Throwing SHADE

Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for yesterday. 

Wordle 1,006 3/6

🟩🟩⬜⬜🟩 SHONE    8 WL

⬜⬜🟨🟨🟨 PLEAD      1 WL

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 SHADE

WordleBot

Skill 99/99

Luck 85/99

Streak 757

Today’s game is an excellent example of why I will *never* play in Hard mode.  Normally, I would think of matching three letters in their correct positions on Guess #1 as being a fantastic opportunity to solve quickly.  But when the letters are SH—E, it becomes a rather dangerous opportunity.  For me, this situation demands that discretion become the better part of valor — and playing in Hard mode would essentially eliminate Skill from the equation, turning play into a guessing game.

By holding back on my tendency toward aggressive play for Guess #2, I was able to give myself a shot at a Checkmate 3 — although ending up with a 5 was not out of the question.  I used PLEAD for Guess #2 (The Bot preferred ARMED — but said PLEAD was one of its “top picks”) and luck was with me.  I now knew A & D were included in the solution — and only one word remained.  I played SHADE and watched happily as all the letters turned green.  I beat The Bot (3 vs 4) and the (current) NYT avg (by more than a full guess, 3 vs 4.2). 

Take care and stay safe.

The Dreaded *INGO Trap

Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for yesterday.

Wordle 1,005 4/6

⬜⬜🟨🟨⬜ SHONE    67 WL

🟨⬜⬜🟨⬜ GATOR      6 WL

⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 BINGO       2 WL

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 LINGO

WordleBot

Skill 99/99

Luck 42/99

Streak 756

I really wanted to shout out “BINGO!” this morning — but it was not to be.  Guess #1 revealed O & N (both out of position) and I went with The Bot’s favorite word in that scenario (GATOR) for Guess #2.  That showed me a third letter (G, out of position) but I still didn’t know where anything was placed.  The first word that came to mind that would place N, G & O in positions they hadn’t yet been tried was BINGO.  I had high hopes — but when the first letter didn’t change color, I knew the game was still afoot.  And I was faced with the DINGO / LINGO coin flip.  Surprisingly, I did win that flip (I suspect my win percentage on coin flips for Guess #4 is better than for Guess #3 — although I have no evidence) and LINGO turned all the letters green.  I lost to The Bot but bested the (current) NYT avg (4 vs 4.2). 

In non-Wordle news, after nearly a year of spending extensive amounts of time and cash at my dentist's office, my new front tooth (read: dental implant) is in place and looking fantastic.  It was a long road —but worth the effort, I think.  Kudos to all the folks at Jamestowne South Dental in Southfield, MI and especially my dentist, Dr. Peter Cracchiolo Jr.

Take care and stay safe.

"The Dude ABIDEs..."

Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for yesterday.

Wordle 1,004 3/6

⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 SHONE   193 WL

⬜⬜🟨🟨⬜ TRAIL          3 WL

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ABIDE

WordleBot

Skill 85/99

Luck 61/99

Streak 755

The Coen Brothers served me well this morning.  Guess #1 revealed only E as the last letter and Guess #2 provided A & I (both out of position).  My first thought was to try moving those two letters to positions 2 & 3 — but the first words that came to mind either couldn’t be the solution based on eliminated letters (like RAISE) or were previously used (MAIZE).  Then I began to look at words starting with A — and ABIDE immediately leapt out at me.  I quickly played it as Guess #3 and watched all the letters turn green.  I didn’t know until later that it had been a coin flip between ABIDE and WAIVE.  I tied The Bot and bested the (current) NYT avg (3 vs 3.7).  My current Under Par streak is now 5 days.

I’ve still not received any feedback from the WordleBot Police regarding the theft of my correct data for Game #999 on March 14.  I solved in 2 guesses - but WordleBot now shows my score as 3.  It appears I will need to reach out via other means to The Powers That Be. 

Take care and stay safe.

How is that SPELT?

Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for yesterday.

Wordle 1003 3/6

🟩⬜⬜⬜🟨 SHONE   59 WL

🟨🟨🟩⬜🟩 PLEAT       1 WL

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 SPELT

WordleBot

Skill 99/99

Luck 74/99

Streak 754

Turned up lots of letters on my first two guesses which led to a quick Checkmate Three today, on a word that seems to have upset some folks.  I was lucky that there was no room for speculation on Guess #3 since:  I knew all five letters from my first two guesses, knew the positions of Letters 1, 3 & 5, knew P & L had to fill in Letters 2 & 4 AND — knew L *wasn’t* Letter 2.  Since SPELT *had* to be the solution based on my results from the first two guesses, I typed it in and watched all the letters turn green.  I tied The Bot and bested the (current) NYT avg (3 vs 3.8).  Not a bad way to start the work week. 

Take care and stay safe.

Care for a SNORT?

Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for yesterday.

Wordle 1002 2/6

🟩⬜🟩🟨⬜ SHONE   9 WL

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 SNORT

WordleBot

Skill 76/99

Luck 93/99

Streak 753

Well, let’s hope The Bot doesn’t try to cheat me out of a second Deuce in the last 4 days.  Guess #1 provided beaucoup letters today —  S & O (as Letters 1 & 3, respectively) plus N (out of position).  I didn’t know it at the time — but only 9 solutions remained.  I decided to go with a word starting SNO— for Guess #2.  Between SNORT & SNOWY, I decided to try SNORT since R & T are such frequently occurring letters.  Luck was with me and I watched all the letters turn green for a Deuce.  I defeated both The Bot (2 vs 3) and the (current) NYT avg (2 vs 3.8). 

I’ve not received any feedback from the WordleBot Police regarding the theft of my correct data for Game #999 on March 14.  I solved in 2 guesses - but WordleBot now shows my score as 3.  Other than that, my weekend was fantastic. 

Take care and stay safe.

The TOXIN Avenger?

Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for yesterday.

Wordle 1001 3/6

⬜⬜🟨🟨⬜ SHONE   67 WL

⬜⬜🟨🟨⬜ GATOR      5 WL

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 TOXIN

WordleBot

Skill 99/99

Luck 58/99

Streak 752

Good to get back Under Par this morning since today’s game featured an unusual word.  Guess #1 showed me the O & N (both out of position) and almost 70 solutions remained.  Guess #2 gave me T (out of position) — but I still didn’t have O in the right place.  Luckily for me, uncontrollable record-keeping swung into action.  My play during Game #760 (TONIC on 7/18/2023) revealed that 3 of the 5 remaining solutions had been previously used — so it was down to JUNTO & TOXIN.  While neither of these words held great appeal for me, one was far more familiar.  I played TOXIN for Guess #3 and watched all the letters turn green.  I tied The Bot with my 3 and bested the (current) NYT avg (3 vs 3.9). 

Has anyone else noticed the phenomenon of selecting to see WordleBot after playing — and still seeing the choice to play that day’s Game?  Choosing to “Compare and recent scores” allows me to confirm WordleBot knows I’ve played — but this behavior seems related to changes initiated for Wordle 1000.

