Monday 13 October 2008 (Series 59 Prelim 61)

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Julian Fell
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Monday 13 October 2008 (Series 59 Prelim 61)

Post by Julian Fell »

Countdown recap for Monday 13 October 2008.

C1: Champion Kai Laddiman (7 wins, 651 points.)
C2: Challenger Richard Pascoe.
DC: Susie Dent and Nicholas Owen.
CV: Carol Vorderman.
OT: Other words or solutions.

R01: Y B A O D P E S M
R02: F D U O L R A I G
R03: L O T E S A W X P
R04: R T E O G N O U N
R05: 100, 75, 7, 8, 1, 2. Target: 652.
TTT: NOCORSET - "Are they worn by kind-hearted dentists?"
R06: D Z I A E D S I T
R07: L D D O E L U R C
R08: N E R S I E N A P
R09: T E A M G H I S C
R10: 100, 50, 25, 8, 3, 2. Target: 646.
TTT: RAVEWORE - "It plays its part in a cover-up job"
R11: R E F A S T E V S
R12: K T P I A C I O N
R13: R H E I T E T N S
R14: 100, 10, 10, 8, 5, 2. Target: 984.
R15: N I C E J O I N T (conundrum)


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If you’re a Countdown fan and you haven’t yet heard of Kai Laddiman, you must have been living in a cave this last week or so. A confident and likeable 11-year-old from East Sussex, Kai has taken to the Countdown studio like a duck to water, enthralling audiences and attracting national newspaper coverage. His exuberance and obvious joy at the experience have shone through on screen and given the whole studio a lift. So much so that we can maybe forgive him for doing an AS-level about 25 years early...

The new-found spring in the presenters’ step, along with some memorable personalities among Kai’s opponents, has made for some great recent episodes featuring not a few genius comedy moments. Arguably the culmination came on Friday, when the successive appearances of POOF and LESI in letters selections had Kai and Carol in fits of giggles. “You’re not meant to laugh!” chided Carol, to which Kai gave a little playground ‘wasn’t me’ gesture which will have had old ladies up and down the land crooning “bless him” as one.

But lest we underestimate him, Kai has provided ample proof in his first seven games that behind the sweet exterior lies a pretty mean Countdown brain. Across the board he has impressed even battle-weary forumites; on the letters, his spot of GRAPHIC in only his second round beat at least half a dozen past experts, and his nine INCAPABLE in his sixth show was similarly Travers-esque; on the numbers, he favours 2 or 3 from the top and has repeatedly pulled neat solutions to tricky problems out of the bag at pressure points in games; and nobody in the series finals will want to face him on a crucial conundrum after seeing him solve seven out of seven so far, mostly in double-quick time.

Because quarter-finalist he already is; there should just be enough time to get those recordings in before the hormones kick in and he becomes a sullen monosyllabic teenager, so we’ll all look forward to seeing more of him. But first he’s got one last opponent between him and octochampdom...

Richard Pascoe, a market research manager from Leeds, is a fan and keen amateur performer of opera. The last amateur operaticist (not necessarily a word) on the show, Alan Carling in the last series, was a pretty sharp customer who gave soon-to-be series semi-finalist Jonathan Coles a run for his money. So Kai may not have things all his own way today...


Round 1: Y B A O D P E S M

C1: MOPEDS (6)
C2: POEMS (5)
DC: POMADES (7)
OT: SOMEDAY (7)
Score: 6–0 (max 7)

Round 2: F D U O L R A I G

C1: FLOUR (5)
C2: ALOUD (5)
DC: FRUGAL (6)
OT: FIGURAL (7) FOULARD (7)
Score: 11–5 (max 14)

Round 3: L O T E S A W X P

C1: PLATES (6)
C2: PASTEL (6)
DC: SEXPOT (6) PELOTAS (7)
OT: APOSTLE (7)
Score: 17–11 (max 21)

Round 4: R T E O G N O U N

C1: TONGUE (6)
C2: OUTER (5)
DC: URGENT (6) GENTOO (6)
OT: NEUTRON (7) NORTENO (7) OUTGONE (7)
Score: 23–11 (max 28)

Round 5: 100, 75, 7, 8, 1, 2. Target: 652.

C1: 650. ((75 - 2) x (8 + 1)) - 7 (7)
C2: 651. Mistake in working.
CV: 652. ((75 - 7 + 1) x 8) + 100 (10)
Score: 30–11 (max 38)

Teatime teaser: NOCORSET -> CORONETS

"I'll start with a Carol, please" says Richard at the top of round 6...

