE (8)
Score: 32–14 (max 32)
A good eight from Giles, who extends his lead.
Round 5: U O I F G S E V S
C1: FOGIES (6)
C2: FOGIES (6)
DC: OGIVES (6)
OT: GUISES (6) VOGUES (6)
Score: 38–20 (max 38)
FOGIES turns up again and both contestants spot it.
Round 6: 50, 7, 8, 6, 5, 4. Target: 756.
C1: 756. (8 + 7) x 50 + 6 (10)
C2: 756. (8 + 7) x 50 + 6 (10)
Score: 48–30 (max 48)
Another numbers game that isn't much of a challenge but at least Zulfi gets this one.
Julia talks about the fan mail she receives, both positive and negative and demonstrates by reading out a couple of examples.
Round 7: R N X A O E P I N
C1: PANNIER (7)
C2: pinner
OT: NAPROXEN (8)
Score: 55–30 (max 56)
A really difficult darren which no one in the studio can spot turns up to end Giles' chances of a max game. He still wins the round though with an old favourite PANNIER and although no one mentioned it at the time, Zulfi's offering of PINNER^ isn't in the dictionary but it wouldn't have scored anyway. NAPROXEN is synthetic compound used as an anti-inflammatory drug and is often used to treat arthritis and headaches.
Round 8: A E A K L S O T G
C1: LEGATOS (7)
C2: GOALS (5)
DC: LEAKS (5) GLOATS (6)
OT: SOAKAGE (7)
Score: 62–30 (max 63)
Giles finds another good word and it's difficult to see how he could lose it from here. Perhaps the next numbers game will make things interesting.
Round 9: 25, 6, 2, 9, 7, 4. Target: 197.
C1: 197. 25 x 4 x 2 - (9 - 6) (10)
C2: 197. 25 x 4 x 2 - (9 - 6) (10)
Score: 72–40 (max 73)
Or then again, maybe not.
Teatime teaser: ROCKDEER -> RECORKED
Round 10: B D E U N S E A Y
C1: SUNDAE (6)
C2: unbased
OT: ABUSED (6) BEANED (6) BUNYAS (6) DAUBES (6) DEBASE (6) DEBYES (6) ENDUES (6) ENSUED (6) SEABED (6) SUNBED (6) UNEASE (6) UNEASY (6) YEANED (6)
Score: 78–40 (max 79)
Very unlucky for Zulfi as his gamble on UNBASED^ sounds more than reasonable but it's not in the dictionary. It looks like there should be a seven but in fact there are only loads of sixes available.
Round 11: M I E R M A I D H
C1: MERMAID (7)
C2: MERMAID (7)
DC: HEDARIM (7)
OT: HAMMIER (7)
Score: 85–47 (max 86)
Both players add seven points to their tallies with the word that's virtually spelt out. DC's offering of HEDARIM brings back memories of Kirk Bevins' second game when he offered it and Susie initially disallowed it because she couldn't find it in the dictionary, only to reverse her decision a round later. It looks like she's learnt from that.
OoW: Susie answers a query from a viewer who asks if the word "disaster" has its astrology origins. It does and its related to the stars, which people used to believe influenced every aspect of people's lives.
Round 12: R T U O F T W I E
C1: TUFTIER (7)
C2: FITTER (6)
DC: OUTFIT (6)
Score: 92–47 (max 93)
I have to admit that I saw TUFTIER but thought it was complete sloblock. Giles is well known for his work with the apterous dictionary so it's no surprise that he knows better and in doing so, he wraps up the game.
Round 13: D S L O E M O E I
C1: MELODIES (8)
C2: SOILED (6)
DC: MELODISE (8)
Score: 100–47 (max 101)
Giles goes all musical like in round 8 and he has reached his third century with two rounds left to play. Surely there's got to be at least one challenging numbers game today, hasn't there?
Round 14: 50, 4, 2, 7, 10, 5. Target: 355.
C1: 355. 50 x 7 + 5 (10)
C2: 355. 50 x 7 + 5 (10)
Score: 110–57 (max 111)
Maybe not, as that's the easiest of the lot! What do I know?
Round 15: P I T Y V I C T A
C1 buzzes on 0.75 seconds to say CAPTIVITY which is correct.
Final Score: 120–57 (max 121)
Giles rounds off the afternoon with his third lightning quick conundrum solve in three games as the clock doesn't even light up! He's unlucky to miss out on a max game as the only thing he missed was NAPROXEN, which I doubt many people, if anyone at all got. After three games, he is averaging an amazing 123 points a game and if he keeps playing like this, I can see him breaking Jack Hurst's 946 total! An honourable mention must go to Zulfi who turned out to be a fairly decent opponent and on another day, he could have been a threat.
My next recap in a week's time could be a big one as it could see history being made. I will be recapping Giles' potential eight game when he could not only become an octochamp, but break the aforementioned octochamp total record. Join James tomorrow to find out if he can get his fourth win and equal his mother Nicole's number of wins back in 2004. See you next week for what could be an unmissable recap!
Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=68
