These episodes are far too fresh in my memory to play through again, but for anyone wanting to revisit them the individual post links are below:
Not that much longer until the Masters Series starts. I admit, I'm getting a bit impatient!
Showing posts with label Finals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Finals. Show all posts
Friday, 8 June 2012
Thursday, 7 June 2012
Ep 300 [GF]: Jacob Davey, Jeremy Schiftan (June 7, 2012; originally aired October 21, 2011)
Rounds: Here.
Disclaimer: I watched this episode when it first aired, and although I did not recall much of it I cannot rule out memory being a factor. Two rounds were firmly fixed in my memory; I don't feel guilty about claiming them since I found the optimal results on those rounds the first time that I watched this episode.
So we come to the grand final of series three, and -- spoiler alert -- it is one of the most remarkable games I've ever watched. So much so that when I was attending the filming of my episodes a couple of weeks later it was still being talked about by the cast and crew. If you've not seen the episode you may wish to skip the spoilery summary below and go straight to the round-by-round descriptions. It will still be here when you've finished.
As expected, there is not much to the pre-game chat, other than the contestants revealing how nervous they are. It is mentioned again that there have been 99 full monties found already, so the potential is for the show's hundredth full monty to be found in this grand final.
The game started off quietly enough, with sevens to settle into things. Jeremy gained an early lead in the second round, and extended it in the third when Jacob's choice of the balanced mix provided a very challenging target. The contestants found identical results in the next two letters rounds, and once again Jeremy took the points in the second numbers round. That put him a massive 27 points ahead at the second break and things looked very bleak for Jacob.
After the break, Jacob needed to outpoint Jeremy on his letters round to even have a chance. He saw the potential for a full monty from the first eight letters, played for it, and got it. Jeremy missed it, and that narrowed the margin to just 9 points. Jacob still needed to at least match Jeremy on the last numbers round, something he had so far failed to do. But this time the target proved too difficult for Jeremy, and Jacob did well to solve it and take a single point lead going into the conundrum. As expected from a grand final conundrum, it was a difficult one. But Jacob saw his way through to the answer before the halfway mark, completing a mammoth comeback for a 60 to 49 win.
Disclaimer: I watched this episode when it first aired, and although I did not recall much of it I cannot rule out memory being a factor. Two rounds were firmly fixed in my memory; I don't feel guilty about claiming them since I found the optimal results on those rounds the first time that I watched this episode.
So we come to the grand final of series three, and -- spoiler alert -- it is one of the most remarkable games I've ever watched. So much so that when I was attending the filming of my episodes a couple of weeks later it was still being talked about by the cast and crew. If you've not seen the episode you may wish to skip the spoilery summary below and go straight to the round-by-round descriptions. It will still be here when you've finished.
As expected, there is not much to the pre-game chat, other than the contestants revealing how nervous they are. It is mentioned again that there have been 99 full monties found already, so the potential is for the show's hundredth full monty to be found in this grand final.
The game started off quietly enough, with sevens to settle into things. Jeremy gained an early lead in the second round, and extended it in the third when Jacob's choice of the balanced mix provided a very challenging target. The contestants found identical results in the next two letters rounds, and once again Jeremy took the points in the second numbers round. That put him a massive 27 points ahead at the second break and things looked very bleak for Jacob.
After the break, Jacob needed to outpoint Jeremy on his letters round to even have a chance. He saw the potential for a full monty from the first eight letters, played for it, and got it. Jeremy missed it, and that narrowed the margin to just 9 points. Jacob still needed to at least match Jeremy on the last numbers round, something he had so far failed to do. But this time the target proved too difficult for Jeremy, and Jacob did well to solve it and take a single point lead going into the conundrum. As expected from a grand final conundrum, it was a difficult one. But Jacob saw his way through to the answer before the halfway mark, completing a mammoth comeback for a 60 to 49 win.
Wednesday, 6 June 2012
Ep 299 [SF2]: Colin Turnball, Jeremy Schiftan (June 6, 2012; originally aired October 20, 2011)
Rounds: Here.
Disclaimer: I watched this episode when it first aired, and although I did not recall any of it I cannot rule out memory being a factor.
There's another minor snippet revealed in the pre-game chat: Jeremy is still playing dub/reggae (presumably this was discussed during his episodes in the main part of the series), and in the last week or two has actually been in the recording studio "laying down tracks", as Richard puts it.
Another very close game tonight, but a big contrast to yesterday's game -- most rounds produced different results from each contestant, and the lead kept shifting back and forth. Jeremy got first blood in the initial letters round, only for Colin to overtake him in the first numbers round. Colin was unfortunate in the next round when his word was not listed in the Macquarie, and Jeremy had the lead again. But once more Colin's numberwork put him back into the lead, and then Jeremy tied up the scores in the next round. Jeremy was one crucial step closer to the target number in the last numbers round and took a seven point lead into the conundrum. Either could have won it, but in the end it proved too difficult for both; Jeremy squeaked through to the final with a 40 to 33 win.
I had good results -- nearly optimal, in fact -- including outdoing David in one round. But an oversight in one of the numbers rounds lost me my chance to beat the David and Lily combination, and I was kicking myself for a while over that. I did solve the conundrum a touch over halfway through, and rounded out what turned out to be a comfortable win. I suspect I may not have won this the first time it aired, though -- some of my answers were definitely the result of improvements to my play.
Disclaimer: I watched this episode when it first aired, and although I did not recall any of it I cannot rule out memory being a factor.
There's another minor snippet revealed in the pre-game chat: Jeremy is still playing dub/reggae (presumably this was discussed during his episodes in the main part of the series), and in the last week or two has actually been in the recording studio "laying down tracks", as Richard puts it.
Another very close game tonight, but a big contrast to yesterday's game -- most rounds produced different results from each contestant, and the lead kept shifting back and forth. Jeremy got first blood in the initial letters round, only for Colin to overtake him in the first numbers round. Colin was unfortunate in the next round when his word was not listed in the Macquarie, and Jeremy had the lead again. But once more Colin's numberwork put him back into the lead, and then Jeremy tied up the scores in the next round. Jeremy was one crucial step closer to the target number in the last numbers round and took a seven point lead into the conundrum. Either could have won it, but in the end it proved too difficult for both; Jeremy squeaked through to the final with a 40 to 33 win.
