From: Rich Baker <rgb5@cornell.edu>
Date: Sun, 25 Jan 1998 06:17:31 -0500
Subject: Consensus Game #1, Turn #4
Message-id: <3.0.2.32.19980125061731.007b3100@postoffice.mail.cornell.edu>

I can hear the chorus of "I told you so" from the anti NL crowd. There was a 29.2% chance of drawing a second N, and a significantly smaller chance that a doubled N would cripple our rack. As it turns out, the second N is NOT a crippling factor on our rack. Lack of vowels is the problem here. The probability of drawing no vowels was less than 5%, but there was a good chance of drawing 2 or fewer vowels, and that is exactly the outcome I was protecting against in recommending JADES (or JANES) over JEANS. Opponent took one of the open vowel lines (too bad... blocking SNoWLAND), but we still have d11 WEND for 13 points and a 97% chance of drawing at least one vowel.

I vote for d11 WEND (vertical). Rich Baker, 1942