If you have too much time on your hands, try to find the best play in the following position. Quackle didn't find a win on a many-ply sim or using "Ask Championship Player". Did it miss something, or are you just stuck trying to minimize spread?

Yanked from squeegman :

Bold the ones you've seen. Italics the ones you love.

1. Godfather, The (1972)
2. Shawshank Redemption, The (1994)
3. Godfather: Part II, The (1974)
4. Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The (2003)
5. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The (2002)
6. Schindler’s List (1993)
7. Shichinin no samurai (1954)
8. Casablanca (1942)
9. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The (2001)
10. Star Wars (1977)
11. Citizen Kane (1941)
12. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
13. Dr. Strangelove (1964)
14. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
15. Rear Window (1954)
16. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
17. Pulp Fiction (1994)
18. Usual Suspects, The (1995)
19. Memento (2000)
20. North by Northwest (1959)
21. 12 Angry Men (1957)
22. Buono, il brutto, il cattivo, Il (1966)
23. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
24. Psycho (1960)
25. Fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain, Le (2001)
26. Silence of the Lambs, The (1991)
27. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
28. Goodfellas (1990)
29. American Beauty (1999)
30. Sunset Blvd. (1950)
31. Vertigo (1958)
32. Matrix, The (1999)
33. Ciudade de Deus (2002)
34. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
35. C’era una volta il West (1968)
36. Apocalypse Now (1979)
37. Pianist, The (2002)
38. Third Man, The (1949)
39. Paths of Glory (1957)
40. Taxi Driver (1976)
41. Fight Club (1999)
42. Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi (2001)
43. Some Like It Hot (1959)
44. Double Indemnity (1944)
45. Boot, Das (1981)
46. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
47. Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
48. Chinatown (1974)
49. L.A. Confidential (1997)
50. Maltese Falcon, The (1941)
51. Requiem for a Dream (2000)
52. All About Eve (1950)
53. M (1931)
54. Bridge on the River Kwai, The (1957)
55. Se7en (1995)
56. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
57. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
58. Rashômon (1950)
59. Raging Bull (1980)
60. Wizard of Oz, The (1939)
61. Alien (1979)
62. American History X (1998)
63. Sting, The (1973)
64. Léon (1994)
65. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
66. Manchurian Candidate, The (1962)
67. Vita è bella, La (1997)
68. Touch of Evil (1958)
69. Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The (1948)
70. Finding Nemo (2003)
71. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
72. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
73. Great Escape, The (1963)
74. Modern Times (1936)
75. Clockwork Orange, A (1971)
76. Amadeus (1984)
77. On the Waterfront (1954)
78. Ran (1985)
79. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
80. Annie Hall (1977)
81. Wo hu cang long (2000)
82. Jaws (1975)
83. Apartment, The (1960)
84. Braveheart (1995)
85. High Noon (1952)
86. Aliens (1986)
87. Fargo (1996)
88. Strangers on a Train (1951)
89. Shining, The (1980)
90. Metropolis (1927)
91. Blade Runner (1982)
92. Sixth Sense, The (1999)
93. City Lights (1931)
94. Donnie Darko (2001)
95. Duck Soup (1933)
96. Great Dictator, The (1940)
97. General, The (1927)
98. Sjunde inseglet, Det (1957)
99. Princess Bride, The (1987)
100. Dogville (2003)

I always feel like I never watch enough classic movies, but I guess I'm wrong. Apparently, I didn't love many of them, but most of them I liked, at least. Maybe I'll make it a project to see the rest sometime soon. Probably not, though:)

When I started this blog, I swore it would be Scrabble only, with my personal whining and ranting relegated to my private, offline Enemies List/Slam Book. But, since a number of friends-list members asked for updates about various topics, this seems like the easiest place to take care of it. If this isn't Scrabble-related enough for you, feel free to move on to other posts without hurting my feelings.

