Monday 24th March 2014 (series 70 prelim 52)

[Andy McGurn]

Countdown recap for Monday 24 March 2014.

C1: Champion Cliff Lee (4 wins, 377 points.) Now on four wins after beating James Topps 86-30 on Friday

C2: Challenger Gerry Wrathall. A retired Civil Engineer from Aylesbury. A lover of ceroc dancing and ten pin bowling

DC: Susie Dent and Maureen Lipman.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

R01: O I E G B S F U P
R02: E A E D M N V O P
R03: 10, 4, 1, 7, 10, 2. Target: 986.
TTT: PINCHTOE - "if you know this A-Z then bravo to you"
R04: I U A T H G T O L
R05: N B Z D I E O E T
R06: 6, 9, 5, 1, 9, 25. Target: 607.
R07: I O A E S G P R G
R08: A E I D M N S C T
R09: 9, 9, 8, 2, 6, 10. Target: 319.
TTT: TRIEDCUP - "he tried to imagine what it would be like to win the cup"
R10: O E A Q L S R F N
R11: H P U A E D R N S
R12: O U E O C K N R T
R13: M N S R I I A E J
R14: 5, 6, 1, 9, 2, 100. Target: 568.
R15: S I M I A N T O Y (conundrum)


And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

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Enjoy the show.

Round 1: O I E G B S F U P

Cliff: BOGIES (6)
Gerry: podgies
DC: BOGIES (6)
OT: BOUGIES (7)
Score: 6–0 (max 7)


Poor start for Gerry as he makes a double error in round one, his podgies are not in the dictionary or the selection (as apterous Susie would say). Cliff gets the six to take an early lead.
BOUGIES (the maxed missed by all) are flexible surgical instruments for exploring or dilating a passage of the body


Round 2: E A E D M N V O P

Cliff: MOANED (6)
Gerry: DAEMON (6)
DC: VENOMED (7)
Score: 12–6 (max 14)


Straightforward sixes for the contestants but DC spot the venomous max in this round.



Round 3: 10, 4, 1, 7, 10, 2. Target: 986.

Cliff: 980. ((10*10)-2)*(7+4-1) (5)
Gerry: -
RR: 986. (((10+1)*10)*9)-4 (10)
Score: 17–6 (max 24)


Cliff’s six away gives him five points. Rachel shows them how its done with a nice solution.



Teatime teaser: PINCHTOE -> PHONETIC

Round 4: I U A T H G T O L

Cliff: goliath
Gerry: LAUGH (5)
DC: TAUGHT (6) TAUTOG (6)
OT: GOLIATH (7)
Score: 17–11 (max 31)


Cliff’s word is disallowed here for being capitalised, this is despite the fact that it is in the dictionary with a small g. Susie’s error gives Gerry five points and puts him just six behind. Will this mistake have any bearing on the end result?



Round 5: N B Z D I E O E T

Cliff: EBONIZED (8)
Gerry: EDIT (4)
DC: OBEDIENT (8)
Score: 25–11 (max 39)


EBONIZED is an easier word to spot that it may seem for non-apterite contestants. Once you know the word it seems to be one you always get. Cliff certainly gets it and his lead returns to double figures.



Round 6: 6, 9, 5, 1, 9, 25. Target: 607.

Cliff: 607. (((6-1)*5)*25)-9-9 (10)
Gerry: 606.
Score: 35–11 (max 49)


A fine spot for Cliff takes him another ten points ahead and it looks like the GOLIATH debacle is not going to affect the outcome.



DC Guest: Maureen talks about memory and her fear of losing hers.


At this point Susie announces that she made an error earlier in the game in disallowing GOLIATH, which as she has now seen is perfectly valid. Doubtless someone in the production team passed this information to her via her earpiece, as she otherwise wouldn’t be looking at that page in the dictionary at this point in the game.

As a result, the scores are readjusted and Gerry makes history as he is (probably) the first contestant in countdown history to have his score go down in a game.


Score: 42-6 (max 49)



Round 7: I O A E S G P R G

Cliff: PORGIES (7)
Gerry: GASPER (6)
DC: ARPEGGIOS (18)
Score: 49–6 (max 67)


More quality word knowledge from Cliff helps him to take the round, but its DC who takes the plaudits here with their brilliant niner.




Round 8: A E I D M N S C T

Cliff: DETAINS (7)
Gerry: medicates
DC: SEMANTIC (8) MINDSET (7) ADMITS (6)
OT: DISTANCE (8) MEDIANTS (8) NEMATICS (8)
Score: 56–6 (max 75)


Gerry might need some serious medication after this. For the seond time I the game he uses a phantom letter enabling Cliff to take an even bigger lead.