I had good results -- nearly optimal, in fact -- including outdoing David in one round. But an oversight in one of the numbers rounds lost me my chance to beat the David and Lily combination, and I was kicking myself for a while over that. I did solve the conundrum a touch over halfway through, and rounded out what turned out to be a comfortable win. I suspect I may not have won this the first time it aired, though -- some of my answers were definitely the result of improvements to my play.
Ep 298 [SF1]: Jacob Davey, Anthony Kendall (June 5, 2012; originally aired October 19, 2011)
Rounds: Here.
Disclaimer: I watched this episode when it first aired, and although I did not recall most of it I cannot rule out memory being a factor. In one instance (to be mentioned later) I remembered a result after the fact; it is an edge case for another reason, also to be mentioned later.
A few more snippets about the competitors are revealed. Jacob is a musical composer, and after his successful sixth episode he let out some of his emotional energy in a composition. At the rather less pleasant end of the spectrum, Anthony has had three knee reconstructions on his left knee, due to rugby and perhaps other sporting injuries.
The contestants were locked together for the first third, and if not for one risky play from Anthony would have been matched for the first seven rounds. However, those seven points conceded to Jacob were important, as Jacob outdid Anthony in the very tricky last numbers round to take an unassailable lead going into the conundrum. Jacob solved it in extremely quick time to take a heartily deserved win, 70 to 46.
I had some up and down in this game, and it was not a good time for it -- both contestants were in excellent form. I gained some advantage on the letters, but an extremely careless effort in the final numbers round saw me declare an invalid total and possibly become vulnerable again at the conundrum. I did solve it, but much slower than Jacob did, and for all I know slower than Anthony would have solved it also.
Disclaimer: I watched this episode when it first aired, and although I did not recall most of it I cannot rule out memory being a factor. In one instance (to be mentioned later) I remembered a result after the fact; it is an edge case for another reason, also to be mentioned later.
A few more snippets about the competitors are revealed. Jacob is a musical composer, and after his successful sixth episode he let out some of his emotional energy in a composition. At the rather less pleasant end of the spectrum, Anthony has had three knee reconstructions on his left knee, due to rugby and perhaps other sporting injuries.
The contestants were locked together for the first third, and if not for one risky play from Anthony would have been matched for the first seven rounds. However, those seven points conceded to Jacob were important, as Jacob outdid Anthony in the very tricky last numbers round to take an unassailable lead going into the conundrum. Jacob solved it in extremely quick time to take a heartily deserved win, 70 to 46.
I had some up and down in this game, and it was not a good time for it -- both contestants were in excellent form. I gained some advantage on the letters, but an extremely careless effort in the final numbers round saw me declare an invalid total and possibly become vulnerable again at the conundrum. I did solve it, but much slower than Jacob did, and for all I know slower than Anthony would have solved it also.
Tuesday, 5 June 2012
Ep 297 [QF4]: Jeremy Schiftan, Brydon Coverdale (June 4, 2012; originally aired October 18, 2011)
Rounds: Here.
Disclaimer: I watched this episode when it first aired, and although I did not recall any of it I cannot rule out memory being a factor.
In this last quarterfinal we finally get to learn some new things about the contestants, at least of a sort. It does make a nice change from the recital of their previous performances on the show.
In the champion's seat is fourth seed Jeremy Schiftan, a student and musician. Since his time on the show, Jeremy has been travelling around Europe. His highlights were the sunshine in Spain, and Ghent in Belgium; he has friends in Ghent that he met in previous travels through Europe.
In the challenger's position is fifth seed Brydon Coverdale, a cricket journalist. Richard notes that (when this episode originally aired) the summer of cricket is about to get underway. Brydon agrees, and says that he is about to go to South Africa to cover the Australian tour there, and that he thinks Capetown has just about the most beautiful cricket ground in the world. (I'll make an aside here that the Australian cricket tour of South Africa started about a week before this episode first aired, but the point of filming was around two months prior.)
It was a tight game for much of it, with the contestants equal at the first break. Jeremy scooted ahead in the second third, courtesy of a longer word and a solution to the numbers round. The last letters game could have turned that on its head but produced no swing, and Brydon needed to outdo Jeremy on the final numbers game to have a chance. He managed to do so, and set up a potential double conundrum round by going into it precisely ten points behind Jeremy. But neither was able to solve the conundrum, and Jeremy made his way into the semifinals (to face Colin) with a 51 to 41 victory.
I was in decent shape, but missed a couple of trickier longer words along the way. And then the final letters round I missed an answer I should have seen, which took the gloss off things a little. I solved the conundrum reasonably early, and ended up an easy victor in the end.
Disclaimer: I watched this episode when it first aired, and although I did not recall any of it I cannot rule out memory being a factor.
In this last quarterfinal we finally get to learn some new things about the contestants, at least of a sort. It does make a nice change from the recital of their previous performances on the show.
In the champion's seat is fourth seed Jeremy Schiftan, a student and musician. Since his time on the show, Jeremy has been travelling around Europe. His highlights were the sunshine in Spain, and Ghent in Belgium; he has friends in Ghent that he met in previous travels through Europe.
In the challenger's position is fifth seed Brydon Coverdale, a cricket journalist. Richard notes that (when this episode originally aired) the summer of cricket is about to get underway. Brydon agrees, and says that he is about to go to South Africa to cover the Australian tour there, and that he thinks Capetown has just about the most beautiful cricket ground in the world. (I'll make an aside here that the Australian cricket tour of South Africa started about a week before this episode first aired, but the point of filming was around two months prior.)
It was a tight game for much of it, with the contestants equal at the first break. Jeremy scooted ahead in the second third, courtesy of a longer word and a solution to the numbers round. The last letters game could have turned that on its head but produced no swing, and Brydon needed to outdo Jeremy on the final numbers game to have a chance. He managed to do so, and set up a potential double conundrum round by going into it precisely ten points behind Jeremy. But neither was able to solve the conundrum, and Jeremy made his way into the semifinals (to face Colin) with a 51 to 41 victory.
I was in decent shape, but missed a couple of trickier longer words along the way. And then the final letters round I missed an answer I should have seen, which took the gloss off things a little. I solved the conundrum reasonably early, and ended up an easy victor in the end.
