Since we moved to Canberra, I have been stealthily studying Scrabble. I take the stairs at work instead of the elevator, so I can squeeze in 3 minutes of high-probability seven letter words that I typed into my crappy iPhone flashcard program. I selflessly offer to watch Zadie while she's asleep in the car, so I can skim 100 two-anagram five letter words. Or she mooches in the stroller while I walk at a snail's pace, trying to memorise the fact that OUK (meaning a week in Scots, similar to Norwegian) takes B, D, G, J, P, S, T, Y and Z as front-hooks (to remember, I ended up making up the sentence "budget gypsy jazz", if you see what I mean).
This weekend was a big one, the National Championships, a three-day tournament with over 150 players including the 20 best in the country. It happened to be right in Canberra, and an easy walk from home. I went in seeded 21st, and decided I'd be satisfied if I won half my games. It started exciting - I won my first four, and ended up on Board 1 (which gets a table all to itself, and is livestreamed to the like six people (four of them Teitelbaums staying up late) where I got thumped by a fascist. I lost three in a row, and ended up 5-4 after day 1. Not too shabby.
Walking home, I felt like I was on psychiatric medication. My brain was floating loosely around inside my skull, board configurations and alphabetized racks shimmered in and out of my mind. I'd feel deep satisfaction as I remembered good plays (like instantly seeing TOEIEST), then a spasm would cross my face as I'd remember a blunder (like playing WRASS when I should've remembered it's only with an E on the end).
Anyway, day two, win win lose win win win (yes I'm in seventh!!) lose lose (awwww, both elite players though). So I start day three at 10-7 with seven games to go. Just need two wins to break even, I figure. What ends up happening is: win win lose win win win win! I go 6-1 on the last day to end up 16-8, and fourth place overall.
Delirious joy. I bounce home, buying a rather fancy Shiraz en route, throw M&Ms into the kids' mouths, put Ariane Moffat on really loud, make curry for social dinner, bounce back to the venue for the awards ceremony. My rating, which I like to tell myself I don't care about, went up over a hundred points to 1820, putting me solidly at 13th in Australia.
A couple of days later, my brain is still feeling a bit bleary, but hell Scrabble is a fun game. The next one is September 8-9, when the top 20 rated players in the country get together for an epic round robin in the Gold Coast. I'm already excited :)
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| The epic last game. When I played MISO right at the end, I unknowingly blocked FECUNDITY through the E and U. If he'd won, I'd have ended up 11th instead of 4th! |
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| A barnburner of a game. I sort of sagged in my chair with relief when I saw that SATIRIST did fit after all (had seen SITARIST first) |
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| First time I've ever played WINDFALL, GALLIUM and GROMMET |
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| What's a blancher, anyway? I think I felt more cheerful playing on this board. |
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| This is actually where I spent the weekend playing Scrabble. Can you spot the tournament? |
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