c4countdown

So, the quarters are done and dusted, with THREE of the top 4 seeds knocked out. So, we're left with the No.1, 5, 6 & 7 seeds.

Those of you who are thinking "I'm gonna watch Spain v Switzerland at 3pm", maybe you should think again. After all, the two 3pm games we've had so far (Japan v Cameroon & Portugal v Ivory Coast) have hardly set the world alight.

Whereas, on Channel 4, we've got a BLOCKBUSTER semi-final lined up for you, with No.1 Seed Oliver "Lionel Messi" Garner vs. No.5 Seed Craig "The Human Calculator Mk.2" Chittenden.

Here are the stats:-

Firstly, No.1 Seed Oliver Garner - 9 Wins, 925 Points
Highest Score: 123 vs. Claudia Tyson (Quarter-Final)
Lowest Score: 81 vs. Mark Goodliffe (8th Game)
9's Achieved: 4/6
Conundrum Success: 4/9

Secondly, No.5 Seed Craig Chittenden - 7 Wins, 760 Points
Highest Score: 107 vs. Mark Gascoigne (5th Game)
Lowest Score: 76 vs. Christopher Smith (7th Game)
9's Achieved: 0/5
Conundrum Success: 4/8

This game is surely not to be missed, with even the toss of a coin backstage possibly being the crucial factor in this game.....

Is this going to be another classic semi that wouldn't have been out of place as a final

I'll be back with the Robinson Recap later.

Oooooh, I'M SO EXCITED

Spain v Garner?
A close one.

My prediction:

If Oliver is in the champions' chair, Craig by a single-figure margin.

If Craig is in the champions' chair, Oliver by a low double-figure margin.

Marc Meakin wrote:Prediction,Ghana, sorry Garner to win a close one.

Literally shut up.

Just under an hour to go now....

It's so unbearable

And I can't even see it till 6pm.

Damn work

Gonna head to pub for second half of game and catch this later. Really looking forward to it.

Craig is in the challengers chair, can he take advantage?

Craig was unlucky to have Susie asking him to spell out LITREAGE. Might have got away with it on another day.

Brilliant numbers from Ollie! Is that the first time Craig has been beaten in a numbers game?

Unlucky Craig, it didn't go your way but props for being so entertaining and gracious throughout.

Good spirited game throughout, well done lads. Great numbers round there by Oliver and an excellent performance overall once again, good luck for the final. Commiserations to Craig, well done for making the final four and your great numbers rounds during your run.

I thought SEAVIEWS was valid in one of the rounds.

Liam Tiernan wrote:Craig was unlucky to have Susie asking him to spell out LITREAGE. Might have got away with it on another day.

Had he pronounced it LITRE-IJ he might have got away with it but he pronounced it LITTER-ARGE.
Excellent performance again, Oliver and superb numbers against one of the best numbers players of all time.
Well played, Craig and it was good to see you smiling throughout your run and a lot of chat/banter today.

Obligatory beaters: CIPOLIN in one of the rounds.

Looking forward to tomorrow's other semi - the rerun of Lee Graham vs Nicki Sellars. Reminds me of Charlie vs Junaid...

I wanted both Oliver and Craig to win.
In spite of the importance of this match it was played in a lovely spirit.
Craig, in all your games you have come across to me as a real nice chap, and today
you seemed to be even more revealing of yourself and it was good. Thanks.
Oliver, well done and I wish you luck in the final.
I have admired your great performances and your modesty.
A lovely game to watch thanks to both of you.

Liam Tiernan wrote:Craig was unlucky to have Susie asking him to spell out LITREAGE. Might have got away with it on another day.

I'm pretty sure that in the studio Craig wasn't asked to spell it at all, having pronounced it correctly, but Susie said she couldn't find it in the dictionary. At the end of recording having realised their mistake, they briefly reshot that part of the game, making Craig spell LITREAGE incorrectly to Susie as literage, so that they had covered themselves. Im only about 60% confident that thats right, but If it is, then I think its really fucking unfair to Craig.

JackHurst wrote: I'm pretty sure that in the studio Craig wasn't asked to spell it at all, having pronounced it correctly, but Susie said she couldn't find it in the dictionary. At the end of recording having realised their mistake, they briefly reshot that part of the game, making Craig spell LITREAGE incorrectly to Susie as literage, so that they had covered themselves. Im only about 60% confident that thats right, but If it is, then I think its really fucking unfair to Craig.

I could just as easily be remembering wrong but I think Craig did have to spell it at the time (drawing winces from the audience), and the retake at the end was just Susie's bit so that she could mention that LITREAGE would have been fine. But yeah he was still unlucky to be asked.

