No Mornington Crescent yet?

[Giles]

Wahat? A new game forum and no thread with Mornington Crescent in it? So let's start one.

I'll make it easy for the newbies (who include myself) with a very orthodox opening gambit:

Bank

[GorillaMan]

Are diagonals in play? Being a leap year, this becomes significant, thanks to Thwaite's Paradox. Either way, I'll opt for safety with Leytonstone.

[silenus]

Have we decided to keep it at the Novice level for a bit? Just to hook the punters? Works for me.

I'll keep it linear with a simple counter-clockwise masse and play


King's Cross

[Revenant Threshold]

You haven't mentioned a rules system, so I assume you're using Wellesby's Standard Forced.

I'm all for newbies keeping up, but we don't want them just to learn the safer moves.

Finsbury Park

[GorillaMan]

OK, we'll keep this reasonably simple: I'm sure the novices can see the logic behind a transitional interchange via Hatton Cross.

[Giles]

GorillaMan's move is at a level of subtlety a bit out of my range, while silenus's is perhaps too obvious. Yes we're using Wellesby's Standard Forced, but with the 1967 addendum to deal with the World Cup fiasco of that year.

I'll aim to a middle ground in difficulty:

Shepherd's Bush

(and to clarify, I mean the station on the Hammersmith and City line).

[silenus]

Not having my copy of the rule book here at school, I'm having to operate from memory. But IIRC, since I am a Colonial, that gives me an early opening to play Kilburn. Or was that disallowed in international play after the Australian Open of '94?

[ArizonaTeach]

Shepherd's Bush

(and to clarify, I mean the station on the Hammersmith and City line). :rolleyes: Well, of course you did. We're not all amateurs here.

Interesting move, silenus, but this basic play is bringing me down some.

Let's separate the wheat from the chaff here. Wimbeldon Park beyond Chalk Farm.

And yes, I know what you're thinking, and no, I don't acknowledge the Bavarian Addendum.

[GorillaMan]

I'll aim to a middle ground in difficulty:

Shepherd's Bush

(and to clarify, I mean the station on the Hammersmith and City line).
Careful doing that, there's a danger of a Dollis Hill loop coming out of this situation. But if we're acception Kilburn(?!), then I'm pulling us around to Temple.

[tanstaafl]

Are the standard trans-Atlantic variants allowed? If so I'll live dangerously and go with Aldwych.

[Giles]

Are the standard trans-Atlantic variants allowed? If so I'll live dangerously and go with Aldwych.
Very dangerously: I'm not sure that former stations are allowed in the rules. But I've actually caught trains to Aldwych in the distant past, so I think I might concede the point.

An appropriate response might be:
Canada Water

[hybrid_dogfish]

Well, taking into account last night's lunar eclipse:

Dollis Hill

(I assume it unneccesary to mention the effect this will have on those thinking about using the Cockfosters Inversion (Snitterington et. al. 1946), even at this beginners level of play.)

[E-Sabbath]

Canada Water?

I've got to wonder about that. Was it finished? I picked up the rules in '90, and it was only a proposed stop, then.

Well, clearly, the logical answer is Thamesmead. That should stop any fancy transfers at all.

[Szlater]

Are we allowing horizontal decamping?

If so, Alperton.

[Scuba_Ben]

If we're using the 2007 ruleset, without horizontal decamping, I think I can move from Thamesmead to Terminal 4... causing the previous player to miss a turn in transit.

[Giles]

If we're using the 2007 ruleset, without horizontal decamping, I think I can move from Thamesmead to Terminal 4... causing the previous player to miss a turn in transit.
Or spend forever in passport control and customs -- so:

Custom House

[silenus]

Then I will offer the Rutherford Gambit, Revised, and play Marble Arch.

BTW, I've always felt that Horizontal Decamping was a bit of a cheat. Flashy, but lacking in substance.

