C1: Champion Chris Ball (1 win, 88 points) is a retired teaching assistant from Chellaston, Derby. She's looking for her second win today to have a chance of making the finals.
C2: Challenger Mill Pritchard is from Westward Ho! He's a keen birdwatcher! He previously worked for a pharmaceutical company! Once he played a round of golf at Gleneagles! One of the people he played with got drunk half way round the course! By the way, this is why you shouldn't put exclamation marks in place names! They could have tried this to give an air of mystery about the place. And instead of twinning with Mondeville and Buddenstedt, they should have twinned with this place in Canada.
DC: Susie Dent and Helen Skelton.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: T P M E I A G R E
R02: S U T D E O M H E
R03: 75, 4, 1, 7, 3, 1. Target: 731.
TTT: SIGNNAME - "When it comes to words, it's what Susie teaches us."
R04: R L E I D Z O N B
R05: P F E I T G K A D
R06: 50, 3, 5, 2, 7, 9. Target: 839.
R07: R N W I O A S M U
R08: L G E A B T I S N
R09: 75, 1, 3, 10, 7, 5. Target: 670.
TTT: DINERPUT - "The diner won't put much money in the waiter's hand."
R10: R C H O I T E X R
R11: N G J O A E T D U
R12: N V S A O U L R A
R13: N D R O E I S C Q
R14: 4, 3, 5, 5, 10, 7. Target: 183.
R15: N O T I C E T E D (conundrum)
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Round 1: T P M E I A G R E
C1: EMIGRATE (8)
C2: EMIGRATE (8)
DC: MEAGRE (6) MIGRATE (7)
Score: 8–8 (max 8)
This is what we like to see. Both players spot the darrenic EMIGRATE to get off the mark.
Round 2: S U T D E O M H E
C1: DEMOTES (7)
C2: MOUTHED (7)
DC: SHOUTED (7)
OT: METHODS (7) SOUTHED (7)
Score: 15–15 (max 15)
More of the same.
Round 3: 75, 4, 1, 7, 3, 1. Target: 731.
C1: 730. (75-1-1)*(7+3) (7)
C2: 730. (75-1-1)*(7+3) (7)
RR: 730. (7)
OT: 732. 4*3*(75-(1+1)*7) (7)
Score: 22–22 (max 22)
Part 1 done and both players are still on a max. Rachel confidently announces one away is the best in this round, and she's right. I think when someone upstairs discovers the numbers round isn't possible, Rachel gets told so. Point for discussion: assuming this is true, should they be doing it? For 30 years they've been proud of not using computers to help Carol or Rachel, or whoever is in dictionary corner. On the surface there seems nothing wrong with telling Rachel if it's impossible - after all, it's not as if she's being given help with the solution. However, knowing it's not possible can help you hit the max, as you know not to try for an exact solution. This round is a bad example as 730 is relatively easy, but consider 9 5 4 4 2 6 -> 639. If you're told one away is the best, you know not to bother looking for 71*9.
Teatime teaser: SIGNNAME -> MEANINGS
Round 4: R L E I D Z O N B
C1: BLINDER (7)
C2: BLONDE (6)
DC: BLONDER (7) BRINDLE (7)
OT: BROILED (7) BRONZED (7)
Score: 29–22 (max 29)
Chris is playing a BLINDER with her fourth max out of four so far.
Round 5: P F E I T G K A D
C1: GATED (5)
C2: FATED (5)
DC: FIDGET (6) GIFTED (6)
Score: 34–27 (max 35)
Helen finds FIDGET to get our first contestant-beater of the day.
Round 6: 50, 3, 5, 2, 7, 9. Target: 839.
C1: 838. (2*5+7)*50-9-3 (7)
C2: 839. Mistake in working.
RR: 839. (50*2-7)*9+5-3 (10)
Score: 41–27 (max 45)
Mill looks like he's going to go in front again, but he's got it wrong, so Chris goes further in front.
Round 7: R N W I O A S M U
C1: WOMAN (5)
C2: maison
DC: MANORS (6)
RR: MANOIRS (7)
OT: SURAMIN (7)
Score: 46–27 (max 52)
The French word MAISON isn't valid in English, though Susie says you can have its French sort-of equivalent, MANORS. Rachel then goes better by pointing out you can have its actual equivalent, MANOIRS.
SURAMIN is a synthetic compound derived from urea.
Round 8: L G E A B T I S N
C1: bleatings
C2: bleatings
DC: GIBLETS (7) BLASTING (8) GENITALS (8)
OT: TANGIBLES (18)
Score: 46–27 (max 70)
Controversial, this one. BLEATINGS is rejected by Susie even though BLEATING is not listed as a mass noun. Her argument here is that you wouldn't use it in the plural - it's "the plaintive bleating of sheep" not "the plaintive bleatings of sheep". I'd have thought "I don't have to listen to your bleatings" would be a reasonable usage example though.
Round 9: 75, 1, 3, 10, 7, 5. Target: 670.
C1: 670. (75-7-1)*10 (10)
C2: -
Score: 56–27 (max 80)
Mill blanks the numbers, Chris gets 10 more points.
Teatime teaser: DINERPUT -> UNDERTIP
Round 10: R C H O I T E X R
C1: RICHER (6)
C2: EXHORT (6)
DC: RIOTER (6) RHETORIC (8)
Score: 62–33 (max 88)
Safe sixes for Chris and Mill. Susie and Helen find RHETORIC for eight.
Round 11: N G J O A E T D U
C1: JAUNTED (7)
C2: donated
OT: TANGOED (7) TONGUED (7)
Score: 69–33 (max 95)
Mill uses a phantom letter for DONATED. He says he read the O as a second D. Okay, he used a phantom O then.
Round 12: N V S A O U L R A
C1: VALOUR (6)
C2: SAVOUR (6)
DC: AROUSAL (7)
OT: LOUVARS (7) SOLUNAR (7)
Score: 75–39 (max 102)
No, you can't have VALOURS^.
Round 13: N D R O E I S C Q
C1: SCORNED (7)
C2: CONSIDER (8)
DC: CINDERS (7)
Score: 75–47 (max 110)
Mill needed a nine to stay in the game at this stage, but there isn't one there. He does beat Chris with CONSIDER though.
Round 14: 4, 3, 5, 5, 10, 7. Target: 183.
C1: 183. (5*4-(7-5))*10+3 (10)
C2: 180.
Score: 85–47 (max 120)
Mill decides he wants to go out doing something interesting, so he goes for 6 small. Nevertheless, it's Chris who takes the points.
Round 15: N O T I C E T E D
Mill buzzes on 4 seconds to say CONCEITED which is incorrect.
Chris buzzes on 5 seconds to say DETECTION which is correct.
Final Score: 95–47 (max 130)
Aha, what's this?
If there's anyone called Ted watching who noticed they've painted the flippythings dark blue (they used to be a kind of greyish-white), this conundrum scramble appears to be for you.
Chris wins her second game, and another win, or a high losing score, could take her into the finals. Mill is on his way back to Westward Ho! Join Jack for Chris's third game tomorrow! I'll be back next week!
Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=68