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Difference between revisions of "Template:FA January"

From Countdown
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[[Image:Countdown letters game.jpg||thumb|right|130px|Example of a letters game.]]
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[[Image:30th Birthday Championship group photo.jpg|right|150px]]
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A '''[[letters game]]''' is one of the 11 rounds during a [[15 round format|15 round game]] in which the contestant chooses 9 letters by selecting either a vowel or a consonant until there is a total of 9 letters. The player in the champions chair chooses 6 letters games and the challenger chooses 5, but gets an extra choice of [[Numbers game|numbers]]. The player can choose the letters in any order, but the selection must include at least 4 consonants and 3 vowels, hence there are only three valid choices in modern Countdown: 3 vowels, 6 consonants; 4 vowels, 5 consonants and 5 vowels, 4 consonants.
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The '''[[30th Birthday Championship]]''' was an eight week long mini-series held to celebrate ''[[Countdown]]'' being broadcast on British television for 30 years. Series producer [[Damian Eadie]] posted details of the tournament on the [[c4countdown]] forum in September 2012, and over 200 former [[contestant]]s expressed their interest in participating. This was whittled down to just 41, spanning 63 of ''Countdown''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s 67 series and including 15 [[series champion]]s. The structure of the mini-series was nine preliminary games followed by a best-of-32 knock-out tournament. Early fallers included: [[Series 46]] champion [[Ben Wilson]], one of only six [[viscount]]s in the history of ''Countdown''; and [[Nick Deller]], a four-times winner in [[Series 28]]. Despite spending 12 years away from ''Countdown'' to focus on playing [[Scrabble]], Deller lost to [[Series 52]] champion [[Mark Tournoff]] by just one point.
  
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When the show was first broadcast, and for a number of years, contestants could choose as many vowels and consonants as they liked, which often led to poor selections where only 4's and 5's were available. Since then the rules have been changed. In the original [[9 round format|9-round format]], there were 6 letters games.
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Notable moments in the first round proper included [[Series 60]] champion [[Kirk Bevins]] scoring [[Episode 5634|130 points]] out of a possible 130, the second [[15 round format|15 round]] [[List of Countdown terminology|perfect game]] in the history of ''Countdown'', and [[Series 63]] champion [[Jack Hurst]] missing out on beating the show's [[List_of_Countdown_records#High_scores|highest ever score]] of 146, after the invalid declaration {{word|spousing}} {{x}} gave him a total of 143. Round 2 included [[Episode 5642|another perfect game]] as [[Series 54]] champion [[Conor Travers]] beat Mark Tournoff by 119 out of 119. The second round also featured two consecutive tie-breaker [[conundrum]]s &ndash; [[David O'Donnell]] unscrambling {{word|BAGOGLORY}} to [[Episode 5644|defeat]] [[Chris Davies]], and Kirk Bevins solving {{word|BARRYDICK}} to [[Episode 5645|claim victory]] over [[Innis Carson]]. The quarter-finals saw [[Jonathan Rawlinson]] and Jack Hurst progress, and contained two more perfect games &ndash; Conor Travers achieved a [[Episode 5650|second on the bounce]], and [[Jon O'Neill]] amassed a perfect [[Episode 5649|122]], the highest ever score with no [[nine-letter word]]s.
  