[pulykamell]

Hmm...Let's see, Wellesby's Standard Forced, no horizontal decamping, and Rutherford Gambit from Custom House to Marble Arch. That sounds really familiar--isn't that the same play Deep Tube played against William Wigglesworth in the 2004 Man v. Machine Mornington Crescent exhibition? IIRC, and it's been awhile since I've read the annotations and analysis, Custom House to Marble Arch opens up the White City - Appleton - Harrow-on-the-Hill line of play, with a serious positional advantage to Deep Tube. I'm not going to tread new ground here and try to outplay a grandmaster, so I'll just play Wigglesworth's tested response: Marylebone.

[Liberal]

Someone played a Holshauser and no one called Remmy. Therefore, I'm entitled to a Fair Pitch in Round Style which I will eschew in favor of a Woolsey-Brighton, as is my right. There can be no further progress without a proper Bleamsteshyre from the third player in sesqueue.

[silenus]

Someone played a Holshauser and no one called Remmy. Therefore, I'm entitled to a Fair Pitch in Round Style which I will eschew in favor of a Woolsey-Brighton, as is my right. There can be no further progress without a proper Bleamsteshyre from the third player in sesqueue.

Since when? My recollection is that it's the 4th player, not the 3rd. Has there been a new Addendum published that I missed?

[Scuba_Ben]

Since when? My recollection is that it's the 4th player, not the 3rd. Has there been a new Addendum published that I missed?
I think the addendum is under review for the 2008 Summer rulebook (Welsh-language edition). Perhaps you heard of that change while following the responsa for that edition?

I was going to play Baker Street, but I believe I'm stuck on an empty Oyster card.

[Giles]

I was going to play Baker Street, but I believe I'm stuck on an empty Oyster card.
I think we're playing pre-Oyster-card rules, so I'll take your Baker Street, jump over the turnstiles, and run down to

Great Portland Street

[Wargamer]

Well, since this is my first stab at an International Game, this former colonial will essay

Stamford Brook.

I will admit, however, that my unlearned play does contradict Lothian's Paradox. However, I think I can wiggle out of any trouble with a cross-river transition.

[Freudian Slit]

Well, since this is my first stab at an International Game, this former colonial will essay

Stamford Brook.

I will admit, however, that my unlearned play does contradict Lothian's Paradox. However, I think I can wiggle out of any trouble with a cross-river transition.
I saw what you did there!

Don't think you're making it any easier on the rest of us.

Forsythe's Lodge

[Wargamer]

Oh dear, I now realize where I might have gone wrong! I forgot the '55 Trans-Canada Championship Coup.

Hmmmmm.

Perhaps I can rescue the situation with a quick

South Acton?

[Giles]

I saw what you did there!

Don't think you're making it any easier on the rest of us.

Forsythe's Lodge
I don't there's ever been a Tube station of that name, so I think we just have to reverse the previous three moves, go up one escalator, and down one lift. I think that takes us to

Russell Square

[hybrid_dogfish]

I don't there's ever been a Tube station of that name, so I think we just have to reverse the previous three moves, go up one escalator, and down one lift. I think that takes us to

Russell Square

Which makes it a simple hop to Gunnersby

[silenus]

Which makes Surrey Quays a prudent move, if only to avoid an unduly messy mid-game. We wouldn't want a repeat of Mumbai now, would we?

[hybrid_dogfish]

Which makes Surrey Quays a prudent move, if only to avoid an unduly messy mid-game. We wouldn't want a repeat of Mumbai now, would we?

Indeed not, and with that in mind i think Swiss Cottage will neatly avoid the whole mess that is Chisingwold's Gambit.

(Incidentally, did anyone happen to catch the end of the Semi-Regional Bi-Annuals from Penistone this year, I hear that Swarthithoff's unorthodox play of the DLR was a joy to watch, unfortunately I missed it due to some geese.)

[GorillaMan]

That's not cricket! You've pushed me into a rather unpleasant Perivale twist.

[Wargamer]

As even an unlettered lout like me knows Arsenal is the remedy for the Perivale Twist.

