Tic-Tac-Toe Tag

[Wormfarmer 429]

I am going to try a new pool, wherein the trick is in how you structure your entry.  It will not have a set end date, rather the first player to score 30 or more points will be the winner.  

The idea:

Each player will submit a list of 9 names in the form of a tic tac toe board, wherein each line of the board (V)vertically and (H)horizontally has a theme.  The table below is an example of a legal entry following the category rules that follow it:

               1                          2                               3

1  frankie avalon   smokey robinson   lance henriksen   (b. 1940)

2  keith richards    ken rosewall           kim novak             (k)   

3  neil diamond     pete rose                 nick nolte             (b. 1941)

    (musicians)             (r)                       (actors)

 

Mandatory categories:

H1 = year of birth #1

H2 = first letter of first name

H3 = year of birth #2

V1 = claim to fame #1 (choose 1: actors, musicians, politicians/world leaders, religious figures, scientists/inventors, authors/journalists and athletes)

V2 = first letter of last name

V3 = claim to fame #2  (choose 1: actors, musicians, politicians/world leaders, religious figures, scientists/inventors, authors/journalists and athletes)

 

For this example table, I chose year of birth #1 = 1940 and year of birth #2 = 1941, while claim to fame #1 I used musicians and claim to fame #2 I used actors, and obviously the letter I chose for H2 is K and for V2 is R.

You may choose any year of birth for H1 and H3, but you must choose 2 different years.  Similarly you must choose 2 different claims to fame for V1 and V3, of the 8 listed categories.

 

Scoring:  1 point per hit.  If you complete a vertical trio (tic) or a horizontal trio (tac) you get 7 bonus points.  If you complete a diagonal trio (toe) you get 10 bonus points.  It is obviously possible and probable that a single hit will eventually score more than one trio.  You will get bonus points for both in that case.  First player to 30 wins.  If multiple players exceed 30 points on the same day, the player with the highest total wins.  If there is still a tie, the player with the youngest name on their board wins.  

 

Names accepted by the Derby or getting obits in the NY Times, Time, CNN, LA Times or AP websites are fine.  Others not found there will be considered on a case by case basis, but don't push the obscurity limit too far.  

 

You may post your entries in the thread or PM them to me.  If you post in the thread I will not allow any identical rows or columns between players, so check that you are not duplicating a posted entry.  please indicate which birth years and claims to fame you are using.  I will accept entries until we get 20 or so, or if that goal isn't reached I will close entries and start the game on the 5th of August.  I would like to play along, but have not yet created an entry, so I will plan on PMing mine to the first entrant or two.

 

I hope you enjoy!

 

Edited July 12, 2023 by Wormfarmer
writers were intended to be a category! astronauts fall under scientists category

[Wormfarmer 429]

Welcome to the inaugural edition of Tic-Tac-Toe Tag.  We have 14 players, as it looks like I scared off Sir Creep with my overly restrictive categories and he never resubmitted a team.  Find the active rosters below.  Scoring commenced in mid July. 

 

It looks like Politicians were the most popular category, with 10 teams selecting them as a trio, followed by actors, with 8.  Six of the 7 categories were chosen at least once, leaving only religious figures out in the wind.  The letter J was the most chosen first name (5 times), and B was the most popular surname, with 4 takers.  I just discovered that Dying Probably swapped the row/columns for first/last names, but I don't see any harm nor advantage, and since I missed it when posting the teams, it will stand.  For year of birth trios, 1924 and 1933 led the way with 4 picks each.  The youngest trio chosen was born in 1943, and the oldest in 1923, making them centenarians this year.  I think it's a very interesting set of entries and we'll see how the scoring plays out.  First to hit 30 wins!  Good luck and I'll be back to update scoring at least once a month or as needed. 

