Poll

8 votes (30.76%)
18 votes (69.23%)

26 members have voted

SOOPOO
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March 17th, 2012 at 1:33:38 PM permalink
After 2 puzzles David is in a tie for 8th place overall, is in first place in the 25 and under division. He said he did well on puzzles 3 through 6 but they haven't been graded yet.
MathExtremist
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March 17th, 2012 at 4:20:06 PM permalink
David's moved up to 5th as of right now. BTW, here's an article about Dr. Fill from earlier in the week.
"In my own case, when it seemed to me after a long illness that death was close at hand, I found no little solace in playing constantly at dice." -- Girolamo Cardano, 1563
SOOPOO
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March 18th, 2012 at 8:58:18 AM permalink
After 6 of the 7 puzzles David was in second place. David said the two competitors right behind him finished puzzle 7 quicker than he did, so he expects to finish in 4th place overall, and winning the Junior title, too. Although not official yet, he said he smoked Dr. Fill!
SOOPOO
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March 18th, 2012 at 3:51:36 PM permalink
Its official. David came in 4th place amongst all comers, and defended his Junior championship. He easily outdid Dr. Fill, and now is the proud owner of an "I beat Dr. Fill" button.
WongBo
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March 18th, 2012 at 4:19:23 PM permalink
congratulations to him for doing his part to forestall the robot apocalypse...
In a bet, there is a fool and a thief. - Proverb.
Face
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March 18th, 2012 at 7:16:45 PM permalink
Quote: SOOPOO

Its official. David came in 4th place amongst all comers, and defended his Junior championship. He easily outdid Dr. Fill, and now is the proud owner of an "I beat Dr. Fill" button.



Yay for the locals! Gratz, Son of SOOPOO =)
The opinions of this moderator are for entertainment purposes only.
AcesAndEights
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March 19th, 2012 at 12:54:43 PM permalink
Quote: SOOPOO

Its official. David came in 4th place amongst all comers, and defended his Junior championship. He easily outdid Dr. Fill, and now is the proud owner of an "I beat Dr. Fill" button.


Nice! Looks like all of us over-estimated the computer's skills. Too bad you couldn't make a few bucks on the side :).
"So drink gamble eat f***, because one day you will be dust." -ontariodealer
Ayecarumba
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March 19th, 2012 at 1:25:13 PM permalink
Quote: SOOPOO

Its official. David came in 4th place amongst all comers, and defended his Junior championship. He easily outdid Dr. Fill, and now is the proud owner of an "I beat Dr. Fill" button.



Congratulations to David on his outstanding performance. Are there details about how Fill was programmed with the clues? Did an operator pre-load them prior to the actual start of the competition?
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication - Leonardo da Vinci
SOOPOO
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February 27th, 2013 at 6:30:42 AM permalink
Well.... another year has come and gone.... David is entered in the New York Times Crossword Puzzle championship, which is essentially the world championship. He won the competition for age 25 and under last year, and came in 4th place amongst all comers. The top three have a 'puzzle off' in front of a packed ballroom of around 1500 people at the Brooklyn Marriott. He has been in training, and reports that his times have improved from last year, and he is hoping to crack the top three and get on stage. In his three previous years he has steadily improved, from 30th to 11th to 4th. So, friends, wish David some good fortune (positive variance?). I will be in NYC from March 8 -10 to witness the festivities. Any locals who are interested in getting together send me a pm.
Ahigh
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February 27th, 2013 at 6:33:38 AM permalink
AWESOME!
aahigh.com
SOOPOO
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February 28th, 2013 at 5:08:40 AM permalink
Quote: Ahigh

AWESOME!



It is! And thanks! Considering how many people do crossword puzzles recreationally, probably more than most 'major sports', the denominator is quite high. Last year when he was 4th place I tried thinking who was the 4th best basketball player, 4th best actress, 4th best vocalist, etc.... Knowing my son is included in that list is remarkable. Hopefully when I visit for the Nickolay challenge i will be bringing good news. I'm giving him a 20% chance of making the top 3, and a 5% chance of winning it all......
rxwine
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February 28th, 2013 at 6:39:19 AM permalink
Quote: SOOPOO

It is! And thanks! Considering how many people do crossword puzzles recreationally, probably more than most 'major sports', the denominator is quite high. Last year when he was 4th place I tried thinking who was the 4th best basketball player, 4th best actress, 4th best vocalist, etc.... ....



Bust top 3 and he's in Olympian territory. (I assume by analogy) No pressure!