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A player scores points on a letters game by writing down a valid word within the 30 seconds. This word must be in the current New Oxford English Dictionary, but not a proper noun, nor an abbreviation. Players can use each lettter only once, but can use a letter more than once if it appears more than once in the selection. For example from {{word|EEEECDLST}} the player could play {{word|SELECTED}}, which uses three E's, but there are four E's in the selection. Words score 1 point per letter, but 18 points for a nine-letter word.
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In the [[Episode 5652|first semi-final]], both Rawlinson and Hurst started with the nine-letter word {{word|CATENOIDS}}. Their scores remained level until round 11, when an invalid declaration gave Rawlinson a six point lead. However, this proved insufficient when Hurst unravelled the conundrum {{word|TURNMOIST}} to qualify for the final. The [[Episode 5653|second semi-final]] featured O'Neill and Travers, the men who had achieved perfect games in their quarter-final matches. Aptly, between them they gained maximum points in 28 of the 29 rounds played, and Travers won with his third consecutive perfect game. Early in the [[Episode 5654|tournament final]], Travers gained an 18 point lead after Hurst missed the [[niner]] {{word|PONYTAILS}}. This was immediately followed by two further nines, the first known "ambulance" (9-9-9) in the history of televised ''Countdown''. Travers was able to extend his lead late in the match and won with 146 points, equalling the highest ever score set by [[Julian Fell]]. Travers' prize, a trophy which [[host]] [[Nick Hewer]] referred to as a "priceless piece of kryptonite", was presented by [[Marcel Stellman]]. ('''[[30th Birthday Championship|more...]]''')
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Unlike the game of [[Scrabble]], [[Countdown]] does not allow all nouns to have a plural form. In particular, a mass noun is a noun that that does not logically have a plural, like {{word|GUNFIRE}} or {{word|HEALTH}} -- in standard English they would rarely be used in the plural. This system has been the cause of some controversy and confusion. Since the start of [[Series 49]], the rules have been refined to allow the plural of some mass nouns; for example, {{word|CONGEES}} was allowed in [[Series 58]] because it was argued that one could ask for "two congees". Again this rule has been enforced with some inconsistency, and words like {{word|OPALINES}} and {{word|CARMINES}} have been allowed on some occasions and not others.
 
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Revision as of 18:15, 3 March 2013

30th Birthday Championship group photo.jpg

The 30th Birthday Championship was an eight week long mini-series held to celebrate Countdown being broadcast on British television for 30 years. Series producer Damian Eadie posted details of the tournament on the c4countdown forum in September 2012, and over 200 former contestants expressed their interest in participating. This was whittled down to just 41, spanning 63 of Countdown's 67 series and including 15 series champions. The structure of the mini-series was nine preliminary games followed by a best-of-32 knock-out tournament. Early fallers included: Series 46 champion Ben Wilson, one of only six viscounts in the history of Countdown; and Nick Deller, a four-times winner in Series 28. Despite spending 12 years away from Countdown to focus on playing Scrabble, Deller lost to Series 52 champion Mark Tournoff by just one point.

Notable moments in the first round proper included Series 60 champion Kirk Bevins scoring 130 points out of a possible 130, the second 15 round perfect game in the history of Countdown, and Series 63 champion Jack Hurst missing out on beating the show's highest ever score of 146, after the invalid declaration spousing ☓ gave him a total of 143. Round 2 included another perfect game as Series 54 champion Conor Travers beat Mark Tournoff by 119 out of 119. The second round also featured two consecutive tie-breaker conundrums – David O'Donnell unscrambling BAGOGLORY to defeat Chris Davies, and Kirk Bevins solving BARRYDICK to claim victory over Innis Carson. The quarter-finals saw Jonathan Rawlinson and Jack Hurst progress, and contained two more perfect games – Conor Travers achieved a second on the bounce, and Jon O'Neill amassed a perfect 122, the highest ever score with no nine-letter words.

In the first semi-final, both Rawlinson and Hurst started with the nine-letter word CATENOIDS. Their scores remained level until round 11, when an invalid declaration gave Rawlinson a six point lead. However, this proved insufficient when Hurst unravelled the conundrum TURNMOIST to qualify for the final. The second semi-final featured O'Neill and Travers, the men who had achieved perfect games in their quarter-final matches. Aptly, between them they gained maximum points in 28 of the 29 rounds played, and Travers won with his third consecutive perfect game. Early in the tournament final, Travers gained an 18 point lead after Hurst missed the niner PONYTAILS. This was immediately followed by two further nines, the first known "ambulance" (9-9-9) in the history of televised Countdown. Travers was able to extend his lead late in the match and won with 146 points, equalling the highest ever score set by Julian Fell. Travers' prize, a trophy which host Nick Hewer referred to as a "priceless piece of kryptonite", was presented by Marcel Stellman. (more...)

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