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.
It's the sixth and final night for Tony, at least until the finals. He's already guaranteed at least sixth position, while a win would mean at least fourth position; if he wins with 46 points or more then he takes first place on the leaderboard. But first, there's the pre-game chat to get through. Richard starts by mentioning that Tony has found a couple of nine-letter words so far, then segues through that to a golfing 'hole in one'. (At the time, there had been at attempt to refer to nine-letter words as a 'hole in one', but the term did not catch on in the same way that 'full monty' did.) Tony, it turns out, has scored a hole in one on a par three at a golf course about three years ago. An impressive achievement!
Standing between Tony and successful retirement is Gillian Stevens, a mechanical engineer. Richard asks about Gillian's motivation for that career choice, and Gillian responds to general merriment that she thinks it was a boy. Then, more seriously, she says that her school went on one of those excursions where you can choose your career, and she saw a working model of an internal combustion engine. It looked interesting, and she thought, "I want to build that". Richard asks if she has fulfilled that dream; Gillian sighs as she admits that she is not in automotive engineering, but rather works on somewhat larger systems. She says "marine systems", which I take to mean boats (or ships, if you prefer), or perhaps oil rigs.
The contestants shared the points in the first two letter rounds, then a difficult numbers round gave Tony a chance to take the lead. His calculation seemed like it would be sound, but apparently he made an error (he did not say what), so the scores remained tied going into the first break. The points were again shared in round four, but then an invalid answer from Gillian in round five finally separated the contestants. That seemed to be the catalyst for Tony, as he romped home with good number results and a long word in the last letters round. Gillian ended up solving the conundrum, but Tony comprehensively won, 52 to 31.
Showing posts with label Tony Loui. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tony Loui. Show all posts
Saturday, 1 October 2016
Ep 187: Tony Loui, Mark Povey (September 27, 2016; originally aired April 19, 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.
It's Tony Loui's fifth night, and Richard wheels out the question about strategy. Tony manages to give more of an answer than most contestants do, which is a nice change. With the letters, he tries to make the longest he can from the first five or six letters so that he has a four- or five-letter word, then builds from that. For the numbers, he tries to make it simple by using the biggest number first and get the closest that he can, and then adjust. That's certainly an approach that I advocate, and it works quite often.
Tonight's challenger is Mark Povey, a storeman who served in the Royal Australian Navy for twenty-one years. Richard asks about highlights of Mark's career in the navy; Mark does not get very specific, but does mention that he was on the ground for six months doing services with the United Nations in Mogadishu. Aside from that, just a lot of time spent away from home, and that is when his fondness for crosswords, particularly David's cryptics, blossomed. He has yet to finish one, but hopes to do so one day.
Things started out poorly for Tony, as he duplicated a letter in the first letters round. Mark capitalised on that swing by finding a good word in the second round, building a 13 point lead after just two rounds. But Tony rallied in the numbers, scoring points to narrow the gap to six. A shared round followed in the letters, then Tony levelled the scores in round five. The second numbers round was too difficult for both contestants, so they were tied going into the second break.
It looked like we were heading for a nailbiter of a finish, but Tony blew the game wide open by finding a full monty in the last letters game. Mark was still in with a chance, but the numbers were not cooperative for him and instead Tony extended his lead. The conundrum also turned out to be too hard for the contestants, so it was round seven that decided it all. Tony won by 49 points to 21, a winning margin that does not reflect most of the game.
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.
It's Tony Loui's fifth night, and Richard wheels out the question about strategy. Tony manages to give more of an answer than most contestants do, which is a nice change. With the letters, he tries to make the longest he can from the first five or six letters so that he has a four- or five-letter word, then builds from that. For the numbers, he tries to make it simple by using the biggest number first and get the closest that he can, and then adjust. That's certainly an approach that I advocate, and it works quite often.
Tonight's challenger is Mark Povey, a storeman who served in the Royal Australian Navy for twenty-one years. Richard asks about highlights of Mark's career in the navy; Mark does not get very specific, but does mention that he was on the ground for six months doing services with the United Nations in Mogadishu. Aside from that, just a lot of time spent away from home, and that is when his fondness for crosswords, particularly David's cryptics, blossomed. He has yet to finish one, but hopes to do so one day.
