Ep 427: Steve Hibbert, Carey McManus (April 17, 2012)

Rounds: Here.


Yesterday it was mentioned  that Steve is into plane spotting.  Richard asks him how he got into that; Steve responds that back in England he used to live near an airfield.  So he and others went and spent their weekends at the airport and collect registrations on the planes.  Steve is particularly fond of the Tiger Moth and would love to take a joy flight in one of those.

Taking up the challenge tonight is Carey McManus, a building design student.  Richard asks why Carey thinks architecture is important; Carey replies that he thinks it affects us so much -- the way light comes into buildings, the way we use spaces... it's very important in our daily lives.  He would like to start off with residential work because you get a bit more control over the project, but a lot of the most interesting stuff tends to be done in the public sphere.  So he'd love to do things like Federation Square in Melbourne, for instance.


It's another close game, with the lead changing a few times.  Honours are pretty evenly split in both facets, but Carey's risky play in the final letters round pays off; that gives him a lead that he carries into the conundrum, and with it proving too tough for both contestants he has the win, 41 to 35.

I started off well, but feeling the pressure to repeat last night's optimal result.  Then I found a better answer shortly after time in round 4 and knew that it was no longer possible, which was both disappointing and a relief.  The round after that was also challenging, but I was still scoring strongly until the conundrum.  I was probably the most lost on this conundrum that I have ever been, eventually giving up after seven fruitless minutes of searching.  It was findable, but my mind was not in the right place to see it.  Still, a good game overall, and a good start to the week so far.

Ep 426: Jane Taylor, Steve Hibbert (April 16, 2012)

Rounds: Here.


Jane is back for her fourth night, trying to get over that fourth game hurdle.  Richard asks what sort of preparation she has been doing over the weekend; Jane responds that she has been revising her 75-times tables.  She has also found a website where she can practice the maths with the clock counting down.

Tonight's challenger is Steve Hibbert, a full-time father to three children.  They are aged five, four, and one, and looking after them keeps him busy; as he says, it is very challenging and rewarding at the same time.  Steve also enjoys plane recognition (aka "plane spotting").


It's a good close game tonight, although the letters rounds were arguably a bit flat with findable sevens in most rounds and not much longer.  Jane gets the lead in the first numbers round, and extends it in the next letters round.  Steve then gets most of the ground back in the next numbers game, and they trade points in the remaining two main rounds.  Steve is just two points behind going into the conundrum, and he solves it first to take the win, 48 to 40.  Jane bows out at that troublesome fourth game, and it's very unlikely that she'll be back for the finals.

I'm flying high tonight, after recording an optimal game.  I found best possible answers in every round, and solved the conundrum in a second.  I'm pretty happy about this, as you might expect.  Probably happier.