Tuesday 25th August 2009 (Series 61, Prelim 27)

[Dinos Sfyris]

Countdown recap for Tuesday 25 August 2009.

C1: Champion Paul Varlaam (5 wins, 416 points.) from Wandsworth, London. He's a volunteer at a school charity shop.
C2: Challenger Ed "SuperTed" Rossiter, a bar manager from Southampton. He's a keen Scrabbler and loves Paris, Crosswords, football and cricket.
DC: Susie Dent and Alastair Stewart.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

R01: C U R C I W H E D
R02: S R P O E A N R S
R03: R X I M G E L E T
R04: Y D F U O E T M P
R05: 100, 2, 8, 9, 4, 9. Target: 562.
TTT: REDGIANT - "Moving lightly on egg shells, perhaps?"
R06: S G T A E O N Z U
R07: B R E S T A D A S
R08: N V L I A I D O N
R09: R S O H E R S I T
R10: 5, 7, 3, 5, 4, 25. Target: 307.
TTT: EELGRASS - "Very generous. Think of Superman's outfit."
R11: P M E T K I L D O
R12: T B T E I E T L I
R13: P O R Q A D N E C
R14: 7, 8, 2, 7, 8, 100. Target: 665.
R15: B I R D S C E D E (conundrum)

For those of you who've been following Paul for the past few weeks, he's told me that he's starting to feel really unnerved and he'd like to be left alone. No seriously though, Paul is possibly one of Countdown's most inconsistent players ever, going from words like WOOMERA and FOAMIEST in one round to NESTS in the next. Possibly it's just his nerves, but there's a lot of talk on whether our hit-and-miss friend will reach the coveted title of Octochamp. He's yet to score a century but hopes to do so today. Up to stop him is Ed Rossiter whom I believe Neb possibly knows from the Scrabble circuit so this is undoubtedly going to be a notorious ding dong of a match!

And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

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Enjoy the show.

Round 1: C U R C I W H E D

C1: RICH (4)
C2: CHIDER (6)
DC: WIDER (5) CURED (5)
OT: CHICER (6) DREICH (6) RUCHED (6)
Score: 0–6 (max 6)

Round 2: S R P O E A N R S

C1: PERSONAS (8)
C2: SPORRANS (8)
OT: RESPONSA (8)
Score: 8–14 (max 14)

In the space of just one round Paul has gone from scrag to brag!

RESPONSA is the plural of the Latin "Responsum" which comprises a body of written decisions and rulings given by legal scholars in response to questions

Round 3: R X I M G E L E T

C1: GIMLET (6)
C2: GIMLET (6)
OT: EMIGRE (6) REGIME (6) MELTER (6) METIER (6) RETIME (6) MILTER (6) REGLET (6) RETILE (6)
Score: 14–20 (max 20)

A gimlet is a small T-shaped tool, or a cocktail of gin and lime juice.

Round 4: Y D F U O E T M P

C1: TEMPO (5)
C2: POUTED (6)
DC: DEPUTY (6)
OT: TUMEFY (6) YOMPED (6)
Score: 14–26 (max 26)

Round 5: 100, 2, 8, 9, 4, 9. Target: 562.

C1: 564. (8-2)x100-9x4 (7)
C2: 564. as above (7)
RR: 562. (9x8+2)x9-100-4 (10) (out of time, 563 within the time)
Score: 21–33 (max 36)

Teatime teaser: REDGIANT -> TREADING

I was thinking wtf does GRADIENT have to do with egg shells???

Round 6: S G T A E O N Z U

C1: TONGUES (7)
C2: OUTAGES (7)
DC: SOUTANE (7) TANGOES (7) OUTSANG (7)
OT: NOUGATS (7) ONSTAGE (7)
Score: 28–40 (max 43)

Round 7: B R E S T (lolz) A D A S

C1: ******** (8)
C2: ******** (8)
Score: 36–48 (max 51)

I'm not entirely sure why the 8 was blanked out. It's not as if ASSARTED is even considered that rude anymore. Oh yeah and BASTARDS was there too.

