c4countdown

Countdown recap for Monday 19 January 2009.

C1: Champion Jonathan Coles (9 wins [from Series 58]).
C2: Champion Anita Freeland (10 wins [4 from Series 55, 5 from Series 56]).
DC: Susie Dent and Alastair Stewart.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

Now today just happens to be my mum's/Mrs Kai's/Naomi Laddiman's birthday today, so lets hope it's a good game (not like she'll be watching it, though).

R01: N X S O E D T R I
R02: E A E C T R L E K
R03: M R R I A F N I E
R04: A E O P H D T D A
R05: 100, 5, 9, 7, 8, 8. Target: 684.
TTT: BREAMCAT - "Food offering from a little nipper."
R06: E O U R T R N N A
R07: T T W E A N S O E
R08: U E E P R L C C A
R09: B P L O O M Q O T
R10: 100, 7, 5, 9, 8, 8. Target: 746.
TTT: SEEDRAGS - "It's all about controlling the nature of the beast."
R11: N D S U O N S O I
R12: E E I D T V Z H U
R13: L G D O E Y M G A
R14: 100, 9, 10, 5, 8, 7. Target: 838.
R15: H A I R Y M O P S (conundrum)


And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

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(At a small extra cost, you can gain the privilege to) Enjoy the show.

Round 1: N X S O E D T R I

C1: EDITORS (7)
C2: SNORTED (7)
DC: DEXTRIN (7) STORIED (7)
OT: SORTIED (7) STEROID (7) TRIODES (7) INDORSE (7) ROSINED (7) ORIENTS (7) STONIER (7) RODENTS (7)
Score: 7–7 (max 7)

TRIODE - A thermionic valve with three electrodes
ROSIN - To rub with resin

Round 2: E A E C T R L E K

C1: -
C2: TACKLER (7)
DC: CLARET (6) TREACLE (7)
Score: 7–14 (max 14)

Dodgy start for Jonathan, misspelling LACERATE.

Round 3: M R R I A F N I E

C1: FIREMAN (7)
C2: FIREMAN (7)
DC: MARINER (7)
OT: FIREARM (7) RAINIER (7) REFRAIN (7) RIMFIRE (7)
Score: 14–21 (max 21)

RIMFIRE - Relating to a special type of gun

Round 4: A E O P H D T D A

C1: POTHEAD (7)
C2: ADOPTED (7)
OT: ADAPTED (7)
Score: 21–28 (max 28)

Well risked there by Jonathan.

Alastair Stewart gives us some information on economics (which I know absolutely nothing about) and gets applause at the end.

Round 5: 100, 5, 9, 7, 8, 8. Target: 684.

C1: 684. 100x7-(8+8) (10)
C2: 684. 100x7-(8+8) (10)
Score: 31–38 (max 38)

Teatime teaser: BREAMCAT -> CRABMEAT

Round 6: E O U R T R N N A

C1: ROUTER (6)
C2: OUTRAN (6)
DC: NEUTRON (7) NORTENA (7)
OT: TONNEAU (7)
Score: 37–44 (max 45)

NORTENA - A Mexican music style
TONNEAU - Part of a car occupied by the back seats

Round 7: T T W E A N S O E

C1: TOWNEES (7)
C2: ESTATE (6)
DC: NOTATES (7)
OT: NEATEST (7)
Score: 44–44 (max 52)

A good spot by Jonathan now pulls the scores level again.

Round 8: U E E P R L C C A

C1: REPLACE (7)
C2: PUREE (5)
DC: REPEL (5) PURCEL (6)
OT: PERCALE (7) PLEURAE (7)
Score: 51–44 (max 59)

And another brilliant spot gives Jonathan the lead.

PERCALE - Closely woven fine cotton fabric
PLEURA - A membrane lining the thorax

Round 9: B P L O O M Q O T

C1: BLOOM (5)
C2: BLOOM (5)
DC: TOMBOLO (7) (Perhaps a relation of Joseph Bolo?)
Score: 56–49 (max 66)

TOMBOLO - A bar of sand connecting an island to the mainland

Round 10: 100, 7, 5, 9, 8, 8. Target: 746.