Round 9: 9, 9, 8, 2, 6, 10. Target: 319.

Cliff: 323. (10+9)*(9+8) (7)
Gerry: -
Rachel:319. (10+9)*(9+8)- (6-2) (10)
Score: 63–6 (max 85)


With Gerry on six points after the second advert break he still has a chance to make history twice in one game. If he scores no more points he’ll achieve the lowest score in fifteen round history, which would maybe give him the chane to return for a special against Christine Buffrey at some point


Teatime teaser: TRIEDCUP -> PICTURED


Round 10: O E A Q L S R F N

Cliff: LOANERS (7)
Gerry: LOANERS (7)
DC: LOAFERS (7) FELONS (6)
Score: 70–13 (max 92)


That second piece of history is gone now as Gerry scores seven to take him to double figures for the second time this game



Round 11: H P U A E D R N S

Cliff: SHARPEN (7)
Gerry: HARDENS (7)
DC: UNSHAPED (8)
OT: UNHASPED (8) UNSHARED (8)
Score: 77–20 (max 100)


And with that, Cliff seals victory with two letters games still to come. Quite a rare thing, even when top apterites are playing.


Round 12: O U E O C K N R T

Cliff: COUNTER (7)
Gerry: COUNTER (7)
DC: CONTOUR (7) RECOUNT (7)
OT: CORONET (7) CROUTON (7) ECOTOUR (7) TROUNCE (7)
Score: 84–27 (max 107)


Flattest round of the game, sees both contestants spot a max word



Round 13: M N S R I I A E J

Cliff: SEMINAR (7)
Gerry: REMAINS (7)
DC: MARINISE (8)
Score: 91–34 (max 115)


More sevens for the contestants and its left to DC to get the darrenic 8.



Round 14: 5, 6, 1, 9, 2, 100. Target: 568.

Cliff: 568. (((2*6)+100)*5)-9+1 (10)
Gerry: 568. ((100-5)*6)-2 (10)
Score: 101–44 (max 125)


Cliff seals his second century with that solve. Nice that Gerry gets it too, given his nightmareish first two thirds of the game



Round 15: S I M I A N T O Y

Gerry buzzes on 27 seconds to say ANIMOSITY which is correct.
Final Score: 101–54 (max 135)


Cliff had long since sealed the win but its well done to Gerry for spotting the conundrum. In fact he did really well to move from only having six points at the second advert break to a final score of 54. He scored in each of the last six rounds, despite only scoring n one of the previous nine (the GOLIATH round obviously doesn’t count).

Cliff looks like a certain octochamp now. Join me next Monday to see his successor play their second game.




Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=70

[Bradley Cates]

Round 3: 10, 4, 1, 7, 10, 2. Target: 986.

Cliff: 980. ((10*10)-2)*(7+4-1) (5)
Gerry: -
RR: 986. (((10+1)*10)*9)-4 (10)
Score: 17–6 (max 24)


Cliff’s six away gives him five points. Susie shows them how its done with a nice solution.

Have I missed something?

[Graeme Cole]

At this point Susie announces that she made an error earlier in the game in disallowing GOLIATH, which as she has now seen is perfectly valid. Doubtless someone in the production team passed this information to her via her earpiece, as she otherwise wouldn’t be looking at that page in the dictionary at this point in the game.

As a result, the scores are readjusted and Gerry makes history as he is (probably) the first contestant in countdown history to have his score go down in a game.

It's very rare, but it's happened at least once before. I remember a game in the 9-round era where after the break, Susie announced that a word she'd allowed earlier in the game was actually invalid, so they took six points off one of the contestants. I don't remember any further details, but this would have been some time in the mid to late nineties.

[James Robinson]

Round 9: 9, 9, 8, 2, 6, 10. Target: 319.

Cliff: 323. (10+9)*(9+8) (7)
Gerry: -
Score: 63–6 (max 82)

You forgot Rachel's method, so the max is 135, not 132.

[Andy McGurn]

Round 9: 9, 9, 8, 2, 6, 10. Target: 319.

Cliff: 323. (10+9)*(9+8) (7)
Gerry: -
Score: 63–6 (max 82)

You forgot Rachel's method, so the max is 135, not 132.

EDITED

[Andy McGurn]

Round 3: 10, 4, 1, 7, 10, 2. Target: 986.

Cliff: 980. ((10*10)-2)*(7+4-1) (5)
Gerry: -
RR: 986. (((10+1)*10)*9)-4 (10)
Score: 17–6 (max 24)


Cliff’s six away gives him five points. Susie shows them how its done with a nice solution.

Have I missed something?

EDITED