 

Perhaps 22 - 5 hits + diagonal trio (toe) + horizontal trio (tac)

Buffalo Phil 20

Toast 12

Polar Duck 12

Dying Probably 11

MariNisia 5

Diego 4

ladyfiona  4

Wormfarmer 2

Time 3

Spinosaurus  1

bibliogryphon  1

 

only two players left not on the scoreboard - Commtech and Gooseberry

 

 . .  a hit with Adamkus or Martin will give Perhaps the win!

 

Edited December 2 by Wormfarmer
4th hit and 4th point for ladyfiona. Still no trio!

[Wormfarmer 429]

Derek Martin	Biddy Baxter	Dianne Feinstein	1933
Joss Ackland	James L Buckley	Jacques Delors	J	Perhaps
Doreen Mantle	Stanley Baxter	Valdas Adamkus	1926
actors	B	politicians
Joan Plowright	Milan Kundera	Leroy Van Dyke	1929
Joyce Randolph	Joe Kinnear	John Farnham	J	MariNisia
M Emmet Walsh	Sandy Koufax	Steve Lawrence	1935
actors	K	musicians
Amanda Barrie	Try Sutrisno	Jose Mujica	1935
Phyllida Law	Prunela Scales	Paul Biya	P	Commtech Sio Bibble
Joanne Woodward	George Soros	Douglas Hurd	1930
actors	S	politicians
Quincy Jones	Yoko Ono	Michael Heseltine	1933
Torben Ulrich	Tom Oliver	Terence Higgins	T	time
Richard Bonynge	Edna O'Brien	James Baker	1930
musicians	O	politicians
Jimmy Carter	Dub Jones	Edward Field	1924
Dianne Feinstein	Derek Jacob	David Ferry	D	diego
Jean Marie Le Pen	Tom Jones	William Kennedy	1928
politicians	J	authors
Margaret Kerry	Frank Gehry	Violetta Chamorro	1929
Rob Burrow	Roger Guillemin	Robert Nixon	R	ladyfiona
Carl Erskine	Helen Gallagher	Valda Adamkus	1926
athletes	G	politicians
Newt Gingrich	Jane Rossington	Fred Schmidt	1943
Evo Morales	Esther Rantzen	Eugen Ekman	E	Gooseberry Crumble
Roy Beggs	Robert Redford	Roy Emerson	1936
politicians	R	athletes
Henri Pescarolo	John Blaha	Brian Wilson	1942
Jack Nicklaus	Jerry Bruckheimer	Johnny Mathis	J	TheSpinosaurus
George Eastham	Brian Blessed	Kris Kristofferson	1936
athletes	B	musicians
Mahathir Mohamad	Bobby Shantz	Dick Van Dyke	1925
Henry Kissinger	Harrison Schmitt	Hal Linden	H	Wormfarmer
Jimmy Carter	Robert Solow	Eva Marie Saint	1924
politicians	S	actors
Henry Kissinger	Bob Barker	Glynis Johns	1923
Song Ping	Stanley Baxter	Shannen Doherty	S	polar duck
Jacques Delors b.'25	Alan Bergman b. '25	June Lockhart b. '25	1924
politicians	B	actors
Barbara Knox	Mike Stoller	Yuri Oganessian	1933
John Woodvine	June Spencer	James Watson	J	Bibliogryphon
Virginia Mckenna	William Shatner	Roger Penrose	1931
actors	S	scientists
Glynis Johns	Bob Barker	Henry Kissinger	1923
Joanne Woodward	James Bolam	Jimmy Carter	J	Buffalo Phil
David Graham	Andras Biro	Jacques Delors	1925
actors	B	politicians
Dianne Feinstein	Barrie Chase	Yoko Ono	1933
Sir Patrick Duffy	Bruce Dern	Bruce Dickinson	D	Dying Probably
James L Buckley	Bob Barker	Silvia Infantas	1923
politicians	B	musicians
David Attenborough	Roger Corman	Doreen Mantle	1926
Roger Penrose	Rosalynn Carter	Ryan O'Neal	R	Toast
Torsten Wiesel	Jimmy Carter	William Russell	1924
scientists	C	actors

Edited December 2 by Wormfarmer
ladyfiona strikes for the 4th time

[The Immortal 641]

I like this concept, but I think we can do without the limited claim to fame categories or have some more clarity as to what can fit in each category. Like for example, would astronauts be considered a part of the scientists category even though that's not their primary expertise, because they have some involvement in that field?