Things started out poorly for Tony, as he duplicated a letter in the first letters round. Mark capitalised on that swing by finding a good word in the second round, building a 13 point lead after just two rounds. But Tony rallied in the numbers, scoring points to narrow the gap to six. A shared round followed in the letters, then Tony levelled the scores in round five. The second numbers round was too difficult for both contestants, so they were tied going into the second break.
It looked like we were heading for a nailbiter of a finish, but Tony blew the game wide open by finding a full monty in the last letters game. Mark was still in with a chance, but the numbers were not cooperative for him and instead Tony extended his lead. The conundrum also turned out to be too hard for the contestants, so it was round seven that decided it all. Tony won by 49 points to 21, a winning margin that does not reflect most of the game.
Ep 186: Tony Loui, Steve Simmons (September 26, 2016; originally aired April 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.
It's the crucial fourth night for Tony Loui; a win here will surely put him into the finals. In the pre-game chat, it is revealed that Tony has a prior interaction with both David and the Macquarie dictionary: About three years ago he entered a weekend cryptic crossword competition in the Sydney Morning Herald. He describes himself as "lucky enough" to get it right, and then lucky to be drawn out first. So he won a third edition Macquarie dictionary from solving a David Astle cryptic crossword.
Tonight's challenger is Steve Simmons, an English teacher who teaches Academic English. That is for international students wishing to study at Australian universities (or other tertiary institutions). And, huh, that's all the chat we have with Steve -- seems a bit short.
A miserly mix limited both contestants to fives in the first round, but thereafter the words went Tony's way. Steve was unable to find longer than five (with the exception of one invalid answer); the numbers provided little scope for gain, and Tony was safe going into the last numbers round. The conundrum ended up being too difficult for both contestants, and Tony finished the victor, 62 to 25.
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.
It's the crucial fourth night for Tony Loui; a win here will surely put him into the finals. In the pre-game chat, it is revealed that Tony has a prior interaction with both David and the Macquarie dictionary: About three years ago he entered a weekend cryptic crossword competition in the Sydney Morning Herald. He describes himself as "lucky enough" to get it right, and then lucky to be drawn out first. So he won a third edition Macquarie dictionary from solving a David Astle cryptic crossword.
Tonight's challenger is Steve Simmons, an English teacher who teaches Academic English. That is for international students wishing to study at Australian universities (or other tertiary institutions). And, huh, that's all the chat we have with Steve -- seems a bit short.
A miserly mix limited both contestants to fives in the first round, but thereafter the words went Tony's way. Steve was unable to find longer than five (with the exception of one invalid answer); the numbers provided little scope for gain, and Tony was safe going into the last numbers round. The conundrum ended up being too difficult for both contestants, and Tony finished the victor, 62 to 25.
Thursday, 29 September 2016
Ep 185: Tony Loui, Laurence Guttman (September 23, 2016; originally aired April 15, 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.
Tony Loui is back for his third night, and Richard refers to Tony as a keen traveller. Tony states that he loves travelling, and last year was lucky enough to go to the last remaining ancient wonder of the world: The Great Pyramid of Giza. Richard asks about the wonders of the modern world, and Tony indicates that he has seen four of them already, with the three left to see being the Taj Mahal, the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio, and Machu Picchu.
Tonight's challenger is Laurence Guttman, a secondary school teacher who teaches both mathematics and English -- a combination that Richard describes as slightly unusual. Laurence says that he has always enjoyed English, but has had mixed fortunes in the past with mathematics. In particular, in his first year of university, when he "possibly wasn't taking things as seriously as [he] should", his father was the lecturer. That is something that Laurence advises against if anyone else is in a similar situation, which I think is very understandable. He also advises against then failing the course taught by one's father, which is something that he did. Oops!
Tony was a little unfortunate to start off with an invalid word in the first round, as the Macquarie did not list the medical term that he found. But a spate of invalid answers from Laurence (four invalid answers in the following five rounds) gave Tony a comfortable lead, and he was twenty-six points ahead going into the second break. Tony scored points in the last letters round, ensuring his victory, and although Laurence rallied a little after that it was too late. Tony gained his third win, 44 to 21.
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.
Tony Loui is back for his third night, and Richard refers to Tony as a keen traveller. Tony states that he loves travelling, and last year was lucky enough to go to the last remaining ancient wonder of the world: The Great Pyramid of Giza. Richard asks about the wonders of the modern world, and Tony indicates that he has seen four of them already, with the three left to see being the Taj Mahal, the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio, and Machu Picchu.