Another side Note:  WordleBot seems to have lost the correct info for my Game #999 on March 14.  I solved in 2 guesses - but WordleBot now shows my score as 3.  Anyone else notice problems with their data for that game displaying incorrectly?  I sent an inquiry to the WB team but haven’t heard back yet. 

Hope you're having a fine weekend. 

Take care and stay safe.

Wordle 1000: Words ERUPT

Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for yesterday.

Wordle 1000 4/6

⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 SHONE  496 WL

🟨🟩⬜⬜⬜ TRAIL          4 WL

🟩🟩⬜⬜🟩 ERECT         1 WL

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ERUPT 

WordleBot

Skill 99/99

Luck 44/99

Streak 751

I was due for an ordinary result after my deuce yesterday — and it just happened to fall on 1K Day.

Guess #1 showed me only the E (out of position, almost 500 solutions remaining) but Guess #2 was more helpful, providing T (out of position) and R (in position as Letter 2).  My hunch was that today’s solution either started with ER— or ended with —ET.  None of the —ET words struck my FANCY (not yet used a solution), so my favorites were ERECT & ERUPT.  Feeling that erection should come before eruption, I played ERECT for Guess #3 — and (not surprisingly) lost that coin flip.  But ERECT turned all the letters green.  I tied The Bot with my four — but was bested by the (current) NYT avg (3.7 vs 4).  Hope you're having a fantastic day.  

Take care and stay safe.

Ever SINCE I got back from vacation...

Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for yesterday.

Wordle 999 2/6

🟩⬜⬜🟨🟩   7 WL

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

WordleBot

Skill 87/99

Luck 93/99

Streak 750

And to think — I almost wimped out and went for the guaranteed 3!

Guess #1 shared the bounty of S & E (in position, as the first and last letters) and N (out of position, destined for either Letter 2 or 3).   Based on my (nearly infallible) record-keeping from Game #983 (SENSE on 2/27/2024), I knew that only 7 solutions remained — and 3 of those were previously used.  Instead of playing CRISP (for a "sure thing" 3), I threw caution to the winds and played SINCE.  It was a happy sight to watch all the letters turn green.  I’ve been Under Par 9 out of the last 10 days, beat The Bot again (2 vs 3), and bested the (current) NYT avg (2 vs. 3.7).  It's the BIG 1K tomorrow.

Take care and stay safe.

LOCAL Hero

Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for yesterday.

Wordle 998 3/6

⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜    193 WL

⬜🟩🟨🟩⬜        5 WL

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

WordleBot

Skill 99/99

Luck 60/99

Streak 749

My strong play continues since returning from vacation toward the end of last month — and the weather has been unusually warm (for the most part) as well.  Let the good times roll, I say.

Guess #1 provided only the O (out of position) and nearly 200 remaining solutions.  But Guess #2 showed me that O was Letter 2 - and gave me two more letters, L (out of position) and A (in position, as Letter 4).  My thorough Wordle record-keeping served me in good stead, as my play from Game #829 (LOYAL on 9/26/2023) showed that only 5 solutions remained — and 2 of those were previously used.  I had even included a note to try LOCAL as Guess #3.  Viewing myself as a credible source of information, I played LOCAL and watched all the letters turn green.  I’ve been Under Par 8 out of the last 9 days, beat The Bot (3 vs 4), and bested the (current) NYT avg (3 vs. 4.0).  Hope you're having a wonderful day. 

And you need to watch a great movie, check out "Local Hero."

Take care and stay safe.

(Humble) Bragging

Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for yesterday.

Wordle 993 3/6

⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨   496 WL

⬜🟨🟨⬜🟨   10 (6) WL

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

WordleBot

Skill 81/99

Luck 53/99

Streak 744

Since returning home from Hawaii during the last week of February, my posting of feedback in the Wordle forum has been poor.  I don’t know whether to attribute this lapse to being busier at work, attempting to get my sleep schedule back on-track (maybe DST will help beginning this weekend), a push to finish my annual goal of viewing all the Best Picture nominees prior to the Oscars (also this weekend — and only “Poor Things” remains.  Tickets purchased for tomorrow) — or maybe I’m just lazy.  I even neglected to humble-brag about reaching my milestone of two years without losing a game (Notice how I’ve cleverly worked the bragging in right here anyway.  It happened on Feb. 24 — Game #980, PIPER — a day that will live in infamy, I suspect, based on the NYT avg of 5.2 in that game)!  But enough stalling — let’s talk about today.

Guess #1 provided only the E (out of position) and almost 500 remaining solutions.  But Guess #2 gave me three more letters, R, A & L (all also out of position).  My meticulous Wordle record-keeping (some might use the term “anal”) served me in good stead, however.  My play from Game #816 (CLEAR on 9/13/2023) showed that only 6 solutions remained — and even included a note to try EARLY as Guess #3.  Eager to follow my own previous advice, I played it and watched all the letters turn green.  I was Under Par for a fourth straight day, tied The Bot, and bested the (current) NYT avg (3 vs. 3.6). 

Hope you're having a great day.

Take care and stay safe.

The DEVIL made me do it

Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for yesterday.

Wordle 984 3/6

⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨   496 WL

⬜⬜⬜🟩🟩        1 WL

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

WordleBot

Skill 99/99

Luck 57/99

Streak 735

Wordle players of a certain level of maturity (read: “old, like me”) may find themselves thinking about comedian Flip Wilson for the first time in a while today.

Guess #1 provided only the E (out of position) and almost 500 remaining solutions.  But Guess #2 showed me that the word ended with —IL.  I thought of PERIL first — but realized it couldn’t be the solution (since no R was present).  But I was a lucky DEVIL, as it seemed only one possible solution remained for Guess #3 (“Hope you guessed my name!”).  All the letters turned green and I was Under Par a fourth straight day.  I tied The Bot and bested the (current) NYT avg by almost a full guess (3 vs. 3.9). 

Take care and stay safe.

Start Making SENSE

 

Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for yesterday.

Wordle 983 3/6

🟩⬜⬜🟨🟩   7 WL

🟩⬜🟩⬜🟩   1 WL

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

WordleBot

Skill 93/99

Luck 82/99

Streak 734

A ten-day trip to Maui seems to have been good for my game — it was certainly beautiful and relaxing.  I missed my routine of posting and reading the Wordle comments — but I had to get out of my normal routine in order to fully embrace the vacation. 

Guess #1 gave me a bunch of letters again today (S & E, in position, and N, out of position) — and only 7 solutions remaining.  Of course, based on information from Game #952 (SNAKE on 1/27/2024), I knew only 5 solutions remained — which gave me confidence to play aggressively on Guess #2.  SINCE wasn’t the solution — but it left only one possibility for Guess #3.  I had the good SENSE to type it in and watched happily as the letters all turn green.  I tied The Bot and bested the (current) NYT avg by more than a full guess (3 vs. 4.1).  It’s my third straight day under par (6th, if you count my 4 on PIPER when the avg was 5.2). 

Hopefully, I can post some pictures from Hawaii soon.

Take care and stay safe.

PS:  Yesterday, the temperature broke 70° F here in southern Lower Michigan.  Today, I saw snowflakes.  If that's not "extreme weather," I don't know what would qualify.

