Introduction
The fifth Australian Masters and State Challenge Tournament is being played in Sydney this year. This is a selective event where the very best of Australian Scrabble players are invited, based on their ratings. It is really two events at the same location. The Australian Masters is a field of the twenty best Australians playing a round robin. The State Challenge is a field of twenty one comprising seven state teams of three players each playing the players from the other states.
History
| 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters 1 | David Eldar | Naween Fernando | Bob Jackman | Trevor Halsall |
| Masters 2 | Andrew Fisher | David Eldar | David Eldar | David Eldar |
| Masters 3 | Chris May | Joanne Craig | Naween Fernando | Naween Fernando |
| State 1 | Harry Malcolm (VIC) | Tony Hunt (NSW) | Edie Mueller (WA) | Carmel Dodd (SA) |
| State 2 | Helen Maurus (QLD) | Peter Kougi (VIC) | John Spaan (ACT) | Helen Maurus (VIC) |
| State 3 | Olga Visser (QLD) | Michael Vnuk (QLD) | Russell Honeybun (WA) | Sally Martin (WA) |
| Best State | QLD | VIC | WA | SA |
Predictions
Because in this tournament the draw is predetermined, the ratings formula can make predictions about how many games each player will win. Of course this will only be accurate if we can believe that the current rating of each player is a true predictor. Can you do better with your predictions? The predictions are:AUSTRALIAN MASTERS
| Name | Rating | Wins | Losses | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Andrew Fisher (VIC) | 2206 | 15.8 | 3.2 |
 | David Eldar (VIC) | 2067 | 13.5 | 5.5 |
 | Edward Okulicz (NSW) | 2011 | 12.5 | 6.5 |
 | Naween Fernando (VIC) | 1983 | 12.1 | 6.9 |
 | Chris May (NSW) | 1964 | 11.8 | 7.2 |
 | Trevor Halsall (VIC) | 1901 | 10.7 | 8.3 |
 | Joanne Craig (NSW) | 1868 | 9.7 | 8.8 |
 | Bob Jackman (NSW) | 1857 | 10.0 | 9.0 |
 | Esther Perrins (NSW) | 1784 | 8.8 | 10.2 |
 | Alastair Richards (NSW) | 1782 | 8.7 | 10.3 |
 | Anne Drew (QLD) | 1773 | 8.6 | 10.4 |
 | Rod Talbot (NSW) | 1768 | 8.5 | 10.5 |
 | Richard Jeremy (ACT) | 1766 | 8.5 | 10.5 |
 | Simon Walton (NSW) | 1729 | 7.8 | 11.2 |
 | Tony Hunt (NSW) | 1711 | 7.5 | 11.5 |
 | Edie Mueller (WA) | 1706 | 7.5 | 11.5 |
 | Carmel Dodd (SA) | 1706 | 7.5 | 11.5 |
 | Karen Richards (NSW) | 1702 | 7.4 | 11.6 |
 | Geoff Wright (VIC) | 1651 | 6.6 | 12.4 |
 | Glenys Lawrie (WA) | 1626 | 6.2 | 12.8 |
STATE CHALLENGE
| Name | Rating | Wins | Losses | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Norma Fisher (VIC) | 1697 | 11.4 | 6.6 |
 | Helen Maurus (QLD) | 1694 | 11.3 | 6.7 |
 | Graeme Lock Lee (NSW) | 1683 | 11.1 | 6.9 |
 | Quentin Abbott (QLD) | 1638 | 10.5 | 7.5 |
 | Gwen Lampre (VIC) | 1623 | 10.3 | 7.7 |
 | Mark Smith (NSW) | 1616 | 10.1 | 7.9 |
 | Sal Costanzo (VIC) | 1600 | 9.9 | 8.1 |
 | Sally Martin (WA) | 1602 | 9.7 | 8.3 |
 | John Spaan (ACT) | 1605 | 9.6 | 8.4 |
 | Chris Hall (WA) | 1558 | 9.0 | 9.0 |
 | John Barker (NSW) | 1538 | 8.9 | 9.1 |
 | Michael Vnuk (SA) | 1554 | 8.9 | 9.1 |
 | Heather Lowden (SA) | 1549 | 8.8 | 9.2 |
 | Jane Brown (QLD) | 1520 | 8.7 | 9.3 |
 | Dianne Brumby (TAS) | 1529 | 8.5 | 9.5 |
 | Khen Meerding (TAS) | 1519 | 8.4 | 9.6 |
 | Caroline Scowcroft (ACT) | 1459 | 7.4 | 10.6 |
 | Martin Rose (TAS) | 1436 | 7.1 | 10.9 |
 | Judy Jones (WA) | 1419 | 6.9 | 11.1 |
 | Susan MacGillivray (ACT) | 1390 | 6.4 | 11.6 |