Anyway, best of luck (and skill)!
There's no secret. Just know what you're talking about before you open your mouth.
SOOPOO
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March 1st, 2013 at 7:07:30 PM permalink
Quote: rxwine

Bust top 3 and he's in Olympian territory. (I assume by analogy) No pressure!

Anyway, best of luck (and skill)!



The top 3 get cash, too. $5,000 for first place. I can't remeber 2nd and 3rd, but I think it is maybe $1000 and $500 or something like that.
teddys
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March 1st, 2013 at 7:35:19 PM permalink
David solving at the 2011 ACPT "B" Finals.
"Dice, verily, are armed with goads and driving-hooks, deceiving and tormenting, causing grievous woe." -Rig Veda 10.34.4
SOOPOO
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March 9th, 2013 at 6:43:28 AM permalink
Quote: teddys

David solving at the 2011 ACPT "B" Finals.



Thanks for the link, Teddy. I am in NYC now, as today is the first day of the NY Times Crossword championship, also called the American Crossword puzzle championship. David is probably starting the event now. There are 6 puzzles today, and I will update the forum on his ranking after the end of day. I won't be seeing him until after the final written puzzle tomorrow morning. If he finishes in the top 3 then he gets to be on stage and try for the $5,000 first prize. I made the odds 20% on him making top 3, then 5% on winning it all. He is probably 90% at retaining his junior title, and 90% at retaining his regional title (he is listed as being from the 'south', as he is in school in Mississippi).
Buzzard
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March 9th, 2013 at 7:51:27 AM permalink
Go DAVID Go !
Shed not for her the bitter tear Nor give the heart to vain regret Tis but the casket that lies here, The gem that filled it Sparkles yet
SOOPOO
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March 9th, 2013 at 11:14:42 AM permalink
Quote: Buzzard

Go DAVID Go !



After the first of 7 puzzles, David is in an 11 way tie for first place. The three competitors who beat him last year are in that same tied grouping.
Buzzard
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March 9th, 2013 at 1:59:12 PM permalink
It's never easy. But then isn't that what being a champion is all about ? I repeat GO DAVID GO>
Shed not for her the bitter tear Nor give the heart to vain regret Tis but the casket that lies here, The gem that filled it Sparkles yet
SOOPOO
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March 9th, 2013 at 8:36:05 PM permalink
6 of 7 puzzles done and David is now in 13th. He was listed in 8th, but apparently one of his puzzles must have been re-graded. A single letter error makes that much of a difference. He now has no chance to make the top 3, and will have to get lucky to break into the top 10. He is still in 1st place amongst juniors (25 and under).
SOOPOO
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March 10th, 2013 at 2:26:39 PM permalink
It's over. David finished in 12th place overall. He won the junior title again, as well as the regional title from the 'south'. He got two trophies. If he performed his best he would have come in 4th place at best. The top 3 are that much better..... He beat 'Dr. Fill' again. The computer finished in 92 place. I'm at JFK now waiting to board to get to VEGAS. Can't wait to see some dice influenced....
rxwine
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March 10th, 2013 at 4:01:46 PM permalink
I wonder how much better the couple top people really are? Maybe they just honed a few extra tricks. Why if you write a letter with one less pencil stroke you potentially shave off time incrementally filling out puzzles so you could move on to the next one.

I know the Jeopardy champions work on speed button pressing and who knows what else.

Is he going to enter again next year?
There's no secret. Just know what you're talking about before you open your mouth.
SOOPOO
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February 27th, 2014 at 5:20:46 AM permalink
Quote: rxwine

I wonder how much better the couple top people really are? Maybe they just honed a few extra tricks. Why if you write a letter with one less pencil stroke you potentially shave off time incrementally filling out puzzles so you could move on to the next one.

I know the Jeopardy champions work on speed button pressing and who knows what else.

Is he going to enter again next year?