Knock It STIFF

Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for yesterday.

Wordle 965 3/6

🟩⬜⬜⬜⬜ SHONE   107 WL

⬜⬜⬜🟨🟨 PLAIT         3 WL

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 STIFF

WordleBot

Skill 99/99

Luck 60/99

Streak 716

It feels like “I learned my lesson well” — to quote Rick Nelson — which got my day off to a good start and my Wordling back on-track.

Guess #1 gave me only a Green S (107 solutions remaining) — but Guess #2 again gave me enough info to get within striking distance of the solution (I & T - both out of position).  STICK was the first word that came into my mind — but it had been a previous solution.  STIFF seemed like a viable alternative — but SIXTY was also a possibility.  I didn’t find out until finishing play that these were the *only* three solutions remaining.

Remembering that I had gotten into trouble yesterday by overthinking things, I decided to remain firm and stick with STIFF.  Which paid off big time, as I watched the letters all turn green.  I *crushed* The Bot (3 vs 5 — almost avenging yesterday’s ignominy) and bested the (current) NYT avg by more than a full guess (3 vs. 4.3).  It’s a nice way to head into the weekend. 

Take care and stay safe.

"Do you know how non-PLACE he was?"

Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for yesterday.

Wordle 964 5/6

⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 SHONE   193 WL

⬜⬜🟩⬜🟨 TRAIL         11 WL

⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ DEBUG        4 WL

⬜🟩🟩⬜🟩 FLAME         2 WL

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 PLACE

WordleBot

Skill 96/99

Luck 35/99

Streak 715

I don’t believe I’m suffering from manic depression — just expectations which have gotten out of control.  The Bot advised that “No one in our sample of 1,738,870 completed Wordles faced this scenario!” — and I should hope not.  I didn’t want to face it either. 

Guess #1 gave me only a Green E (193 solutions remaining) — but Guess #2 gave me enough info to get within striking distance of the solution (A - in position & L - out of position).  In fact, PLACE was the first word that came into my mind — but playing too hastily got me into trouble earlier in the week.  So I decided to get into trouble by overthinking things today instead.  

I knew from Game #873 (GLAZE on 11/9/2023)  that about 10 solutions remained after my second guess (OK, probably only 7 adjusting for previous & unlikely solutions) — I thought I should probably play it safe on Guess #3 and try to position myself for a “sure thing” in 4.  But DEBUG didn’t match any letters I didn’t already know about — and didn’t eliminate nearly enough words.  Now I was playing defensively, since solving in 4 wasn’t a sure thing — and a very big number seemed more likely.  So, instead of taking a risk, going with my gut, and playing PLACE — I used FLAME for Guess #4.  It didn’t solve — but I had finally weaseled my way to the right PLACE.  (The Bot claimed CLAVE was another possible solution but…give me a break!  CLAVE?  I don’t *think* so.)

I lost to The Bot (5 vs 2 — hoo boy!) and the (current) NYT avg (5 vs. 3.3).  I think I even lost my self respect (OK, that’s a little dramatic, I know).  Tomorrow is another day and all that. 

Take care and stay safe.

The Day AFTER

Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for yesterday.

Wordle 963 3/6

⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 SHONE   496 WL

🟨🟨🟨⬜⬜ TRAIL         11 WL

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 AFTER

WordleBot

Skill 90/99

Luck 56/99

Streak 714

Under Par on back-to-back days — I’m starting to feel good about myself again.

Guess #1 gave me only a Yellow E (496 solutions remaining) — but Guess #2 hit the jackpot, providing T, R & A (all out of position).  So, I had 4 of 5 letters — but didn’t know the location of any — just places where they *didn’t* belong.  Not to mention (although I’m about to), there’s a TON of words you can make with E, T, R & A!  Once I had cross referenced with previous solutions and eliminated letters, I felt my best options were:  AFTER, EATER & WATER.  Since I wasn’t at all sure those three words were the *only* solutions left, I didn’t consider playing “defensively” (for example:  WATER would ensure a solution in 4 among those 3 words).  I felt good about AFTER — and I felt even better AFTER I played it.  I tied The Bot but bested the (current) NYT avg handily (3 vs. 3.8).  

Hopefully I can go “3 for Three” tomorrow. 

Take care and stay safe.

Which Is WHICH

Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for yesterday.

Wordle 962 3/6

⬜🟩⬜⬜⬜ SHONE   31 WL

⬜⬜🟩🟩⬜ TRICK       1 WL

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 WHICH

WordleBot

Skill 99/99

Luck 77/99

Streak 713

Back under par with a Sea of Green this morning.  Why, yes — I *am* feeling better about myself today.

Based on the info from my play during Game #667 (WHIFF on 4/17/2023), I knew there were approximately 30 solutions remaining after Guess #1.  When Guess #2 provided I & C as Letters 3 & 4, respectively — I focused on three -HIC- words:  CHICK (can’t be that — K eliminated), THICK (can’t be that either — same reason) and WHICH (it’s gotta be *that*, right?).  Due to yesterday’s mental collapse, I checked my work multiple times before submitting — then watched with relief as all the letters turned GREEN.  I tied The Bot (figures) but bested the (current) NYT avg (3 vs. 3.9).  

With a little luck, I can start a new Under Par streak tomorrow.  Hope you're having a good day.

Take care and stay safe.

Finding Myself REPEL-lent

 

I just *hate* making an unforced error.  It's particularly dissappointing when the unforced error occurs only moments after determining the right thing to do -- but then NOT doing it.

To elaborate on this feeling of self-loathing, here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for yesterday.

Wordle 961 5/6

⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 SHONE   496 WL

⬜🟨⬜⬜🟩 TRAIL          4 WL

🟩🟩⬜🟩🟩 REBEL         2 WL

🟩🟩⬜🟩🟩 REVEL         1 WL

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 REPEL

WordleBot

Skill 99/99

Luck 38/99

Streak 712

Unforced errors are difficult for me to take.  But STUPID mistakes — where you KNOW the right thing to do — but don’t do it?  I’m REPEL-led by them.

After Guess #1 & #2 today, I was quite certain that 3 possible solutions remained.  “How could I be so sure?” you ask.  Because Game #629 (on 3/10/2023 — where REVEL was the solution) told me so.  I consulted my list of PU words just to be sure — because my brain had seized on the idea that Wordle might be tricky and pick solutions with a V two days in a row.  Nope — REBEL & REPEL were left.  If I got lucky, I could solve in 3 or settle for a par, at the worst.  So I played REBEL for Guess #3, exactly like The Bot.  But then…I didn’t do what I *knew* I had to do.  I didn’t play REBEL, like I was supposed to.  The man with the V’s in his bonnet played REVEL — just like The Bot (which keeps itself blissfully ignorant of previous solutions)!  I was so disappointed in myself.  I tied The Bot (adding insult to injury somehow) but was roundly defeated (as I deserved to be) by the (current) NYT avg (5 vs. 4.3).  

The journey to restore my self-image will already be underway, by the time you read this.  Hope your week started better than mine. 

Take care and stay safe.

