Monday 18th February 2013 (30th Champs, Round 2, Game 6)

[Graeme Cole]

Countdown recap for Monday 18 February 2013.

C1: Series 61 semi-finalist Innis Carson (10 wins, 1185 points from 11 games) is one of the favourites for this tournament. He reached the semi-final of series 61 where he was beaten by Chris Davies in what some say is the greatest episode of all time, and which some killjoys have removed from YouTube. He beat Adam Gillard in the first round to get here, he has what is probably the most difficult draw in the tournament. He received apterous's first Spoon of Awesome. He led the Pro Ranks table for 67 consecutive weeks, and he hasn't been out of the top 3 in the last two years. And if that wasn't enough, at the end of this month he and Mark Deeks are playing a ridiculously ambitious 25-hour head-to-head Countdown marathon to raise money for Comic Relief. Have you donated to their ridiculously ambitious 25-hour head-to-head Countdown marathon? No? Well go and donate to their ridiculously ambitious 25-hour head-to-head Countdown marathon.
C2: Series 60 champion Kirk Bevins (13 wins, 1510 points from 14 games), can sometimes be seen refereeing PDC darts matches. Aside from his first appearance on the show when he was 17, he's undefeated. He won his series with the help of the first ever 15-round max game and a total of 925 over his eight heat games, breaking Julian Fell's record of 924 which had stood for over six years. He beat series 61 champion Chris Davies in a one-off champions' special, and if you thought there was nowhere further to go from there, just a few weeks ago, in the first round of this tournament, he beat series 38 champion John Ashmore with the second-ever 15-round max game.

Hopefully, from all that, you've got the impression I was trying to convey: these two don't mess about. They're hardcore Countdowners.

DC: Susie Dent and Dr Phil Hammond.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

R01: S M U D E U T W T
R02: X D P A E I T A M
R03: U O E P G L N Q H
R04: S T D A O I Z D R
R05: 50, 25, 3, 9, 5, 9. Target: 659.
TTT: ROASTLEG - "They're full of themselves and they'll let you know it."
R06: L S G A I E M R A
R07: S R K O A S E R O
R08: T V D E I A T E N
R09: U A J T C F E P U
R10: 2, 7, 8, 1, 5, 3. Target: 623.
TTT: GLENSHIP - "Portions of a Beatles song, perhaps?"
R11: S T N E U I C O E
R12: G L V A I E H S L
R13: O E N B W Y I R M
R14: 75, 10, 1, 9, 4, 7. Target: 735.
R15: U N I L E V E R C (conundrum)
R16: B A R R Y D I C K (conundrum)


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Enjoy the show.


Round 1: S M U D E U T W T

C1: SMUTTED (7)
C2: SMUTTED (7)
Score: 7–7 (max 7)

I thought "that's never going to be in". But of course it is. SMUT can be a verb, to mark with dirt.


Round 2: X D P A E I T A M

C1: ADIPATE (7)
C2: MIXTAPE (7)
Score: 14–14 (max 14)

No problem with MIXTAPE - it's all one word - and Innis's word ADIPATE is a salt or ester of adipic acid.


Round 3: U O E P G L N Q H

C1: PLOUGH (6)
C2: PHENOL (6)
OT: ENOUGH (6) LOUNGE (6) PLUNGE (6)
Score: 20–20 (max 20)

The first time there have been max words not spotted by either contestant, and that's only because there are too many of them.


Round 4: S T D A O I Z D R

C1: ASTROID (7)
C2: ASTROID (7)
DC: SORDID (6)
OT: DOTARDS (7)
Score: 27–27 (max 27)

Innis and Kirk pluck out ASTROID with ease. A DOTARD is an old person, particular a weak or senile one. It's related to the word DOTAGE.


Round 5: 50, 25, 3, 9, 5, 9. Target: 659.

C1: 659. (25-9-3)*50+9 (10)
C2: 659. (25-9-3)*50+9 (10)
Score: 37–37 (max 37)

I didn't get this one, but then, two large is the devil in numbers-round form. Innis seems to like it, for some reason. Never really understood why. Anyway, the numbers game doesn't trouble either of them, and both players are on a max after part one.


Teatime teaser: ROASTLEG -> GLOATERS

Round 6: L S G A I E M R A

C1: LAIRAGES (8)
C2: MALAISE (7)
DC: REGALISM (8)
OT: RAILAGES (8)
Score: 45–37 (max 45)

We've got our first breakthrough of the match. A LAIRAGE is a place where livestock are rested on the way to slaughter. Normally I'd expect Kirk to mop up all three of the eights in this round (then spend the other 28 seconds trying to decide which is the most obscure, and naturally offer that one), but under the lights Kirk can only find seven, and this gives Innis the lead.


Round 7: S R K O A S E R O

C1: SOAKERS (7)
C2: SOAKERS (7)
OT: KOREROS (7) SOARERS (7)
Score: 52–44 (max 52)

Two dodgy-looking but valid agent nouns, and an Andy Platt-certified "Not A Word" which is a New Zealand term for a discussion or meeting.


