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Charles Reinke Sweeps the Table and Mixes the Metaphors

1st Charles Reinke compiled an immaculate 4-0 +454 record to snag first place. He took down Sue Goldstein 493-316 in the first round, thanks to bingos of FAERIES and the odd-looking EPINAOI (plural of EPINAOS, a rear vestibule of a temple). A match against Bryan Benwitz was much more closely-contested; Charles escaped with a 380-365 victory, but was outbingoed in the process, getting down FELLOES (n. FELLOE, the rim of a wheel) to Bryan's DIABOLOS and RESTRUNG. Charles' most devastating win was, callously, against his own brother, 492-302. Thomas found himself unable to bingo, and instead, was forced to spectate as Charles unleashed a torrent of bonus plays: INTERLAY, INTONED, LONGTIME, and DIRTIED.

2nd Aaron Bader also was undefeated at 3-0 +319, but escaped before he could be roped into a fourth game. His highest game was a bingo-laden shootout against Richard Lauder which he won 484-442, good for Richard's highest loss of the year. Richard played DECAIRE to start (DECIARE is valid), but Aaron let it stay in order to play CONVENOR in response. Richard later played CITIFIED, JOINTERS, and INFUSES for a total of four bingos on the game. Aaron, meanwhile, ended up with three thanks to additional finds of PRATTLED and GARBLING. In the immediate aftermath of that game, the bingo well went dry, and only one bingo was played in a 465-240 drubbing of Dennis Lloyd, that being MALICES for 83.

3rd Thomas Reinke had a very strong outing if you take out the encounter with his brother, finishing 3-1 +372 and averaging 497 in his wins. He unloaded four bingos (SPINULAR, YAWMETER, BANQUETS, and NAIVETES) upon the resisting form of Bryan Benwitz, winning their matchup 502-324. Four more bingos were reserved for Richard Lauder, who failed to stymie any of Thomas' plans in a 562-284 demolition session. Richard did get down MONTAGES, but Thomas's AERATORS, ENTRESOL (n. a mezzanine floor of a building), BEAUISH, and MANURERS were more than enough ammunition to get the job done cleanly.

Thomas' CORUNDUM (an aluminum oxide) was chosen as word of the week, but Thomas' YAWMETER and Richard's CITIFIED were also in contention. No bingos from the latest dictionary update were played, bringing an end to a streak that the editor doesn't feel like looking up right now.

Thomas Reinke Continues to Close Gap in Yearly Standings

1st Thomas Reinke went 4-1 +403, nudging up his yearly winning percentage, which stood at 72.2% before the night's games and 72.9% afterwards. He got losses out of his system quickly as part of a two-on-one game; while defeating Gail Salm 423-350 one board, the other board was not as friendly, with Peter Schmiedicke handing Thomas a close defeat, 339-350. Peter, in addition to coming out ahead in the score column, also came out ahead in the bingo column, playing TUBAIST and TANNERY while Thomas only got down INSERTS. That bingo deficit would be corrected in a 412-392 win over Aaron Bader; Thomas got down three bingos (SIERRAN, ERGATES, and AMATEUR) to Aaron's two (CUTTIES and NEGRONIS). Thomas took heed of the old adage and saved his best for last, devastating Richard Lauder in the last game of the night, 531-343. Richard had a bingo of TISANES, but it did little to stop his opponent's bingo torrent, which consisted of four bingos: SCOOTER, DWELLING, REPUBLIC, and TERPENES.

2nd Andy Bohnsack, like Thomas above him, went 4-1, but his smaller spread of +214 doomed him to second place. The evening started off eventfully as he entered into a bingo shootout with Richard Lauder, a shootout in which he came out victorious, 447-395. Each duelist had three bingos; SEEABLE, INANEST, and INCOMERS for Richard, TOSTADA, JIGGLES, and DUNGAREE for Andy. Another gaggle of bingos saw their way from Andy's rack to the board when Bryan Benwitz became the next victim, 502-316. Despite a 116-point play of BASKING from Bryan's end, the game ended up being a blowout thanks to Andy's ECHIDNA, PIDDLERS, WHEELMEN, and TRASHIER. Only Aaron Bader possessed the arcane knowledge necessary to overthrow Andy's might, and overthrow it he did, winning their matchup 447-373. Andy had two low-scoring bingos of SUGARIER and UPDATES, while Aaron's bingos were substantially more...substantive...TRADEOFF for 95 and DRONERS for 87.