On The VERGE

Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for yesterday.

Wordle 960 4/6

⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 SHONE   193 WL

⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ TRAIL          8 WL

⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 MERGE       1 WL

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 VERGE

WordleBot

Skill 99/99

Luck 41/99

Streak 711

Oh, so we’re back to the old “Guess #1 matches the E & Guess #2 gives you a single Yellow letter” deal, is that it?  

Today, Guess #1 was E as Letter 5 and Guess #2 was R someplace else.  But detailed record-keeping provided guidance from Game #795 (VERVE on 8/23/2023), so I knew The Bot’s favorite in that scenario was MERGE (which had *not* been a previous solution) and I used it for Guess #3.  It wasn’t the solution  — but I could see that I was on the VERGE of victory.  I changed an M to a V and watched all the letters turn green.  I tied The Bot but bested to the (current) NYT avg (4 vs. 4.8).  

Saw “The Zone Of Interest” in my quest to see all the Best Picture nominees again this year, before the Oscar telecast.  A disturbing film (as it should be, given the subject matter) but very well-done. 

And Rie (aka The Girl aka My Daughter -- remembering to blog in code takes a lot of effort) went with me to church yesterday morning!  So I call that a good day.

Take care and stay safe.

Tiny Victories

Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for yesterday.

Wordle 959 3/6

⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ SHONE   193 WL
🟩🟨⬜⬜🟨 MOLAR       1 WL
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 MICRO

WordleBot
Skill 99/99
Luck 64/99
Streak 710

Some days things fall into place quickly.  Today, Guess #1 yielded only the O (out of position) which The Bot (again) described as “unlucky”.  Guess #2 provided M (in position) & R (out of position) — and O didn’t match as Letter 2 either.  Since had go in as Letter 4 or 5, I thought I’d look for a word with the pattern, M—RO.  MICRO was the first thing that came to mind (and, I found out later, the only remaining solution), so I quickly played it and watched all the letters turn green.  I tied The Bot but bested to the (current) NYT avg (3 vs. 3.9).  Weekend going well so far.

Take care and stay safe.

Low On Luck

Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for yesterday.

Wordle 958 4/6

⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 SHONE   496 WL
🟨⬜⬜⬜🟨 TRAIL          9 WL
🟨🟩🟩⬜🟩 FLEET          1 WL
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 CLEFT

WordleBot
Skill 99/99
Luck 41/99
Streak 709

Don’t let anyone tell you it’s not better to be LUCKY than SKILLful in this game. Since Sunday, I’ve had 90+ SKILL scores every day — but I’ve only been under par the one day (yesterday) that my LUCK score exceeded 50.

Guess #1 yielded only the E (out of position) which The Bot described as “unlucky”.  Guess #2 provided T & L (both out of position), which theoretically left 9 possible solutions.  Based on out-of-control record keeping, however, I knew from my play in Game #666 (DWELT on 4/16/2023) that only 5 solutions remained and The Bot’s favorite word in that scenario was FLEET, which had not previously been a solution — so I played it for Guess #3.  It wasn’t today’s solution either, but it did confirm that LE & T were in their proper places — and F had to be Letter 4.  It was a bit anticlimactic to play CLEFT — but I did it anyway, so I could watch all the letters turn green.  I tied The Bot but fell to the (current) NYT avg (4 vs. 3.6) — which seemed to me an unusual circumstance that I will need to research further.  Just glad the work week is coming to an end. 

And, since I missed posting both here and in the NYT comments on Thursday, I'm including my results from that game below.

Wordle 957 3/6

⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 SHONE     193 WL

⬜⬜🟨🟨🟨 TRAIL       3 (1) WL

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ALIVE

WordleBot

Skill 99/99

Luck 61/99

NYT avg = 3.6

Better finish this up so I don't miss a second day of posting.  I have standards to uphold after all.

Take care and stay safe.

Guesses In BULK(Y)

Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for yesterday.

Wordle 956 5/6

⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ SHONE   376 WL

⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 TRAIL        18 WL

🟨🟩⬜⬜🟩 LUMPY       6 WL

⬜🟩🟩⬜🟩 FULLY         2 WL

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 BULKY

WordleBot

Skill 93/99

Luck 31/99

Streak 707

I *hate* using a word for Guess #3 (or later) that I *know* can’t be the solution. Some days — like today — that strategy is going to result in a big number.  Or (gulp) losing a game.  But for the 4th day in a row, it’s “Another day, another 4+ NYT Wordle average.” 

Guess #1 yielded nothing but gray squares this morning and Guess #2 provided only the L (out of position).  My super-nerdy record keeping provided guidance from Game #812 (LUCKY on 9/9/2023) that 18 solutions remained and The Bot’s favorite word in that scenario was PUBIC.  Now don’t get me wrong — I love me some PUBIC — but I did mention earlier my aversion to playing purely strategically for Guess #3 and higher.  My first thought was the previously used LUCKY — so I went with LUMPY instead.  The good news?  I now had U & Y identified and in position.  The bad news?  It looked to me like I was looking for a word ending —ULLY, with multiple opening letter possibilities (BULLY, DULLY, FULLY, GULLY) and not enough guesses left.  

I decided to use FULLY for Guess #4 — which showed me that I *hadn’t* fallen into the —ULLY trap.  But I still hadn’t found the solution.  Thankfully, BULKY seemed to be the only viable word remaining (BULGY?  I don’t *think* so…) — so I typed it in and watched all the letters turn green.  I lost to both The Bot (5 vs 4 — Bottie went with BULLY for Guess #3.  Pretty LUCKY, in my opinion) and the (current) NYT avg (5 vs. 4.3).  A bit humbling — but that’s not all bad.  Tomorrow is another opportunity to go “under par.” 

We received a good bit of snow here yesterday morning -- but high temps are supposed to reach the low 40s for the coming week.  So it's not clear how long yesterday's white stuff will remain with us.

Take care and stay safe.

EXPEL-led

Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for yesterday.

Wordle 955 4/6

⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 SHONE  496 WL

⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 TRAIL        10 WL

⬜🟨⬜🟩🟩 LEVEL         2 WL

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 EXPEL

WordleBot

Skill 99/99

Luck 40/99

Streak 706

Another day, another 4+ NYT Wordle average.  January is “going out like a lion.”  (It hurt me a little to use that phrase, I admit it.)

Guess #1 yielded only E (out of position) AGAIN, for the third day in a row.  Guess #2 provided only the L (in position this time -- yesterday, it was out of position).  My out-of-control record keeping provided guidance from Game #810 (DWELL on 9/7/2023) that only 10 solutions remained (actually, only 6 — adjusting for previous & unlikely solutions).  I went with LEVEL to give myself a shot at 3 and ensure a par, at worst.  

Side note:  Some folks on the NYT Wordle forum have suggested that a “par” shouldn’t always be 4, birdie always 3, etc.  But adjusting par based on the overall player average every day, is probably more effort than anyone is willing to devote to the matter.  Even me. 

