Friday 2nd October 2009 (Series 61, Prelim 55)

[Phil Reynolds]

Countdown recap for Friday 2 October 2009.

C1: Champion Anthony Pinnell (1 win, 92 points.)
C2: Challenger David Kurdynowski.
DC: Susie Dent and John Inverdale.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

Returning champion Anthony is a Scrabble addict with ambitions to be a world champion. Challenger David lives in Ely, Cambridgeshire, with his wife who's from Thailand. He's an ex-driving instructor who now works in a jam factory, which sounds like the set-up for a corny joke (and Jeff duly obliges with one).

R01: U E Q P O S P E N
R02: R T S U E J E A V
R03: D R C A I E N T A
R04: T X D S E I C E I
R05: 25, 7, 6, 5, 2, 9. Target: 917.
TTT: SWINEPEG - "Brushing dirt away with a statement"
R06: L R G O A E F R A
R07: E O I O N W Y R A
R08: T B R E O F D I U
R09: M S H O I L A D E
R10: 25, 6, 3, 7, 3, 10. Target: 442.
TTT: REFRANTS - "Change flights on the way to Manhattan"
R11: P S R T Z A O I E
R12: L R A O N G H I E
R13: U E A S D O B T M
R14: 75, 8, 5, 6, 9, 3. Target: 857.
R15: P A R K P O W E R (conundrum)


And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

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Enjoy the show.

Round 1: U E Q P O S P E N

C1: QUEENS (6)
C2: PEEPS (5)
OT: OPEPES (6) PEONES (6)
Score: 6–0 (max 6)

OPEPES are large African trees; PEONES (plural of PEON) are unskilled labourers in parts of Latin America.

Round 2: R T S U E J E A V

C1: REVUES (6)
C2: STAVE (5)
DC: AUSTERE (7)
OT: VESTURE (7)
Score: 12–0 (max 13)

A VESTURE is something that covers or cloaks.

Round 3: D R C A I E N T A

C1: ARANEID (7)
C2: TRAINED (7)
DC: CARINATED (18)
OT: ERADICANT (18)
Score: 19–7 (max 31)

An interesting spot by Anthony: obviously from the same source as the zoological term "arachnid", an ARANEID is an invertebrate of the order that includes spiders. (Another nice related word is "araneiform", meaning spider-shaped.)

David gets on the scoreboard, but both contestants miss the two available 9s. A bird's breastbone is CARINATED if it has a keel-like ridge where flight muscles are attached; an ERADICANT is something that eradicates.

Round 4: T X D S E I C E I

C1: EXCISED (7)
C2: EXISTED (7)
OT: DEISTIC (7) DICIEST (7) DEITIES (7) EIDETIC (7) EXCITED (7) EXCITES (7)
Score: 26–14 (max 38)

A flat round with lots of 7s available.

Round 5: 25, 7, 6, 5, 2, 9. Target: 917.

C1: 923. (6 x 5 + 7) x 25 - 2 (5)
C2: 917. Mistake in working.
RR: 917. (25 x 5 + 6) x 7 (10)
Score: 31–14 (max 48)

A botched numbers solution from David gives Anthony a decent lead going into the break.

John Inverdale gives a highly entertaining exposition of the Finnish sport of wife-carrying, though I suspect the full version was even better than the clearly heavily abridged version we saw.

Teatime teaser: SWINEPEG -> SWEEPING

Round 6: L R G O A E F R A

C1: GAOLER (6)
C2: FORAGER (7)
DC: FARRAGO (7)
OT: AREOLAR (7) REALGAR (7)
Score: 31–21 (max 55)

A nice spot by David to narrow the gap. DC offer FARRAGO, which brings back happy memories of Mike Yarwood's impersonation of Harold Wilson ("a tissue of lies, a farrago of twisted facts...").

AREOLAR is a regular Countdown word, but REALGAR is a new one on me - it's a mineral (a sulphide of arsenic).

Round 7: E O I O N W Y R A

C1: WINERY (6)
C2: WINERY (6)
DC: YAWNER (6)
Score: 37–27 (max 61)

Looked like there might have been more there but in fact only a couple of 6s were available.

Round 8: T B R E O F D I U

C1: etourdi
C2: FIBRED (6)
OT: BRUITED (7) DOUBTER (7) OBTRUDE (7) OUTBRED (7) REDOUBT (7) FRUITED (7) ORBITED (7) OUTRIDE (7)
Score: 37–33 (max 68)

Anthony makes a serious misjudgment here, offering an obscure word that turns out not to be in ODE2r (though presumably valid in Scrabble) when there were plenty of safe 7s available.

Round 9: M S H O I L A D E

C1: DEMOLISH (8)
C2: DISMAL (6)
DC: HEMIOLAS (8)
Score: 45–33 (max 76)

A good 8 and Anthony inches away again. A HEMIOLA is a musical term meaning two bars in triple time played as three bars in double time.

In OoW Susie talks about some sporting terms.

Round 10: 25, 6, 3, 7, 3, 10. Target: 442.

C1: 440.
C2: 442. (10 + 3 + 3) x 25 + 6 x 7 (10)
Score: 45–43 (max 86)

Whoops. Anthony misses the numbers allowing David to reduce the points difference to a mere 2.

Teatime teaser: REFRANTS -> TRANSFER

(The clue, for the benefit of my younger readers, was a reference to the popular jazz-rock vocal group, The Manhattan Transfer.)

Round 11: P S R T Z A O I E

C1: SPRITZ (6)
C2: PATIOS (6)
DC: PASTORIE (8)
OT: SEPTORIA (8)
Score: 51–49 (max 94)

Some really nice words coming out today, of which SPRITZ is one. A PASTORIE in South Africa is the residence of a minister of one of the Dutch Reformed Churches; SEPTORIA are kinds of fungus.

Round 12: L R A O N G H I E

C1: LONGHAIR (8)
C2: GAOLER (6)
DC: NARGHILE (8)
OT: GERANIOL (8) REGIONAL (8)
Score: 59–49 (max 102)

Another good word from Anthony. A NARGHILE is an oriental bong.

Round 13: U E A S D O B T M

C1: TOMBED (6)
C2: BOASTED (7)
DC: BOUTADES (8)
Score: 59–56 (max 110)

Not a good time to miss an easy 7; the champion goes into the final numbers round just 3 points ahead. A BOUTADE is an outburst or outbreak.

Round 14: 75, 8, 5, 6, 9, 3. Target: 857.

C1: 857. Mistake in working.
C2: 856. Mistake in working.
RR: 857. (75 + 3) x (6 + 5) - 9 + 8 (10)
Score: 59–56 (max 120)

The nerves are really telling now as both players misdeclare on the final numbers, taking us to a crucial conundrum.

Round 15: P A R K P O W E R

C2 buzzes on 22 seconds to say PAPERWORK which is correct.
Score: 59–66 (max 130)

So there you have it. Anthony's reign as champion was short and sweet. Not a high scoring game, but an enjoyable one with some good words and sportsmanlike play.

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