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Mark Tournoff was the champion of Series 52, and runner-up in Championship of Champions XII. He won eight heat games to become an octochamp, with high scores of 117 and 111 and an average of just over 101 points, securing his place in the 800 club. Upon his return for the quarter finals, Tournoff trounced John Gray 138 – 73, setting the second-highest ever score in the process. Victory in a close fought semi final against Jack Welsby saw Tournoff set up a grand final appearance against #1 seed Paul Gallen. The game looked like a certain victory for Gallen, who led for 14 rounds. However, misspelling miriad ☓ in the final letters game let his adversary in for a crucial conundrum, which Tournoff solved after 27 seconds to come from behind and win the series.
The twelfth Championship of Champions saw Tournoff make a comfortable start, easing past Steve Graston by 119 points to 83. However, his quarter final against Matthew Shore was arguably one of the closest games in the history of the programme. Neither player ever led by more than ten points, and Tournoff solved the crucial conundrum SILLYQUOO to win the epic game 124 – 117. This game set two records: the highest ever losing score, and the highest aggregate score of 241. Tournoff won his semi final against Paul Howe to set up a rematch against Paul Gallen, who gained revenge by winning the tournament on yet another crucial conundrum, and narrowly missing out on a perfect game.
Tournoff remains an active member of the Countdown community. He has written a book about his experiences on the programme, titled Crucial - A Champion's Tale, and he has taken part in several unofficial tournaments. (more...)
