From: Dina Bennett <bennettd@ERE.UMontreal.CA>
Date: Tue, 3 Feb 1998 19:53:17 -0500
Subject: RE: Consensus Game #1, Move #5
Message-id: <01BD30E3.FB737840.bennettd@ERE.UMontreal.CA>

-----Original Message-----
From:	rgb5@cornell.edu [SMTP:rgb5@cornell.edu]
Sent:	February 3, 1998 11:00 AM
To:	crossword-games-pro@MIT.EDU
Subject:	Consensus Game #1, Move #5
.
Here's my projected outcome matrix:

We play:         CoCOUNSEL              CUlLIONS, SULFONiC or COUSINLy
                 (74)                   (72)      (74)        (72)
Opponent:

Has S            Tie game, non-         Opp uses h1 tws, keeps S,
                 volatile board         significant edge for opponent.

No S             We keep small          Approximately tied game if
                 lead, one step         opponent can use h1 tws.  We
                 ahead in race          do have slight edge in race
                 for esses.             for esses.

Honestly, I think CoCOUNSEL is a no brainer.  The only "argument"
I have seen against it is, "don't like the new -S hook at l5".
There are much juicier -S hooks on this board already.

[David Boys] I think that if Oppnent Has an S that s/he will more than likely use it to take a hotspot down low regardless of which bingo we play, and any opening up top becomes ours first. Cullions and cocounsel are roughly equal as far as 1h openings go, with cousinly somewhat more likely to lead to "easy points" for opponent. I also dont think the S hook is inconsequential just becuz there are currently better spots for one. If we are slight underdogs for the first S, we are also for the second. I would rather take my chances on the "ns'" than create the s hook.

I also dont like to play "s-dependent boards" unless I already have one! Placing a couple of nice letters out there slightly reduces the relative value of the remaining esses by improving the value of the board. Cocounsel increases the value of the remaining esses, which our opponent is slightly more likely to get.

sticking with cullions

daveboys