Saturday, 2 June 2012
Ep 296 [QF3]: Anthony Kendall, Simon Walsh (June 1, 2012; originally aired October 17, 2011)
Rounds: Here.
Disclaimer: I watched this episode when it first aired, and although I did not recall any of it I cannot rule out memory being a factor.
In the champion's seat for tonight's quarterfinal is third seed Anthony Kendall. Anthony is a software developer and long-distance runner, and had the best final game score of anyone in the series.
Facing Anthony is the sixth seed, Simon Walsh. Simon is an accountant and self-confessed sport tragic. The first game he played on the show was against his wife, but hopefully that was taken in good spirit. (I'm a bit against such things, on the whole; I know the show likes those matchups, but it guarantees that one of the pair will only get one game. They might both have the potential to shine, if not for that.)
The game started out with a pair of matched rounds; then Anthony pulled ahead on the first numbers round -- a round that posed problems for Lily, as it turns out. Simon gained back that lost territory in the next letters round, but then fell behind on each of the remaining letters rounds. When the numbers failed to provide any swing -- he perhaps should have mixed it up on the last one -- Simon was out of contention going into the conundrum. He solved it first to take the consolation points, but was left to rue what might have been; Anthony made it to the semifinals with a 54 to 51 victory.
I was doing well, and even had a chance at a rare double feature of outdoing both David and Lily on the same game... but I wimped out of the key word. And then I had a disastrous numbers round where I got completely lost through overcomplication when the standard method would have worked well. Only two rounds short of optimal, but what a difference they make to the score!
Disclaimer: I watched this episode when it first aired, and although I did not recall any of it I cannot rule out memory being a factor.
In the champion's seat for tonight's quarterfinal is third seed Anthony Kendall. Anthony is a software developer and long-distance runner, and had the best final game score of anyone in the series.
Facing Anthony is the sixth seed, Simon Walsh. Simon is an accountant and self-confessed sport tragic. The first game he played on the show was against his wife, but hopefully that was taken in good spirit. (I'm a bit against such things, on the whole; I know the show likes those matchups, but it guarantees that one of the pair will only get one game. They might both have the potential to shine, if not for that.)
The game started out with a pair of matched rounds; then Anthony pulled ahead on the first numbers round -- a round that posed problems for Lily, as it turns out. Simon gained back that lost territory in the next letters round, but then fell behind on each of the remaining letters rounds. When the numbers failed to provide any swing -- he perhaps should have mixed it up on the last one -- Simon was out of contention going into the conundrum. He solved it first to take the consolation points, but was left to rue what might have been; Anthony made it to the semifinals with a 54 to 51 victory.
I was doing well, and even had a chance at a rare double feature of outdoing both David and Lily on the same game... but I wimped out of the key word. And then I had a disastrous numbers round where I got completely lost through overcomplication when the standard method would have worked well. Only two rounds short of optimal, but what a difference they make to the score!
Friday, 1 June 2012
Ep 295 [QF2]: Colin Turnball, Paul Breen (May 31, 2012; originally aired October 14, 2011)
Rounds: Here.
Disclaimer: I watched this episode when it first aired, and although I did not recall any of it I cannot rule out memory being a factor.
Occupying the champion's seat in this second quarterfinal is second seed Colin Turnball, and actuary and adventure seeker. During his run in the regular part of the series Colin solved five conundrums in a row. But more importantly from his point of view, he got married a few months ago. And, as he notes, they are still together.
Taking the challenger's position is magazine imaging specialist Paul Breen, the seventh seed. When he was last on the show it was mentioned that he hoped to solve one of David's crosswords some day. He is still trying, but is not there yet.
Paul gained an early lead over Colin in the first letters round, but Colin found the optimal results in the remaining letters rounds and Paul was just off the pace each time. That was a major advantage to Colin, and when the contestants matched each other on the numbers rounds there was not enough chance for Paul to get back into contention. Colin was safe going into the final numbers round, which was a testing one, and he solved the conundrum first also to record a 65 to 34 win and only two non-opimal rounds. That's a high standard, for sure.
I was also in good form, fortunately for me. In fact, only that last numbers round proved a stumbling block, and I solved the conundrum in good time. (Bearing in mind that I would have seen it during the original airing, and I'm not sure how fast I found it then.) Colin did not leave much room, but just enough for me to get home even if the conundrum result were reversed, so it's a good result for me.
Disclaimer: I watched this episode when it first aired, and although I did not recall any of it I cannot rule out memory being a factor.
Occupying the champion's seat in this second quarterfinal is second seed Colin Turnball, and actuary and adventure seeker. During his run in the regular part of the series Colin solved five conundrums in a row. But more importantly from his point of view, he got married a few months ago. And, as he notes, they are still together.
Taking the challenger's position is magazine imaging specialist Paul Breen, the seventh seed. When he was last on the show it was mentioned that he hoped to solve one of David's crosswords some day. He is still trying, but is not there yet.
Paul gained an early lead over Colin in the first letters round, but Colin found the optimal results in the remaining letters rounds and Paul was just off the pace each time. That was a major advantage to Colin, and when the contestants matched each other on the numbers rounds there was not enough chance for Paul to get back into contention. Colin was safe going into the final numbers round, which was a testing one, and he solved the conundrum first also to record a 65 to 34 win and only two non-opimal rounds. That's a high standard, for sure.
I was also in good form, fortunately for me. In fact, only that last numbers round proved a stumbling block, and I solved the conundrum in good time. (Bearing in mind that I would have seen it during the original airing, and I'm not sure how fast I found it then.) Colin did not leave much room, but just enough for me to get home even if the conundrum result were reversed, so it's a good result for me.
Thursday, 31 May 2012
Ep 294 [QF1]: Jacob Davey, Tina Rose (May 30, 2012; originally aired October 13, 2011)
Rounds: Here.
Disclaimer: I watched this episode when it first aired, and although I did not recall any of it I cannot rule out memory being a factor.
On to the series three finals! First up in the champion's seat is arts and science student Jacob Davey, the number one seed. He had a high game score of 72, and Richard notes that Jacob's average score was 58.8 over his six games, so his cumulative total was 353 points. Jacob turned 19 just a little before these finals.
In the challenger's position is fine art teacher Tina Rose, the number eight seed. During her time on the show she solved four conundrums in a row, and on her first showing she also had a 72-point game.