 

And what about missed categories like journalists, writers, artists, other non-world leader politicians, royalty, military etc? So much potential in those categories which will be missed because of the current limited list of claim to fame categories.

[Bibliogryphon 9,614]

@Wormfarmer

 

Can I have writers as a claim to fame?

[Bibliogryphon 9,614]

              1                          2                               3

1  Barbara Knox           Mike Stoller              Yuri Oganessian  (b. 1933)

2  John Woodvine       June Spencer           James Watson             (J)   

3  Virginia Mckenna    William Shatner       Roger Penrose            (b. 1931)

    (Actors)                        (S)                           (Scientists)

 

I have decided to give this a go and my reputation for these games is so low I have no fear about making my entry public

 

Thanks for running and writers can wait for a future version of the game

[Spade_Cooley 9,601]

Is this inspired by Football Tic Tac Toe? Remember, if you're stuck the answer is usually Alvaro Morata.

[Toast 16,209]

8 hours ago, TheSpinosaurus said:

I like this concept, but I think we can do without the limited claim to fame categories or have some more clarity as to what can fit in each category. Like for example, would astronauts be considered a part of the scientists category even though that's not their primary expertise, because they have some involvement in that field?

 

And what about missed categories like journalists, writers, artists, other non-world leader politicians, royalty, military etc? So much potential in those categories which will be missed because of the current limited list of claim to fame categories.

 

I agree with this. Could we have more categories, please?   Writers could include journalists, royalty could include other titled people, etc.

[ladyfiona 2,645]

I'll give this a go. Will submit mine closer to the end date to avoid stealing.

[Commtech Sio Bibble 2,083]

I'll participate but will need to wait till I'm home next week before I draft up a team.

[BuffaloPhil 946]

Have sent a team over. Thanks for running.

[polar duck 883]

I'd love to participate! I'll have my roster in a few hours.

 

	Politician	B	Actor
1923	Henry Kissinger	Bob Barker	Glynis Johns
S	Song Ping	Stanley Baxter	Shannen Doherty
1924	Jacques Delors	Alan Bergman	June Lockhart

[Dying Probably 579]

Submitting shortly, thank you for hosting

[Wormfarmer 429]

14 hours ago, Bibliogryphon said:

@Wormfarmer

 

Can I have writers as a claim to fame?

Done.  Sorry I missed them.  Includes journalists and authors and newspeople.  Meant for it to be there when I was thinking up categories.  

[Wormfarmer 429]

6 hours ago, Toast said:

 

I agree with this. Could we have more categories, please?   Writers could include journalists, royalty could include other titled people, etc.

I have made it 8 categories because I fully intended for writers/authors/journalists to be there.  Also, royalty and politicians fall under the world leaders category, which I have amended above to label "politicians" instead of political leaders.  I am going to keep the categories at 8 because part of the design of this pool is to be creative within the restrictions of the categories.  I don't want so much leeway that we include the very marginally famous (or totally nonfamous), because they have a cancer blog or are a relative of someone who . . . . . blah blah etc.  Maybe we can expand things if there are future editions.  Let's see how this goes for now.  

[Wormfarmer 429]

Now that we have an entry, I will post mine as well.  This is an acceptable format:

 

jacques delors/bobby shantz/dick van dyke/1925  (sub in mahathir mohamad)

henry kissinger/harrison schmitt/hal linden/H

jimmy carter/robert solow/eva marie saint/1924

politicians/              s                   /actors

 

I didn't think this was likely, but only a few entries in and already there is a redundancy conflict.  After posting my team, I went to my PM and found that another player had submitted the same trio I used for politicians!  Eff me!  So I am swapping out jacques delors for mahathir mohamad.  I was lucky to find another name to fit both categories on short notice, and not have to restructure my whole grid.  Carry on . . . . .

