Countdown recap for Monday 1 April 2019.
C1: Champion Steven Turnbull (7 wins, 536 (546) points.) A learning support assistant from Iver, Buckinghamshire.
C2: Challenger Les Edwards. A part-time admin manager from Claverdon, Warwickshire. He used to work as a holiday camp entertainer in Brixham, Devon, where he met his wife-to-be in 1973.
DC: Susie Dent and Jenny Eclair.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: T Y N E O I D W O
R02: N E C I R E C O T
R03: 25, 4, 9, 7, 6, 10. Target: 626.
TTT: TENBRAINS - "Did Roger go from top to bottom with the aid of this?"
R04: L I V E H I T O R
R05: M T N E A U T G A
R06: 25, 75, 6, 9, 3, 2. Target: 823.
R07: K J N E O E R B S
R08: Z O N I G O S E B
R09: 50, 2, 6, 5, 3, 5. Target: 881.
TTT: HEARTSOME - "He started to have nagging doubts about the contents of his cottage pie."
R10: S U R E C U S A N
R11: D Q D E A E R T A
R12: V E C A G O L A M
R13: R P F E O I X D E
R14: 75, 100, 50, 8, 4, 8. Target: 177.
R15: D A R N S C E N T (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Enjoy the show.
Round 1: T Y N E O I D W O
Steven: WOODEN (6)
Les: woodeny
DC: TOWNIE (6)
OT: TWOONIE (7)
Score: 6–0 (max 7)
Round 2: N E C I R E C O T
Steven: ERECTION (8)
Les: -
DC: NEOTERIC (8) CONCRETE (8)
OT: CICERONE (8) CONCERTI (8) NECROTIC (8) NOCERITE (8)
Score: 14–0 (max 15)
Round 3: 25, 4, 9, 7, 6, 10. Target: 626.
Steven: 625. (10 + 9 + 6) x 25 (7)
Les: 626. Mistake in working.
RR: 626. (9 x 7 x 10) - 4 (10)
Score: 21–0 (max 25)
Teatime teaser: TENBRAINS -> BANNISTER
Round 4: L I V E H I T O R
Steven: VIOLET (6)
Les: LIVER (5)
DC: VITRIOL (7)
OT: OVERHIT (7) OVERLIT (7) RILIEVO (7)
Score: 27–0 (max 32)
Round 5: M T N E A U T G A
Steven: AUGMENT (7)
Les: MUTANT (6)
DC: MAGENTA (7) MAGNATE (7) MUTAGEN (7)
OT: GATEMAN (7) MANTEAU (7) NUTMEAT (7)
Score: 34–0 (max 39)
Round 6: 25, 75, 6, 9, 3, 2. Target: 823.
Steven: 823. ((9 + 2) x 75) - (6 / 3) (10)
Les: 822.
Score: 44–0 (max 49)
Jenny talks about falling for an April Fool from her partner last year.
Round 7: K J N E O E R B S
Steven: ENROBES (7)
Les: BROKEN (6)
DC: BONKERS (7)
OT: BOREENS (7) OBEREKS (7) REEBOKS (7)
Score: 51–0 (max 56)
Round 8: Z O N I G O S E B
Steven: BOOGIES (7)
Les: BOOZING (7)
DC: BIOZONES (8)
Score: 58–7 (max 64)
Round 9: 50, 2, 6, 5, 3, 5. Target: 881.
Steven: -
Les: 890. Mistake in working.
RR: 881. (((50 x 6) + 2) x 3) - (5 x 5) (10)
Score: 58–7 (max 74)
Teatime teaser: HEARTSOME -> HORSEMEAT
Round 10: S U R E C U S A N
Steven: SAUCERS (7)
Les: uncurses
OT: SUNCARES (8)
Score: 65–7 (max 82)
Round 11: D Q D E A E R T A
Steven: TREAD (5)
Les: TEARED (6)
DC: RATED (5) TRADED (6) AERATED (7)
OT: DERATED (7) REDATED (7) TREADED (7)
Score: 65–13 (max 89)
Susie's Origins Of Words talks about the origins of "cap" as a prefix.
Round 12: V E C A G O L A M
Steven: CAGE (4)
Les: VOCAL (5)
DC: LAME (4) LOVAGE (6)
OT: AGLEAM (6) ALCOVE (6) COEVAL (6) LAVAGE (6) MAGLEV (6) MALOCA (6)
Score: 65–18 (max 95)
Round 13: R P F E O I X D E
Steven: PEROXIDE (8)
Les: PEROXIDE (8)
OT: PREFIXED (8)
Score: 73–26 (max 103)
Round 14: 75, 100, 50, 8, 4, 8. Target: 177.
Steven: 177. 100 + 75 + (8 / 4) (10)
Les: 177. 100 + 75 + (8 / 4) (10)
Score: 83–36 (max 113)
Round 15: D A R N S C E N T
Les buzzes on 6.75 seconds to say TRANSCEND which is correct.
Final Score: 83–46 (max 123)
And so, Steven is our newest octochamp
Although, unfortunately he has set an unwanted record of sorts, as he breaks the all-time lowest octototal score which was previously set by Danny Pledger in Series 62, when he scored 635 points.Steven's total is now 619, although I must say that I think he was very unlucky at times, and he didn't do stupid things which made him lose loads of points, so I do feel a bit sorry that he now has this dubious record...
Statistics Corner
Steven:
Total score - 83
Raw score - 92
Total % of max - 67
Raw % of max - 75
Total average score per round - 5.5
Raw average score per round - 6.1
Number of maxes - 6
Les:
Total score - 46
Raw score - 70
Total % of max - 37
Raw % of max - 57
Total average score per round - 3.1
Raw average score per round - 4.7
Number of maxes - 3
Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=80