Blog

1st Charles Reinke recovered the high-scoring, no-losing form he displayed earlier in the club season, averaging 488 points per game with a spotless 5-0 +499 record. He started with a vengeful 528-388 win against lifelong enemy Thomas Reinke, getting OUTWRITE as a triple-triple for 113 points, as well as RENATURE and TANSIES. Switching back to the American dictionary, Charles prevailed against Dennis Lloyd despite Dennis' 103-point SAVORED (Charles found CONTUSE and EROTICAS). In round three, Charles faced a very tough two-on-one match against Bryan Benwitz and Andy Bohnsack (who decides these pairings anyway?), but managed to win both. His game against Bryan was especially close, and each of his three bingos (MURIATED, SENATOR, RAPINES) was sorely needed, as the final total of 441-435 can attest. Charles' 485-349 win over Andy was not quite as stressful, and featured bingos aplenty: DHARNAS, ABIOTIC, SUPEREGO for Charles, ORDINAL, GRIEVES, STRIDENT for Andy. The perfect five-and-oh was achieved when Charles matched up against his brother and mostly repeated the carnage of the first game with a 540-388 win, finding bingos of PONCHOS, SAUTOIRE, QUAERES, and TONTINE.

2nd Bryan Benwitz went 3-1 with a hefty +536 spread and averaging a season-best 475 per game. He rocketed past the 500-point mark with a 550-335 win against Ron Malzer in round one, aided by bingos of SUBTYPE, AIRSIDES, and COLLAGEN (Ron was not content to be left out of the fun, adding REALIGN and REALIST). A high-powered matchup against Andy Bohnsack in round two resulted in a lopsided 444-315 win for Bryan, thanks to TUSSARS and FLOWERET. The aforementioned 435-441 loss to Charles Reinke put to rest Bryan's hopes of an undefeated night. Bryan took this disappointment at the ruination of his plans and channeled it into a commanding 469-271 victory over Sara McLaughlin in the final round, although he showed some restraint by bingoing "only" twice with REGROUPS and SULLIES.

 3rd Thomas Reinke finished at 3-1 +263, beating every opponent with whom he did not share a last name. Deep in the hole early with a 388-528 loss to his brother, Thomas dug himself out (and then some) with a two-on-one contest in the second round. His 462-330 win against Ron Malzer was substantial, but his 576-347 victory over Lynda Finn could appropriately be called "massive". Thomas' inclination towards bingos was more like an obsession, as he made five such plays: ACONITES, ERELONG, BRIQUET, FROGLETS, and INTERMIT. Lynda added AWARDEES. Thomas won big yet again when he played three bingos (TUREENS, STEARINS, PEDDLING) while defeating Dave Kinzer 511-317. But his fortune ran out there when he lost to his brother in the final round, 388-540, although his bingos of BENADRYL and the Collins-only misprint-looking abomination of RETRAITT# were more fun than the average bingo.

1st Thomas Reinke prevailed over all attendees hardy enough to brave the unfriendly weather, finishing 4-0 +160. Thomas dealt major damage to his twin in the first round when their Collins-lexicon clash ended 511-400 in Thomas' favor. The bingo list was lengthy as Thomas got down EUSOCIAL, NOMINATE, ELEGIAC, and TOETOES#, to Charles' IMPUGNED and WURZELS. A rematch in round three was less of a bingo bonanza, with Thomas getting down a singular PETITES, but it was again Thomas' win, 404-389. Thomas similarly was able to claim victories against the club's other top players; 480-423 was his winning score against Andy Bohnsack (playing SORDINI and ORIGANUM), and against Bryan Benwitz, he reversed a recent losing streak with a 442-406 win (playing BOTTOMED and ROUSTED).

2nd Richard Lauder's strong 3-1 outing got him above .500 on the year in addition to a writeup paragraph of impeccable journalistic quality. He began his evening with a strong 392-306 win over Dennis Lloyd, finding SUNDAES to Dennis' REMOVER. Richard has now won nine of the last eleven against Dennis. In round two, Richard and his forty years of high-level Scrabble play went up against James Rollins' four weeks of high-level Scrabble play, and the result was a 361-322 win for Richard, marred by Richard's phony THEREINS* (James got down SARDINE). Richard needed no phonies to prevail in this third-round match against Andy Bohnsack, getting OPIATES in a 404-267 victory. But it all came crashing down in the fourth round as Richard's glimmering vision of a 4-0 night was stomped out of existence by the bootheel of one Charles Reinke: their game ended with a score of 235 for Richard to Charles' 489.

Dennis' creative SLAPDASH was word of the week.

1st Bryan Benwitz notched his first undefeated session of the club season with a 4-0 +335 record. He entered quickly into his usual routine of "scoring way too many points", defeating Sara McLaughlin 454-341 on the back of EUDAEMON and UNCAGES. Two more bingos (DREAMING, INFOTECH) secured a 435-383 win over Thomas Reinke, who had DELETING and RETABLES. In round three, Bryan decided it was time to start playing more bingos (because we all know that playing more bingos is something that one can simply "decide" to do), and with his four bingos of MISTERS, PYRANOID, ANODISE, and OUTEARN, he got a big win against Charles Reinke, 507-414. Charles had the uncommon KALLIDIN, to go with the more-common LACTONE, in his losing effort. To clinch his undefeated night, Bryan took on late arrival Dennis Lloyd and won 482-405, piling on three more bingos: OINOMELS, GRADATE, and AERUGOS.

2nd Thomas Reinke began the process of clawing his way back up the yearly standings with a 3-1 +174 record. He extended his winning streak against Mark Kenas to five games (after enduring a six-game losing streak immediately prior) with a pair of Collins-lexicon victories, 429-400 and 480-400. JAUNSED#, PROGERIA, and PRENATAL were his bingos in the first game, while a heavy-hitting 106-point FEMINAL# proved to be his only bingo in the latter win. Between those two games, Thomas suffering his only loss, 383-435 to Bryan Benwitz. In game four, Thomas had to fend off the tenacious James Rollins, who, despite his find of QUARTILE for 88, was buried by Thomas' ARENOUS, CONFECTS, and LONGLINE.

3rd Charles Reinke went 3-1 +77, a rather subdued showing after being so dominant the first six weeks of the club season. Game one was not easy for him as he fought tooth-and-nail to get a 367-348 win against Richard Lauder, playing LEISURES and CORNEOUS to Richard's UNOILED. Things got a bit more comfortable in a 476-394 victory against Mark Kenas, where Charles' MURALED and NUCLEONS overcame Mark's TEMULENT# and COISTRIL (the uncommon anagram to the more recognizable CLITORIS). In round three, Bryan "Dream Crusher" Benwitz lived up to his nickname by crushing Charles' dreams of a perfect record, winning their encounter 507-414, but Charles was able to morosely gather up the crushed remnants of his dreams and re-form them into some semblance of optimism as he finished his night with a 482-413 rematch victory against Mark Kenas.

James' bingo of COATRACK was word of the week. Containing two C's and a K, it's unlikely to come up again in the near future, medium future, long future, or ever.