Round 16



The room is electric with excitement. The tiles are rattling with just a little bit more intensity. The masses are being held back by tables smartly placed to barracade Table 1 a bit. In earlier rounds, the Table 1 players were so swarmed, runners couldn't reach them to retrieve challenge slips!



According to Charlie Southwell, this is the first round where duplicate pairings may take place. He has been careful until now to avoid them.



So, Table 1 this round has Matt Graham vs. Joe Edley (USAers). Matt politely asked Joel if he wanted to remain in the seat he had occupied in the earlier round. Joel deadpanned, "Yes, because it is three steps closer to the bathroom." :) 



Table 2 has Edley (USA) vs. Jeff Grant (NZ). Joe was doing more Tai Chi tension-releasing exercises before this round and a photographer from the Washington Post caught him in action. She also took group photos and had me help her identify a few of them. I told her that the group: Geary, Schonbrun, Lipton, Logan, Paolella, Mead (all USA/CAN), were among the best players in North America. She, obviously having heard of other top contenders to watch for said, "But where is Joel?" I'm not sure if she meant Sherman or Wapnick, but I reminded her that I'd said among!



Laura Klein and Howard Turkenkopf have done the mammoth job (if you could see them, you would know what I mean!) of turning over the standings boards. Information on Rounds 15-21 are now available for all.



Matt Graham (USA) just slammed down ENLISTER and Joel just shook his head as it went down. So, it is now three bingos to one: EGoTISE, INNOVATE (to the E in EGoTISE), and ENLISTER for Graham. Joel did ENMITIES through the N in INNOVATE. Mr. Marlon Hill (aka Eagle Eyes) is helping me "see" these plays. Marlon says: "Matt is smoooooking!"



I'm talking to Tim Rayment from the London Sunday Times now. He went to dinner last night with Mark Nyman (GBR) and suporting members of the British onlookers. Tim was after the color and anecdotes that brings alive the passion of the most serious players. And he got it! Stories about stories hitting other people, etc. MArk didn't have anything to drink other than water, so the truth is, Tim thinks he mighta missed a story or two. Clever guy that Nyman. Tim hasn't had a chance to see what lies behind the faces of these players. He finds it difficult to do when all anyone ever wants to talk about is their last game of scrabble. 



EPEIRID# was challenged twice. 

SCHEW and CHEWN came in, were ruled unacceptable. CHEWN came back for a second opinion and John Chew ruled it not acceptable and signed his name to the slip. I guess he felt that the player would accept his ruling because John would know any letter that played through CHEW and was acceptable!



In the Graham/Sherman game, FLOWERINGS# was played by Graham. There were three bingos in their first 5 plays. Graham won pretty big 491-430.



We then broke up for lunch. Sorry so short. I was being interviewed by Tim from the London Sunday Times for most of this round!



sherrie

saint@mit.edu