During this game, Robin Pollack Daniel has been taking photos between challenges. Everyone is quite tired and ready to wrap up today's steady diet of SCRABBLE.

Peter Teitelbaum was the first contestant to turn in a game slip. John Chew remarked that this was a first as Peter's son, Jakob, almost always turned in a slip first. Pete said, "I rushed though my game so I could tell him I was done in 9 1/2 minutes." Paul Sidorsky lost to Pete this round, 361-482. In their game, Pete played QuITCH for 50 and then back-to-back bingos: ROUTInES followed by FINERIES through an open second E. Paul got down ENTAILS.

Linda Gomes is making up for lost time, beating Len Borer by a bunch, 482-361.

Robin just took a challenge for Table 1. Jim Nanavati, holding the natural, but unplayable QUARTER, tried CARQUE. Joel Wapnick challenged and the play came up. Their game ended 433-345, in Joel's favor. VARIATED and ENLARGED were Joel's bingos and Jim got down BALaNCE. Jim said, "Once I played that bingo, the game became interesting." Joel responded, "too interesting."

Wendy McGrath defeated Gene Rawlins, 377-303. She played both of the game's bingos: ADJUNcTS and SECLUdED. Across the room, Joe Peters won his game against Danny Panganiban, 400-310. Joe got down GEnERATE.

James Cherry, now 8-3, defeated Glenn Mosher 7-4, in a very close 378-375 game. Glenn played PATENTEd and AROUSALS, while James played CAnOODLE, DIASTER, and the lovely ZEBECK.

In her game against Marilyn Murray, Lisa Kessler played the two- blank triple bingo of STiLLeR. She specifically chose those blanks in the hopes of picking DI and making another triple with DISTiLLER. She never got that specific combo and ended up losing the game 314-335.

Bernard Gotlieb, ending the day 6-5, eked out a win against Jakob Teitelbaum, who ends the day with 4 wins. I spy aDVENTS, JAPED, and MOBILE on their board.

Having just won his last three games, a smiling David Boys said, "I'm 7-4, and in the same position Adam was in two years ago when he went on to win; unfortunately so is Adam . . . ." In speculating what it will take to qualify as a finalist, David said, "It is unlikely that two people will end up with more than 13 wins, perhaps one person, but the way the standings are now, I doubt that."

Moments later, Adam Logan told John Chew, "Fortunately I've reduced this problem (ending today at 7-4) to one I've already solved."

The zooming Shaun Goatcher won all his games today and is currently on an 8-game winning streak! He ends today 9-2.

Andrew Golding, in his ongoing "spread" analysis, points out that he almost caught up to Albert Hahn, who is 8-3 +693. He even jokingly boasted before this last round that "unless Hahn won his game by more than 150, [he] would catch up with him." Well, Albert did win his last game by more than 150 and Andrew, at 7- 4 +655, remains second in positive spread. Needless to say, out of the 6 others with the same wins, Andrew is the highest standing 7- win contestant.