He is entering this year. The competition is March 8 and 9 in Brooklyn, NY. If any WoV member is interested in attending the finals, they are doing the final puzzle on Sunday around 11am. I'll be there David thinks he has improved enough that he has a chance for the World Championship. He still is eligible for the under 25 title, which he has won the last 3 years. The best he has done in the overall competition, 2 years ago, was 4th place overall. It seemed like the top 3 were a notch above the other competitors, but David feels he has closed the gap, and with some positive variance he thinks he can win.
For those who want to see him in action, check out his victorious puzzling by googling 'David Plotkin crossword'..
He is also a world class triviaologist, and I will be trying to get him to match wits with the Wiz one day.
SOOPOO
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March 6th, 2014 at 6:12:51 AM permalink
I'm leaving for NYC tomorrow morning. I will post his results on Monday when I get back. Between last post and now, David informed me that his school, University of Florida, won some regional trivia contest, and has qualified for a national competition that will be held in Portland, Oregon. He gets to go all expenses paid. He has beaten the computer both times it has entered the crossword competition. Anyway, lets hope variance is on his side this weekend!
AcesAndEights
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March 6th, 2014 at 8:55:45 AM permalink
Quote: SOOPOO

I'm leaving for NYC tomorrow morning. I will post his results on Monday when I get back. Between last post and now, David informed me that his school, University of Florida, won some regional trivia contest, and has qualified for a national competition that will be held in Portland, Oregon. He gets to go all expenses paid. He has beaten the computer both times it has entered the crossword competition. Anyway, lets hope variance is on his side this weekend!


Good luck to Son of SOOPOO. Will you be coming out to Portland for the trivia contest?
"So drink gamble eat f***, because one day you will be dust." -ontariodealer
SOOPOO
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March 6th, 2014 at 9:27:31 AM permalink
I don't even know when it is. I am not bothering him with 'stuff' until after the crossword competition. It is unlikely the competition will match with a vacation week I have, but if it does, I may make the trip, combined with a stop in Vegas.
SOOPOO
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March 10th, 2014 at 8:27:14 AM permalink
The competition is over.
Son of SOOPOO finished 8th overall, 2nd in the under 25 y/o, and first in the 'south'. His best year was 4th overall. His goal is to crack the top 3, which gets you into a one puzzle playoff, where anything is possible. The champion, now 4 years in a row, seems to be light years better than the rest.
SOOPOO
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March 11th, 2015 at 7:52:13 AM permalink
It is that time of year. Son of SOOPOO, aka David Plotkin, is entering the NY Times world championship of crossword puzzles. He came in 8th last year, after 12th the year before, and a personal best 4th the year before that. He tells me he is constantly improving, as his practice times have gotten better. He gives himself a 10% chance of cracking the top 3, which gets you on stage for a one MFing tough puzzle playoff.
Unfortunately the competition has been moved to Stamford Connecticut, from Brooklyn, to save money. I went last year, but have chosen to go to Vegas this year instead. Which casino will be taking action.....?
dummy
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March 11th, 2015 at 8:43:42 AM permalink
Arthur Wynne will not be attending.
SOOPOO
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March 11th, 2015 at 8:51:32 AM permalink
Quote: dummy

Arthur Wynne will not be attending.



I was not aware of who he was until I wikipediaed him. Coincidentally, Mr. Wynne first lived in Pittsburgh at age 19. A century later David was in Pittsburgh at Carnegie Mellon University. Maybe the karma will propel him to victory.
SOOPOO
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March 30th, 2015 at 6:48:48 AM permalink
Son of SOOPOO, in his last year of eligiblity as a junior, crushed the field, winning each of the 7 puzzles. Amongst all comers he finished in an impressive 9th. He also won 'the South', as he now lives in Florida. His hardware haul thus was 3 trophies. David is very matter of fact, with no braggadocio in him. He has told me his practice time on a computer is now fast enough he can beat a 'hunt and peck' typer, who is supplied the entire filled in puzzle! In other words, he has to solve the puzzle while the opponent just has to copy it!
He also competes in some grad school trivia contests, and once again he led his team to a place in the nationals. That contest will be in Minnesota this year.... I will keep the forum informed.....
SOOPOO
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HugoSlaviaTigerWuAyecarumbatringlomaneBoz
March 19th, 2019 at 2:39:01 PM permalink
Its that time of year again. David is coming off a 3rd place finish last year and is hoping to make it to the finals (top 3) again. The two competitors who bested him last year are big favorites over him. The winner, Erik Agaard, is younger than David and had what is likely the best performance ever on the final puzzle last year to crush David and the second place competitor. I would make Erik a 1-5 favorite.
I regret not going to Stamford last year and will not make that mistake again. Leaving on Friday to hopefully get to watch him on stage on Sunday.

He has beaten Dr. Fill every year by the way.