Round 8: T V D E I A T E N

C1: TAINTED (7)
C2: VENDETTA (8)
DC: DEVIATE (7) DEVIANT (7)
Score: 52–52 (max 60)

It's one of those infuriating selections where it's easy for players at this level to find a seven, but it just looks a little bit eightworthy. Don't worry, I've seen enough of these to know that it's just an illusion, there isn't really an eight there. Oh wait, there is - VENDETTA is a superb spot from Kirk which brings him level again.


Round 9: U A J T C F E P U

C1: CAJEPUT (7)
C2: CAJEPUT (7)
DC: FAUCET (6) CAJUPUT (7)
Score: 59–59 (max 67)

A CAJEPUT (or CAJUPUT) is an oil obtained from the tree of the myrtle family. The standard in this game is so good that hundreds of Penelopes are writing angry letters to Channel 4 as we speak.


Round 10: 2, 7, 8, 1, 5, 3. Target: 623.

C1: 623. (5*3*(8-2)-1)*7 (10)
C2: 623. ((3*2+5)*8+1)*7 (10)
Score: 69–69 (max 77)

Kirk picks six small, and both players find different ways of doing 89*7. Rachel remarks that they're now both Nick's age. Nick remarks that Kirk and Innis are now locked together in a great position.


Teatime teaser: GLENSHIP -> HELPINGS


Round 11: S T N E U I C O E

C1: COUNTIES (8)
C2: SEICENTO (8)
DC: SUCTION (7)
Score: 77–77 (max 85)

The Italian words for the numbers 300, 400, 500 and 600 (TRECENTO, QUATTROCENTO, CINQUECENTO and SEICENTO) are all valid words. That's a useful thing to remember, especially the first and last cases when it comes to Countdown. They refer to the style of Italian art and literature in the 1300s, 1400s, 1500s and 1600s respectively.


Round 12: G L V A I E H S L

C1: VILLAGES (8)
C2: SHIGELLA (8)
DC: GLAIVES (7)
Score: 85–85 (max 93)

Innis follows up COUNTIES with VILLAGES. Now, I know that Kirk gets more than his fair share of fun-poking for his strategy of preferring to offer obscure words over ordinary ones. I know because most of the fun-poking is by me. But that doesn't take anything away from the fact that SHIGELLA is a top-class spot, the kind of word that has a fair chance of beating even the most elite players. Dr Phil points out it's a bacterium that causes dysentery.


Round 13: O E N B W Y I R M

C1: BROMINE (7)
C2: BROWNIE (7)
DC: EMBRYO (6)
Score: 92–92 (max 100)

Sevens each for the last letters round, and it's 92-all, which means we're guaranteed a crucial conundrum, which is what this game deserves.


Round 14: 75, 10, 1, 9, 4, 7. Target: 735.

C1: 735. 75*10-(9+7-1) (10)
C2: 735. 75*10-(9+7-1) (10)
Score: 102–102 (max 110)

Kirk deliberates over his numbers pick, and eventually plumps for one large. It's a nice easy one, which means Kirk and Innis are still level, and one of them is going to have to solve a conundrum to win.


Round 15: U N I L E V E R C

Kirk buzzes on 2.5 seconds to say CERVULINE which is incorrect.
Innis buzzes on 18 seconds to say CURVELINE which is incorrect.
The answer was VIRULENCE.
Score: 102-102 (max 120)

I think Kirk knew his answer was wrong as soon as he buzzed in. Now he can't do anything except wait for the rest of the time to run out. Innis thinks for a bit and tries CURVELINE, and the bottom flippything turns over to say VIRULENCE.

Still 102-102. So for the second game in a row, we go to sudden death, and it's to decide the winner of an all-time classic game between two all-time Countdown greats.


Round 16: B A R R Y D I C K

Kirk buzzes on 1.5 seconds to say BRICKYARD which is correct.
Final Score: 102–112 (max 120)

Kirk takes BRICKYARD and with it a place in the quarter-final against Conor Travers, which I'll have the pleasure of recapping next Monday. The only downside to this game was that, whichever way round the result was, one of the players had to go out of the tournament undeservedly early, and on this occasion it's Innis. Innis has only ever been behind twice in 12 games: after the conundrum at the end of his series semi-final, and after the second conundrum today. I haven't checked whether any other player has a record like this, but I'd be surprised to find that anyone matches it. What is a certainty is that those two games Innis lost are serious contenders for being the two greatest games in 30 years of Countdown.

Tomorrow Jack won't be recapping as usual, as he's a bit busy playing Christine Hunt. Nick Deller will give us a special guest recap. The winner of that game will go on to play Jon O'Neill on Friday, and because Heather is unavailable that day I've said I'd recap that one as well - see you then.


Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=-16

[Charlie Reams]

Absolute cracker.

[Gavin Chipper]

Tomorrow Jack won't be recapping as usual, as he's a bit busy playing Christine Hunt.

So it is live then.

[Ian Volante]

Ouchies. Unlike yesterday, this standard absolutely smashed me.

[Jon Corby]

Ouchies. Unlike yesterday, this standard absolutely smashed me.

Sunday games are always more laid back.

[Ian Volante]

Ouchies. Unlike yesterday, this standard absolutely smashed me.

Sunday games are always more laid back.

Hur hur, very good, smart arse. The one I read yesterday.