Edited July 5, 2023 by Wormfarmer
edit due to other entry having same trio of politicians

[Wormfarmer 429]

Here is another issue.  Due to the linking of all names submitted in a tic tac toe grid, replacing a name that dies before the game starts in not a simple feat.  It will likely require a re-structuring of part or all of an entry.  So I am proposing a start date for this game of July 7, on which day scoring will commence.  Entries are not due at this time, but teams will be active once posted, so that early entrants do not have to restructure their whole entries as we accumulate hits throughout July.  I suppose this is a bit of incentive not to wait until the last minute to submit.  

[The Immortal 641]

Henri Pescarolo    John Blaha               Brian Wilson (b. 1942)

Jack Nicklaus        Jerry Bruckheimer  Johnny Mathis (J)

George Eastham   Brian Blessed          Kris Kristofferson (b. 1936)

(athletes)                (B)                                (musicians)

 

This is the team I'm bringing in.

 

[Gooseberry Crumble 5,356]

Working on my entry right now.. !

[BuffaloPhil 946]

21 hours ago, Wormfarmer said:

Now that we have an entry, I will post mine as well.  This is an acceptable format:

 

jacques delors/bobby shantz/dick van dyke/1925  (sub in mahathir mohamad)

henry kissinger/harrison schmitt/hal linden/H

jimmy carter/robert solow/eva marie saint/1924

politicians/              s                   /actors

 

I didn't think this was likely, but only a few entries in and already there is a redundancy conflict.  After posting my team, I went to my PM and found that another player had submitted the same trio I used for politicians!  Eff me!  So I am swapping out jacques delors for mahathir mohamad.  I was lucky to find another name to fit both categories on short notice, and not have to restructure my whole grid.  Carry on . . . . .

 

Apologies!

[Bibliogryphon 9,614]

I like the idea of this game and I am making the suggestions below entirely free from judgement

 

I do not say they would enhance the game but might make it more competitive

 

However as game runner it is your decision what you include for the second round (whenever we get round to that)

 

Should the central name be a unique on a first come first served basis? - this would be an incentive to go in early and public

 

Should there be rules about the years? such as must be from separate decades or be at least five years apart

 

Just thoughts

 

[ladyfiona 2,645]

It's harder than I thought trying to plan this out, lol.

 

 

[Gooseberry Crumble 5,356]

Here is my entry-Hope I've done it right!

 

1                           2                           3

 

Newt Gingrich  Jane Rossington     Fred

(1943)                                                 Schmidt

 

Evo Morales    Esther Rantzen    Eugen (E)

                                                          Ekman

 Roy Beggs        Robert Redford  Roy  (1936)

                                                          Emerson 

(Politics)           (R)                         (athletes)

                                                          (Sport)

 

 

 

 

Sorry if it's a mess vertical  1 is politics 

Horizontal  1 is born 1943

 

Vertical 2  is second name beginning with R

 

Horizontal  2 is  first name beginning with E

 

Vertical  3 is athletes-so an Olympic swimmer,  Finnish Olympian and  australian tennis player. 

 

Horizontal 3 is people born 1936.

 

[ladyfiona 2,645]

             1                          2                               3

 

1  (Margaret Kerry)      (Frank Gehry)        (Violeta Chamorro)  (b. 1929)

 

2  (Rob Burrow)          (Roger Guillemin)    (Robert Nixon)   (R - letter start)   

 

3  (Carl Erskine)          (Helen Gallagher)     (Valdas Adamkus)  (b. 1926)

 

    (Athlete)                   (G – letter end)         (Politician)

[Commtech Sio Bibble 2,083]

	Actor	S (Last Name)	Politician/World Leader
1935	Amanda Barrie	Try Sutrisno	Jose Mujica
P (First Name)	Phyllida Law	Prunella Scales	Paul Biya
1930	Joanne Woodward	George Soros	Douglas Hurd