Guess #3 showed me the solution included two Es and ended with —EL.  So, I EXPEL-led the solution and watched all the letters turn green.  I tied The Bot and bested the (current) NYT avg (4 vs. 4.7).  I just hope this run of “tough pars” doesn’t jeopardize the efforts I took to get my 3-Guess solutions to exceed my 4-Guess solutions (all-time stats).  

On Tuesday, I was (and still am) healing up from a dental procedure Monday evening.  I will be making quite a few more trips to the dentist over the next month+ to complete the "installation" of an implant for my new front tooth (#8 -- for you dental aficionados out there).

Take care and stay safe.

Catching Up / A "Leg Man"

Had a busy weekend with my Dad visting from Dayton, Ohio.  Between that and a bittersweet result in the NFC Championship game in San Fransciso, I failed to post comments on my Wordle play over the weekend.

Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for Monday, Jan. 29.

Wordle 954 4/6

⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 SHONE   496 WL

⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 TRAIL         12 WL

🟨🟨⬜🟩🟩 ELEGY          1 WL

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 LEGGY

WordleBot

Skill 95/99

Luck 46/99

Streak 705

I’d be feeling worse about having back-to-back pars, if NYT averages the past couple days hadn’t been above 4.  Or, as my my bride put it this morning, “Wordle was rather difficult.”

Guess #1 yielded only E (out of position) for the second day in a row.  Guess #2 provided only the L (also out of position - yesterday, it was only R).  Overzealous record keeping provided guidance from Game #742 (BLEEP on 7/1/2023) that only 12 solutions remained (actually, only 5 — adjusting for previous & unlikely solutions).  I liked ELEGY best and thought it would likely ensure a par, at worst.  Guess #3 showed me I still didn’t have E & L in the right place — but that the word ended with—GY.  So, I guess it was a good day to be a “Leg Man”.  I lost to The Bot (4 vs 3) but bested the (current) NYT avg (4 vs. 4.4).  This continued the mixed emotions following last night’s NFC Championship game, where the Detroit Lions fell to the 49ers, ending their unexpectedly strong playoff run. 

And, for the sake of completeness, I will also include my Wordle results for the previous days:

Wordle 952 3/6

🟩⬜⬜🟨🟩   SHONE   7 WL

🟩🟨⬜🟨⬜   SKIED     1 WL

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩   SNAKE

WordleBot

Skill 88/99

Luck 86/99

NYT avg = 3.7 

Wordle 953 4/6

⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨   SHONE   496 WL

⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜    TRAIL      36 WL

⬜⬜🟩🟩⬜    CUBED      1 WL

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩    EMBER

WordleBot

Skill 99/99

Luck 32/99

NYT avg = 4.7

So now you're *WAY* more well-informed than you ever wanted to be about my Wordle play.  Although, if you *not* interested in that, I'm surprised you've stuck around long enough to read this sentence.

Take care and stay safe.

Double Os

Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for yesterday.

Wordle 951 3/6

⬜⬜🟩⬜⬜ SHONE   91 WL

🟨⬜🟨⬜⬜ FRAUD      3 WL

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ALOOF

WordleBot

Skill 99/99

Luck 62/99

Streak 702

My Double O fixation may have failed me yesterday — but it came in handy today.  In fact, it got me back “Under Par.”  *WAY* under par.

Guess #1 yielded only O (in position) again today.  But Guess #2 provided F & A (both out of position).  I thought about words starting AFO— (AFOOT didn’t excite me) but a different double O word was more appealing.  Maybe I just like women who “play hard to get.”  I went with ALOOF for Guess #3 — and was glad I did, because it turned all the letters green.  I bested both The Bot (by two guesses, 3 vs 5!) and the (current) NYT avg (3 vs. 4.1). 

Hope you're having a great weekend.

Take care and stay safe.

BLOCKed

Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for yesterday.

Wordle 950 4/6

⬜⬜🟩⬜⬜ SHONE   91 WL
⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ FRAUD    16 WL
⬜⬜🟩🟨⬜ WOOLY     3 WL
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 BLOCK

WordleBot
Skill 87/99
Luck 50/99
Streak 701

Mercifully, I was spared ending my “Under Par” streak (at 7 games) until I had reached my 700 consecutive win milestone.  It was somehow easier to handle playing a mediocre game once I had reached my long-sought goal.

Guess #1 yielded only O (in position) — and Guess #2 came up completely empty.  I had a strong suspicion that today’s solution could be a double O word — and WOOLY got stuck in my head.  I had doubts that it would be the solution, but I couldn’t think of anything quickly that I liked better.  After Guess #3, I also had the L out of position — and started to consider words ending —OCK.  My first thought was BLOCK (which had not been a previous solution) and I went with it, pleasantly surprised when all the letters turned green.  I lost to both The Bot and the (current) NYT avg (4 vs. 3.8). Tomorrow morning offers another opportunity to start a new “Under Par” streak. 

My Dad arrived in town yesterday evening for a brief visit and is spending the day seeing friends and family in Flint, MI today.  Hopefully, my kids will be able to join us for dinner tonight or tomorrow.  Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Take care and stay safe.

700

I did it!

Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for yesterday.

Wordle 949 3/6

⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 SHONE   496 WL
⬜🟨⬜🟩🟨 TRAIL           1 WL
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 RELIC

WordleBot
Skill 99/99
Luck 57/99
Streak 700

A RELIC is an item from the (ancient) past, unsuitable to the present-day.  Sometimes, that seems like an apt description of me.  But this morning, I cast off all negative thinking to embrace having achieved the milestone of 700 consecutive wins!  

It seems so appropriate that today’s win involved my all-time favorite opening combination of SHONE & TRAIL.  Guess #1 yielded only E (out of position) — but Guess #2 hit the jackpot again today, matching R & L (out of position) as well as I (in position as Letter 4).  I had 4 of the 5 letters I needed after 2 guesses — and one was in the right spot.  There was only one solution remaining, although I didn’t know that at the time.  My first thought was that E would probably be Letter 2.  Then I focused on what could follow I as the last letter.  RELIC was the first word that came to me — and it hadn’t been a previous solution.  I submitted it as Guess #3 and watched all the letters go green for the 700th straight day.  It never gets old!

I tied The Bot and bested the (current) NYT avg (3 vs. 3.7). The Magic Number to reach 800 consecutive wins is 100 — but I’m not looking that far ahead.  My current “Under Par” streak is 7 games, so let’s see how far I can take it this time. 

Hope you have a great day.

Take care and stay safe.

STILL Making A Plan for the 2024 Oscars

Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for yesterday.

Wordle 948 3/6

🟩⬜⬜⬜⬜ SHONE   107 WL

⬜🟨⬜🟨🟨 PLAIT         2 WL

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 STILL

WordleBot

Skill 99/99

Luck 59/99

Streak 699

This morning, Guess #1 yielded only S as the first letter — but I used The Bot’s favorite in that scenario (PLAIT) as Guess #2.  This hit the jackpot, matching the P, I & T (all out of position).  The Bot later claimed there were 2 solutions remaining (STILL or SILTY), but my thinking was:  SILTY?  Really?!  Since P wasn’t Letter 2, it seemed most likely to me that T *was* — and that I was Letter 3.  In any case, it STILL seems obvious to me that SILTY is a second-rate word.  With STI— accounted for, a double L ending seemed the way to go for Guess #3.  I typed it in and was delighted to watch all the letters turn green.  I bested The Bot (3 vs 4 — how are you feeling about TRACE *now*, eh, Bottie?) and the (current) NYT avg (3 vs. 3.6).  But most significantly — The Magic Number to reach 700 consecutive wins has been reduced to ONE.  I’m looking forward to Wednesday morning — and will likely need to fight a strong temptation to play at midnight.  In fact, by the time that you read this, I will know whether or not the milestone has been reached. 

