From: Steven Alexander <stevena@interport.net>
Date: Sun, 5 Nov 1995 08:16:22 -0500 (EST)
Subject: WSC Final games 1-2
Message-id: <199511051316.IAA22731@interport.net>

Joel Sherman won game 1, 431-421. The game was well played by both players, though the winner missed pENTROOF when the win was already clear.

David Boys won game 2, 404-278. Also played well, though consensus was that Joel Sherman misplayed in answering the opeing QI 8g, making BIOTA 9f from ABIOUTN, rather than, e.g., BONITA 9d. The winner missed ABOmASA a few turns into the game.

We're at lunch break before two or three more games until one has won 3.

I'm commenting from the stage behind a desk with Mark Nyman (who saw pENTROOF almost immediately), coordinated and kept moving by Gyles Brandreth, who is fairly funny. He keeps things moving by finding the story that each game is trying to tell. Game two had UNAU, AI and BIOTA early on, so it became the tale of the BIOTA who PRANCE in the forest, but the one JILTED the other because they had different numbers of toes.

Brandreth and the two (women) who place moves on the big board at front have a big monitor and Mark Nyman and I have a tiny one on our desk to see the transcribed single move and rack. Showing of the racks has fallen behind a couple of times, probably because, as David said, he's not going to greatly inconvenience himself to show his rack. David also observed at lunch, "I just want to score points."

Steven Alexander
stevena@interport.net