[GorillaMan]

Arsenal only postpones the inevitable collision, as you will see later. But meantime I'll go for broke with Harlesden.

[Wargamer]

Yes, it may postpone the inevitable, but it also allows a Waterloo variant to shift the tide, as Dollopsby demonstrated in the '04 Commonwealth Invitational.

Unless of course, anti-clockwise is not in effect.

[GorillaMan]

South of the river? That unlocks diagonals, doesn't it? Woo hoo!!!! I'll pick up pace now, with Morden!!!

[silenus]

Anti-clockwise has been in effect since the third move, I believe. Which means I can extend and play Kew Gardens, as per Grogham et al in the '57 Regionals in Sydney.

[Liberal]

Well then, since Sydney rules apply — which ought to have been invoked before Dollis Hill — I am going to spend my Domesday. I shall place half of it in Durham and half of it in either Middlesex or Cumberland. Guess wrongly at your peril.

[Wargamer]

I'll throw caution to the winds and say South Wimbeldon.

[silenus]

Which would lead one to naturally play Shepherd's Bush, but that option was played long ago. Defaulting to Riscanton's Option, I'll play Barking.

[Giles]

That brings in play the Roding Valley set of gambits -- I'll go for

Barkingside

(Or is that too obvious?)

[Antinor01]

I'm not sure I'm allowed to do this (I only have an old copy of the rules) but I'm going to go with Holland Park

I'm basing that choice on the decision during the 1948 regionals, where it was declared a legal move.

[GorillaMan]

Yup, still legal. It was threatened during the Helsinki Conference last year, but they kept it in because of the need for removing anticompetitive habits in the central Asian leagues.

Moorgate.

[MovieMogul]

Yup, still legal. It was threatened during the Helsinki Conference last year, but they kept it in because of the need for removing anticompetitive habits in the central Asian leagues.I believe it was Shelley (or was it Keats?) who said, "Finns again? Begins again!"

Bank

[The Stafford Cripps]

A collective sigh of relief that North Weald is no longer available in this situtation. The alternative is a far more palatable Archway (Fotheringham B's sententiousness notwithstanding).

[Antinor01]

A collective sigh of relief that North Weald is no longer available in this situtation. The alternative is a far more palatable Archway (Fotheringham B's sententiousness notwithstanding).

In your excitement at avoiding North Weald, you completely overlooked the fact that I can now select Earl's Court for a double score.

[Liberal]

Invocation of Bank without a Yatchet two turns before a double score allows me to play a rare Welsh Mynyddoedd, for which I choose Carnedd Llewelyn. Since the Prince is not in residence, I'm pulling out my Ty Coch. If you hear bagpipes, you have gone beyond Betws Garmon and will suffer the vision of a naked Duchess of Cornwall. Be forewarned.

[GorillaMan]

We're not fooled, Liberal, although I applaud the attempt to bluff a Trojan Inkman call. Upton Park.

[silenus]

The old Carnedd Ploy, eh? You must think you are Cunning McCunningsford from Cunningshire. But Sydney Rules apply, as you yourself have admitted, and since it's tomorrow there, that means Goodge Street becomes playable as an Encumbrance, and your postion becomes rather untenable.

[Hostile Dialect]

I'm going to invoke the Pythagorean Exemption from the 1988 Manchester Conference and jump to Warren Street, bringing us to an exciting endgame.

[GorillaMan]

Not so fast!!! Didn't Pranton's Gambit demonstrate that I can release Gunnersbury? :D

[silenus]

Pranton, Pranton.......ah, there it is. A quick scan of the precis seems to indicate that GorillaMan is indeed correct. That kicks us out of regular play and into Open Tournament Rules, doesn't it? In which case, according to the manual, the next play is a mandatory Cockfosters, with Descending Tram Exchange enabled and all Britrail transfers wild.

Oh, boy!

[GorillaMan]

Now we're talking!!! I declare Zone 6 void, and am taking Mile End no trumps.