Tonight's challenger is Laurence Guttman, a secondary school teacher who teaches both mathematics and English -- a combination that Richard describes as slightly unusual. Laurence says that he has always enjoyed English, but has had mixed fortunes in the past with mathematics. In particular, in his first year of university, when he "possibly wasn't taking things as seriously as [he] should", his father was the lecturer. That is something that Laurence advises against if anyone else is in a similar situation, which I think is very understandable. He also advises against then failing the course taught by one's father, which is something that he did. Oops!
Tony was a little unfortunate to start off with an invalid word in the first round, as the Macquarie did not list the medical term that he found. But a spate of invalid answers from Laurence (four invalid answers in the following five rounds) gave Tony a comfortable lead, and he was twenty-six points ahead going into the second break. Tony scored points in the last letters round, ensuring his victory, and although Laurence rallied a little after that it was too late. Tony gained his third win, 44 to 21.
Tuesday, 27 September 2016
Ep 184: Tony Loui, Alison Crowe (September 22, 2016; originally aired April 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.
Tony Loui gets his turn in the champion's seat tonight, and we find out that he took a year off from being a doctor and instead worked as a flight attendant (travelling overseas); he adds that he loves travelling. Richard asks how Tony found the experience, and Tony agrees with Richard's remark that it was a huge change. Coping with the effects of flying can be difficult, and it was hard work, but he found it to be thoroughly enjoyable.
Tonight's challenger is Alison Crowe, a physical education student and competitive rower. In fact, Alison has twice represented Australia in rowing -- she has been in two under-23 teams. That involved racing overseas, in Germany and the Czech Republic (some details can be found here). She lists that as probably one of the greatest things she has done so far.
It was a dominant performance from Tony tonight: He started off by finding a full monty, and followed up with an eight-letter word to sprint out to a huge early lead. He continued to score well with the letters, and the numbers offered little scope for Alison to regain the lost ground. Tony was a certain victor going into the second break. He rounded off an excellent game by solving the conundrum quickly, posting a final winning score of 83 to 33.
I was having an even better game than Tony, as it turns out, but then the SBS website became uncooperative, refusing to advance past the end of round five. I had to give up on it and come back a day or so later; that interruption, I believe, was responsible for my poor performance in round six as I came back to it cold (as it were). A shame, as I felt in really good form at the time.
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.
Tony Loui gets his turn in the champion's seat tonight, and we find out that he took a year off from being a doctor and instead worked as a flight attendant (travelling overseas); he adds that he loves travelling. Richard asks how Tony found the experience, and Tony agrees with Richard's remark that it was a huge change. Coping with the effects of flying can be difficult, and it was hard work, but he found it to be thoroughly enjoyable.
Tonight's challenger is Alison Crowe, a physical education student and competitive rower. In fact, Alison has twice represented Australia in rowing -- she has been in two under-23 teams. That involved racing overseas, in Germany and the Czech Republic (some details can be found here). She lists that as probably one of the greatest things she has done so far.
It was a dominant performance from Tony tonight: He started off by finding a full monty, and followed up with an eight-letter word to sprint out to a huge early lead. He continued to score well with the letters, and the numbers offered little scope for Alison to regain the lost ground. Tony was a certain victor going into the second break. He rounded off an excellent game by solving the conundrum quickly, posting a final winning score of 83 to 33.
I was having an even better game than Tony, as it turns out, but then the SBS website became uncooperative, refusing to advance past the end of round five. I had to give up on it and come back a day or so later; that interruption, I believe, was responsible for my poor performance in round six as I came back to it cold (as it were). A shame, as I felt in really good form at the time.
Friday, 23 September 2016
Ep 183: Tom Fooks, Tony Loui (September 21, 2016; originally aired April 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.
It's the third night for Tom Fooks, and the topic turns to knitting. Tom says that he is part of a very esteemed club of motorcycle riders who knit. (Sadly, he does not mean an actual club.) He mostly knits little toys for cousins and friends and such, but occasionally does other things. For instance, he has just completed a scarf, which he hopes will help out come winter.
Tonight's challenger is Tony Loui, a medical officer in a regional private hospital. Tony also works as a hotel doctor in the Sydney CBD, so when a four- or five-star hotel has a guest who is ill, he might get called in to look at them.
