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Commentary: Round 9

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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, Round 33, Round 34, Round 35, Round 36, Round 37, Round 38, Round 39, Round 40, Round 41, Round 42, After the Tournament.

Round 9 Auto-Commentary

Nigel Richards (NZL) stays in the lead for the 3rd consecutive round, 9-0 +1489, on a 9-game winning streak. Chinedu Okwelogu (NGA) is +740, on a 9-game winning streak, steady at #2. Komol Panyasophonlert (THA) is 1 game behind at 8-1 +1232, #3 climbing from #6. Rex Ogbakpa (NGA) is +1209, on an 8-game winning streak, #4 climbing from #5. Piotr Andronowski (Sco) is +782, on a 7-game winning streak, #5 up from #8. Nsikan Solomon Etim (NGA) is 1.5 games behind the leader at 7.5-1.5 +821, #6 sliding from #3. David Eldar (AUS) is +413, #7 rising from #9.

In Class B: Raymond Gbaraba (NGA) is the lead, 7-2 +312, on a 4-game winning streak. Ralph Owusu (GHA) is 1.5 games behind at 5.5-3.5 +192, #17 rising from #18. Solomon Lephoto (ZAF) is +101, #18 climbing from #19. Ashley Willenberg (ZAF) is 2 games behind the leader at 5-4 -125, #21 dropping from #16. Fern Wheelwright (ZAF) is -310, #22 climbing from #27.

High Win: Dylan Early (ZAF) 603-355 vs. Chrys Placca (GHA). Low Win: Gwen Rea (ZAF) 373-351 vs. Kay Faust (USA). High Loss: Gary Birch (ZAF) 444-464 vs. Ata Sonday (ZAF). Low Loss: Andrew Goldberg (ZAF) 276-516 vs. Raymond Gbaraba (NGA).

In the much-anticipated last Board 1 game of the day, between countrymen Chinedu Okwelogu (NGA) and Olobatoke Aka (NGA), started off quickly as the players worked through the JKQXZ to good effect. Chinedu got a bingo's worth more points out of them than Toke did, and kept his lead after his SACATON and Toke's OPERATOR. The final score would have been much closer, had Chinedu not found the beautiful outplay TITUPED/CH-I/WO-T/EME-U for 92 plus 10 off Toke's rack.

At the end of the round robin phase and the first day of play, all but one of the top ten seeds are in the top ten, and Jesse Day (USA) is well positioned in 14th place. Two players remain undefeated (Nigel Richards (NZL) and Chinedu Okwelogu (NGA)), and only one player is winless Kay Faust (USA)). Komol Panyasophonlert (THA) lost one game to organising committee member Denise Le Bron (ZAF), Rex Ogbakpa (NGA) to Chinedu Okwelogu (NGA), Nsikan Solomon Etim (NGA) to Komol, Piotr to Bright Idahosa (NGA), and David Eldar (AUS) to Raymond Gbaraba (NGA).

The top South African player is 17th seed Denise Le Bron (ZAF), who is hanging onto 15th place, despite having gone almost 18 years since her last internationally rated event.

Tomorrow morning, the top four will begin the day playing 1-4/2-3 followed by 1-2/3-4, and the rest of the highest contenders will effectively play king-of-the-hill, while it'll be Swiss without repeats further down the field. By the first morning tea break, there will be at most one undefeated player left.

Thanks to Gwen Rea (ZAF), for again contributing a large number of professional quality photos of the event today.

In response to a request on Scrabble Snippetz by Allan Simmons, here's the standings after nine rounds, broken up by initial pairing group.

Gp Rnk Won-Lost  Sprd OldR NewR +-R C Player                           Last Game
 A   1 9.0-0.0  +1489 2231 2235  +4 A Richards, Nigel (#1/NZL)         2W:438-405:#8
 A   8 7.0-2.0  +1143 2163 2150 -13 A Jighere, Wellington (#4/NGA)     2L:328-536:#9
 A  13 6.0-3.0   +402 1783 1779  -4 A Dangoor, Elie (#15/Eng)          2L:359-420:#13
 A  15 6.0-3.0   -284 1751 1774 +23 A Le Bron, Denise (#17/ZAF)        1W:409-384:#12
 A  22 5.0-4.0   -310 1471 1495 +24 B Wheelwright, Fern (#25/ZAF)      1W:474-305:#22
 A  25 4.0-5.0   -173 1420 1432 +12 B Rayner, Howard (#30/ZAF)         1W:469-381:#36
 A  30 3.0-6.0    +51 1000 1055 +55 B Kibet, Moses (#42/ZAF)           1W:395-373:#45
 A  36 2.0-7.0   -365 1508 1476 -32 A Hossy, Debbe (#23/ZAF)           1L:366-392:#20
 A  38 2.0-7.0   -710 1280 1274  -6 B Cameron, Kathy (#36/ZAF)         2L:381-469:#30
 A  44 1.0-8.0   -911  922  933 +11 B Botha, Mary (#45/ZAF)            2L:373-395:#42