The way I remember it, I pronounced it wrong and spelt it wrong at the time. Susie at first dismissed it as not a word until Charlie text Damian and then at the end they did a retake. That could be totally wrong though.

Congrats to Oli, he is a much better player than me and really deserved to win.

craig wrote:The way I remember it, I pronounced it wrong and spelt it wrong at the time. Susie at first dismissed it as not a word until Charlie text Damian and then at the end they did a retake. That could be totally wrong though.

Congrats to Oli, he is a much better player than me and really deserved to win.

Yeah that's what happened, although they were probably planning a retake anyway so I can't take any real credit.

Unlucky Craig and well done on a great run. Well done Oliver, good luck...er...watching yourself on TV on Friday?!

Well done Oliver on your magnificent performance yet again. That's the quarter and semi where you scored just 15 points below maximum Pretty impressive.

Very unlucky, Craig. I think soon as the literage/LITREAGE fiasco happened, it seemed like it wasn't going to be your day. Still, you took it very well, and shouldn't be too disappointed.

By the way, is it just me or did MULTITASK seem a pretty easy-ish conundrum for a semi-final Only asking because I thought SUBARCTIC and DISPERSAL were much harder ones, and they were used as quarter-final conundrums.

Best of luck on Friday, Oliver.

1st Numbers Alt.: ((25 + (9 x 6)) x 10) - (5 x 2) = 780

3rd Numbers Alt: (9 x 7) + 100 - 10 - 1 = 152

James Robinson wrote:the literage/LITERAGE fiasco

Eh?

Hugh Binnie wrote:

James Robinson wrote:the literage/LITERAGE fiasco

Eh?

Knew that was going to happen. Fixed.

James Robinson wrote: By the way, is it just me or did MULTITASK seem a pretty easy-ish conundrum for a semi-final

Nope....I didn't get it then and didn't get it now either. Oops. Was looking for MIS- or -ISM or some other complicated word. MULTIPACK was used as a heat conundrum and MULTITASK a semi final - think this is marginally harder though.

Kirk Bevins wrote:

James Robinson wrote: By the way, is it just me or did MULTITASK seem a pretty easy-ish conundrum for a semi-final

Nope....I didn't get it then and didn't get it now either. Oops. Was looking for MIS- or -ISM or some other complicated word. MULTIPACK was used as a heat conundrum and MULTITASK a semi final - think this is marginally harder though.

Hmmm, that's interesting, because I got MULTIPACK after half a second when it was on in that heat a few months ago. Clearly, I must be MULTI-talented.

James Robinson wrote: By the way, is it just me or did MULTITASK seem a pretty easy-ish conundrum for a semi-final

It's a 7/10 on apterous, and this is despite the fact it's been solved every time it's come up since the finals were recorded (so it's presumably harder than that). Like you say, guess you're just good at the MULTI ones.

Jojo Apollo wrote:Good spirited game throughout, well done lads. Great numbers round there by Oliver and an excellent performance overall once again, good luck for the final. Commiserations to Craig, well done for making the final four and your great numbers rounds during your run.

I thought SEAVIEWS was valid in one of the rounds.

I thought it was an unwritten rule on this forum that you should never capitalise invalid words. Once you've seen a word written that way it tends to stick in the memory. (SEAVIEW is also invalid, btw. It's SEA-VIEW)

Liam Tiernan wrote:I thought it was an unwritten rule on this forum that you should never capitalise invalid words.

Good idea.

Liam Tiernan wrote:SEAVIEW is also invalid

Good while it lasted.

Charlie Reams wrote:

Liam Tiernan wrote:I thought it was an unwritten rule on this forum that you should never capitalise invalid words.

Good idea.

Liam Tiernan wrote:SEAVIEW is also invalid

Good while it lasted.

Italicised? I thought that was the convention to distinguish between valid/invalid

GORMLESS as a DC beater in round 2.

Marc Meakin wrote:GORMLESS as a DC beater in round 2.

Err no - that's tomorrow

Marc Meakin wrote:GORMLESS as a DC beater in round 2.

Haha - Meakin is gormless. How apt.

Edit: Liam beat me in tomorrow's thread. Damn.

James Robinson wrote:Still, you took it very well, and shouldn't be too disappointed.

Another newspaper clipping I happened to come across:

http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/l ... n_and_out/

Kirk Bevins wrote:

James Robinson wrote: By the way, is it just me or did MULTITASK seem a pretty easy-ish conundrum for a semi-final

Nope....I didn't get it then and didn't get it now either. Oops. Was looking for MIS- or -ISM or some other complicated word. MULTIPACK was used as a heat conundrum and MULTITASK a semi final - think this is marginally harder though.

I reckon I would have got it but I was doing other stuff at the same time.