Charles Reinke: Undefeated; Charles Reinke's Opponents: Defeated

1st Charles Reinke is going right to work on a winning streak of his own, going 4-0 +286 for what is now eight straight wins.  None of his games were blowouts, but none were exactly close, either: his winning spreads were 65, 67, 74, and 80.  Helen Flores came closest to beating the club leader, losing 375-440 while playing the bingo DESCENT (Charles had GREEDILY and RHETORS [n. a teacher of rhetoric]).  He also handed Richard Lauder his only loss, turning a tight game into a 459-379 victory thanks to a well-timed find of the nine-letter TATTINESS and an immediate draw of ORIENTAL.

2nd Richard Lauder took a well-deserved break from his recent winning ways to "only" go 3-1 +153.  He taught a master class in Scrabble Domination to club-runner-up Thomas Reinke, prevailing 457-338 in that matchup.  Thomas was uncharacteristically held bingoless as Richard laid down three bonus plays: LINGERER, IDOLISM, and the phony SOTTING.  He similarly held another high-scoring expert, Lynda Finn, to a low-for-her 334 and just one bingo, COTERIE.  Richard played NARGILE and GAUNEST and scored 405, a higher number than 334, thus making him the winner. 

3rd Bryan Benwitz took advantage of the night's low attendence to sneak into the top three with a 2-2 +176 record.  He, like Richard, took Thomas Reinke to school, winning 457-348 on the back of his high-scoring plays of SNIFTERS and WEARIES.  Thomas got down PRELATE and GONIDIA (n. GONIDIUM, an asexual reproductive cell).  Bryan also enjoyed a huge 148-point win against Barb Besadny, out-bingoing her three to zip to attain a final score of 434.  Those three bingos were RECITED, OUTSEEN, and SONSIER (adj. SONSY, pleasing to look at, also SONSIE). 

Sue Goldstein Knows Both the Glory of Victory and the Bitterness of Defeat

1st Sue Goldstein finished 2-2 -125, most of the negative spread occurring when her 2-1 record meant that she had to face Thomas Reinke in the final round.  Her big win was a 398-274 drubbing of relative newbie Dave Gilligan in which she played one of her two bingos on the night, RETAINED (the other was REGLAZE against June Scott).