 | Jane Taylor (SA) | 1366 | 6.1 | 11.9 |
PREDICTIONS FOR STATE TALLIES
| VIC | 31.6 |
| QLD | 30.4 |
| NSW | 30.2 |
| WA | 25.6 |
| TAS | 24.0 |
| SA | 23.7 |
| ACT | 23.5 |
Let the games begin
Bob Jackman welcomed players, and especially noted that the first player to arrive was none
other than Geoff Wright. Geoff had had a surprise boost, being promoted to play in the
Masters section
after a late withdrawal of Peter Kougi. In turn this required a last minute search for
a player to replace Geoff Wright in the State Challenge. Sal Costanzo rose to the challenge.
He admitted that he hasn't been playing much Scrabble recently but he loves the State Challenge
competition.
The venue is in a busy part of Sydney, Potts Point or perhaps Kings Cross, depending on what social circles you move in.
"Thank God for the smokers!" exclaimed Trevor. He was a bit worried he might not find the venue, following Bob Jackman's directions which involved looking for Maggie's Bar and Grill. The cluster of smokers outside the Rex Centre showed the way.
Round 1
Play begins in the rather nice venue. A friendly bunch of players, with both Masters and State Challenge in one room, ably directed by Wilma Vialle.Tony Hunt had suggested that a good publicity angle might have been to consider the match between Beauty and the Beast, with the roles being filled by certain individuals. This was criticised for perpetuating stereotypes. In John Barker's first round he scored 333, half the number of the Beast, so make of that what you will. Rex Shakespeare thinks that it was a half-baked idea.
Alastair Richards had spent Friday night studying bacterial and viral infections for his university course in dietetics, so his mum was not surprised to see him play RASHLIKE.
Your intrepid reporter, Barry Harridge, has a soft spot for the word ARRIAGE, a feudal tax paid with donkeys. Richard Jeremy played ARRIAGES on the right hand side of the board, just one square down from the triple. Naween Fernando managed to capitalise on it making PLENISM and thus MARRIAGES for 119.
The predictions for State tallies had put Victoria on the top and ACT on the bottom. But first round confounded all this with Victoria losing all 3 games and ACT winning all 3.
Round 2
Bob Jackman and Naween Fernando had a problem. They had prearranged draws from different printings, so apparently they both had the right to start! Wilma suggested they fix it by drawing tiles. Naween drew an A and said that it looked like he would be starting. Hang on said Bob, there's always the possibility I might draw an A or a blank. And then he drew out a blank. He went on to win that game.Carmel Dodd got 142 for her BURSITIS.
Lunch break
A lovely sunny day in the market outside. Stalls with tasty food were well received by players. There were tables set up in aid of charity, with board games such as Scrabble! And they were even using Collins.Gap in reporting
I had to abandon my post for a while to go and retrieve a printer left behind in Neutral Bay.Round 5
Michael Vnuk had AAEENNS on his rack. He elected to change AEN. You know what he picked up of course. Yes, that's right, AEN.Round 6
Mark Smith pointed to an awful waste of goodies, squandered in one go, three esses and two blanks to make USELESS.Cheeses! Geoff Wright got a bit befuddled and instead of playing GRUYERE he played GUYERE*.