 B   2 9.0-0.0   +740 1968 1995 +27 A Okwelogu, Chinedu (#10/NGA)      1W:529-353:#18
 B   5 8.0-1.0   +891 2040 2041  +1 A Etim, Nsikan Solomon (#6/NGA)    2L:333-588:#3
 B  14 6.0-3.0   +292 2004 1988 -16 A Day, Jesse (#8/USA)              1L:405-438:#1
 B  16 5.5-3.5   +533 1887 1872 -15 A Edwin-Mugisha, Phillip (#11/UGA) 2L:422-490:#7
 B  21 5.0-4.0   -125 1457 1469 +12 B Willenberg, Ashley (#26/ZAF)     2L:384-428:#29
 B  24 4.0-5.0    -91 1777 1737 -40 A Placca, Chrys (#16/GHA)          2L:355-603:#14
 B  28 4.0-5.0   -592 1000 1076 +76 B Nortier, Jackie (#41/ZAF)        2L:302-488:#43
 B  33 3.0-6.0   -342 1392 1363 -29 B Birch, Gary (#31/ZAF)            2L:444-464:#35
 B  40 2.0-7.0   -925 1000 1024 +24 B Bagg, Sheba (#43/ZAF)            1W:488-302:#41
 B  46 0.0-9.0  -1018  545  545  +0 B Faust, Kay (#46/USA)             1L:351-373:#40

 C   4 8.0-1.0  +1209 1986 1996 +10 A Ogbakpa, Rex (#9/NGA)            1W:536-328:#4
 C   9 7.0-2.0   +915 2195 2183 -12 A Wiegand, Dave (#2/USA)           2L:390-422:#5
 C  10 7.0-2.0   +792 1808 1818 +10 A Ikolo, Anthony (#13/NGA)         1W:420-359:#15
 C  18 5.0-4.0   +334 1806 1787 -19 A Early, Dylan (#14/ZAF)           1W:603-355:#16
 C  19 5.0-4.0   +121 1615 1603 -12 A Garba, Sulaiman Gora (#20/NGA)   2W:392-366:#23
 C  27 4.0-5.0   -217 1563 1555  -8 A Jegels, Llewellin (#21/ZAF)      2L:322-378:#24
 C  32 3.0-6.0   -295 1526 1501 -25 A Munkonge, Mwenya (#22/ZMB)       2L:305-474:#25
 C  34 3.0-6.0   -356 1372 1371  -1 B Davids, Gerald (#32/ZAF)         1L:364-434:#34
 C  41 1.0-8.0   -666 1148 1131 -17 B Rea, Gwen (#40/ZAF)              2W:373-351:#46
 C  43 1.0-8.0   -885 1451 1398 -53 B Field, Pam (#27/ZAF)             1W:501-362:#19

 D   3 8.0-1.0  +1232 2165 2162  -3 A Panyasophonlert, Komol (#3/THA)  1W:588-333:#6
 D   6 8.0-1.0   +782 2009 2008  -1 A Andronowski, Piotr (#7/Sco)      1W:490-422:#11
 D   7 8.0-1.0   +658 2153 2152  -1 A Eldar, David (#5/AUS)            1W:422-390:#2
 D  11 7.0-2.0   +312 1450 1535 +85 B Gbaraba, Raymond (#28/NGA)       1W:516-276:#33
 D  12 6.0-3.0   +494 1843 1826 -17 A Idahosa, Bright (#12/NGA)        2L:384-409:#17
 D  17 5.5-3.5   +101 1433 1479 +46 B Lephoto, Solomon (#29/ZAF)       1W:428-384:#26
 D  20 5.0-4.0    -53 1484 1521 +37 B Owusu, Ralph (#24/GHA)           1W:378-322:#21
 D  23 4.0-5.0   +235 1656 1640 -16 A Aka, Olobatoke (#18/NGA)         2L:353-529:#10
 D  26 4.0-5.0   -174 1362 1396 +34 B Goldberg, Andrew (#33/ZAF)       2L:276-516:#28
 D  29 4.0-5.0   -596 1300 1331 +31 B Sonday, Ata (#35/ZAF)            1W:464-444:#31
 D  31 3.0-6.0   -288 1645 1610 -35 A Jack, Mpakaboari (#19/NGA)       2L:362-501:#27
 D  35 3.0-6.0   -390 1359 1360  +1 B Keet, Duncan (#34/ZAF)           2W:434-364:#32
 D  37 2.0-7.0   -475  952  983 +31 B Brey, Zubeida (#44/ZAF)          1L:283-450:#38
 D  39 2.0-7.0   -754 1254 1236 -18 B Parker, Carol (#37/ZAF)          1W:386-353:#39
 D  42 1.0-8.0   -719 1208 1195 -13 B Ensor, Susan (#39/AUS)           2L:353-386:#37
 D  45 1.0-8.0  -1012 1245 1214 -31 B Palm, Joy (#38/ZAF)              2W:450-283:#44