Round 6: D Z I A E D S I T

C1: DAZED (5)
C2: DAZED (5)
DC: STAID (5)
OT: AZIDES (6) ZAIDES (6) DITZES (6) TIDIED (6) TIDIES (6)
Score: 35–16 (max 44)

Just a brief note that ZAIDE is in the dictionary, but hard to find - you have to look under ZAYDE. It means a Jewish person's grandfather.

Round 7: L D D O E L U R C

C1: cuddler
C2: CLOUDED (7)
DC: CURDLED (7)
OT: COLLUDED (8) COLLUDER (8)
Score: 35–23 (max 52)

Round 8: N E R S I E N A P

C1: SINNER (6)
C2: SPANNER (7)
DC: PANNIERS (8)
OT: ANSERINE (8)
Score: 35–30 (max 60)

Round 9: T E A M G H I S C

C1: MATCHES (7)
C2: magestic
DC: ATHEISM (7) GAMETIC (7)
OT: MISTEACH (8) TACHISME (8)
Score: 42–30 (max 68)

Round 10: 100, 50, 25, 8, 3, 2. Target: 646.

C1: 646. ((8 + 3 + 2) x 50) - (100/25) (10)
C2: 647.
Score: 52–30 (max 78)

That'll teach Richard to try and play Kai at his own game... great stuff from the youngster

Teatime teaser: RAVEWORE -> OVERWEAR

Round 11: R E F A S T E V S

C1: FEASTERS (8)
C2: FEASTERS (8)
DC: FEASTERS (8)
Score: 60–38 (max 86)

Well risked by both players.

Round 12: K T P I A C I O N

C1: CAPTION (7)
C2: CAPTION (7)
DC: OPTICIAN (8)
Score: 67–45 (max 94)

Round 13: R H E I T E T N S

C1: THIRTEENS (18)
C2: HITTERS (7)
Score: 85–45 (max 112)

Wow! Talk about going out with a bang... the studio is awestruck; Susie and Nicholas Owen, wearing dazed grins, can only join in the applause

Round 14: 100, 10, 10, 8, 5, 2. Target: 984.

C1: 984. (100 x 10) - 10 - 8 + 2 (10)
C2: 984. (100 x 10) - (8 x 2) (10)
Score: 95–55 (max 122)

Round 15: N I C E J O I N T

C1 buzzes on 5 seconds to say INJECTION which is correct.
Score: 105–55 (max 132)


And Kai signs off in style with his first century - at first, his final game had a distinctly 'after the Lord Mayor's show' feel to it, with no-one, including Dictionary Corner, on particularly good form; but the young man woke everybody up with that second numbers game and then THIRTEENS, which has to be the best octochamp-run sign-off ever?!

Des tells Kai he is the youngest octochamp for 20 years (since a certain Allan Saldanha...) - how is he feeling? "Brilliant", beams Kai, with a thumbs-up to his proud family in the audience. He may be less elated to learn this, but he's apparently only the second octochamp in 15-round games to get all 8 conundrums. Elsewhere in statistics corner, he's never yet sat in the challenger's chair, nor has he played a woman... also pretty rare feats for an octochamp I should imagine.

Hard luck to Richard - he seemed to have a chance after winning two successive rounds in mid-game, but he was well beaten in the end. It's back to the daily grind of bog-standard post-pubescent contestants from Tuesday I'm afraid... oh, and some bloke called Charlie Reams, but you don't want to hear about him.

Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=59
Chris Corby
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Re: Monday 13 October 2008 (Series 59 Prelim 61)

Post by Chris Corby »

Julian Fell wrote:Countdown recap for Monday 13 October 2008.
................................. but he's apparently only the second octochamp in 15-round games to get all 8 conundrums.

I wonder who the first one was?

Seriously, tremendous summary Julian! Kai has now entered the Countdown Hall of Fame....
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Kai Laddiman
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Re: Monday 13 October 2008 (Series 59 Prelim 61)

Post by Kai Laddiman »

Just wondering, did anyone else get THIRTEENS or was I the only one? I know DC and Damian didn't get it.
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David O'Donnell
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Re: Monday 13 October 2008 (Series 59 Prelim 61)

Post by David O'Donnell »

Kai Laddiman wrote:Just wondering, did anyone else get THIRTEENS or was I the only one? I know DC and Damian didn't get it.
I didn't get it, Kai. I had INTEREST :( . I think Paul Howe stated that he missed it too so it's quite a feat to get a nine that's missed by one of the strongest players of the game around (Paul Howe that is, not me ... obviously).
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