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WSC 2009 Commentary: Round 10

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Go to: Round 1, Round 2, Round 3, Round 4, Round 5, Round 6, Round 7, Round 8, Round 9, Round 10, Round 11, Round 12, Round 13, Round 14, Round 15, Round 16, Round 17, Round 18, Round 19, Round 20, Round 21, Round 22, Round 23, Round 24.

With Wilma temporarily out of the room, I get to make my first rules adjudication of the event. Phil Robertshaw (Eng), playing Suanne Ong (MYS), accidentally spills all five tiles out of the bag. Two end up on the table, two on his thigh, and one eventually turns up on the floor. I check the rules: WESPA does not have the NASPA rule explicitly excusing players from an overdraw penalty in this situation. As I usually do in ruling in grey areas, I suggest what seems fair to me (tiles go back into the bag unseen, no penalty) and ask the players to confirm that they think it's fair. Phil asks me if I could take the tiles from him while he's considering the issue. Brief awkwardness ensues, as I consider asking if he would prefer a female director to search his thighs for tiles. The players agree with my ruling and play continues.

David Boys (CAN) is momentarily in first place for the first time in the tournament, after another close win, 447-421 over Andrew Fisher (AUS). He says "This is starting to be fun." as he drops off his result slip. He remains in the lead as the rest of the results come in, but there are an amazing seven other players at 8-2, ranging from +763 down to +454: Nigel Richards (Wsc), Geoff Thevenot (USA), Dave Wiegand (USA), Andrew Fisher (AUS), Paul Allan (Eng), Wellington Jighere (NGA), and Nick Ball (USA).

Harshan Lamabadusuriya (Eng) came to me with an interesting position in his game with Martin Harrison (Eng). Look for it in the photos section, with a solution in next round's commentary.