The game went back and forth, with Jacob taking a good early lead in the first third only to see Tina battle back in the second third. Tina emerged a single point ahead at the second break, but an invalid numbers round from her saw Jacob just safe going into the conundrum. Neither solved it, and Jacob took the first semifinal spot with a 44 to 32 victory.
I was two rounds off optimal again, for a pretty good game overall. One of those missed optimal answers was a full monty that eluded David's eagle eye, so I'm not too put out over that. I solved the conundrum in decent time to run out comfortably ahead, and a good start to this finals series for me.
Disclaimer: I watched this episode when it first aired, and although I did not recall any of it I cannot rule out memory being a factor.
On to the series three finals! First up in the champion's seat is arts and science student Jacob Davey, the number one seed. He had a high game score of 72, and Richard notes that Jacob's average score was 58.8 over his six games, so his cumulative total was 353 points. Jacob turned 19 just a little before these finals.
In the challenger's position is fine art teacher Tina Rose, the number eight seed. During her time on the show she solved four conundrums in a row, and on her first showing she also had a 72-point game.
The game went back and forth, with Jacob taking a good early lead in the first third only to see Tina battle back in the second third. Tina emerged a single point ahead at the second break, but an invalid numbers round from her saw Jacob just safe going into the conundrum. Neither solved it, and Jacob took the first semifinal spot with a 44 to 32 victory.
I was two rounds off optimal again, for a pretty good game overall. One of those missed optimal answers was a full monty that eluded David's eagle eye, so I'm not too put out over that. I solved the conundrum in decent time to run out comfortably ahead, and a good start to this finals series for me.
Tuesday, 29 May 2012
Ep 200 [GF]: Tony Loui, Matthew Thomason (May 29, 2012; originally aired May 6, 2011)
Disclaimer: I watched this episode when it first aired, and although I
did not recall any of it I cannot rule out memory somehow being a
factor.
It was a very close game tonight, as is fitting for a grand final. Matthew took the early lead when Tony had a surprising stumble in the first round; then they matched each other in the next six rounds. On the final numbers round Tony saw his way to a solution to snatch the lead, but it was still either contestant's game to win on the conundrum. Tony got there first, just under six seconds in, and became the second series champion with a 64 to 51 victory.
I was in good form tonight, and while there's the issue of possible foreknowledge that only seems plausible to apply to the conundrum. I did solve it very quickly this time, but I don't recall it from before, so I'm not sure how much last year's viewing is a factor. In any case, with only one round less than optimal, I ended up with a comfortable victory.
It was a very close game tonight, as is fitting for a grand final. Matthew took the early lead when Tony had a surprising stumble in the first round; then they matched each other in the next six rounds. On the final numbers round Tony saw his way to a solution to snatch the lead, but it was still either contestant's game to win on the conundrum. Tony got there first, just under six seconds in, and became the second series champion with a 64 to 51 victory.
I was in good form tonight, and while there's the issue of possible foreknowledge that only seems plausible to apply to the conundrum. I did solve it very quickly this time, but I don't recall it from before, so I'm not sure how much last year's viewing is a factor. In any case, with only one round less than optimal, I ended up with a comfortable victory.
Ep 199 [SF2]: Tamara McMahon, Matthew Thomason (May 28, 2012; originally aired May 5, 2011)
Disclaimer: I watched this episode when it first aired, and although I
did not recall any of it I cannot rule out memory somehow being a
factor.
Nothing much to the pre-game chat, as expected. The game started out well for Matthew, who found an eight in the first round to beat Tamara's seven, and then Tamara risked too much in the next round. That put Matthew 14 points ahead, and several flat rounds followed. Tamara finally gained back some ground on the last letters round to get back within striking distance at last, but then immediately conceded that gain on the last numbers round. Matthew was safe going into the conundrum, and with neither solving it he got through to the grand final with a 53 to 39 win.
I was in decent shape for the first two thirds of the match; although I did not always have the best answers in the letters, I had the best that it was feasible for me to do. But then I faltered somewhat, with a last letters round where I was well off the pace (and beaten by both contestants, who had excellent words); that was followed by a numbers round where I only just got the answer down in time. Fortunately I solved the conundrum in middling time to finish on a good note. Plus I found the full monty today, which is always good.
Nothing much to the pre-game chat, as expected. The game started out well for Matthew, who found an eight in the first round to beat Tamara's seven, and then Tamara risked too much in the next round. That put Matthew 14 points ahead, and several flat rounds followed. Tamara finally gained back some ground on the last letters round to get back within striking distance at last, but then immediately conceded that gain on the last numbers round. Matthew was safe going into the conundrum, and with neither solving it he got through to the grand final with a 53 to 39 win.
I was in decent shape for the first two thirds of the match; although I did not always have the best answers in the letters, I had the best that it was feasible for me to do. But then I faltered somewhat, with a last letters round where I was well off the pace (and beaten by both contestants, who had excellent words); that was followed by a numbers round where I only just got the answer down in time. Fortunately I solved the conundrum in middling time to finish on a good note. Plus I found the full monty today, which is always good.
Saturday, 26 May 2012
Ep 198 [SF1]: Tony Loui, Oli Bryant (May 25, 2012; originally aired May 4, 2011)
Disclaimer: I watched this episode when it first aired, and although I
did not recall any of it I cannot rule out memory somehow being a
factor.
There's little more to be learned about the contestants; Richard mentions that Tony found two nine-letter words during his time on the show, and that Oli had a combined score of 318 from his six main games.
There was some good play from both contestants again tonight, including them each finding the full monty. The letters rounds went in Tony's favour -- Oli had three five-letter words, which is rarely a good sign -- and there was a bit each way in the numbers which also advantaged Tony. But Oli had done just enough to have a chance, going into the conundrum nine points behind. In the end Tony was the one who solved it, and his 67 to 48 win put him into the final.
I found good answers again tonight, including a risky play that worked out for unexpected reasons. In the main rounds the only bobble was that I ended up one-away on the tough last numbers round, but everything else was optimal. I had troubles with the conundrum again, almost buzzing in with a wrong answer and catching myself in time. I finally saw the answer and buzzed in first, then unpaused to see Tony buzz a tiny fraction of a second later. A close one!