Wish my boy luck......
TigerWu
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March 19th, 2019 at 2:57:36 PM permalink
Wow, what a cool thing to compete in. I saw a documentary about this years ago. Cool stuff.
beachbumbabs
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March 19th, 2019 at 3:05:25 PM permalink
Quote: SOOPOO

Its that time of year again. David is coming off a 3rd place finish last year and is hoping to make it to the finals (top 3) again. The two competitors who bested him last year are big favorites over him. The winner, Erik Agaard, is younger than David and had what is likely the best performance ever on the final puzzle last year to crush David and the second place competitor. I would make Erik a 1-5 favorite.
I regret not going to Stamford last year and will not make that mistake again. Leaving on Friday to hopefully get to watch him on stage on Sunday.

He has beaten Dr. Fill every year by the way.

Wish my boy luck......



Massive good luck wishes! I hope he gets a good rail all the way to the finals and at least challenges Erik for the win. Maybe you both (mom Soopoo) could come up with another video this year?
If the House lost every hand, they wouldn't deal the game.
Ayecarumba
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tringlomane
March 19th, 2019 at 3:32:46 PM permalink
But can Erik eat a box of doughnuts and run a mile first?

Go David Go!
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication - Leonardo da Vinci
beachbumbabs
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tringlomane
March 23rd, 2019 at 12:06:38 PM permalink
Article about the crossword competition .today and tomorrow. Includes a link at the end to the competition website for anyone following the results.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/local/amp/Jeopardy-champ-Erik-Agard-to-compete-for-second-13709895.php

Good luck, David!

Edit: after 2 puzzles, David is tied for 3rd.
If the House lost every hand, they wouldn't deal the game.
ThatDonGuy
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March 23rd, 2019 at 3:28:54 PM permalink
Looks like he's in third going into tomorrow's final qualifying puzzle. Erik Agard is catching up, but that 195 points he lost for one wrong letter in the first puzzle (150 for a complete solution, 20 for the two words missed, and 25 points off the time bonus) may be too much to overcome; he would have to be two minutes faster than David to pass him.

Direct link to current results
Boz
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March 23rd, 2019 at 4:15:23 PM permalink
The bastard should be disqualified for having Kaepernick looking hair. F him, Go David!
SOOPOO
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March 23rd, 2019 at 6:08:24 PM permalink
Quote: Boz

The bastard should be disqualified for having Kaepernick looking hair. F him, Go David!



I'm there. Erik is a very nice young man. It is hard to root against him. (But I will!). The above analysis is correct. Erik has to beat David by two minutes in the 7th puzzle or David is virtually assured of third place going into the finals. And only the top three make the finals. Maybe this is David's year!
SOOPOO
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March 23rd, 2019 at 6:23:08 PM permalink
Quote: beachbumbabs

Massive good luck wishes! I hope he gets a good rail all the way to the finals and at least challenges Erik for the win. Maybe you both (mom Soopoo) could come up with another video this year?



David told me that there will be a quasi official video uploaded to YouTube sometime after tomorrow's finals.
ThatDonGuy
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March 24th, 2019 at 1:22:26 PM permalink
Update: David finished the qualifying round in third - Erik Agard was one minute ahead of him in the final puzzle, but (a) he needed to be two, and (b) he made another mistake, so he ended up sixth overall.

From a Twitter feed, it looks like Dan Feyer took on all comers with no problem to win the title, with Joon Pahk (who qualified second) second and David third.
SOOPOO
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tringlomane
March 24th, 2019 at 4:31:36 PM permalink
Ty for posting TDG. All true. Feyer was a few minutes ahead of Pahk. Pahk was a few minutes ahead of David. A few minutes is ALOT. When David won the B championship a few years back he won by less than a second. David wins $1000 for third place so nice consolation prize.
I keep reminding him that he is not 3rd place out of 800, but 3rd place out of the billion or so English speakers on the planet.
Son of SOOPOO has done me and his mother proud.
GWAE
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March 24th, 2019 at 4:53:07 PM permalink
3RD is great but I am sure he is disappointed. Maybe next year will be his year.

Is there an age cutoff for this? How long can he participate?
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ThatDonGuy
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March 24th, 2019 at 5:04:31 PM permalink
Quote: GWAE

Is there an age cutoff for this? How long can he participate?


According to the results, there were 15 competitors 80 or order. In fact, the eighth-place finisher is in his sixties.

Too bad he wasn't doing this 20 years or so ago, when there was a $10,000 (winner-take-all) "Random House Crossword Challenge."
It worked something like this:
You bought a book for about $20 (in 1996 dollars, mind you) that contained 50 crossword puzzles - 49 of them were something like 15x15, and the last one was New York Times Sunday level. You also had to figure out a 98-letter message that consisted of two letters from each of the first 49 puzzles, but the instructions didn't say how they were determined. The book also had the solutions to the first 49 puzzles, which seemed strange for a contest.