Sorry to keep you in suspense - but I don't want ANY Wordle spoilers here.  I know that has happened on the NYT comments section in the past - but it won't happen here.

Nominations for the 2024 Academy Awards were announced yesterday morning -- and I got some work to do.  Those of you that know me (and if you're reading my blog, you probably do), know that part of my prep work for the Oscars each year is to see as many of the Best Picture nominees as possible.  Since nominations in this category have expanded beyond five films, it has become more difficult - but I normally don't miss more than one or two, even with a full slate of 10 films.

The good news this year is:  I've already seen half of the nominated films -

• American Fiction
• Barbie
• The Holdovers
• Maestro
• Oppenheimer

That means I still need to see:

• Anatomy Of A Fall
• Killers Of The Flower Moon
• Past Lives
• Poor Things
• The Zone Of Interest

Some of these have only recent come to theaters in my part of the world, so hopefully I will be able to see them on the big screen, as their creators intended (and I prefer).  I don't know that I will have time to do full fledged reviews of all these movies in the blog - but I will try to work out a few sentences about each to aid me in my Oscar handicapping.

I will say this:  Of the five Best Picture nominees I've seen so far, the one I'd most like to see again (at this moment) is "American Fiction."  It was hilarious and moving and smart - and I don't think Jeffrey Wright has ever given a bad performance (at least, I haven't seen one).

Anyway, that's a lot of information for one day.  Hope you have a good one - day, that is.

Take care and stay safe.

Making A Few TWEAKs

Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for yesterday.

Wordle 947 3/6

⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 SHONE   496 WL
🟩⬜🟨⬜⬜ TRAIL          4 WL
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 TWEAK

WordleBot
Skill 99/99
Luck 54/99
Streak 698

My “Go To” starting combination of SHONE & TRAIL paid dividends this morning, keeping me “Under Par” for a FIFTH (not a previous solution) consecutive day.  Guess #1 was “unlucky” according to The Bot, matched only the E as the last letter, and left a LOT of possible solutions.  But Guess #2 gave me the T (in position as the first letter) and A (out of position).  Although I didn’t know it at the time, The Bot thought there were only 4 solutions remaining.  But *my* post-game analysis was:  Three of those words ended -ED and were *extremely* unlikely to be the answer.  I was looking for just *one word* — but needed to find out where the vowels were placed.  I decided to look for words starting TA— or TE— but when I didn’t find anything suitable, I decided to TWEAK my approach (after verifying it hadn’t been a solution previously).  I tied The Bot, bested the (current) NYT avg (3 vs. 3.7), and reduced The Magic Number to 2 for reaching 700 consecutive wins.  

An added bonus:  The Detroit Lions played their best game of the season against Tampa Bay last night, earning the right to play for the NFC Championship (and the opportunity for their first ever Super Bowl appearance) next weekend in San Francisco.  

GO LIONS! 

Take care and stay safe.

2 For 1

My bride asked me this morning why I hadn't posted a Wordle update to my blog.  So apparently, I have at least one reader.

To make up for this lapse, today is a BOGO opportunity here at "speaking in CAPS."

First, my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for Saturday, Jan. 20.

Wordle 945 3/6

⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 SHONE   193 WL

⬜🟨🟨⬜🟨 TRAIL          1 WL

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 LARGE

WordleBot

Skill 99/99

Luck 60/99

Streak 696

My “Go To” starting combination of SHONE & TRAIL paid dividends this morning, with a quick & stress-free 3.  Guess #1 was “unlucky” according to The Bot, matched only the E as the last letter, and left a LOT of possible solutions.  But Guess #2 matched R, A & L (all out of position) — and left only one solution remaining.  I decided to go LARGE — and go home.  I tied The Bot, bested the (current) NYT avg (3 vs. 3.5), and gave me my third straight 3.  The Magic Number is 4 to reach 700 consecutive wins.  Good way to start the weekend.

And, without further ado, my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for yesterday (Sunday, Jan. 21).

Wordle 946 2/6

⬜🟨🟨🟨⬜ SHONE   7 WL

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 NORTH

WordleBot

Skill 99/99

Luck 92/99

Streak 697

I love being “extraordinarily lucky” — and that’s how The Bot described my Guess #1 today, which matched H, O & N (all out of position).  Although I didn’t know it at the time, there were only 7 solutions remaining.  What I *suspected* was — that H was last letter of the solution (with a TH or CH) combination and O was Letter 2.  The first word that came to mind was NORTH.  Since R & T are very common letters and NORTH had not been a previous solution, I went with it — and was rewarded with a deuce.  I crushed The Bot (by 2 guesses!), bested the (current) NYT avg (2 vs. 3.7), and earned a fourth consecutive day “Under Par.”  The Magic Number is 3 to reach 700 consecutive wins.  GO DETROIT LIONS!

Since you're reading this the day after the Detroit / Tampa Bay game (or, possibly MUCH later than that), you may already know that the Lions played their best football game of the year yesterday and earned the right to play San Francisco next weekend in the NFC Championship Game.  

GO DETROIT LIONS!!

Hope your Monday is going swimmingly.

Take care and stay safe.

They're Creepy And They're Kooky

Yesterday's Wordle solution was THING.  You know -- this guy...  

For more Wordle nerdihood, I refer you to my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments yesterday.

Wordle 944 3/6

⬜🟩⬜🟩⬜ SHONE   7 WL
🟩🟩⬜🟩⬜ THANK   1 WL
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 THING

WordleBot
Skill 99/99
Luck 68/99
Streak 695

Extreme luck and my patented Wordle Tracking System®️ continued me on my “Under Par” way this morning.  Guess #1 was “extraordinarily lucky” according to The Bot (and who am I to disagree), providing me H & N as Letters 2 & 4, respectively.  I knew from previous play (most recently Game #882 — THINK — on 11/18/2023) that there were really only four words remaining after Guess #1 (adjusting for previous solutions).  I also knew that THANK was The Bot’s favorite word for Guess #2 in that scenario (it’s a favorite of mine as well), so that was an easy decision.  I was a little disappointed that the only green letter I added was the opening T — but I consoled myself with one THING:  the knowledge that it was the only solution remaining.  I tied The Bot, bested the (current) NYT avg (3 vs. 3.7), and achieved a stress-free Sea of Green.  The Magic Number is 5 to reach 700 consecutive wins.  

Hope your weekend is off to a great start.

Take care and stay safe.

