Monday 11th August 2014 (series 71, prelim 25)

[Andy McGurn]

Countdown recap for Monday 11 August 2014.

C1: Champion Mark Davies (1 win, 100 points.) Nicknamed “Tiny”, he scored his first win on Friday. He was a Rugby player back in the day and despite his (huge) size he did play scrum half once.

C2: Challenger Julia Hayward. a software engineer from Cambridgeshire, mother to three teenagers who she thinks all want to be at university to get away from uncool family life.

DC: Susie Dent and Gethin Jones.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

R01: H R B A E I T U W
R02: G L Y E O A D P H
R03: 10, 5, 6, 8, 50, 100. Target: 264.
TTT: TESTBAIT - "Nora's not quite a full shilling"
R04: T T C I O E T S C
R05: S M T I O E M A V
R06: 1, 4, 9, 6, 10, 50. Target: 246.
R07: N L N O U I C A N
R08: R T S I A E R F I
R09: 3, 10, 7, 3, 50, 75. Target: 649.
TTT: JOEYRUNS - "Joey runs up and down the country making these"
R10: M Z P A I O B D E
R11: S N G A E U R A F
R12: D N R E O E D Q I
R13: W S T E A O L E R
R14: 100, 6, 10, 2, 5, 2. Target: 568.
R15: M A D P O L I C Y (conundrum)


And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

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Enjoy the show.

Round 1: H R B A E I T U W

Mark: WAITER (6)
Julia: HABIT (5)
DC: ABATER (6) WHITER (6)
OT: HABITUE (7)
Score: 6–0 (max 7)

Julia does not seem to mind that she has a shorter word than her opponent as she declares five to his six (probably a sign that she is just there toenjoy the experience which is great). As it is if she had added a couple of extra letters she could have had the darrenic winner.
A HABITUE is a resident of or frequent visitor to a particular place




Round 2: G L Y E O A D P H

Mark: PLAYED (6)
Julia: DEPLOY (6)
DC: DOPEY (5) PEDALO (6)
OT: HYPOGEAL (8)
Score: 12–6 (max 15)

Mark has PLAYED well so far during his time on countdown. Julia may need to DEPLOY a high level of skill to depose him.


Round 3: 10, 5, 6, 8, 50, 100. Target: 264.

Mark: 264. (5*50)+8+6 (10)
Julia: 264. (5*50)+8+6 (10)
Score: 22–16 (max 25)


Both players get the simplest solution to this straightforward numbers game.


Teatime teaser: TESTBAIT -> BATTIEST

Round 4: T T C I O E T S C

Mark: STOTTIE (7)
Julia: SCOT (4)
DC: TOTTIES (7)
OT: COTTISE (7)
Score: 29–16 (max 32)

Excellent spot by Mark takes him into a clear lead.
A COTTISE (in heraldry) is a narrow band adjacent and parallel to an ordinary such as a bend or chevron



Round 5: S M T I O E M A V

Mark: ATOMISE (7)
Julia: MOTIVES (7)
OT: AMOSITE (7) ATOMIES (7) ATOMISM (7) MISMATE (7)
Score: 36–23 (max 39)

Nice max words by the contestants. Julia gets the only one that is in common usage as all the others are words one tends to learn for word games such as this.



Round 6: 1, 4, 9, 6, 10, 50. Target: 246.

Mark: 246. ((6-1)*50)-4 (10)
Julia: 246. ((6-1)*50)-4 (10)
Score: 46–33 (max 49)


This game is now two out of two on easy numbers rounds.

Round 7: N L N O U I C A N

Mark: CANNON (6)
Julia: CANNON (6)
DC: OILCAN (6)
OT: CANNOLI (7) INCONNU (7) INOCULA (7)
Score: 52–39 (max 56)

The three N’s in the selection makes CANNON a very obvious spot whilst DC go for the less obvious OILCAN. There were however three sevens in the selection that no one managed to spot
CANNOLI is an Italian dessert
INCONNU is a term for a person who is unknown
INOCULA is the plural of INOCULUM, any substance used for inoculation.