[Governor Quinn]

Is Brill still valid, or did the fistfight that occurred during Wuppertal 1977 make it a permanently invalid action, no matter what rules are in force?

[GorillaMan]

Brill? What zone is that in?!

Chancery Lane

[Giles]

Brill? What zone is that in?!

Chancery Lane
I've been told that in the middle game you shouldn't block yourself in by playing more obscure stations in Zone 1. So where's an escape route? Ah!

Tottenham Hale !

[Hostile Dialect]

Brill was closed in 1935, which disqualifies it according to the Aldgate Declaration of the 1964 Thomson Committee's recommendations. When GorillaMan declared Zone 6 void, he automatically brought the Thomson Committee rules into play. Starting over at Mile End, I'm going to use the Hammersmith Jump to take us to Liverpool Street, blocking Governor Quinn. GorillaMan, you should be ashamed of yourself for forgetting the Aldgate Declaration.

[The Punkyova]

Let's see: leap year-check, lunar eclipse-check, Welsh language excursus-check. That means I can invoke the widdershins triple, and move to Angel.

[Szlater]

Let's see: leap year-check, lunar eclipse-check, Welsh language excursus-check. That means I can invoke the widdershins triple, and move to Angel.

Tee-hee, after 25 years in the game I finally get to play it! And because my last move was disallowed, unfairly I feel, and I'm certainly one to hold a grudge, you can all spend the next five moves escaping the abridged Warren Street-Oxford Circus-Tottenham Court Road loop1.

Warren Street


1The Lesser Outside Reversing Loop: A Cad's Play, or Understated Genius? Bonham-Leigh, T. The Proceedings of the International Society of Mornington Crescent 1978 79:10064-10176

[GorillaMan]

GorillaMan, you should be ashamed of yourself for forgetting the Aldgate Declaration.
Did you miss the connection here, under the Featherstone Principle?

I've been told that in the middle game you shouldn't block yourself in by playing more obscure stations in Zone 1.


Great Portland Street

[PaulParkhead]

Great Portland Street

Hmm. As a new player entering the game, I will assert my right (in accordance with the West London Papers published by Douglas Wyatt in 1966) to include the North London Line. This right is, I believe, available only on the first move, so I'm going to have to get this right.

Dalston Kingsland

[Tapioca Dextrin]

Interesting............ that would normally place you in Nidd, but with Britrail transfers being wild, you're safe. A reverse shunt to Hainault should throw a spanner amongst the pigeons.

[PaulParkhead]

You like that move? I must admit I wasn't expecting that use of the Central Line Defence - it's normally employed by people who've ended up at Bank through careless misreadings of the Northern Line Policy. They tend to assume it applies to the Bank Branch, but we know that all serious discussions on the subject have concluded that the Charing Cross Branch is the only way that the NLP allows when attempting to evade a pincer move on the crossover stations. Well, more fool them!


Clapham North

[hybrid_dogfish]

A quick hop to Vauxhall brings the opportunity for Lyttleton's Trumpet. Pay heed all those going clockwise with less than three tokens!

[Wargamer]

Well, since Open Tourney is in effect now and thanks to GorillaMan's Zone 6 voidance (and yes, I am being sarcastic), I think the preferred play according to Hoyle is to go halfsies on tokens, forcing North Line to a Victoria switchover, unvoiding Zone 6, switching anti-clockwise back to clockwise, leaving me with a half score, but extending the game back into the middle. So obviously -

Elephant & Castle.

BritRail N/A by the by now. You can thank me later.

[GorillaMan]

Professor Plum, with the candlestick, in the kitchen. Which places me at Putney Bridge.

[Wargamer]

Oooo, a cheeky move sir. But I think you've overlooked the reversal inherent in a well-timed Canada Water.