There's little more to be learned about the contestants; Richard mentions that Tony found two nine-letter words during his time on the show, and that Oli had a combined score of 318 from his six main games.
There was some good play from both contestants again tonight, including them each finding the full monty. The letters rounds went in Tony's favour -- Oli had three five-letter words, which is rarely a good sign -- and there was a bit each way in the numbers which also advantaged Tony. But Oli had done just enough to have a chance, going into the conundrum nine points behind. In the end Tony was the one who solved it, and his 67 to 48 win put him into the final.
I found good answers again tonight, including a risky play that worked out for unexpected reasons. In the main rounds the only bobble was that I ended up one-away on the tough last numbers round, but everything else was optimal. I had troubles with the conundrum again, almost buzzing in with a wrong answer and catching myself in time. I finally saw the answer and buzzed in first, then unpaused to see Tony buzz a tiny fraction of a second later. A close one!
Friday, 25 May 2012
Ep 197 [QF4]: Matthew Thomason, Victor Tung (May 24, 2012; originally aired May 3, 2011)
Disclaimer: I watched this episode when it first aired, and although I
did not recall any of it I cannot rule out memory somehow being a
factor.
This is the last quarterfinal of series two; in the champion's seat is fourth seed Matthew Thomason, a professional TV writer and director. He was undefeated during the main part of the series, and solved four of the six conundrums that he encountered.
Facing him in the challenger's position is fifth seed Victor Tung. Victor is a fire safety engineer, and solved two of his six conundrums.
There was not that much to choose between the contestants, as it turned out. Five of the main rounds were equally split; Matthew solved one numbers round that Victor did not, and they each scored unanswered points in one letters round. Crucially, Victor had the longer word in that exchange and so ended up trailing but still in with a chance going into the conundrum. However, it proved to be too difficult for both of them, and Matthew took the last semifinal spot with a 52 to 43 victory.
I had two rounds that I'd have liked to have done better on, but the other main rounds were optimal. One of them was a play that I was quite unsure about, so I'm very pleased with it working out OK. I was very slow on the conundrum but I got there with a little time left on the clock, and what ended up being a significant winning margin after all.
This is the last quarterfinal of series two; in the champion's seat is fourth seed Matthew Thomason, a professional TV writer and director. He was undefeated during the main part of the series, and solved four of the six conundrums that he encountered.
Facing him in the challenger's position is fifth seed Victor Tung. Victor is a fire safety engineer, and solved two of his six conundrums.
There was not that much to choose between the contestants, as it turned out. Five of the main rounds were equally split; Matthew solved one numbers round that Victor did not, and they each scored unanswered points in one letters round. Crucially, Victor had the longer word in that exchange and so ended up trailing but still in with a chance going into the conundrum. However, it proved to be too difficult for both of them, and Matthew took the last semifinal spot with a 52 to 43 victory.
I had two rounds that I'd have liked to have done better on, but the other main rounds were optimal. One of them was a play that I was quite unsure about, so I'm very pleased with it working out OK. I was very slow on the conundrum but I got there with a little time left on the clock, and what ended up being a significant winning margin after all.
Thursday, 24 May 2012
Ep 196 [QF3]: Barry Harridge, Oli Bryant (May 23, 2012; originally aired May 2, 2011)
Disclaimer: I watched this episode when it first aired, and although I
did not recall any of it I cannot rule out memory somehow being a
factor.
Taking the champion's seat in this third quarterfinal is retired mathematics teacher Barry Harridge, the third seed. Richard notes that in Barry's first episode he solved all three of the numbers rounds and found a nine-letter word. Barry does not remember that part so much as having done some silly things in later games.
In the challenger's seat is sixth seed Oli Bryant, a sustainability consultant. Oli solved four of the six conundrums during his time on the show.
There were some good results from each, and a lot of adjustments to the relative difference in scores as only the last numbers round yielded shared points. Barry had the better of the letters, helped along by a good eight-letter word in the second round and a couple of invalid offerings from Oli; on the other hand, Barry also had an invalid word in one round and could not match Oli's seven-letter word in the first round. The net result from the letters was seven points to Barry, but he conceded seventeen points to Oli in the numbers and trailed by precisely ten points going into the conundrum. That could have led to a tiebreaker conundrum, but Oli was the first to solve it, sealing the win by 47 points to 27.
I did fairly well, finding best results on the letters rounds, although not always the most common ones. I bobbled slightly on the second numbers round, and failed to solve the conundrum within time, but otherwise had optimal results and a fairly solid win.
Taking the champion's seat in this third quarterfinal is retired mathematics teacher Barry Harridge, the third seed. Richard notes that in Barry's first episode he solved all three of the numbers rounds and found a nine-letter word. Barry does not remember that part so much as having done some silly things in later games.
In the challenger's seat is sixth seed Oli Bryant, a sustainability consultant. Oli solved four of the six conundrums during his time on the show.
There were some good results from each, and a lot of adjustments to the relative difference in scores as only the last numbers round yielded shared points. Barry had the better of the letters, helped along by a good eight-letter word in the second round and a couple of invalid offerings from Oli; on the other hand, Barry also had an invalid word in one round and could not match Oli's seven-letter word in the first round. The net result from the letters was seven points to Barry, but he conceded seventeen points to Oli in the numbers and trailed by precisely ten points going into the conundrum. That could have led to a tiebreaker conundrum, but Oli was the first to solve it, sealing the win by 47 points to 27.
I did fairly well, finding best results on the letters rounds, although not always the most common ones. I bobbled slightly on the second numbers round, and failed to solve the conundrum within time, but otherwise had optimal results and a fairly solid win.
Tuesday, 22 May 2012
Ep 195 [QF2]: Tamara McMahon, Richard Hartley (May 22, 2012; originally aired April 29, 2011)
Disclaimer: I watched this episode when it first aired, and although I did not recall any of it I cannot rule out memory somehow being a factor.
Taking the champion's position is second seed Tamara McMahon, a project manager and professional tennis umpire. Tamara successfully retired with a total score of 335 points. Richard makes note of two good word finds from her in the main games: DURATIONS and MATRICES.