If you keep up with the news, you might have heard that my employer is suspending all domestic operations. Thankfully, since I'm an exports dude and we are still doing international shipments, I appear to be safe from layoffs, at least according to the bigwigs who met with us tonight. Going on unemployment could have been sweet, and the libertarian in me would have been gleeful about getting back tax money that never should have been taken from me in the first place, but I guess this is preferable:)

Health-wise, things aren't as awesome. I've felt badly for some time, but not so bad that I couldn't just write it up to exhaustion and what-have-you. Anyway, things got much worse at the tourney last weekend, with the major symptoms including uncontrollable shaking of limbs, rapid heart rate, and what the medical books call "impaired consciousness". Just to give you a sense of how out of it I was, in one game I counted tiles, burned my blank thinking there were only two in the bag, only to find that there were actually nine left. I may be an idiot, but I'm not that stupid. I went to my doctor Monday for an EKG, which was fine, and blood work, which revealed a damaged liver, which would certainly explain a number of symptoms. My doctor's out of town until next week, so I have no idea how bad it is or what the treatment might be, but people wanted updates, so that's what I know for now.

And now, off to bed to rest up for another exciting work day.

I'm a bit tired of livejournaling, and since my play sucked the fatty this past weekend, please forgive me for being brief. The tournament was a spectacular success due to the flawless efforts of ipecac_icecap and ididjonassalk. It was fun to see a bunch of friends I hadn't hang out with for far too long, and a bit of a moral victory that the Ohio team held Michigan under their expected wins for the event, especially with our top-rated player going 5-10. Congrats to stmonday for his dominant performance, especially since he took on a much stronger field than the players he fended off for the individual title. As for me, I actually had a fun time, and got some good practice trying not to be a wet blanket while displaying grand ineptitude. Anyway, on the positive side, I've decided on quite a few changes to my preparation routine that I think will fix a lot of the problems that have been developing in my game and which finally came to a head. Also, I'll not be attending anything else if I can't get off work the night before; I suspect getting 7 hours of sleep during a 54-hour stretch wasn't the best scenario for good play:)

I'm going to run out of Sun Kil Moon/Red House Painters song titles for subject lines soon. Because I'm a dork with too much time on his hands, I whipped up an approximation of the chances Ohio has to win the inaugural MI v. OH challenge. I'll spare you the gory details behind the calculations, except to say that I dumbed it down enough for a statistics/probability hater like me to work out by assuming every game involved the average rating difference/winning chances between the teams, rather than do it matchup-by-matchup, which will throw things off a bit due to the exponential expected win formula. Anyway, it should still give a ballpark percentage, and, sadly, it came out to ~4.3%. Either my calculations are way off (very possible, given my almost complete lack of study in the field) or we are dead people walking this weekend. Here's hoping the Findlay Holiday Inn has a well-stocked bar. However it turns out, it should be a lot of fun hanging out with friends, meeting a few new ones (remember, a stranger's just a friend you haven't met yet), and fitting in a little Scrabble(R) Brand Crossword Game.

In my downtime while sick of studying, I ended up fiddling around with Dan Stock's highest-scoring theoretical TWL play. The results are here. Apparently, I'm not the only hopeless dork who finds things like this interesting, as I ended up discovering this a few minutes ago, which used most of the ideas I ended up using as well. Maybe I'll end up in the Scrabble(R) News or something. Now I just have to find some other way to waste time until MI v. OH, where an Ohio victory will be a solid 8 on the upset scale. Do you believe in miracles?

I know it's still three weeks away, but I'm getting geared up for the titanic Michigan v. Ohio grudge match. Besides, I needed to beat ipecac_icecap and stmonday to use of the subject line, lest I be labeled a copycat:) In addition to the usual cardbox work and solid progress on the eights, I've found time to fit in a few warm-up games against Speedy Player. Here they are, in all their inadequacy, for your amusement or, more likely, to waste valuable storage space on the internets.


Game 1
Game 2
Game 3
Game 4
Game 5

Back in the dark days when I was a mathematician, I worked about as far away from statistics as possible, but since topology doesn't really apply to Scrabble(R) Brand Crossword Game, I've found myself doing some good, old fashioned calculatin' recently. Anyway, since I started using Quackle's Championship Player reports to analyze practice games, I've been wondering just how reliable the results are. So, I took the first game I posted back in May and asked for another report.

If you want a tractable list of related eights to dump into the ol' cardbox*, try tackling the set from which I grabbed these alphagrams:


ABCEIRSW
EEFISSSW
AEEILPSW
AEIPRSWW
EEFISTWW

I have a feeling ididjonassalk will have no problem with these.

I've never played a game of anagrams in my life, but since I just looked it up, there's only one word you can steal with CARDBOX: ICILY. If you're playing Collins, you can add ALEYES# and EYALET(S)#. Like I said, I'm rather bored.

