top of page
Answer - REPS (M9)

There are no bingos with EGINPRT so you have to go out in two moves.  Luckily, your opponent's longest word is KUFI and she can't go out either. Unfortunately, there's no way of reaching the double word score at B14 from B10 - PERI is no good because REL is bad and GENIP is no good because NEL is bad.  Neither can you do anything really good with the double word score at M13, even with OPA/ORA, SEL, and ITS/INS available, because the letter at M13 has to be an I.  The key is to block KEFS at M9 for 35, which is a crushing play.  The two best ways of blocking KEFS are PEN at J11 for 23 or REPS at M9 for 18.  [You can also play TING at L13 for 17, leaving PER for B9, but that can be blocked.]  Because PEN leaves you TRIG, which doesn't go out for any more than 9, you need to play REPS, which leaves you TINGE for 19 at B6.  Your opponent's best play with KEX/KEFS blocked is KUFI at B2, which is 22, with 4 deducted for D left on her rack, for a net gain of 18.  [DIK at B13 is more points (26) but has a more expensive leave (10), for a net gain of only 16.]  That leaves her on 441, and your 18 for REPS and 19 for TINGE leaves you on 442, with 4 points for the D left on her rack for 446. 

Scrabble Asheville.jpg
bottom of page