C1: 746. (100x7)+(9x5)+(8/8) (10)
C2: 746. (100x7)+(9x5)+(8/8) (10)
Score: 66–59 (max 76)

Some kind of fix is evident as exactly the same numbers come out.

Teatime teaser: SEEDRAGS -> DRESSAGE

Round 11: N D S U O N S O I

C1: ONIONS (6)
C2: SOUNDS (6)
DC: NOUNS (5) UNISONS (7)
Score: 72–65 (max 83)

Round 12: E E I D T V Z H U

C1: THIEVED (7)
C2: THIEVED (7)
DC: DUVET (5)
Score: 79–72 (max 90)

Round 13: L G D O E Y M G A

C1: MELODY (6)
C2: MELODY (6)
DC: DEMAGOGY (8)
Score: 85–78 (max 98)

DEMAGOGUE - a political leader

Round 14: 100, 9, 10, 5, 8, 7. Target: 838.

C1: 838. (100+5)x8-(9-7) (10)
C2: 838. (100+5)x8-(9-7) (10)
Score: 95–88 (max 108)

Round 15: H A I R Y M O P S

No one buzzes. The answer was MAYORSHIP.
Score: 95–88 (max 118)

A great game, albeit a low-scoring one (in only 1 letters round did the max exceed 7), which was well contested by both players.

Feel free to criticise any minor/major/non-existent mistakes.

Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=-15

Ay Carumba! Recap brought to you by Bart/Kai Simpson/Laddiman.

Nice work. Not sure if you know this but you can type phony words into the recapper, you just need to put them in lower case so it knows not to score them.

I would have quite confidently declared WETTENS in round 7, and am embarrassed to discover it isn't a word.

Charlie Reams wrote:Nice work. Not sure if you know this but you can type phony words into the recapper, you just need to put them in lower case so it knows not to score them.

OK, it's just that he didn't actually declare, he just muttered LACERATE to himself.

Didn't Anita win 9 games?

Junaid Mubeen wrote:Didn't Anita win 9 games?

I make it 10, Junaid. An octochamp, who was beaten in the series final.

Howard Somerset wrote:

Junaid Mubeen wrote:Didn't Anita win 9 games?

I make it 10, Junaid. An octochamp, who was beaten in the series final.

No she only managed 7, Junaid's right.

http://www.countdownwiki.com/Anita_Freeland

Jimmy wrote:No she only managed 7, Junaid's right.

http://www.countdownwiki.com/Anita_Freeland

Woops!. I'd looked at that same page, and when I saw 83 - 86, I took 83 as being more than 86. Perhaps a little more water with my drink might be in order.

Junaid Mubeen wrote:Didn't Anita win 9 games?

Recap appropriately changed.

Kai Laddiman wrote: Recap appropriately changed.

Almost! I had to think twice about posting that, after my earlier boob.

On a different subject. Two interesting facts emerge following the first six COC games.

Firstly, in every game so far, the C1 contestant has been victorious, which is probably unusual in view of the fact that the C2 position is, I understand, generally the favoured position when there is a choice.

Secondly, all games have produced maximums in the range 112 - 119. Looking at the entire series 59, only one game had a maximum less than 112, yet 82 games had maximums greater than 119. This is clearly a consequence of the different approach to "shuffling".

The coin toss for the first 8 games was heads every time as well.

The coin toss for the first 8 games was heads every time as well.

Kai Laddiman wrote:The coin toss for the first 8 games was heads every time as well.

Kai Laddiman wrote:The coin toss for the first 8 games was heads every time as well.

Repetition has been very much the theme thus far.

Kai Laddiman wrote:The coin toss for the first 8 games was heads every time as well.

Kai Laddiman wrote:The coin toss for the first 8 games was heads every time as well.

Repetition has been very much the theme thus far.

Raccoon boy?
Raccoon boy?

Monday!

Round 2: Another Chuck word!
Round 4: That goes without saying anything, Jonathan!
Conundrum: Jeff, stop the misery/agony gig soon!

Dinos Sfyris wrote:Raccoon boy?
Raccoon boy?

TRANSOMED again? And BROOCHES + A? Oh, and STODGIER... (etc)