3rd Charles Reinke also had just one loss, but not having the benefit of a fifth game, had to settle for third place at 3-1 +460. He handily took care of Dennis Lloyd, scoring 497 to Dennis' 315 despite their relative bingo equality; Charles had GOODIES, while Dennis was able to get down EXCITER. A vengeful win over Peter Schmiedicke, 479-359, saw considerably more bingo action, with Peter getting two (LOAMIER and VERIEST) and Charles getting three (MIRLITON, SESTINA, and INFARES). Alas, Charles' undefeated night was spoiled when he encountered Andy Bohnsack in the final game and dropped a close one, 415-418. Andy's monster bingos of REZEROES (118) and ECTASIS (96) towered over Charles' meek attempts of ANTLION (70) and OVERSTAY (83).

Dave Gilligan's 108-point JOINERY was chosen as word of the week. Helen Flores came away from club four dollars richer (two if you subtract the entry fee) thanks to a triple-triple of TRAINERS for 122. The 529 points she scored in that game was the second-highest score of the evening, and allowed her to average 413 for the night despite going 1-3. The list of new bingos was slim, with only Gail's SATINIER making the cut.

Thomas Reinke Thankful For Good Tiles

1st Thomas Reinke celebrated Thanksgiving Eve by consistently outscoring his opponents, thus leading to a perfect 4-0 +218 record. He notched two victories in which he failed to score 400 points, a comparatively rare feat for accustomed scoring in large amounts. He held Bryan Benwitz bingoless while winning 379-325; bingos of LIBATION and VASCULAR were played by the winning side. Andy Bohnsack, meanwhile, was limited to a sole bingo PRESSED as Thomas took him down 381-330. That game saw Thomas play AGONISED and word of the week DOUPIONI (a type of silk). Thomas' highest scoring game came against Richard Lauder, whom he beat 487-432. This was the only game where his opponent won the bingo battle; Richard had DORMIENT, HALITES, and PULICENE (adj. pertaining to fleas) to Thomas' DISTANCE (eschewing the new anagram DANCIEST) and GODHEADS.

2nd Charles Reinke had a session-leading 479 per-game average, finishing at 3-1 +419. Fortune was quick to smile upon Charles as he roundly trounced his first round opponent, Aaron Bader, by a score of 539-349. Aaron had just one bingo of INTONER, while Charles was blessed with four of them: RETAPING, REOVIRUS, LEALTIES, and VAMOSES. A game against Andy Bohnsack was likewise a very lopsided affair, with Charles winning 512-292 thanks to bingos of BRISANCE, SORDINI, and GAITERS. Charles' one loss came against Thomas Reinke, who defeated him 478-420. Both players had two valid bingos (RANCHING and ARTIGIS for Charles versus APIARIAN and ACIDOSES for Thomas), with the victor tacking on a phony bingo of SEARNESS for good measure.

3rd Aaron Bader fared decently despite not playing in his preferred dictionary, going 3-1 +229. After his first-round loss against Charles Reinke, every other game saw his score eclipse the 450-point mark. Richard Lauder took the most serious beating, losing by 166 points, 342-508. STEADILY and ANISOLE were Richard's bingos, but Aaron one-upped him with OUTRACED, BUTANES, and VERATRIA. A 165-point victory over Betty Hasselkus was just as dominant, with Aaron holding a bingo monopoly in his iron grip, playing NAUSEATE, SKIDDING, and a 126-point SEXTETS.

New bingos this week were limited to two: Charles' ARTIGIS and Gail's OATIEST.