Monday 3rd August 2015 (series 73, prelim 26)

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Andy McGurn
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Monday 3rd August 2015 (series 73, prelim 26)

Post by Andy McGurn »

Countdown recap for Monday 3 August 2015.

C1: Champion Stephen Briggs (3 wins, 328 points) Stephen Briggs – Systems manager at a sixth form college in Solihull. He got his third win of his current run by winning the only show of last week.

C2: Challenger Chris Wreaves. Maths and statistics student from Milton Keynes, also writes songs. Being from Milton Keynes someone should tell him that theres a countdown event coming up in his home town.

DC: Susie Dent and Gethin Jones.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

R01: L S N I A D O N I
R02: S L U T Z I A E S
R03: 9, 10, 3, 8, 2, 50. Target: 351.
TTT: OPERAGIG - "before the opera starts the star warms up her voice by singing this"
R04: T B K O E A Q D E
R05: R H D I S A E R A
R06: 7, 2, 4, 3, 1, 7. Target: 721.
R07: D V L O I O N F E
R08: L R V I E A W G E
R09: 1, 5, 4, 4, 5, 75. Target: 332.
TTT: GOLFIRON - "knocking someone over with a roll of carpet perhaps"
R10: P U W R E A U C P
R11: T S C E A E R M I
R12: N X G E O A H M E
R13: N T R A E O B T E
R14: 8, 10, 100, 50, 25, 75. Target: 829.
R15: R I C K B I N G E (conundrum)


And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

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Enjoy the show.

Round 1: L S N I A D O N I

Stephen: ISLAND (6)
Chris: INLAND (6)
DC: LIAISON (7)
OT: ANDISOL (7) DOLINAS (7) LADINOS (7)
Score: 6–6 (max 7)

I wonder IF Chris considered adding the S to his word as inlands does sound plausible. Fortunately he made the right decision not to as it is only valid without the S.

Round 2: S L U T Z I A E S

Stephen: SALUTES (7)
Chris: SIZES (5)
DC: SLATES (6) LAZIEST (7)
OT: SALTIES (7) TALUSES (7)
Score: 13–6 (max 14)

Signs of nerves here from Chris as he only gets five while champion Stephen takes the lead with seven.

Round 3: 9, 10, 3, 8, 2, 50. Target: 351.

Stephen: 351. ((9-2)*50)+((8+3)-10) (10)
Chris: 351. ((9-2)*50)+(9-8) (10)
Score: 23–16 (max 24)

An easy one and its ten a piece.

Teatime teaser: OPERAGIG -> ARPEGGIO

Round 4: T B K O E A Q D E

Stephen: DEBATE (6)
Chris: BOATED (6)
DC: BEAKED (6)
OT: BETAKE (6) BOAKED (6) DEBEAK (6)
Score: 29–22 (max 30)

An easy-to-max round again sees the gap stay at seven.

Round 5: R H D I S A E R A

Stephen: HARRIES (7)
Chris: HARRIED (7)
DC: AIRHEADS (8)
Score: 36–29 (max 38)

Nice darren from DC with AIRHEADS while the contestants harry their way to seven

Round 6: 7, 2, 4, 3, 1, 7. Target: 721.

Stephen: -
Chris: 730. Mistake in working.

As a Maths student Chris goes for it with a six small pick. He thinks he has 730 but he has miscalculated and can’t make up the gap in this round. Rachael asks for more time as she can’t get it either.

DC Guest – Gethin recounts a story of when he presented the new years eve show on the embankment, he had been on TV without realising the camera was on before doing the new year countdown a minute early.

While Gevin has been talking Rachael has been working on the last numbers game and now...

RR: 721. (((4+1)*3*7)-2)*7 (10)
Score: 36–29 (max 48)


Round 7: D V L O I O N F E

Stephen: ENFOLD (6)
Chris: LOONIE (6)
DC: VIOLONE (7)
OT: EIDOLON (7) ONEFOLD (7)
Score: 42–35 (max 55)

The contestants have matched each other on every round except round 2 and indications are that this could be a close game.

Round 8: L R V I E A W G E

Stephen: liverage
Chris: REVILE (6)
DC: WAIVER (6) GRAVEL (6) GLAIVE (6)
OT: LAWGIVER (8) LIVEWARE (8) REVIEWAL (8)
Score: 42–41 (max 63)

Stephen tentatively declares eight, demonstrating some doubt about his word, and he is right to doubt it as theres no liverage. There were three nice eights available though.
That mistake enables Chris to cut the champ’s lead to a single point


Round 9: 1, 5, 4, 4, 5, 75. Target: 332.

Stephen: 332. (75+4+4)*(5-1) (10)
Chris: 332. (5+4-1+75)*4 (10)
Score: 52–51 (max 73)

Stephen sticks to the one large pick and gets the easy one that he (presumably) wanted. Clearly he fancies he can take Chris on more letters rounds.

Teatime teaser: GOLFIRON -> FLOORING

Round 10: P U W R E A U C P

Stephen: UPPER (5)
Chris: cupper
DC: CAPPER (6)
OT: APERCU (6) PAUPER (6) UPWARP (6)
Score: 57–51 (max 79)

Susie asks Chris to clarify if he means cupper or CAPPER, he has picked the wrong one and Stephen regains all but one point of the lead he had earlier.

Round 11: T S C E A E R M I

Stephen: CREAMIEST (18)
Chris: CREAMS (6)
DC: CREMATES (8)
Score: 75–51 (max 97)

Well, up until this point the game looked like it could go either way. All that seems to have changed in an instant now as Stephen creams his opponent with that nine.


Round 12: N X G E O A H M E

Stephen: MENAGE (6)
Chris: HOMAGE (6)
DC: HEXAGON (7) HEGEMON (7)
OT: AXONEME (7)
Score: 81–57 (max 104)

Looks like Chris’s challenge is over now.

Round 13: N T R A E O B T E

Stephen: ABETTER (7)
Chris: batoner
DC: NATTER (6) BANTER (6) BARONET (7) ENTREAT (7)
OT: BETATRON (8)
Score: 88–57 (max 112)

Stephen seals the win with this round. Its tough on Chris who was really in the game until round 11.

Round 14: 8, 10, 100, 50, 25, 75. Target: 829.

Stephen: 829. (((75/25)+100)*8)+50/25 (10)
Chris: 830.
Score: 98–57 (max 122)

Good stuff again from Stephen, even though he picks one large it is evident he can hold his own on the harder numbers selections and he proves his worth here with a four large solve.

Round 15: R I C K B I N G E

Chris buzzes on 3 seconds to say BICKERING which is correct.
Final Score: 98–67 (max 132)

Its a consolation spot by Chris as he gets the conundrum. He may be disappointed as he was in with a real shout for much of the game, so its back to MK for him (maybe to appear on Saturday the 22nd?) with the obligatory goody bag.

As for Stephen he has looked pretty impressive again despite missing some maxes.

If he wins all the games this week he will break the all time record for most prelim games won* (currently held by Marcus Hares and Glen Webb with ten each). It would be nice for him to be a record breaker so good luck to him on that.

Best wishes to everyone out there.

*If I’ve got this wrong can James or Gevin post below and I’ll edit.



Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=73
Gavin Chipper
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Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2008 10:37 pm

Re: Monday 3rd August 2015 (series 73, prelim 26)

Post by Gavin Chipper »

I think Helen Grayson also won 10 heat games.
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