Fizzy Lifting Drinks

Yesterday's Wordle solution was STOLE.  And that word always seems to remind me of this scene from the original Willy Wonka.  

For more Wordle nerdihood, I refer you to my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments yesterday.

Wordle 943 3/6

🟩⬜🟩⬜🟩 SHONE   12 WL
⬜🟨⬜⬜🟨 KEMPT     3 WL
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 STOLE

WordleBot
Skill 91/99
Luck 61/99
Streak 694

Plenty of luck & knowledge imparted through nerdy record-keeping got me back under par this morning.  I knew from Game #917 (SLOPE on 12/23/2023) that there were really only seven words remaining after Guess #1 (adjusting for previous solutions).  I had made a note to myself in December to try KEMPT next, to ensure only 1 solution would remain.  And so it came to pass, as I matched T (out of position) on Guess #2.  Since SMOTE and STOKE couldn’t be the solution, I typed in STOLE and watched all the letters go green.  I tied The Bot (whose favorite Guess #2 went from LIONS to LOINS today; such a fickle fan of an AI) and bested the (current) NYT avg (3 vs. 3.4).  The Magic Number is 6 to reach 700 consecutive wins. 

In other news, a good friend - unable to understand why I hadn't yet watched "Breaking Bad" - loaned me his Bluray set of the complete series, as an encouragement to enter Walter White's world.  I finished Season One last night and proceeded immediately into Season Two.  A favorite moment so far is the scene of Walter's family staging an intervention (in Season One) and the "Talking Pillow."

Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Take care and stay safe.

Good Morning, Judge

No, today's post doesn't have anything to do with 10cc.  As my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments yesterday clearly shows... 

Wordle 942 4/6

⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ SHONE   193 WL
⬜🟩⬜⬜🟨 MOLAR     15 WL
⬜🟩🟩🟩⬜ GOURD       1 WL
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 COURT

WordleBot
Skill 91/99
Luck 42/99
Streak 693

All good streaks come to an end — and my streak of “Under Par” games ended this morning at 10.  I had 3 of the 5 letters after my second guess again — but only one was in the proper place.  Nerdy record-keeping tried to help — but couldn’t keep me under par.  I knew from Game #828 (ROCKY on 9/25/2023) that there were still four solutions remaining after Guess #2 — after adjusting for PS and unlikely words.  I had made a note to myself in September to try GOURD next, so typed it in for Guess #3.  But my luck had run out.  I now knew O-U-R was the core of the solution — and it was time to go to COURT.  They threw the book at me — but I remain a free man.  I lost to both The Bot (4 vs 2 — oh, the humiliation!) and the (current) NYT avg (4 vs. 3.3).  But, hopefully, I’m only a week away from reaching 700 consecutive wins.  

Hope you're having a good day.

Take care and stay safe.

Blond on Blonde

Yesterday's Wordle game was clearly targeted towards Bob Dylan fans.  

As my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments yesterday indicates... 

Wordle 941 3/6

⬜⬜🟩🟩⬜ SHONE   14 WL
⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜ APTLY       1 WL
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 BLOND

WordleBot
Skill 96/99
Luck 77/99
Streak 692

Knowing lots of the letters isn’t the *only* way to win at Wordle — but it helps.  Today, I had 3 of the 5 letters after my second guess — and two of them were even in the proper places.  Nerdy record-keeping also played its part, since I knew from Game #723 (WRONG on 6/12/2023) that there was only one solution remaining.  I haven’t yet had the chance to peek at other comments today, to see if there’s any controversy regarding “Blond on Blonde” (that classic Dylan album).  Anyway, I typed it in without the E for Guess #3 and watched my world go green.  I tied The Bot, bested the (current) NYT avg (3 vs. 3.7), and extended my streak of “Under Par” games to 10 days.  If I’m “under par” again tomorrow, it will match my personal best.

I also learned that APTLY is no longer The Bot’s favorite word in the scenario where I match O & N (in position) on Guess #1.  That fickle AI now prefers GRIMY.  I still prefer APTLY.  

Hope everyone is having a good day.

Take care and stay safe.

One In (A) 1.7 Million

We'd all like to think that we're special - and sometimes we get confirmation from unexpected sources.

Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments yesterday with proof. 

Wordle 940 3/6

⬜🟨⬜🟨⬜ SHONE   19 WL
🟨⬜⬜🟨⬜ CAPUT     4 WL
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 LUNCH

WordleBot
Skill 86/99
Luck 60/99
Streak 691

Stretched my streak of “Under Par” games to 9 days this morning — as I keep matching lots of letters in my first two guesses.  Guess #1 gave me H & N (both out of position), so I went with The Bot’s favorite word in that scenario, CAPUT, for Guess #2.  Now, I also had C & U (out of position) — 4 letters but none of them in the right spot.  But nerdy record-keeping will have its day, so I knew from Game #838 (BUNCH on 10/5/2023) that HUNCH, LUNCH & MUCH were the only solutions remaining.  Since it wasn’t a 50/50 coin flip, I liked my chances and took my LUNCH.  (Anyone feeling a little more peckish than usual this morning?). I beat both The Bot (surprisingly, 3 vs 4) and the (current) NYT avg (3 vs. 3.7). 

And for the second day in a row, The Bot says “No one in our sample of 1,735,351 completed Wordles faced this scenario!”   Guess I’m still one in 1.7 million.

The Lions beat the Rams Sunday night so all of Michigan seems to be rejoicing — despite the bitter cold.  On to 700, I say.  

I neglected to include this in my NYT post yesterday - but lunch always makes me think about this bit -- Go To Lunch

Hope everyone had a marvelous Monday.  I took a little time out to think about The Dreamer yesterday.

Take care and stay safe.

Multiple Victories

The goal has been acheieved! 

The Detroit Lions defeated the Los Angeles Rams, 24-23, last night to win their first playoff game since 1991.

Oh wait, I mean -- my Worldle totals for 3-Guess & 4-Guess victories have been matched at 300 wins each.

Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments yesterday with details.  Keep in mind that when I posted, the Lions were still more than 12 hours from vicotory:

Wordle 939 3/6

⬜⬜🟨🟩⬜ SHONE   23 WL
🟨⬜⬜⬜🟨 GUARD     1 WL
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 DOING

WordleBot
Skill 99/99
Luck 79/99
Streak 690

I did it, I DID IT!  Had another 3-Fer today — which evens up my 3-Guess and 4-Guess win totals at 300.  I needed to string together an 8-day “Under Par” streak to do it (One solve in 2 — and Seven straight 3s) — but things came together for me.

Guess #1 revealed the O (out of position) & N (in position) and I went with The Bot’s favorite word in that scenario, GUARD, for Guess #2.  As has been true for most of the past week, I had most of the letters after two guesses — which is a beautiful thing.  It certainly makes playing easier.  Having matched G, D & O (all out of position), I could build around the N as Letter 4.  Since I knew D didn’t follow the N, I thought my best bet was ending with —NG.  And since O wasn’t Letter 3, I thought Letter 2 was its likely destination — with D as Letter 1.  I knew I was DOING the right thing when all the letters turned green.  I tied The Bot but bested the (current) NYT avg (3 vs. 3.9). 

