From: Lester <maxim@netcom.com>
Date: Wed, 3 Sep 1997 12:33:07 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Portland
Message-id: <Pine.3.89.9709031239.A15180-0100000@netcom16>
Portland.
We drove up from the Bay Area. Went into work for a few hours on Wednesday, left late in the afternoon and drove to Redding, a couple of hundred miles north of Oakland-SF. Studied anamonics and listened to part of an unabridged recording of "The Shipping News." (Joan driving, I put the seat back and fall asleep after the second or third paragraph and she later tells me what I missed.)
Made it to Eugene, Oregon on Thursday, found out that we could get a suite at Quality Inn for less than we paid for one room in Redding, and watched the US Open Tennis in the morning, rooting in vain for Kafelnikov, who got crushed by Woodforde.
Got to Portland around 4 pm Friday. Slightly disappointed that the new site was not "downtown" but instead a little in the suburbs. But that faded when we saw the elegant playing room, good lighting and plenty of space.
The tournament was a pleasure. So much so, that I fervently hope that Joe and John and other tournament directors can find a way to use Fontes' wonderful organizing skills and thoughtful innovations in future tournaments. Among the things I especially liked:
We started out with a 7 round, round-robin. Fontes then paired the 8th round based on the standings after round 6. Rounds 9 through 18 were done the same way, as a pure Swiss, omitting the results of the very last round. That way there was no waiting, and no re- pairs.
LESTER SCHONBRUN 480 ROBERT FELT 420 etc.
There were other niceties. On the first day, I forgot to find out when we were due back from lunch (a buffet, included in the entry fee). I started to ask someone, and then noticed the information was chalked on a board in the lunch room, very noticeably. This above-and-beyond sort of thoughtfulness was typical of the way the tournament was run.
Re: Prozac moment --
John and James found it, and so did Cynthia.
I did play YOGI, at 15h, because I didn't give a thought to the spot on the 9 row, and I was too lazy to check my tracking or just do the addition and see that playing YOGEE 15a would win against anything but a blankless bingo with the C falling on a12 (which would tie). Or playing away one tile and preserving my YOGEE plays at 15a or o10 would work fine...
Cynthia did find gIANTESS, a real beauty.
A couple of other ironies: She didn't have that much time, and had I not blocked the spot on 15h, she might never have found the spot on the 9 file. Also, she made the DEV play at 6b just two turns before, making the A in gIANTESS playable.
I challenged, of course, but it occurred to me afterwards that instead of shouting "challenge" I should have called out "Kavorkian" or "Prozac."
Les.