Round 7
"Did you win that one?", Sunny Wright asked John Barker. "Not as such", he replied.Karen Richards claims to have taught Andrew Fisher a word (but Andrew says he was merely reminded of it). During game 1, Karen related how she played DIAPHONY in a tournament in England when she won the Ladies Championship. And Andrew used it in round 7 in his game against Naween.
A couple of tense games in this round. Bob Jackman was tense when he realised as an afterthought that his WAB could take an S in front. His tension was relieved when Chris May failed to see the spot, and thus lost the game.
The last game to finish was the game between David Eldar and Tony Hunt. David lost this narrowly, his first loss, leaving Andrew Fisher at this stage as the only undefeated player.
Round 8
Trevor Halsall pointed out that Alastair Richards played DEPLOYER against him for 181. "My first good win!" exclaimed Mark Smith. He was delighted to have got out LOOFAHS, QUIVERED, WINNERS and RADIOED. And Glenys Lawrie was thrilled with her first win, against Bob Jackman who had had only one loss to that stage. Geoff Wright also got his first win.Jane Brown got a wonderful score of 494 with five bonuses, EVZONES, PALMING, RURALLY, HIRSTIE and MOLINET.
Michael Vnuk played BASELINE on the baseline, one of several self-describing plays, alongside Jane Brown's AWESOME and Mark Smith's USELESS.
Round 10
Andrew Fisher's form is astounding. After 10 rounds he had not lost any game and had a spread of +1276. When, if ever, will he lose his first game, we wondered. Well it has happened, Edward Okulicz has done it, using DETAINEE, SQUID for 87, BoXINGS for 64 and went out with an unblockable UNBAITED.Round 11
The last round of the day. Many tired players.Dinner
Dinner on Saturday night was at the Indian restaurant nearby.Round 12
Andrew Fisher surpasses all his previous achievements at this tournament
with a score of 636 against poor Edie Mueller.
Even the helpers have to have some fun. Noni and Liz chat in the market square. Rex and Hanne
have their own tournament. Wilma enjoys lunch with Dave Eldar.
Round 13
Edie Mueller was not daunted by her crushing defeat by Andrew in the previous round. She bounced back to defeat Edward Okulicz. That's Scrabble for you!Chris Hall has a long memory. He recalled the occasion in 2007 when Graeme Lock Lee defeated him and thus denied him the mantle of individual winner of the State Challenge. He got his revenge today, walloping GLL 480 to 308.
Round 14
Even the best players make mistakes. David Eldar was forced to take off BEGORES*.
Some people don't need much thinking time (Edward versus Joanne pictured at right).
Carmel Dodd played three words with a King's Cross theme this round, HEROINS, EROTICA and TRANQ.
Lunch Break
Again a pleasant lunch break. Helen Maurus was graced with a ladycow which alighted on her.
(LADYBUG, LADYFLY, LADYBIRD, LADYCOW). And what's more, even in the busy heart of the city you
can find birds that hang about the fountain at King's Cross.
Round 15
"Every defeat brings me closer to the next victory." That's John Barker's philosophy.Round 16
I'm not sure what Andrew Fisher's philosophy is. He is unstoppable in the Australian Masters event. Meanwhile the State Challenge is more keenly contested. Although Graeme Lock Lee has kept in number 1 position for many rounds, Jane Brown is right behind him, waiting for him to stumble. And the battle between states is so close. At the end of round 16 the team tallies look like this:| QLD | NSW | WA | SA | TAS | VIC | ACT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R 16 | 2 | 1 | 2 | º1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Wins | ºº27 | ºº27 | ººº26 | ººº23 | ºº20 | ºº19 | ºº18 |
| º denotes a bye | |||||||
| Spreads: QLD +364 NSW -62 | |||||||
Round 17
Andrew Fisher had EHIISTK on his rack. He was hoping for a loose N to play HINKIEST, or an A for SHIITAKE. But Tony Hunt played OUTLIER, and Andrew then realised he could use Tony's I to play HEITIKIS. Apparently Andrew's philosophy includes not complaining about too many I's.The same philosophy holds for Trevor Halsall who kept FINS and picked up IID. Undeterred he used an E on the board to make NIDIFIES.
