From: "Mongo, Santamaria!" <icenine@panix.com>
Date: Sun, 1 Mar 1998 05:14:20 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Re: Consensus Game #1, Turn #8
Message-id: <Pine.SUN.3.94.980301044841.27646B-100000@panix2.panix.com>
From the desk of G.I. Joelgernaut:
On Sun, 1 Mar 1998, John J. Chew III wrote:
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o ----------------------------- Player Tiles Score Time 1|= V ' U K O R E|1 2| I " N F E - |2 cgp AELRTUX 237 --- 3| G - C U l L I O N S |3 opp ------- 294 --- 4|M O - I N T '|4 5|A R C T E - |5 Waiting for cgp to play. 6|N " H " R " |6 The bag contains 23 tiles. 7|t ' A B O G Y ' |7 The clock is running. 8|E H Y O I D ' =|8 9|A ' O F T ' ' |9 Time penalties are not in effect. 10|U P T " " " |10 This game does not count for ratings. 11| L W E N D - |11 12|J A D E S ' - '|12 Unseen tiles: AAA B D EEEEE G IIIII 13| Z - ' ' - |13 L M N OO P Q RR SS T V W 14| A " " - |14 15|= ' = ' =|15 Votes are due midnight EST, 1998-03-06.
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o
Opp. just drew 5 tiles so I am now prepared to assume he has beaten me to at least one S, therefore I have no quarrel with adopting a semi-defensive posture for just a moment. Despite my previously stated aversion to parting with the scarce A, I would play AX a14 (29). Since the only other place to score with the X is EX 2n for only 2 more points, I think it is reasonable to sac the 2 points in order to avoid leaving one huge spot on row 15 and adding another huge spot on row O (EX------). Holding the case U, I'm no longer worried about drawing the Q, in fact, if I could get it with an S, I'd be ecstatic tho that is not going to happen on this 2-tile draw. My LUTER leave has strong bingo chances, so I may be able to recoup the turnover next turn; on the downside, a bingo next turn is going to reverse our hope to draw SQ. Finally, AX rather than EX still holds the lucrative ZEE possibility while reducing the chance to fall further behind this turn, but again, the benefit of ZEE will be counterbalanced by the fact we'd again draw only 2 tiles in order to snag those points. It's an ugly situation, chockful of contradictory futures, but I think it is likely to get uglier if we don't start with AX.
Joel Sherman (still 2006, post-Danbury, by some miracle) AX a14 (29)