Round 8: N V L I A I D O N

C1: INVALID (7)
C2: INLAID (6)
Score: 43–48 (max 58)

Terrific spot from Paul there. I'm sure a few of you out there were hoping for a final vowel for VINDALOO

Round 9: R S O H E R S I T

C1: HORSIEST (8)
C2: SHORTIES (8)
OT: HERITORS (8) HOISTERS (8) RESISTOR (8) ROISTERS (8) SORRIEST (8)
Score: 51–56 (max 66)

Round 10: 5, 7, 3, 5, 4, 25. Target: 307.

C1: 307. 3x4x25+7 (10)
C2: 307. as above (10)
Score: 61–66 (max 76)

Teatime teaser: EELGRASS -> LARGESSE

Round 11: P M E T K I L D O

C1: MILKED (6)
C2: KILTED (6)
DC: IMPLODE (7)
OT: PILOTED (7)
Score: 67–72 (max 83)

As the Scottish theme continues DC spot their first beater of the day.

Round 12: T B T E I E T L I

C1: TITLE (5)
C2: TITTLE (6)
DC: TITBIT (6)
OT: TITTIE (6) A pity TITTIE wasn't mentioned, along with BREASTS in round 7
Score: 67–78 (max 89)

Round 13: P O R Q A D N E C

C1: pondera (Alas there's 3 valid anagrams but this isn't one of them Paul!)
C2: APRONED (7)
DC: PADRONE (7) OPERAND (7)
OT: ENDOCARP (8) Everyone misses the Darren (except Stuart Earl probably)
Score: 67–85 (max 97)

Round 14: 7, 8, 2, 7, 8, 100. Target: 665.

C1: 660.
C2: 665. (100+2-7)x7 (10)
Score: 67–95 (max 107)

A neat method gives Ed the game by a comfortable margin

Round 15: B I R D S C E D E

C2 buzzes on 0.5 seconds (with his chair shaking!) to say DESCRIBED which is correct.
Score: 67–105 (max 117)

Alas the elusive Benji for Paul remains erm... elusive, but he could still very possibly be back for the finals as he is currently the No 3 seed. Ed meanwhile bags the teapot and 179 points in the way of the dog. Any takers for how many he might win?

Recap written by Sfyris and Garner lexo-industries

Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=61

[James Robinson]

Round 7: B R E S T (lolz) A D A S

C1: ******** (8)
C2: ******** (8)
Score: 36–48 (max 51)

I'm not entirely sure why the 8 was blanked out. It's not as if ASSARTED is even considered that rude anymore. Oh yeah and BASTARDS was there too.

Excellent recap, my friend. I'm just pmsl at that.

It's interesting considering that the last time I heard BASTARD on the show, there was no bleeping and WANKER wasn't bleeped out in 2003, before Charlie's WANKERS last year. (I wonder if Charlie's WANKERS is a sequel to Charlie's Angels )

It'd be interesting if they had to spell BASTARDS out as *, *, *, *, *, *, *, *.

[Matt Bayfield]

This has to be one of the easiest 15-rounders there's ever been, as all the letters games (except round 13) included at least one common, easy-to-spot, maximum. Playing along at home, I got 13 maxes (assuming you include the conundrum which I spotted at the same time as C2), which is a record for me. I got 561 rather than 562 in the first numbers game, and I missed ENDOCARP.

Presumably some of the Countdown champs and apterous experts (or anyone who knew ENDOCARP) will have maxed this game?

[Paul Howe]

This has to be one of the easiest 15-rounders there's ever been, as all the letters games (except round 13) included at least one common, easy-to-spot, maximum. Playing along at home, I got 13 maxes (assuming you include the conundrum which I spotted at the same time as C2), which is a record for me. I got 561 rather than 562 in the first numbers game, and I missed ENDOCARP.

