Sam Cappleman-Lynes

Sam Cappleman-Lynes octochamp statistics
Final position	Runner-up
Seeding	2
Points total	939
Conundrums solved	6

Sam Cappleman-Lynes in Series 82.

Sam Cappleman-Lynes was an octochamp in and the runner-up of Series 82, and a quarter-finalist in Championship of Champions XVI. He was a software developer from Rochdale. He is also an Apterite and a member of c4countdown. His wife, Florence Cappleman-Lynes (also an Apterite), became an octochamp in and the runner-up of Series 84.

Appearances on the show

Heat games

Sam made his debut on 26 August 2020, where his nine-letter word spot of LONICERAS helped him win with an impressive debut score of 114.

The following day: Sam reduced multiple game show contestant, Bernie Kingston, to the lowest ever score in a 15-round game with just five points at the time.

Sam won an additional six games on the trot, including a personal best of 124 points and accumulated an octotal of 939 en route to becoming the sixth octochamp of the series as well as the first since the COVID-19 hiatus. He came up with some very obscure words along the way such as MOWDIES, TAIHOAED and WINDIGO. Clips of his eighth win were shown on Gogglebox on 11 September 2020.

Finals

In his quarter-final, Sam played against Damien Doughty. Sam took an early in the first two letters rounds before Doughty beat him in the first numbers round. Sam eventually broke away by finding MASTIGURE and solving a difficult conundrum of CRAZYLILO to ZIRCALLOY, to prevail with 121 points.

In his semi-final against Leo Smith, both players found REFASHION in the first letters round before Sam established a convincing lead. Smith fought back by beating Sam in three letters rounds, but Sam later spotted one of the then newest additions to the ODP of SEMITONAL to win with 124 points and qualify for the ultimate final against Luke Johnson-Davies – setting up only the second episode in more than 7,000 to feature two contestants bearing double-barrelled surnames, the first being on 28 July 1989 between Derek Stuart-Clark and John Gough-Cooper.

In the grand final, Sam played a close game to Luke with both players scoring in the early rounds. But Luke soon picked up speed and Sam was unable to keep up with his strong word power, although both players found EUTOPIANS. Sam notably gave a complex solution to the second numbers round before bowing out with his first defeat.

Championship of Champions XVI

Sam returned in January 2023 for Championship of Champions XVI.

He played against Matt O'Connor in the last first-round match. The game was closely fought at first with both players equalling each other, but Sam eventually pulled away with grandiose word spots like ALATION and MEIONITE plus an excellent solve to a difficult Round 9 numbers game to secure an eleventh century before the nasty conundrum of RETROSOFA foxed both players. This meant that Sam progressed to the quarter-finals for the next day where his opponent was his wife, Florence.

In an excellent encounter, Sam took an early lead with thanks to TELLINA and DOTAKU but Florence snatched back two rounds of her own with THUMBED and HAPLITES to take the lead herself. This lead was preserved, going into the crucial conundrum that neither player were able to solve which meant that Sam bowed out of the tournament with his wife also holding him to his lowest score of 93 points.

Over thirteen games, Sam managed to score 1,473 points with eleven wins and two losses.

Outside Countdown

As well as having achieved a Top 10 position in the Pro Ranks on Apterous [1] – Sam has also won a game of "Apto Fifteen to One" that was hosted and written by Philip Aston [2].

Sam is an active member of the world of competitive puzzles. He won the UK Sudoku Championships on his first attempt in 2018 followed by a runner-up finish in the same event, the following year. He also came 40th in the 2019 World Sudoku Championships in Germany.

ZoomDown

Sam participated in ZoomDown Series 2 and the second Numberists series of ZoomDown in 2020 and 2021, reaching the semi-finals in the latter.

Preceded by Jamie Wing

Series runner-up Series 82

Followed by Luke Boynton

Episodes

#	Date	Type	Contestant 1	Score	Contestant 2	Presenters				Guest	Lex	Max
7331	26/08/2020	P	Pete Reynolds	33 – 114	Sam Cappleman-Lynes	Nick Hewer	Rachel Riley				Lucy Summers	Nina Hossain	Susie Dent	132
7332	27/08/2020	P	Sam Cappleman-Lynes	117 – 5	Bernie Kingston	Nick Hewer	Rachel Riley				Lucy Summers	Dr Linda Papadopoulos	Susie Dent	131
7333	28/08/2020	P	Sam Cappleman-Lynes	124 – 12	Phil Savage	Nick Hewer	Rachel Riley				Lucy Summers	Dr Linda Papadopoulos	Susie Dent	133
7334	31/08/2020	P	Sam Cappleman-Lynes	121 – 17	Matt Duffy	Nick Hewer	Rachel Riley				Lucy Summers	Dr Linda Papadopoulos	Susie Dent	128
7335	01/09/2020	P	Sam Cappleman-Lynes	123 – 17	Malcolm Slee	Nick Hewer	Rachel Riley				Lucy Summers	Dr Linda Papadopoulos	Susie Dent	134
7336	02/09/2020	P	Sam Cappleman-Lynes	110 – 42	Mike Spencer	Nick Hewer	Rachel Riley				Lucy Summers	Dr Linda Papadopoulos	Susie Dent	122
7337	03/09/2020	P	Sam Cappleman-Lynes	111 – 40	Jay Brown	Nick Hewer	Rachel Riley				Lucy Summers	Paul Zenon	Susie Dent	125
7338	04/09/2020	P	Sam Cappleman-Lynes	119 – 37	Anthony Podmore	Nick Hewer	Rachel Riley				Lucy Summers	Paul Zenon	Susie Dent	140
7408	11/12/2020	QF	Sam Cappleman-Lynes	121 – 71	Damien Doughty	Nick Hewer	Rachel Riley				Lucy Summers	John Inverdale	Susie Dent	133
7412	17/12/2020	SF	Sam Cappleman-Lynes	124 – 83	Leo Smith	Nick Hewer	Rachel Riley				Lucy Summers	Levi Roots	Susie Dent	157
7413	18/12/2020	GF	Luke Johnson-Davies	112 – 95	Sam Cappleman-Lynes	Nick Hewer	Rachel Riley				Lucy Summers	Levi Roots	Susie Dent	135
7929	11/01/2023	CP	Matt O'Connor	78 – 101	Sam Cappleman-Lynes	Colin Murray	Rachel Riley				Lucy Summers	Heather Small	Susie Dent	124
7930	12/01/2023	CQF	Florence Cappleman-Lynes	95 – 93	Sam Cappleman-Lynes	Colin Murray	Rachel Riley				Lucy Summers	Heather Small	Susie Dent	122