Opponent’s options: SWUM a1 (36), OY 1a (35), BOOMY d1 (30), MOSEY 14a (32)
Scoring options: RESET/RESIT/TEST/REST 14a (22/20), TWIT/TWEE/EWER 1a (24),
Setup potential: Yes

At first, this endgame feels like an exercise in futility, since your rack looks so much better than your opponent’s and yet you have no scoring options, and you don’t seem to have any good out in two potential. Indeed, there really are no good standout options.

In reality, this is just a standard endgame: there are no tricks. The problem: there are an unbelievably amount of short plays. Really, the only solution comes when you realize that if you want to go out in two, you need to play more than three tiles.

Sadly, you can’t really do so this turn without hanging a tile in the triple alley. TEST works, for example, giving you two outs, but your opponent gets to play BYTE and your other out is only 7 points. The play that works best is actually a setup, but not really a setup that scores a lot of points: ITS 14a, setting up RETIE, with ENTER as a backup. Although it doesn’t score that much, it DOES allow you to use all 4 tiles, and it doesn’t allow your opponent a high scoring option back. This is the only play that wins, and it only wins by two points.