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Commentary: Round 31

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Go to: Before the Tournament, Round 1, Round 2, Round 3, Round 4, Round 5, Round 6, Round 7, Round 8, Round 9, Round 10, Round 11, Round 12, Round 13, Round 14, Round 15, Round 16, Round 17, Round 18, Round 19, Round 20, Round 21, Round 22, Round 23, Round 24, Round 25, Round 26, Round 27, Round 28, Round 29, Round 30, Round 31, Round 32, After the Tournament.

Round 31 Auto-Commentary

Howard Warner (NZL) stays in the lead, 27-4 +3622. Helen Gipson (Sco) is 2 games behind at 25-6 +2650, remaining steady at #2. Theresa Brousson (MLT) is 2 games behind the leader at 24-6 +3280, remaining unchanged at #3.

High Win: Kate Sweetlove (Eng) 485-334 vs. Nuala O'Rourke (NIr). Low Win: Graham Bonham (Eng) 394-311 vs. Daniel Milton (USA). High Loss: Cecil Muscat (MLT) 461-463 vs. Nicky Vella-Laurenti (MLT). Low Loss: Daniel Milton (USA) 311-394 vs. Graham Bonham (Eng).

Penultimate round. Howard Warner (NZL) vs. Helen Gipson (Sco) at the live board. Warner is 26-4 +3582, Gipson 25-5 +2690. If Warner wins, he clinches first place. Game highlights:

• Gipson uses the Q and the Z in her first three plays to score a total of 83 points. Warner makes an 18-point play, trades once, then passes up on INITiATE (74) to play BANTIEsT* (73), which Gipson accepts. It's been a long week.
• Gipson then has four garbage racks scoring a total of 81, while Warner scores with the X and two TWSes in four plays totalling 169. When Gipson bingoes OTARINE (83), she still trails 260-247.
• On her ninth play, Gipson plays JOWLERS (58) through O keeping Y, with all four U's unseen. She draws two of them and has AEEHUUY. Warner fishes a bingo by playing FRIG (16) keeping AERT, but when he then plays EARNESTS he draws the other two U's for NOPRSUU. 392-333 for Warner with 13 in the bag.
• Gipson plays YU (35) keeping AEILR and draws ?L. Will she have a place for a bingo? There are four in the bag; from Warner's point of view the unseen tiles are ??AAEEIILLR. Warner leads 392-368. There are unpromising bingo lanes through C, F, H, N or to a V; a 7lw would need to go under KY, YU.
• Warner plays UPRUNS to block the 7-letter lane, as well as the N, C and H (of PAINCH), but giving Gipson LAURELINg through U and N if she sees it and knows it. 426-368 Warner. The bag's empty, Gipson has one shot at it; Warner has AEEIO on his last rack.

Congratulations to the 2014 European Open Scrabble Champion, Howard Warner (NZL). Warner is Gibsonized for the last round and will face Nicky Vella-Laurenti (MLT), the only person to beat him in the first 21 rounds; Helen Gipson (Sco) and Theresa Brousson (MLT) will play each other at the live board for second and third place.