In the challenger's position is seventh seed Richard Hartley, a planetary science student. His total over six games was 282 points, so it looks like this series had slightly more people get to a sixth game than the first one (or the fourth, for that matter). Richard (Morecroft) mentions Richard (Hartley) finding BONNIEST during his main games.
It was a night of fairly flat letters rounds, with relatively straightforward sevens in most rounds and little longer on offer. The first round was a touch trickier, but Tamara found the seven-letter word there to gain the advantage. Richard miscalculated (literally) in the first numbers round to let Tamara extend that lead, but gained it back in the final numbers round. The conundrum mattered, but neither was able to solve it; Tamara's first round word secured her the win, 42 to 35.
I was back in form tonight, although as I've already noted the letters rounds were quite flat and there was little room to shine. The second numbers round was a ratpack that merited a little care, but otherwise optimal results were easy enough to come by in most rounds. I found the conundrum quite tough going, as expected from a finals game, but found the solution with three seconds left on the clock. That gave me my second optimal game, although the slowness of the conundrum solve is a negative feature. Still, it was nice to get good results after some of my recent poor finals form.
Taking the champion's position is second seed Tamara McMahon, a project manager and professional tennis umpire. Tamara successfully retired with a total score of 335 points. Richard makes note of two good word finds from her in the main games: DURATIONS and MATRICES.
In the challenger's position is seventh seed Richard Hartley, a planetary science student. His total over six games was 282 points, so it looks like this series had slightly more people get to a sixth game than the first one (or the fourth, for that matter). Richard (Morecroft) mentions Richard (Hartley) finding BONNIEST during his main games.
It was a night of fairly flat letters rounds, with relatively straightforward sevens in most rounds and little longer on offer. The first round was a touch trickier, but Tamara found the seven-letter word there to gain the advantage. Richard miscalculated (literally) in the first numbers round to let Tamara extend that lead, but gained it back in the final numbers round. The conundrum mattered, but neither was able to solve it; Tamara's first round word secured her the win, 42 to 35.
I was back in form tonight, although as I've already noted the letters rounds were quite flat and there was little room to shine. The second numbers round was a ratpack that merited a little care, but otherwise optimal results were easy enough to come by in most rounds. I found the conundrum quite tough going, as expected from a finals game, but found the solution with three seconds left on the clock. That gave me my second optimal game, although the slowness of the conundrum solve is a negative feature. Still, it was nice to get good results after some of my recent poor finals form.
Ep 194 [QF1]: Tony Loui, Jack Dell (May 21, 2012; originally aired April 28, 2011)
Disclaimer: I watched this episode when it first aired. I recall nothing about it, as should be obvious from my results, but I cannot rule out some lingering memory assisting me in some fashion.
So, onto the season two finals. Taking the champion's position is medical officer Tony Loui, the number one seed. Richard notes that Tony was undefeated, and had the highest accumulated score of anyone in series two. That's... pretty much expected from the first seed, so nothing new about this.
Tony's opponent is eighth seed Jack Dell, described by Richard as a jack of all trades; he is a school groundsman, computer technician, and teacher. Jack solved three of the five conundrums that he faced during the main part of the series.
Jack got off to a flying start with a full monty in the second round. That was the only round he managed to outdo Tony in, though, and Tony pegged the loss back over the next two rounds. The remaining letters rounds provided no swing but Tony took a 17 point lead into the conundrum thanks to the remaining numbers rounds, where Jack just did not seem comfortable. Neither was able to solve the conundrum, and Tony got through to the next round with a 53 to 36 victory.
I was all over the place tonight, with two very poor rounds where I only managed a four-letter word. I missed the full monty, and in fact the eight-letter word I had for that round was invalid. The second numbers round offered me a chance to almost catch up but instead I drifted even further behind. A good word in the last letters round put me precisely ten points behind Tony, and I managed to solve the conundrum (although slower than I would have liked) to salvage a draw from this performance.
So, onto the season two finals. Taking the champion's position is medical officer Tony Loui, the number one seed. Richard notes that Tony was undefeated, and had the highest accumulated score of anyone in series two. That's... pretty much expected from the first seed, so nothing new about this.
Tony's opponent is eighth seed Jack Dell, described by Richard as a jack of all trades; he is a school groundsman, computer technician, and teacher. Jack solved three of the five conundrums that he faced during the main part of the series.
Jack got off to a flying start with a full monty in the second round. That was the only round he managed to outdo Tony in, though, and Tony pegged the loss back over the next two rounds. The remaining letters rounds provided no swing but Tony took a 17 point lead into the conundrum thanks to the remaining numbers rounds, where Jack just did not seem comfortable. Neither was able to solve the conundrum, and Tony got through to the next round with a 53 to 36 victory.
I was all over the place tonight, with two very poor rounds where I only managed a four-letter word. I missed the full monty, and in fact the eight-letter word I had for that round was invalid. The second numbers round offered me a chance to almost catch up but instead I drifted even further behind. A good word in the last letters round put me precisely ten points behind Tony, and I managed to solve the conundrum (although slower than I would have liked) to salvage a draw from this performance.
Saturday, 19 May 2012
Ep 100 [GF]: Andrew Fisher, Naween Fernando (May 18, 2012; originally aired December 17, 2010)
Rounds: Here.
Disclaimer: Although I have not seen this episode before, I was aware of the winner before viewing it. It seems unlikely that this would affect my results, but I was not completely a blank slate. Additionally, I have apparently encountered the conundrum before which raises the possibility that I have also been exposed to the other rounds, although I did not recall them if so.
The grand final of series one is here at last. There's nothing of significance to the pre-game chat, and we get straight into things. As was expected, both contestants were in great form on the letters, with Andrew finding the best answer in each case and Naween only slightly off the pace due to invalid words. The first two numbers rounds were rather uninteresting, but Naween complicated things in the final one and was rewarded when he found his way to the solution and Andrew did not. That let him make up some ground, and the game was alive going into the conundrum. As expected, Andrew solved it extremely quickly to record a 68 to 52 victory and become the series champion.
I... gah. Well, looked at objectively I actually did pretty well in the letters; it is just that I could have done better. I did find the best results for the maxima I missed after time, in one case fairly quickly while the other took minutes. But I flubbed the final numbers round and that always bothers me. That was the difference between finishing second or third, and indeed on having a theoretical chance at all going into the conundrum. A decent game with a major error, and against opposition like this that can end up feeling like a poor game. All credit to Andrew and Naween, who certainly deserve their accolades as the best of series one.
