Monday June 1st 2015 (series 72, prelim 91)

[Andy McGurn]

Countdown recap for Monday 1 June 2015.

C1: Champion James Judge (1 win, 99 points.) James Judge- A retired voluntary worker from Cheshire who scored 99 in a pretty impressive debut against a fellow debutante on Friday.

C2: Challenger - Lisa Marquand - a Maths student from Guernsey who enjoys pole fitness and also writes Sudoku for a local publication.

DC: Susie Dent and Gloria Hunniford.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

R01: M A Z D U R N E P
R02: B T S A O R E H O
R03: 10, 5, 3, 4, 4, 50. Target: 409.
TTT: REALPICS - "these pictures aren't the real thing there cheap imitations"
R04: I U O F N W I V S
R05: L C E V A M R S O
R06: 3, 4, 5, 4, 5, 50. Target: 788.
R07: P T U E N P T I D
R08: E O R L B I U N O
R09: 5, 10, 4, 3, 4, 50. Target: 442.
TTT: ISAWSHAM - "their not very flattering and quite below the belt"
R10: G J G E I E R O T
R11: S T E A D L S E N
R12: A E A T N H T E M
R13: S I G S F O E A D
R14: 1, 1, 4, 3, 100, 75. Target: 660.
R15: V A I N Z E L G A (conundrum)


And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

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Enjoy the show.

Round 1: M A Z D U R N E P

James: NAMED (5)
Lisa: PRUNE (5)
DC: MAUNDER (7)
OT: DURAMEN (7) MANURED (7) UNARMED (7)
Score: 5–5 (max 7)

Not a great start by either player but they match each other and its five points a piece after round one.



Round 2: B T S A O R E H O

James: BOATERS (7)
Lisa: BOATERS (7)
DC: SHOOTER (7) BATHERS (7) BOASTER (7)
OT: TARBOOSH (8) THEORBOS (8)
Score: 12–12 (max 15)

There were loads of sevens here but no one spots either of the obscure eights.
TARBOOSH is a close-fitting, flat-topped, brimless hat shaped like a truncated cone.
A THEORBO is is a plucked string instrument of the lute family, with an extended neck and a second pegbox



Round 3: 10, 5, 3, 4, 4, 50. Target: 409.

James: 409. ((5+3)*50)+(10-(4/4)) (10)
Lisa: 409. ((5+3)*50)+(10-(4/4)) (10)
Score: 22–22 (max 25)

One large produces a simple numbers game and we are still level pegging.


Teatime teaser: REALPICS -> REPLICAS

Round 4: I U O F N W I V S

James: SNOW (4)
Lisa: FUSION (6)
DC: VISION (6) VINOUS (6) WINOS (5)
Score: 22–28 (max 31)

Lisa surprisingly takes the first lead of the game with FUSION while James has a nightmare of a round where he can only get SNOW. DC spot a couple of alcoholic words.


Round 5: L C E V A M R S O

James: SCREAM (6)
Lisa: lacers
DC: MARVELS (7) CLOVERS (7)
OT: REMOVALS (8)
Score: 28–28 (max 39)

Bad judgement by Lisa causes her to lose the six point lead immediately.



Round 6: 3, 4, 5, 4, 5, 50. Target: 788.

James: 788. ((50*4)-3)*4 (10)
Lisa: -
Score: 38–28 (max 49)

James beats the Maths student with a perfect solve and he now leads by 10 points.


DC Guest – Gloria talks about the show “Rip off Britain” and mentions the concerns about food safety and specifically one case where she was looking at the healthiness of dog foods.


Round 7: P T U E N P T I D

James: untipped
Lisa: TINTED (6)
OT: INPUTTED (8)
Score: 38–34 (max 57)

Untipped sounded plausible but its not in so Lisa’s TINTED her way to just four points behind.


Round 8: E O R L B I U N O

James: BRINE (5)
Lisa: looner
DC: ROUBLE (6) LOONIER (7)
Score: 43–34 (max 64)

Not the first poor declaration from Lisa this game, she could have added the I to her non-word to get a valid seven. This gives James the advantage as he takes his lead back up again.


Round 9: 5, 10, 4, 3, 4, 50. Target: 442.

James: 442. (50+4)*(5+3)+10 (10)
Lisa: 440.
Score: 53–34 (max 74)

James appears to be taking the game now as he goes a healthy 19 points ahead with a solve that eludes Lisa the Maths student.


Teatime teaser: ISAWSHAM -> MAWASHIS

Round 10: G J G E I E R O T

James: JOGGER (6)
Lisa: JOGGER (6)
DC: GOITRE (6) EGGIER (6)
OT: GORGET (6) GREIGE (6) JIGGER (6)
Score: 59–40 (max 80)

JOGGER is an easy max to spot and the gap stays at 19.
GORGET from the French word gorge (meaning throat) was originally an article of clothing that covered the throat, later coming to mean any throat-covering garment.
GREIGE is a colour between beige and grey


Round 11: S T E A D L S E N

James: ENDLESS (7)
Lisa: LEADS (5)
DC: DATELESS (8)
OT: ASSENTED (8) LATENESS (8) STANDEES (8)
Score: 66–40 (max 88)

James looks to be bossing the game now and seems to be on his way to win number 2.


Round 12: A E A T N H T E M

James: METHANE (7)
Lisa: HEAT (4)
DC: EMANATE (7)
OT: ENEMATA (7) MANATEE (7)
Score: 73–40 (max 95)

Even more so now as he wins another round to all but secure the vistory.


OoW – Susie speaks about the correct pronunciation of Magdalen (as in the college) and also explains the origin of that pronunciation.


Round 13: S I G S F O E A D

James: foraged
Lisa: GASSED (6)
DC: DOSAGES (7)
OT: ADIOSES (7)
Score: 73–46 (max 102)

A lapse in concentration for James but he won’t mind as he has now sealed the game beyond all doubt


Round 14: 1, 1, 4, 3, 100, 75. Target: 660.

James: -
Lisa: -
OT: 658. ((75*3)+(100+4))*(1+1) (7)
Score: 73–46 (max 109)

Contestants draw a blank and it turns out two away was the closest possible.


Round 15: V A I N Z E L G A

James buzzes on 6 seconds to say GALVANIZE which is correct.
Final Score: 83–46 (max 119)

James tops off his second win with a quick conundrum. He looks really happy to win again and will be hoping to get his third win before he can relax and have a break before coming back for series 73. But he still has to win tomorrow of course.

James will be back tomorrow and James will take you through it before James recaps the first quarter final on Wednesday.




Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=72