Presumably some of the Countdown champs and apterous experts (or anyone who knew ENDOCARP) will have maxed this game?

I dunno, maxing the first round depends on offering the dodgy sounding CHIDER or another obscurity, INVALID is quite a tricky spot, and ENDOCARP is probably a non-starter if you haven't spent hours banging away on apterous. It was a flat game, but far from the easiest ever.

Good stuff from Ed there, will be interesting to see how he copes with Chris.

[Dinos Sfyris]

Since the Countdown break and reducing my Apterosity I've been a bit rusty (you know, to give Kirk a chance at COLEI ) but still managed 10 max so I'd say today's selections were fairly easy. Still gutted I missed ENDOCARP as it's one of my favourite words. Couldn't get CAPRONED^ out of my head. Also for me today was only the 2nd time I've armchair lost to a non-apterite (first was Hamish) so kudos to SuperTed there.

[Matt Bayfield]

Based on Paul's comments, maybe I just had a good day... but I'll allow myself a metaphorical pat on the back for outscoring Dinos (as I don't think I'd manage that too often)! I suppose I thought yesterday's game was easy because I came one point away from maxing the letters without using any words outside my general vocabulary, and I've never come close to that before.

My word in round 1 was RUCHED. I saw INVALID straight away after the D came out as the 7th letter; I suppose I may not have seen it had the letters come out in a different order. I had PRANCED in round 13.

[Michael Wallace]

This has to be one of the easiest 15-rounders there's ever been, as all the letters games (except round 13) included at least one common, easy-to-spot, maximum.

True, but I've yet to see a solution to the first numbers that wasn't mental.

[Kirk Bevins]

This has to be one of the easiest 15-rounders there's ever been, as all the letters games (except round 13) included at least one common, easy-to-spot, maximum.

True, but I've yet to see a solution to the first numbers that wasn't mental.

Agreed. I only got 12 maxes, missing CHIDER (I had CHIDE, didn't risk the 6), 562 (insane)and BASTARDS (couldnt get BREASTS out of my head). Not many people would have nailed a max game here at all I don't think.

[Matt Bayfield]

Yeah, on reflection, maybe a perfect game would have been very difficult thanks to the first numbers round, but I definitely think it was one of those odd games where some lesser players would have done equally as well as much better players - mainly because all the maxes were either relatively simple or very difficult. Not much room in between imho. In round 1 I'd never have risked CHIDER, but RUCHED seemed straightforward to me, as in a ruched skirt or other article of clothing.

Back to the slightly rude words, and in round 7 after 7 letters I immediately spotted the Dutch word BASTERD*, so was delighted when the A and S followed to allow the good English word BASTARDS. Actually, I'm not 100% sure if BASTERD* is a good Dutch word on its own, but I always used to be amused by the bags of "basterdsuiker" stacked up in Albert Heijn. (It's caster sugar, if anyone's interested.)

Still on the subject of slightly rude words, I'm sure I can't have been the only person who got distracted by spotting HORSESHIT as a Touchdown max in round 9.

[Kirk Bevins]

Still on the subject of slightly rude words, I'm sure I can't have been the only person who got distracted by spotting HORSESHIT as a Touchdown max in round 9.

Haha I spotted that too at the time. I had a good chuckle to myself.

[Daniel Turner]

This has to be one of the easiest 15-rounders there's ever been, as all the letters games (except round 13) included at least one common, easy-to-spot, maximum.

True, but I've yet to see a solution to the first numbers that wasn't mental.

Is 4x100+(9x9x2) considered mental?

[Michael Wallace]

Is 4x100+(9x9x2) considered mental?

Yeah, I encountered that already. It's not "omg crazy", but I imagine it would be a fairly long way down most people's solution routes.

[Martin Smith]

I was hoping for a final vowel for VOLITION.