1st Lynda Finn dethroned the long-reigning Reinke tyranny by finishing 4-1 +491, averaging 451 points per game and playing thirteen total bingos in the process. Her best game was her first one, as she methodically dismantled Richard Lauder, winning by a score of 548-231. A phony DEMEANER* (one who demeans?) stayed on the board, in addition to her three valid bonus plays of TARDIER, ISATINE, and AVIATOR. Another large margin was achieved against Charles Reinke, whom she beat 464-352. Charles had the nine-letter find of INDENTORS in that game, but was stymied by Lynda's INEXACT, OLDNESS, and ADOPTING. Sadly, a perfect 5-0 record was disrupted by the other Reinke; Lynda lost to Thomas 441-466, and it could very well have been a victory for Lynda were it not for Thomas' 106-point phony of BOARLIKE* (OARLIKE, BEARLIKE, and BOATLIKE are all good, and this writer can think of no good reason why we shouldn't just add all animal-related -LIKE words to the dictionary).

2nd Thomas Reinke went 4-1 +422, falling slightly behind first place on spread, but nonetheless averaging an impressive 481 per game. In round one, he asserted his brotherly dominance over Charles Reinke with a comfortable 514-356 win, fueled by bingos of JACINTHS and SORDIDLY. Thomas also easily prevailed against Mark Kenas in the final game of the night, reaching rather alarming heights of scoring with his 575-399 victory. NITINOLS, URANYLIC, and JERRIDS were his bingos in that round. One could consider that victory to be a form of revenge for an earlier loss to the same opponent: in the third round, Mark beat Thomas 460-442, instilling in Thomas feelings of barely-controlled rage which could only be extinguished by a follow-up win.

3rd Bryan Benwitz continued to hold his first-place position in the yearly standings with a 3-1 +368 record. In what seems to be a trend, his best game was his first one, a 555-293 win over Helen Flores. Helen found GARROTTE in that one, but Bryan had ASTERIA and BERLINS and probably a bunch of other high-scoring plays as well. Bryan's closest win was against Dennis Lloyd, 410-373, with both players getting one bingo: SNORERS for Bryan and IRONING for Dennis. A badly-timed phony of BLONDIE* (a type of brownie, but apparently not a Scrabble word) on Dennis' end spelled doom for him (note the pun). Again, Thomas Reinke played spoiler to Bryan's dreams of an undefeated record, as their match ended 406-325 in Thomas' favor. Bryan's play of JUSTIFY for 85 points, while impressive in its use of multiple unhelpful letters (J, U, F, Y), was sadly not enough by itself to take the win.