Disclaimer: Although I have not seen this episode before, I was aware of the winner before viewing it. It seems unlikely that this would affect my results, but I was not completely a blank slate. Additionally, I have apparently encountered the conundrum before which raises the possibility that I have also been exposed to the other rounds, although I did not recall them if so.
The grand final of series one is here at last. There's nothing of significance to the pre-game chat, and we get straight into things. As was expected, both contestants were in great form on the letters, with Andrew finding the best answer in each case and Naween only slightly off the pace due to invalid words. The first two numbers rounds were rather uninteresting, but Naween complicated things in the final one and was rewarded when he found his way to the solution and Andrew did not. That let him make up some ground, and the game was alive going into the conundrum. As expected, Andrew solved it extremely quickly to record a 68 to 52 victory and become the series champion.
I... gah. Well, looked at objectively I actually did pretty well in the letters; it is just that I could have done better. I did find the best results for the maxima I missed after time, in one case fairly quickly while the other took minutes. But I flubbed the final numbers round and that always bothers me. That was the difference between finishing second or third, and indeed on having a theoretical chance at all going into the conundrum. A decent game with a major error, and against opposition like this that can end up feeling like a poor game. All credit to Andrew and Naween, who certainly deserve their accolades as the best of series one.
Thursday, 17 May 2012
Ep 99 [SF2]: Naween Fernando, Dom Saric (May 17, 2012; originally aired December 16, 2010)
Rounds: Here.
The pre-game chat rehashes some more past performance statistics. Naween has a high score of 94, and over the course of his main games found ten eight-letter words (and two nine-letter ones). Dom has solved four conundrums.
It turned out to be an extremely close game; they each declared an invalid word, and otherwise were matched in the main rounds. Dom took a single point lead into the conundrum, but no-one expected it to go unsolved so that was not much of a factor. Dom missed his chance to wrap up the game in the final numbers round and Naween came good to solve the conundrum a little shy of eight seconds in; he must have been relieved to win by 62 points to 53.
I am very frustrated with my performance on the letters rounds today, missing at least three better answers that I would have found easily on a better day. In fact, I did find one of them, but talked myself out of it. My numbers performance was good, but there's only so much poor wordwork that it can compensate for. In the end I managed to take a lead into the conundrum but was not fast enough to solve it before Naween did (as expected), but at least I only lost to one of the contestants tonight. This could so easily have gone much better, and I hope that I can sort out whatever my issue is before tomorrow's grand final.
The pre-game chat rehashes some more past performance statistics. Naween has a high score of 94, and over the course of his main games found ten eight-letter words (and two nine-letter ones). Dom has solved four conundrums.
It turned out to be an extremely close game; they each declared an invalid word, and otherwise were matched in the main rounds. Dom took a single point lead into the conundrum, but no-one expected it to go unsolved so that was not much of a factor. Dom missed his chance to wrap up the game in the final numbers round and Naween came good to solve the conundrum a little shy of eight seconds in; he must have been relieved to win by 62 points to 53.
I am very frustrated with my performance on the letters rounds today, missing at least three better answers that I would have found easily on a better day. In fact, I did find one of them, but talked myself out of it. My numbers performance was good, but there's only so much poor wordwork that it can compensate for. In the end I managed to take a lead into the conundrum but was not fast enough to solve it before Naween did (as expected), but at least I only lost to one of the contestants tonight. This could so easily have gone much better, and I hope that I can sort out whatever my issue is before tomorrow's grand final.
Ep 98 [SF1]: Andrew Fisher, David Jones (May 16, 2012; originally aired December 15, 20120)
Rounds: Here.
It's the first semifinal tonight, between first seed Andrew Fisher and third seed David Jones. The pre-game chat is a little more revisiting of prior achievements on the show, but nothing particularly noteworthy. Once again I will be using surname initials to distinguish the two Davids.
It could have been a very close game, but the damage was done early. Andrew found two longer words to start with in fairly difficult mixes. Then David J was not able to get within range in the first numbers round, conceding seven more points to Andrew who then had a 19 point lead. The rest of the main rounds they were evenly matched on -- although Andrew only just got down his answer for round four -- and David J missed his chance in the final numbers round, matching Andrew's one-away answer to give Andrew the win. The conundrum was tough again, and David J solved it first -- possibly the only contestant to beat Andrew to a conundrum solution -- but Andrew still won by 57 points to 48.
I started off quite well, matching Andrew in those two tough letters rounds. Then I had a complete meltdown in round 3; there is a fairly easy one-away but I got tangled up trying to reach the target exactly and did not get it down. In the end that round was the difference between victory and defeat, and I'm quite disappointed to have blown this on a numbers round like that. As usual, the conundrum was too hard for me also, and in the end I was defeated by both contestants.
It's the first semifinal tonight, between first seed Andrew Fisher and third seed David Jones. The pre-game chat is a little more revisiting of prior achievements on the show, but nothing particularly noteworthy. Once again I will be using surname initials to distinguish the two Davids.
It could have been a very close game, but the damage was done early. Andrew found two longer words to start with in fairly difficult mixes. Then David J was not able to get within range in the first numbers round, conceding seven more points to Andrew who then had a 19 point lead. The rest of the main rounds they were evenly matched on -- although Andrew only just got down his answer for round four -- and David J missed his chance in the final numbers round, matching Andrew's one-away answer to give Andrew the win. The conundrum was tough again, and David J solved it first -- possibly the only contestant to beat Andrew to a conundrum solution -- but Andrew still won by 57 points to 48.
I started off quite well, matching Andrew in those two tough letters rounds. Then I had a complete meltdown in round 3; there is a fairly easy one-away but I got tangled up trying to reach the target exactly and did not get it down. In the end that round was the difference between victory and defeat, and I'm quite disappointed to have blown this on a numbers round like that. As usual, the conundrum was too hard for me also, and in the end I was defeated by both contestants.
Wednesday, 16 May 2012
Ep 97 [QF4]: Liam Bastick, Dom Saric (May 15, 2012; originally aired December 14, 2010)
Rounds: Here.
This is the last quarterfinal of series one, and it is interesting to see the other contenders. I recall Liam from website comments; he's kept statistics about the episodes from the beginning, it seems, and occasionally mentions an interesting snippet there.