As the event draws to a close, more excitement in the teams event. New South Wales loses all 3 games this round.
| QLD | WA | NSW | SA | VIC | TAS | ACT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R 17 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | º0 | 1 |
| Wins | ºº30 | ººº29 | ºº27 | ººº24 | ºº21 | ººº20 | ºº19 |
| º denotes a bye | |||||||
... and Graeme Lock Lee stumbles (a narrow loss against Sally Martin). Jane Brown is in first place.
GLL words
Graeme Lock Lee has always expressed admiration for the not so easy bingo. A GLL word is a high scoring play which has no blank, no S and no E. Here are some good GLL words from this event.| TRIGONAL | 84 | Karen |
| CORDWAIN | 98 | Bob |
| INDIGOID | 67 | Bob |
| CARDINAL | 90 | Glenys |
| DILUTING | 78 | Jane T |
| DARTING | 64 | Trevor |
| ANDIRON | 68 | Trevor |
| UNTOWARD | 89 | Trevor |
| RURALLY | 82 | Jane B |
| CHIANTI | 68 | Chris |
Anne Drew, cheeky as ever, claims her play of GLL around a U is a GLL word!
Round 18
David Eldar, running second is defeated by Glenys Lawrie running second last. It seems that his traditional second placing is in jeopardy, if Bob overtakes him. But then Bob's scoresheet comes in, and he narrowly loses to Joanne.Susan MacGillivray got 99 points with just four letters, wrapping DODT around GIES to get DODGIEST as a triple triple.
| QLD | WA | NSW | SA | TAS | VIC | ACT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R 18 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | º0 |
| Wins | ºº32 | ººº31 | ºº28 | ººº25 | ººº23 | ºº23 | ººº18 |
| º denotes a bye | |||||||
Jane Brown loses a crucial game to Chris Hall. She is still in the lead at the end of this round, but anything can happen now. Graeme Lock Lee, who had led most of the tournament, can still win, as can also Chris Hall, who has been winning all his games today.
The winning team can at this stage be either Queensland or West Australia.
Round 19 : the final round
The pretermined draw schedules a faceoff between the top two players by rating, namely Andrew Fisher and David Eldar. As it turns out, this is not quite the nailbiter it might have been, since Andrew and David by this stage have cemented their first and second placings respectively. The game is a walkover by David, 485 to 244. Bob Jackman loses his game against Richard Jeremy but nevertheless keeps his third placing. Andrew, David and Bob are on 17, 14 and 13 wins respectively. Against such a formidable field, Australia's top twenty, Andrew's performance in losing only two games out of 19, is remarkable to say the least. He is a very good chance to win the World Scrabble Championship and/or the Causeway Scrabble Challenge at year's end.There has been a different winner of the Australian Masters every year since its inception. Second place is a different matter, with David Eldar taking that spot every year except for last year when he won it.
The State Challenge is much more of a nailbiter. Since there are 21 players, each player has a bye at some stage. It so happens that the leader at the end of round 18, Jane Brown, has a bye and has to endure the agony of waiting to see what will happen in the playing room. There are plenty of "what if's".
| QLD | WA | SA | NSW | VIC | TAS | ACT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R 19 | º1 | 1 | 3 | º0 | º1 | 0 | 3 |
| Wins | ººº33 | ººº32 | ººº28 | ººº28 | ººº24 | ººº23 | ººº21 |
| º denotes a bye | |||||||
As it happens, Queensland and West Australia each win just one game this round, giving Queensland the State Challenge trophy for 2009, the first state to win it twice. The winning play that secured it was Helen Maurus's brilliant flash of inspiration in the end game. Trailing by 19, and with a heavy rack to get rid of (ILPRSVX), she uses the A of LAT on the board to play PRAXIS for 69. She's not just a pretty face!
Chris Hall from WA beats Quentin Abbott from QLD to secure his place as the individual winner of the State Challenge Trophy, closely followed by Jane Brown from QLD and Graeme Lock Lee from NSW.