About six weeks ago, I started posting some annotated games, and now just about everyone on my friends list is doing it too. I haven't been this much of a trendsetter since I started wearing parachute pants back in high school. Anyway, I did a few more to work through my discontent over not getting to Michigan Madness, so here they are. Constructive criticism or childish name-calling are always welcome.

Game 1
Game 2
Game 3

I've been using my downtime to hit the eights hard before the titanic Michigan vs. Ohio showdown, when I hope to have whittled the gap between me and everyone else in that department from ginormous# to merely huge. Anyway, there are so many cool ones, so I thought I'd share a few of my favorites. As always, this is only for entertainment, so I must insist, no wagering.

AEEFGIRT
ACEEIMRR (the second one)
AAFHRSUU
AABIIJLT
AAEIJLNV
AADEEHMT
AEEELRTX
AAEGLOSV
AAELRUZZ
AAFFOORW
AABHHOUR
ABEEEFRS

Some of them are common words, but it's still nice to have them worked in to the study routine, ready to find their way to the board should I ever draw them. A few of these are just a tad low prob, but you've got to be ready when someone slots a Z in the triple lane and you're holding ?AAELRU:)

For the second consecutive year, no Madness for me. This time, I'm just too wiped out (both physically and financially) by medical stuff, first the strep and ear infection that immediately followed Arden, and now more dental problems that need to be addressed in the next few weeks. In the meantime, I'm spending most of my free time sleeping while awaiting the next toothache, so a tiring and costly trip to Michigan seems like a bad idea. It's probably a good idea to get a break from things, but it will be a shame to miss a tourney where so many of my friends will be playing. At least I'll have another off-day at my disposal later to use for the next Burning River Blowout or Ironman, so it's not all bad. Anyway, I'm expecting oodles of updates from everyone, so kick ass, have fun, and stay classy.

Day 3: 1-3, including two losses by over 250 points each and a third to an out-bingo in my opening game against Doug Brockmeier, in which I led the whole game but was only able to shut down three bingo lanes late, leaving open the fourth he had just created with a very nice penultimate play of EAU at A13, winning with (U)NRIPEST and catching me with the Q to boot. He would have won with PTERINS elsewhere had I not blocked, so there wasn't a whole lot I could do about the losses other than become a lot better, but I still displayed a disturbing lack of discipline in both challenging words I was pretty sure of and playing hooks I was doubtful of at best. I think I was just spent by day three, despite all attempts to conserve energy over the weekend. Doug said that this was the toughest field he's played outside of Nationals, and I believe him. Nothing comes easy in a strong Div. 1 field, and you either have to draw outstandingly and play decently or draw reasonably and play a really strong game, or your opponent will find a way to beat you. With that in mind, 11-9 is a result I'm really happy with, especially being painfully aware of how much I still don't know and how much it's hindering me.

Anyway, the drive home was interesting, to say the least. Shortly after getting into Indiana, I heard something snap in the front of my car, and my left front tire started violently vibrating. Luckily, I was right at a weigh station and was able to pull in and find the problem: the little connector that had been holding the plastic under the engine in place had snapped, causing the plastic to hang down and hit the tire. I was close enough to a real exit to nurse the car to a truck stop and get some nuts and bolts to get it back in place, with some phone assistance from my father. Sometimes it's handy to have a former race car driver/crew chief in the family:) Not 10 minutes after I was back on the road, something else snapped, this time whatever was holding my driver's side window up, and it slid down into the door. So, I ended up driving the final 250 miles with an open window. Thankfully, the foreboding skies never opened up and I dodged the predicted downpours the whole way. I hope I'll have the car back from the shop in time for work tonight, as missing really isn't an option, alas.

I don't know where my final rating ended up, what with the split rating calculations and all, but I might end up cracking 1750. Still, I'm pretty sure I'm not going to Orlando. Too much hassle for something I'm really not ready to contend for yet. I'm sure it would be fun and a great experience, but this has been an expensive year, even with new insurance, and I'm not sure it would be worth it.

Finally, what would a tourney recap post be without a bingo list?

Another 5-3 day. More bouts of stupidity sprinkled in with mostly solid play. I don't really have much to say about it now, preferring the idea of sleep to livejournal exposition, but I didn't want anyone to think I was sulking. Tonight has been fun, hanging out with Tom and Erica, home early from their music fest. And with no clever way to end this post popping to mind, I will simply say good night.