Did I say "solutions"? Not exactly; each solution had one square with the wrong letter. Both the right and wrong letters in that square were the two letters from that puzzle used in that message. The message said to find a particular-length word in the final puzzle grid (treating it like a word search puzzle), remove two letters, and anagram the rest to form a famous name, then to call a phone number with the answer. I think something like 70 people got the answer; they were sent a tiebreaker puzzle, but with the Down clues arranged alphabetically and without numbers. From there, there was a second tiebreaker puzzle, this time with the Across clues unnumbered; when nobody got it, they were told which of the Across clues had seven-letter answers, then which ones had three-letter answers, then a couple of more clues; three people finally got the answer. However, there does not appear any mention anywhere online as to what happened after that, although I think there was a conference call between the finalists and the book's author.
SOOPOO
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March 24th, 2019 at 5:16:58 PM permalink
Quote: GWAE

3RD is great but I am sure he is disappointed. Maybe next year will be his year.

Is there an age cutoff for this? How long can he participate?



He is NOT disappointed! The two who finished ahead of him are just better, Dan by a lot and Joon by a little. And Erik is the best of them all I think and over time will have the results to prove it. He just made a mistake on the first easy puzzle because he was trying to be the first ever to successfully do that one in less than two minutes. So it was bad strategy and an unnecessary risk. His second error came because he knew he needed to top David by two minutes on puzzle 7 and had nothing to lose.
Anyway, David just aims to be in contention to be in the final 3, and has done so in 3 of the last 4 years. He really has not been close to second on the big stage any of the 3 years. So I would not say he is disappointed. But of course he wants to win.
There is no age limit. But like most 'athletic'? events like this you need a little experience to be your best, then after a certain age your mind slows down. David (29) probably has a few more years to improve. But Erik is younger than David, and Joon is pretty young too. David 'trains' year round, as do the other top competitors.
Who knows what the future will bring, but next year the competition may move back to NYC. If it does, I hope to have a WoV cheering section for him!
DRich
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March 24th, 2019 at 5:47:21 PM permalink
Quote: SOOPOO

He is NOT disappointed!



That is good to hear. I am sure you are incredibly proud of him.

My daughter has finished 5th in the world twice in a much smaller competition and it is incredibly satisfying.
At my age, a "Life In Prison" sentence is not much of a deterrent.
beachbumbabs
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March 24th, 2019 at 9:03:01 PM permalink
Huge congrats to David! Outstanding result!

Fwiw, the poll question: David beat Dr. Fill, the computer. I think it placed 11th or something.

I keep meaning to ask. When they get to the final puzzle, do the 3 start from zero? Or do their preliminary scores carry over?
If the House lost every hand, they wouldn't deal the game.
SOOPOO
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beachbumbabs
March 25th, 2019 at 1:12:25 PM permalink
Quote: beachbumbabs

Huge congrats to David! Outstanding result!

Fwiw, the poll question: David beat Dr. Fill, the computer. I think it placed 11th or something.

I keep meaning to ask. When they get to the final puzzle, do the 3 start from zero? Or do their preliminary scores carry over?



Preliminary scores carry over a teeny bit. David started the last puzzle 12 seconds after Dan and 2 seconds after Joon.
Ayecarumba
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March 25th, 2019 at 3:36:35 PM permalink
Congratulations to David on a podium finish. Amazing work.

SP, do you think there are things that can be done to raise his performance via training? For example, reading more, doing reflex, hand-eye type things, memorizing past puzzles and clues, etc.; or do you believe that David is at his peak potential for this contest?
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SOOPOO
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Ayecarumba
March 25th, 2019 at 5:11:05 PM permalink
Quote: Ayecarumba

Congratulations to David on a podium finish. Amazing work.

SP, do you think there are things that can be done to raise his performance via training? For example, reading more, doing reflex, hand-eye type things, memorizing past puzzles and clues, etc.; or do you believe that David is at his peak potential for this contest?



David does train year round. He does puzzles on line for most of the year to get practice with clues/answers. As it gets closer to the contest he adds paper puzzles because that is the format of the contest. Rather than saying 'memorizing' clues I'd say the top puzzlers 'familiarize' themselves with common letter combinations. If you do enough puzzles you know Yoko is ONO. ALAI follows Jai. And Boston is ENE from NYC. And lord help you if you do not know what a EWER is... Etc.....
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