So now — can I extend my win streak to 700 in the next 10 days?  Guess I’ve got a new goal to shoot for.  Hope all Fellow Wordlers are enjoying the weekend.  I’m looking forward to seeing “All Of Us Strangers” this afternoon.  And some football later — GO LIONS!

After the Lions win, I updated the NYT comments with these updates:

Just saw that The Bot reported “No one in our sample of 1,735,929 completed Wordles faced this scenario!” Guess I’m one of a kind today.

Did anyone notice that The Bot’s solution today was — TRACE - LIONS - DOING? Coincidence? I think not!

Take care and stay safe.

3 More Guesses

By the time you read this, I will know whether I have succeeded in my Quest To Match my 3-Guess and 4-Guess Wordle win totals at 300.  But I won't post that info here until Monday, to ensure that I don't ruin Wordle play for anyone who is reading my blog.

Although there seems little risk of that.  

Anyway, consider yourself left in suspense.  If you email me, I'll tell you.

Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments yesterday for more info:

Wordle 938 3/6

⬜🟨⬜⬜🟨 SHONE   46 WL
⬜🟨🟨🟨⬜ TARDY       1 WL
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 HEARD

WordleBot
Skill 99/99
Luck 72/99
Streak 689

Perhaps it’s obvious to everyone by now — but The Bot won’t be satisfied until you play Wordle the way it does.  If you want to continue using your own creativity, premonitions, or (God forbid) a PS list, know that you do so risking The Bot’s wrath.  As Exhibit 1, I present a comparison of my Wordle play yesterday vs today.  Both were solved in 3 guesses (more about that later).  I used the same starting word both days; obviously, Guess #3 was different each day.  So it all came down to Guess #2.  Yesterday’s cumulative Skill score was 80 because The Bot said Guess #2 “wasn’t my favorite.”  Today’s cumulative Skill score was 99 because The Bot evaluated Guess #2 as an “Excellent choice…one of my top picks in this situation.”  What can I say?  I value a quick solution over The Bot’s approval. 

Guess #1 revealed the H & E (both out of position) and I went with what I thought to be The Bot’s favorite word in that scenario, TARDY, for Guess #2.  I didn’t know until afterwards that this week’s changes to The Bot’s dictionary has made HEART its new favorite word in those circumstances.  And I ultimately didn’t *care* either — because TARDY matched A, R & D (all out of position).  After two guesses, I had all 5 letters — but none of them in the proper position.  I was positioned for a near perfect Succotash®️ (going from all Yellow to all Green — props to @Clear Thinker).  I HEARD the answer in my head, verified it wasn’t a previous solution, and watched with delight as all the letters turned green.  I tied The Bot but bested the (current) NYT avg (3 vs. 3.6). 

But best of all, I’m only one game away from achieving the goal to match my 3-Guess and 4-Guess win totals at 300 (currently 299 vs 300).  Just need a good performance tomorrow to bring it on home.  

Hope you're staying warm and dry wherever you are this weekend. 

Take care and stay safe.

Pulling Even

As of yesterday, I had played Wordle for 735 consecutive days -- over two years.  But more important to me, I was drawing close to a statistical milestone -- the point where my games won in 3 Guesses would equal my total won in 4 Guesses.

As of Tuesday, my stats looked like this:

In the last three days, I've solved in three guesses each time -- so I'm only two days away from pulling even.  Here's my feedback on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments yesterday for more excruciating detail:

Wordle 937 3/6

⬜⬜🟨⬜🟩 SHONE   29 WL
⬜🟩🟩⬜🟩 COUPE     5 WL
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ROUTE

WordleBot
Skill 80/99
Luck 72/99
Streak 688

The Bot’s feedback on my play today seemed a bit conflicted, like a friend giving you advice about the handling of a somewhat delicate interpersonal issue you’ve shared with them — they’re trying to seem supportive, but they can’t really believe the stupid decisions you’ve been making.  Guess #1 revealed the O (out of position) & E (in position, as the last letter).  The Bot described this as “a strong opening guess...[and] a lucky one”.  After considering options where O might be Letter 1 or 4, I decided the most likely position was Letter 2 — with a U beside it.  I liked COUPE, verified it wasn’t a previous solution, and played it for Guess #2.  The Bot was clearly disappointed in me (it prefers GUILD — which it also likes with a Yellow N & Green E, I noted), responding that “this guess wasn’t my favorite” — but that there were only 5 words left.  I didn’t know it at the time, but subsequent analysis revealed there were really only 2 solutions remaining (BOULE — I don’t *think* so — & ROUTE).  Anyway, ROUTE was the first thing I thought of, wasn’t a previous solution, and made all the letters turn green.  I lost to The Bot (2 to my 3) but bested the (current) NYT avg by a narrow margin (3 vs. 3.3). 

I’m closing in on the goal to match my 3-Guess and 4-Guess win totals at 300 (currently 298 vs 300).  Just need my luck to hold a couple more days. 

Winter arrived here in full force on Friday.  Hope everyone has a great weekend.  My plan is to stay warm and dry.

Take care and stay safe.

WordleBot's Ever-Changing Dictionary

Nobody knows better than the New York Times the constantly shifting sands of the English language -- and yesterday saw those shifts cause changes in the behavior of WordleBot, the AI used to evaluate play in NYT's Wordle game (hereafter referred to as "The Bot").  If it seems like I think this is important news, let me apologize for misleading you.

It's not.

On the other hand, if you're a complete Wordle Nerd (as I am), it was a *bit* interesting.

I'm sharing my feedback on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments yesterday regarding this weighty matter --  

Wordle 936 3/6

⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 SHONE   496 WL
⬜🟩⬜🟨⬜ TRAIL         10 WL
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 BRIEF

WordleBot
Skill 99/99
Luck 57/99
Streak 687

The first change I noticed concerning yesterday’s updates to The Bot’s Dictionary was this:   Identifying E out of position as Letter 5 for Guess #1 left me 496 possible solutions instead of 492.  I stuck with my trusty TRIAL for Guess #2, finding R (in position) and I (out of position).  Based on The Bot’s feedback from Game #699 (GRIEF on 5/19/2023), I strongly suspected there were 3 high-probability solutions remaining (rather than the 10 later claimed by The Bot).  I decided to roll the dice and my suspense was BRIEF, as all the letters quickly turned green.  I tied The Bot and bested the (current) NYT avg by more than a full guess today (3 vs. 4.2). 

My hope for matching my 3-Guess and 4-Guess win totals at 300 still springs eternal (they currently stand at 297 vs 300).  If I can retain a “hot hand” through the weekend, this goal may yet be achieved.  

And now I see that The Bot has adjusted its play for Game #936 since I played early this morning.  With the result being that I BEAT The Bot (3 vs 4).  At first, I thought I had just erred while posting comments during the middle of the night.  But The Bot’s original solution was TRACE—DEFER—BRIEF, later changed to TRACE—DEFER—GRIEF—BRIEF.  Go figure.

Hope you are having a fine Friday. 

Take care and stay safe.