[Stranger On A Train]

Have you all forgotten that it is 2008? Wellesby's Standard Forced has been superceded by Harrington's Upper Twelfth Rules of International Play as defined by the International Convention on the Humane Treatment of Electronic Mice, and because it is Friday exotransactional reorientations are permitted only for the Wightman axioms, therefore causal closure results in regressive geodetic precession. As I possess the Runcible Spoon I can galumph through orthogonal objective frames and redefine the metacentric parameter for the Hilbert transform, and thus select any waypoint in a non-adjacent zone. Q.E.D. Piccadilly Circus.

Stranger

[Small Clanger]

Stranger Isn't it possible that causal closure and geodetic precession may actually leave you with a superposition of Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square? A tough move to follow.

[The Stafford Cripps]

Granted, it was tough, but I think you'll agree that the solution of Ealing Broadway is beautiful in its simplicity.

[Antinor01]

Granted, it was tough, but I think you'll agree that the solution of Ealing Broadway is beautiful in its simplicity.

Getting back at me because I took advantage of that double score are you? I was hoping to use the Wallington exception, but of course you thought of that and it doesn't apply here. So it seems I'm stuck with Kilburn Park.

[silenus]

Which lets me play Gospel Oak with a straight face. A common move, you say? Look again. A Zone 2 Leyton Midland Overplay and we're into a whole new world. Last time that happened (Sommersby Invitational, Dubbo, NSW 1937) no less than 3 Grand Masters resigned in disgust and bafflement.

[hybrid_dogfish]

Goodge Street, and with the current signal failure at Lambeth North, I think I can declare Babbington's.

Let's see where that takes us.

[Stranger On A Train]

Stranger Isn't it possible that causal closure and geodetic precession may actually leave you with a superposition of Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square? A tough move to follow.While I don't mean to be a rules lawyer, let me point out that per The Wigner Errata, Article XIII, Section 729(d), Paragraph 5, read as follows:
Conditional Parameters for the Consideration of States of Simultaneous Superposition to the 2-D Time-Independent Schrödinger Equation:

States of superposition of solutions to the of the 2-D time-independent Schrödinger equations as pertaining to the geodetic precessional translocation may only exist under the following conditional parameters:

i. Under the supervision of supracongnitive metaphantastical luminescent entities,
ii. Within the scope of a self-regulating bi-critical polarized electro-gravitational field,
iii. Exclusive to diamagnetic monopolar nucleotide sequences in the Yang-Mills family, and
iv. As explicitly permitted by the Resident Game Administrator Emeritus
Since the RGAE has been a defunct and exclusively ceremonial position since the quasi-retirement and subsequence bodily ascendance of His Most Respectful Holiness and Righteous Caeserite Gavonitus Tiberius Dionecian of Ur-Constantinople, and because no actual evidence or accepted interpretation of i and iii exist (and not even a comprehensive gathering of living and mediumed Nobel laureates can figure out what clause ii means), the entire paragraph, and thus the issue collapses into a single, identifiable state upon interaction, giving rise to critical angles of affect that provide the forementioned causal closure. I think that you'll agree, upon examination, that while this is a trivial solution to general set of Minkowski sets, it is applicable to all intersections involving the domain of the London Underground.

I hope this clears up all outstanding concerns regarding the issue of superposition. Further reading can be found in "On the topic of self-reducible formulations to the generalized de Broglie solution of the Schrodinger equation", The European Journal of Neutronic Chemistry, volume V, issue 3. If you can't read High Magyar, Douglas Hofstadter summarized it nicely in in his Metamagical Themas column in the August 1982 issue of Scientific American.

Stranger

[hybrid_dogfish]

A concise and easily followed explanation of one of the trickier points of the game there, Stranger. For a deeper explanation of these concepts (whilst still remaining accessible to the intermediate level player) might I also suggest Hemmingway, Otheringforth & Smythe's On Temporal Variances in a Layered Multiphasic Transit Hybrid (variations on the Circle Line) (1978) - Sadly out of print, but any good secondhand book merchant should be able to furnish you with a copy.

On with the game!