The game started out quite closely, with matched scores in the first two letters rounds. An error from Tony in the first numbers round saw Tom take the lead, but Tony levelled the scores again in the next letters round. The remaining letters rounds provided no advantage to either contestant, but Tom was just slightly off the pace in the numbers; Tony solved them exactly, giving him a winning lead going into the conundrum. It turned out to be too hard for everyone, so the game finished 52 to 32 in Tony's favour.
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.
It's the third night for Tom Fooks, and the topic turns to knitting. Tom says that he is part of a very esteemed club of motorcycle riders who knit. (Sadly, he does not mean an actual club.) He mostly knits little toys for cousins and friends and such, but occasionally does other things. For instance, he has just completed a scarf, which he hopes will help out come winter.
Tonight's challenger is Tony Loui, a medical officer in a regional private hospital. Tony also works as a hotel doctor in the Sydney CBD, so when a four- or five-star hotel has a guest who is ill, he might get called in to look at them.
The game started out quite closely, with matched scores in the first two letters rounds. An error from Tony in the first numbers round saw Tom take the lead, but Tony levelled the scores again in the next letters round. The remaining letters rounds provided no advantage to either contestant, but Tom was just slightly off the pace in the numbers; Tony solved them exactly, giving him a winning lead going into the conundrum. It turned out to be too hard for everyone, so the game finished 52 to 32 in Tony's favour.
Friday, 22 June 2012
Ep 446 [M1] [QF3]: Tony Loui, Matthew Thomason (June 21, 2012)
Rounds: Here.
Tonight the seedings have worked out so that we see a repeat of the series two grand final. That time only two main rounds distinguished the contestants, with Matthew gaining in a letters round and Tony striking back in the numbers. It came down to the conundrum, which Tony solved to win. How will it shake out this time?
Well, I'm about to reveal the answer, and there's not really much spoiler space here. *chuckles* Although I shall note that Richard called it "remarkable" that the seedings worked out to have the two of them facing each other again. It's not, really -- assuming that the runners-up are essentially randomly distributed, the chance of at least one rematch was 62.5%; it would have been more remarkable if there had not been one.
Things went a little similarly to that previous match, in fact. Once again, Matthew took the lead in the first round, but this time he extended it in the second round. Tony struck back in a later numbers round to get within striking distance, and either could have won at the conundrum. But this time it was Matthew who was ahead, and Matthew who solved the conundrum first. That gave him the victory, 65 to 50.
I did pretty well tonight, including finding the full monty. But I had another invalid word today, and one that genuinely surprised me. Further investigation pretty much confirms that I made up the usage that I came up with, so that was odd. Aside from that, only one main round was non-optimal (I'd seen the best option but discounted it), and I was just pipped to the conundrum by Matthew. I was comfortably home thanks to the rest of the good results, though, and so far the quarterfinals have been kind to me.
Tonight the seedings have worked out so that we see a repeat of the series two grand final. That time only two main rounds distinguished the contestants, with Matthew gaining in a letters round and Tony striking back in the numbers. It came down to the conundrum, which Tony solved to win. How will it shake out this time?
Well, I'm about to reveal the answer, and there's not really much spoiler space here. *chuckles* Although I shall note that Richard called it "remarkable" that the seedings worked out to have the two of them facing each other again. It's not, really -- assuming that the runners-up are essentially randomly distributed, the chance of at least one rematch was 62.5%; it would have been more remarkable if there had not been one.
Things went a little similarly to that previous match, in fact. Once again, Matthew took the lead in the first round, but this time he extended it in the second round. Tony struck back in a later numbers round to get within striking distance, and either could have won at the conundrum. But this time it was Matthew who was ahead, and Matthew who solved the conundrum first. That gave him the victory, 65 to 50.
I did pretty well tonight, including finding the full monty. But I had another invalid word today, and one that genuinely surprised me. Further investigation pretty much confirms that I made up the usage that I came up with, so that was odd. Aside from that, only one main round was non-optimal (I'd seen the best option but discounted it), and I was just pipped to the conundrum by Matthew. I was comfortably home thanks to the rest of the good results, though, and so far the quarterfinals have been kind to 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.
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!
Tuesday, 22 May 2012
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.
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