Monday 30th September 2013 (Series 69, Prelim 59)

Graeme Cole · Post by **Graeme Cole** » Mon Sep 30, 2013 9:57 pm

Countdown recap for Monday 30 September 2013.

C1: Champion Callum Todd (1 win, 70 points) is a sixth form student from Leeds, who came to Leamington last Saturday and finished top of the C division.
C2: Challenger Adam Dexter has also been to a few Countdown events, including the first CoBliviLon where he beat Ed McCullagh in the heats. He's a customer service advisor from Worcester, and a keen vexillologist. Vexillology is the study of flags. If you don't read any other page about flags, read the world's flags given letter grades.
DC: Susie Dent and Katherine Grainger.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

R01: S R H T O I A M O
R02: G H A R E M V A F
R03: 4, 3, 1, 1, 9, 7. Target: 827.
TTT: MENSITUP - "North of the border, it's what they call fools."
R04: G N E A G W O N B
R05: M S N P E U I T R
R06: 25, 10, 2, 7, 7, 1. Target: 816.
R07: Q H D P E U A T N
R08: R S I F J E M S O
R09: 7, 2, 8, 9, 9, 6. Target: 979.
TTT: CUSSTOIL - "These people will always see eye to eye with you."
R10: K S I T E R S I D
R11: T R P D E A O T R
R12: X P A C N I S E N
R13: L Y N T A O E L R
R14: 100, 7, 4, 5, 1, 3. Target: 737.
R15: D O T S T I R E D (conundrum)

And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

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Enjoy the show.

Round 1: S R H T O I A M O

C1: RATIOS (6)
C2: RATIOS (6)
DC: SHROOM (6) AMORIST (7)
OT: MOHAIRS (7)
Score: 6–6 (max 7)

Not sure whether Susie would allow MOHAIRS, but the recap writer thinks so.

Round 2: G H A R E M V A F

C1: RAVAGE (6)
C2: RAVAGE (6)
OT: GRAHAM (6)
Score: 12–12 (max 13)

Callum and Adam match each other again. GRAHAM is surprisingly in the dictionary - it's an American term for a type of flour. GRAEME isn't, though. You have to go with MEAGRE instead.

Round 3: 4, 3, 1, 1, 9, 7. Target: 827.

C1: 833. ((9+1)*3*4-1)*7 (5)
C2: 828. Mistake in working.
RR: 828. ((4*3+1)*7+1)*9 (7)
OT: 828. (7)
Score: 17–12 (max 20)

Adam almost gets 828 Rachel's way, but he multiplied by nine before adding the one. 828 or 826 was the closest possible here, but Callum takes five points.

Teatime teaser: MENSITUP -> NUMPTIES

Round 4: G N E A G W O N B

C1: WAGON (5)
C2: WAGGON (6)
OT: NANOBE (6) NONAGE (6)
Score: 17–18 (max 26)

Adam takes the lead by slipping an extra G into Callum's WAGON. It's an unusual spelling, but it's perfectly valid.

Round 5: M S N P E U I T R

C1: NUMPTIES (8)
C2: MINSTER (7)
DC: TURNIPS (7)
OT: RUNTIMES (8) STUMPIER (8) TERMINUS (8)
Score: 25–18 (max 34)

Callum was clearly paying attention to the teaser, as he takes back the lead with NUMPTIES. Susie has the pencam over something - we don't get to see what.

Round 6: 25, 10, 2, 7, 7, 1. Target: 816.

C1: -
C2: -
RR: 816. (25-1)*(10+7)*2 (10)
Score: 25–18 (max 44)

Tricky numbers game, and our contestants are nowhere near it. Rachel spots 24*34.

Round 7: Q H D P E U A T N

C1: unpathed
C2: HAUNTED (7)
DC: PEANUT (6)
Score: 25–25 (max 51)

Now a dodgy attempt at an 8 by Callum lets Adam draw level.

Round 8: R S I F J E M S O

C1: MOSSIER (7)
C2: MOSSIER (7)
DC: ISOMERS (7)
Score: 32–32 (max 58)

Susie offers ISOMERS, which is a chemical term, and Callum and Adam stick close together with the more common MOSSIER.

Round 9: 7, 2, 8, 9, 9, 6. Target: 979.

C1: 979. ((6+7)*9-8)*9-2 (10)
C2: 979. 6*2*9*9+7 (10)
Score: 42–42 (max 68)

Another hard numbers game, but this time both contestants solve it. Even Rachel seems impressed.

Teatime teaser: CUSSTOIL -> OCULISTS

Round 10: K S I T E R S I D

C1: RISKIEST (8)
C2: STRIKES (7)
DC: SKIRTED (7) STRIDES (7)
Score: 50–42 (max 76)

Callum breaks the deadlock with a darrenic eight. Nothing risky about this one, except that it's the kind of selection where you have to double-check that all the letters are there.

Round 11: T R P D E A O T R

C1: ROTATED (7)
C2: PREDATOR (8)
DC: TETRAPOD (8) TEAPOT (6)
OT: PARROTED (8) PRORATED (8) TEARDROP (8)
Score: 50–50 (max 84)

If you were thinking of putting another T in PARROTED, you can't. Callum finds ROTATED, but PREDATOR Adam catches up with him.

"Hit us with your learning stick", says Nick to Susie, who tells us about the origins of place names on the London Underground.

Round 12: X P A C N I S E N

C1: CANINES (7)
C2: PANICS (6)
DC: PINNACES (8)
Score: 57–50 (max 92)

Callum moves ahead again, but Susie and Katherine find PINNACES, which are small boats carried by a warship. Did anyone spot Rachel winking at the camera for some reason?

Round 13: L Y N T A O E L R

C1: TALLER (6)
C2: NOTARY (6)
DC: TROLLEY (7) ORNATELY (8)
Score: 63–56 (max 100)

After all the letters for this round had been picked, it looked like there were no more consonants in the pile. It turns out this game has been very consonant-heavy: nine of the ten letters rounds had the maximum six consonants. Only the first round had five consonants and four vowels. We haven't seen the Z, and while recent games have had two Vs, today has only had one, so I presume there were at least two consonants left in the pile.

Round 14: 100, 7, 4, 5, 1, 3. Target: 737.

C1: 737. (100+5)*7+3-1 (10)
C2: 737. (100+5)*7+4+1-3 (10)
Score: 73–66 (max 110)

Being seven behind, Adam picks one large, hoping to keep the conundrum crucial. It is.

Round 15: D O T S T I R E D

Callum buzzes on 13.5 seconds to say DISTORTED which is correct.
Final Score: 83–66 (max 120)

It was a close game, and it deserved a crucial. Callum overcomes a difficult opponent to take his second win. Tomorrow we'll see if he can make a third. Meanwhile Adam can wave the flag for Worcester in the knowledge that he played well today, even if he wasn't victorious.

Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=69