Well, damned Internet Explorer just managed to wipe out almost an entire recap with one stroke and apparent lack of an undo feature. Get Firefox if you haven't already! Anyway, I'm not typing that all over again, so you'll have to settle for the following:

5-3, +100. Very happy with the results, and generally played well after round 1, when I was a nervous wreck and almost donked* away a huge bagging in my favor against Marty Gabriel. Note to self: when playing Joey Mallick and you're not sure of a hook and another play scores the same 74 points, take the one you're sure of. Damn it. Otherwise, I've drawn pretty well and played pretty well. Was in an oddly high number of low-scoring games. Played as slowly as an old geezer driving the Florida turnpike, but managed to horde just enough time to play some decent endgames. So, like I said, I'm extremely pleased and encouraged, but there are still many games to go. More tomorrow, unless it goes badly, in which case I will quietly sulk.

This is the last game I'm likely to be analyzing and posting before Arden. Frankly, I'm burnt out on Scrabble(R) Brand Crossword Game and need a break, even if that means the newly-learned eights aren't down enough to be that useful and my power-tile fives are still a bit sketchy from lack of review. My least favorite part of pre-tourney prep is the enforced downtime; sad as this is to admit, I'm a slave to word study and the desire to get better, and forcing myself to stay away for a week or two is difficult, if necessary.

Anyway, here's the game. It's always good to go out on a high note.

Played three more. One thing I've noticed is that I have a harder time being aware of some things playing Quackle than I would in a real game. The automatic tracking in particular lulls me into complacency at times, and important things like "hey, it's really late in the game, has the Q been played?" are escaping me. Oh well, at least these games don't count for anything but pride.

Oh, and as of game 6, I have taken ipecac_icecap's suggestion and started adopting whimsical names for the duck. 0.9% more fun is certainly an improvement.

Game 5
Game 6
Game 7

Played and annotated three more games. In the interest of full disclosure, I should note that I've been playing Speedy Player, not Championship Player. Speedy is more than tough enough for me, and I can get more games in this way, plus get the added practice of playing someone/something that might make some slightly suboptimal decisions, which I like for real-world prep.

Game 2, or, how drawing two power tiles against Quackle makes it tough to win.
Game 3, or, how drawing one E against Quackle makes it tough to win.
Game 4, or, how splitting the power tiles with Quackle gives you a fighting chance.

I've just started playing games again, trying to shake off two months of rust before Arden, so I thought, "What the hell? Why don't I post and analyze the games?" I have a tendency to not think very deeply about sim results and the like when playing Quackle, so maybe posting the games and some thoughts on what I did will force me to. Here's the first one. Try not to laugh too much, but thoughts along the lines of "how the heck is this guy playing Div 1 at Arden?" are understandable and will not be taken personally.

Play the game.

Some embarrassing moments, some serious rust, and nothing really in my wheelhouse, so I guess I should be happy to only lose by 5. I plan to do this more between now and Arden, but work has a history of kicking my ass when I want it too least, so no guarantees.

After a trip to an ENT and a fun-filled MRI during which I found out adult contemporary radio stations apparently play nothing but OneRepublic, it has been determined that I have asymmetric hearing loss but nothing wrong with my brain, which was described as "completely unremarkable," something I could have told them without the procedure. The steroids I've been on have run their course with no effect other than to eliminate me and my utterly sublime rhythmic gymnastics routine from Beijing, so it appears I'm at the stage where I'm just going to have to learn to live with constant ear-ringing and occasional lightheadedness. It's really not that bad and could be a lot worse, so time to move on.

sneakyofverb is right: that tsh scoreboard thing is totally addictive. Awesome job, ididjonassalk! As for those of you who didn't have the tournaments you were wanting, just remember that short-term results tend to be wildly chaotic by nature, and the BAT Div-2 winner was just in your spot.

So, it looks like things are full speed ahead for Arden. It seems like every day another legend of the game signs up, so obviously I couldn't be more excited to play the role of "guy who has no business being here but plans on soaking up every second." If there's a roto, keep in mind this scouting report. Seriously, I know it means less than nothing, but when can I ever expect to be on top of a list like this again, so indulge me. Anyway, I can't wait for Memorial Day weekend to get here, and it's been much too long since I've gotten to see ericaareicceria and tatermunch, who I fear are getting far too used to being at tourneys without me.

That's it for now, but I've had lots of tedious posts of limited appeal floating around in my head the past few months, so expect more in the not-too-distant future.