SCRABBLE - The Last Word Newsletter

2 0 1 3 N S C D I V I S I O N 4 W I N N E Rtournament did he not rebound from a loss with a victory. Thirteen of his 24 wins came by tripledigits, while three of his seven losses were by ten points or fewer, so if anything, his 24-7 mark (.774winning percentage) may have been a bit unlucky.“Day three, I went 4-3 with some really tough games, where I lost by 3 and 8,” he said. “I figured thecompetition would get stiffer at top, playing the top people again and again and again.”A 12-2 start gave Moglen the space to weather those close losses, as he stood alone in first after a7-0 first day, and would rank no lower than third the rest of the way. Moglen credits the computerprogram Zyzzyva and his Davis clubmates – including Seitzer, Nikhil Joshi, Heidi Hugli, and JackNorman – for preparing him well, enabling him to hit the ground running and build a critical lead.“I thought I would be top ten maybe, but I didn’t have any expectations,” Moglen said of his mindsetheading into the event. “I’d played in the Berkeley and Reno [Western States] tournaments, but thiswas my first Nationals and I didn’t know what the competition would be like.”Moglen mentioned two plays of which he was especially proud. In an early game, his OVERLATEscored major points as a double-double, and drew an unsuccessful challenge to boot. Later on, withthe majority-vowel rack of ADEELNO, Moglen found a free M and played LEMONADE.“I learned a lot of words and I learned a lot about SCRABBLE,” Moglen said. “I learned the endgame is so crucial. Regardless of what happens during the game, the decisions you make in theend game are going to decide the outcome.”For his 31-match run of success in the end game – not to mention the pre-endgame, the midgameand the early going -- The Last Word congratulates Daniel Moglen, your 2013 Division 4 champion.L-R: Phil Seitzer faces Daniel Moglen at Table 1 in one of their five matches. (Photocourtesy of Patricia Hocker, NASPA) 27