[Giles]

In the light of Stranger On A Train's learned explanation, I give:

Schrödinger's Catford

(I think that has sufficient quantum existence for this point in the game)

[Wargamer]

[/B]Well played Giles. Let me be the first to capitalize on the Withersby Variant opened up by playing Mile End followed by a double placement (expending 2 tokens) to transfer orthogonally to Alperton.

No doubt a player of your ability can see the potential, hmmm?

[Antinor01]

[/B]Well played Giles. Let me be the first to capitalize on the Withersby Variant opened up by playing Mile End followed by a double placement (expending 2 tokens) to transfer orthogonally to Alperton.

No doubt a player of your ability can see the potential, hmmm?

It is of course blindingly obvious what you're attempting here. However, subject to rule 42, paragraph 3, subsection b11 in the seminal work, Crossplay Adjuncts and Exposition On the Socialogical Habits of Ferrets, Addendum 4 (and in accordance with the ruling of the Northeastern division judges panel in '74) I will sidestep the play you clearly want and go to Swiss Cottage.

[Wargamer]

Curses. That slipperiness might have cost me, but I will rescue the situation with

Harrow-on-the-Hill.

Of course, that play opens up a veritable can of worms, but it had to be done, lest the game end in 3 moves.

[Antinor01]

Curses. That slipperiness might have cost me, but I will rescue the situation with

Harrow-on-the-Hill.

Of course, that play opens up a veritable can of worms, but it had to be done, lest the game end in 3 moves.

Excellent choice, I see you've read addendum 4. Most people never get past 2. Good show.

[Wargamer]

Thank you. One tries. I hope whoever plays next has studied their Capabarro.

[silenus]

Naturally... but I find that Thibault cancels out Capabarro. Don't you?

Brondesbury

[president eric b]

That sounds really familiar--isn't that the same play Deep Tube played against William Wigglesworth in the 2004 Man v. Machine Mornington Crescent exhibition?

Unfortunately, I won't be joining in as I am in a self imposed exile from the great game of Mornington Crescent since I sided with the Sheffield-Magyar axis during the Marmite Slice Incident at the Stoke Poges Open in '97, but I believe Deep Tube is now utilised as an Oyster card reader at Liverpool Street.

[MovieMogul]

That's a shame, pres eric b, though I think the statue of limitations for such an offense (even self-imposed) is 10 years, so you can probably ease up a little. How about wearing a Scarlet SM on your chest?

So....a Thibault cancellation...

Willesden Junction

[Antinor01]

Following up on the Thibault cancellation naturally progresses into the Bishop maneuver. The obvious play is of course Finchley Road.

[silenus]

Followed by the recommended play of Green Park, taking Bishop to Level 4. Gorlick's Commentary on the maneuver makes it sound so obvious, but it has never really made sense to me. Can someone explain to me, in small words, why Snaresbrook wouldn't work just as well?

[Antinor01]

Followed by the recommended play of Green Park, taking Bishop to Level 4. Gorlick's Commentary on the maneuver makes it sound so obvious, but it has never really made sense to me. Can someone explain to me, in small words, why Snaresbrook wouldn't work just as well?

Keeping it as simple as possible, Snaresbrook would constitute a deterministic causality (in and of itself perfectly valid), HOWEVER the Thibault cancellation expects a complex vector space. Heseinbergs uncertainty principle quantifies it the best, but it certainly boils down to the quantum state itself being the fundamental physical quantity.

Does that help?

[silenus]

Actually, it does. I've been reading the appendix to Thibault, and he seems to allude to this in Section 7.3. That would explain the weasels.

[Stranger On A Train]

Followed by the recommended play of Green Park, taking Bishop to Level 4. Gorlick's Commentary on the maneuver makes it sound so obvious, but it has never really made sense to me. Can someone explain to me, in small words, why Snaresbrook wouldn't work just as well?Yes, but only in Tralfamadorian, requiring negative temporal sense or a really sophisticated HD video recorder to comprehend.

King's Bishop captures Gojira on Bravo-6 and Literary Metamorphoses for $600 gives Leytonstone. It's getting tight!