So, taking the champion's position is fourth seed Liam Bastick, a financial modeller with a PhD in mathematics. He won his six games and successfully retired. Richard mentions that on one episode Liam did something "unforgettable". Liam explains that he elected to celebrate the fiftieth episode in style; he had no idea about the conundrum but decided to press the buzzer at the 29.5 second mark. A kind of reverse-GANDISEEG gambit, if you will.
A little later in the show it is mentioned that Liam scored points on 17 out of the 18 numbers rounds that he faced, which is an excellent record.
In the challenger's position is fifth seed Dom Saric, who is currently undertaking a bachelor's degree in medicine and surgery. Richard says that in the television control room Dom was affectionately known as Dom the Dominator. The other thing Richard notes is that Dom found a lot of medical words; mention is made of TRIAGE, PRONATE, AMPOULE, and PARANOID.
Dom had some good finds in the letters, and Liam fell off the pace somewhat. After the fifth round he was in deep trouble twenty points off the pace, and a miss in the next numbers round put him thirty points adrift. That meant that he needed a full monty to have a chance; the letters were almost, but not quite, cooperative, and that was the game to Dom. Liam picked up some points in the last numbers round and, had he solved the conundrum, would have only lost by two points. But the conundrum proved too difficult for both contestants again, and Dom wins by 46 to 34.
I hit the top notes right until that last letters round, where I was about twenty seconds too slow to see the best answer. I'd have taken even an optimal opponent to the conundrum, but it also defeated me; still, I had done enough for a comfortable win in this instance.
This is the last quarterfinal of series one, and it is interesting to see the other contenders. I recall Liam from website comments; he's kept statistics about the episodes from the beginning, it seems, and occasionally mentions an interesting snippet there.
So, taking the champion's position is fourth seed Liam Bastick, a financial modeller with a PhD in mathematics. He won his six games and successfully retired. Richard mentions that on one episode Liam did something "unforgettable". Liam explains that he elected to celebrate the fiftieth episode in style; he had no idea about the conundrum but decided to press the buzzer at the 29.5 second mark. A kind of reverse-GANDISEEG gambit, if you will.
A little later in the show it is mentioned that Liam scored points on 17 out of the 18 numbers rounds that he faced, which is an excellent record.
In the challenger's position is fifth seed Dom Saric, who is currently undertaking a bachelor's degree in medicine and surgery. Richard says that in the television control room Dom was affectionately known as Dom the Dominator. The other thing Richard notes is that Dom found a lot of medical words; mention is made of TRIAGE, PRONATE, AMPOULE, and PARANOID.
Dom had some good finds in the letters, and Liam fell off the pace somewhat. After the fifth round he was in deep trouble twenty points off the pace, and a miss in the next numbers round put him thirty points adrift. That meant that he needed a full monty to have a chance; the letters were almost, but not quite, cooperative, and that was the game to Dom. Liam picked up some points in the last numbers round and, had he solved the conundrum, would have only lost by two points. But the conundrum proved too difficult for both contestants again, and Dom wins by 46 to 34.
I hit the top notes right until that last letters round, where I was about twenty seconds too slow to see the best answer. I'd have taken even an optimal opponent to the conundrum, but it also defeated me; still, I had done enough for a comfortable win in this instance.
Monday, 14 May 2012
Ep 96 [QF3]: David Jones, Kashi Ross (May 14, 2012; originally aired December 13, 2010)
Rounds: Here.
We're back after the weekend with the third quarterfinal from series one; the box giving the original airdate is back, but they've got the correct date this time. So that's good.
In the champion's position is third seed David Jones, a public servant who successfully retired undefeated during the main part of the series. Richard asks about David's memories of his earlier games, and in particular the first one. David says that in the very first round he saw an eight-letter word just before the clock finished and that was enough to settle him down.
Taking up the challenger's seat as sixth seed is teacher Kashi Ross. Kashi was carryover champion for five episodes, so it sounds like she lost the sixth game. Richard asks about her memories too, and it seems that they were mostly of the errors that she made (using letters or numbers twice, etc.).
Both contestants found some good words, and honours were even from the letters rounds. But Kashi seemed to be particularly weak on the numbers, not managing to get close to some very achievable targets. That let David get a seventeen point lead that he carried into the conundrum; neither could solve it, and so David won 54 to 37. He will be back on Wednesday to face Andrew in the quarterfinal.
I started off with a very bad effort in the first round; that put me on the back foot, and easy numbers rounds made catching up difficult. David faltered in the fourth round to let me equalise, and I managed to outdo him on a numbers round to get ten points ahead. That was where things stood at the conundrum which raised the possibility of a tie, but with no-one solving it -- it was too hard for me to get within time also -- I scraped home with that ten-point win.
With two David's to worry about the potential for confusion arises, so I'll be using surname initials to clarify.
We're back after the weekend with the third quarterfinal from series one; the box giving the original airdate is back, but they've got the correct date this time. So that's good.
In the champion's position is third seed David Jones, a public servant who successfully retired undefeated during the main part of the series. Richard asks about David's memories of his earlier games, and in particular the first one. David says that in the very first round he saw an eight-letter word just before the clock finished and that was enough to settle him down.
Taking up the challenger's seat as sixth seed is teacher Kashi Ross. Kashi was carryover champion for five episodes, so it sounds like she lost the sixth game. Richard asks about her memories too, and it seems that they were mostly of the errors that she made (using letters or numbers twice, etc.).
Both contestants found some good words, and honours were even from the letters rounds. But Kashi seemed to be particularly weak on the numbers, not managing to get close to some very achievable targets. That let David get a seventeen point lead that he carried into the conundrum; neither could solve it, and so David won 54 to 37. He will be back on Wednesday to face Andrew in the quarterfinal.
I started off with a very bad effort in the first round; that put me on the back foot, and easy numbers rounds made catching up difficult. David faltered in the fourth round to let me equalise, and I managed to outdo him on a numbers round to get ten points ahead. That was where things stood at the conundrum which raised the possibility of a tie, but with no-one solving it -- it was too hard for me to get within time also -- I scraped home with that ten-point win.
With two David's to worry about the potential for confusion arises, so I'll be using surname initials to clarify.
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