Round 8: R T S I A E R F I

Mark: RATIFIERS (18)
Julia: FAIREST (7)
DC: FAIRIES (7)
Score: 70–39 (max 74)

Credit to Mark there, not only for spotting the nine, but still going for it after knowing Julia only had seven. He obviously had RATIFIES and could have taken the eight points, but by risking the nine he jumps to 31 points ahead and is now clear favourite to notch up win number 2.



Round 9: 3, 10, 7, 3, 50, 75. Target: 649.

Mark: 650. (10+3)*50 (7)
Julia: 650. (75-10)*(7+3) (7)
RR: 649 ((75-3)*10)-50-(7-3)
Score: 77–46 (max 84)


Getting to one away is as simple as it gets but it takes that extra bit of skill to get it spot on and its Rachael who shows the contestants how its done



Teatime teaser: JOEYRUNS -> JOURNEYS

Round 10: M Z P A I O B D E

Mark: AZIDE (5)
Julia: BEAD (4)
DC: ZOMBIE (6)
OT: EPIZOA (6) POMADE (6)
Score: 82–46 (max 90)


Mark’s word may suggest he has been doing some studying for his appearance on countdown. However despite this there were two sixes available that would be bread and butter to apterites



Round 11: S N G A E U R A F

Mark: RANGES (6)
Julia: ANGERS (6)
OT: FARANGS (7)
Score: 88–52 (max 97)

Standard sixes from the contestants but there was a seven.
FARANGS, in Thailand, are people of European origin.


Round 12: D N R E O E D Q I

Mark: REDDEN (6)
Julia: DERIDE (6)
DC: DRONED (6) REDONE (6)
OT: DENIED (6) DENIER (6) DINERO (6) ERODED (6) INDEED (6) IRONED (6) NEREID (6) REINED (6) RIDDEN (6) RINDED (6)
Score: 94–58 (max 103)

It’s a mega six-fest in this round as Mark has almost sealed his second win.



Round 13: W S T E A O L E R

Mark: STEALER (7)
Julia: REALEST (7)
DC: RELATES (7)
OT: TOLEWARES (18)
Score: 101–65 (max 121)

Both consider their words to be risky but both are pretty certain really. The second available nine of the game was in this round but it goes unspotted.
TOLEWARES are any kitchen item made of metal.



Round 14: 100, 6, 10, 2, 5, 2. Target: 568.

Mark: 568. ((100-5)*6)-2 (10)
Julia: 564.
Score: 111–65 (max 131)

Mark had already sealed the win in the previous round but he comfortably reaches the target here to give himself an excellent overall score.


Round 15: M A D P O L I C Y

Julia buzzes on 1 second to say DIPLOMACY which is correct.
Final Score: 111–75 (max 141)


Despite Julia not being able to keep up with the champ through the game she gets a spectacular double quick spot on the conundrum to end the game on a high. Julia looks to have enjoyed the experience which is after all the most important thing about appearing on the show.

Mark looks like a pretty handy player who could win a fair few games. He has not yet been tested on the numbers so we’ll have to see how skilled he is on numbers when some tougher rounds come up.

He’s now a quarter-octochamp, join Callum tomorrow to see if he can make it three…




Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=71

[Julia Hayward]

That was me... having joined Apterous after getting an audition and found myself repeatedly being blown away by even 1200-level players, and also having seen Mark's previous game from the audience, I knew I was probably a big underdog and was therefore pretty sanguine about losing.

What viewers didn't see was a "first" round that wasn't broadcast because the clock had failed to start properly. It was pulled by the producers about 5 seconds in, and while Rachel was taking the letters down ready for another go, I realised there was a 9 (SNARKIEST), which Mark told me afterwards in the green room he wouldn't have declared because he thought it invalid. I would have, and it's good! Still, that wouldn't have even been close to changing the result. The words rounds I lost were mostly because I was spending too much time looking for "winning" words rather than simply to equal Mark - a bad strategy - and the final numbers I'm disappointed I didn't get. But 75 was easily enough to silence the "anyone-can-do-that" office smartass.

[Julia Hayward]

By coincidence we went up north on holiday the week before broadcast, and I discovered what a STOTTIE is. Yum!