Stranger

[Antinor01]

Actually, it does. I've been reading the appendix to Thibault, and he seems to allude to this in Section 7.3. That would explain the weasels.

Glad to help. I've felt for years that they should publish a condensed version of Gorlick's Commentary. While interesting on a theoretical level, his blatherings about the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox and unneeded parallels between Mustela Frenata and Mustela Nivalis really don't help explain the concept on a practical level. (Was he being paid by the word or what?)

[The Stafford Cripps]

King's Bishop captures Gojira on Bravo-6 and Literary Metamorphoses for $600 gives Leytonstone. It's getting tight!

Stranger
Ha!!! Only one in a thousand would have seen that one!

The Central Line Manifest now allows me an "Old" North London Line Protocol transverse of Highbury and Islington.

[PaulParkhead]

Oh boy. I am still working from Galton & Warburton (1983) right now. It seems things have changed a lot since they published that classic, The Application of the Sub-Surface Gambit in Extradimensional Play. I have a lot of reading to do.

Speculatively, I will go with Archway.

[Tapioca Dextrin]

I've just received a letter from a Mrs. Trellis of North Wales. She enjoys Tooting Bec, and let's face it, who doesn't?

[Santo Rugger]

You guys are out of hand.

[Wargamer]

Well, to rescue this game from the clutches of pan-deterministic relativists, I will fall back on the Classical Newtonian play of Marylebone, which should return us to a more classical game, as described so eloquently by Balmer, Wigginsen, et al in 1935's Extract of Slovenian Defences, Germanic Openings, and Trans-Siberian End Games.

[hybrid_dogfish]

Aha! I detect the unmistakeable signature of a devotee of the Huttons Ambo school!

Dagenham East, stirrups inverted.

[Liberal]

Waverly Bridge, Edinburgh. Shaka, when the walls fell.

[Wargamer]

Waverly Bridge with stirrups inverted, calls for Bounds Green, with stirrups reversedand inverted.

[silenus]

High Street Kensington, which puts us solidly into late-mid-game, with Collingswood's Annex in terminal disarray.

[TheLoadedDog]

Are we playing GMT, Chicago time, or Zulu? I need to know, because it's Sunday here...

Anyway, i'm going to use a favourite move of mine - the Commissioner's Exemption, albeit adapted slightly by combining it with an inverse transfer (to minimise risk if knip) and will move Bayswater.

(It worked for a young Takayama when he defeated the Canadian master Adler at Oslo in 1963)

[hybrid_dogfish]

Hmmm, I think I see what you're trying there my antipodean friend, however, Gospel Oak will put a stop to that little scheme.

MC in 8, I think.

[The Punkyova]

Not so fast, oh canine swimming beastie.

You forget that Marshall Idrington rewrote the Stockholm Conventions, after that mess with Meisterson and Williams. Our next stop is Limehouse.

[lynne-42]

(Incidentally, did anyone happen to catch the end of the Semi-Regional Bi-Annuals from Penistone this year, I hear that Swarthithoff's unorthodox play of the DLR was a joy to watch, unfortunately I missed it due to some geese.)

It was sensational. It wasn't just the play itself but the flair with which Swarthithoff presented it. Talk about theatrical! I've never seen anything like it. It'll be out on DVD soon - don't miss it.

My first chance to play and I'm in Confisculation because of your Limehouse, Punkyova (The). Not fair! Nothing I can do until someone instigates a deconfisculatory move.

[Wargamer]

My first chance to play and I'm in Confisculation because of your Limehouse, Punkyova (The). Not fair! Nothing I can do until someone instigates a deconfisculatory move.

Then I will deconfisculate you with the grognard's favorite -

Pimlico .

[lynne-42]

Thank you! Done with style!

Kingsbury.

[silenus]

Ealing Common for the swapover, and off we go into Templeton's Quandry.

[Wargamer]

I think Liverpool Streetsolves that particular problem, and brings us to the end game. I see MC in 14 moves, esp. as stirrups are reversed and inverted, Zone 6 has been closed and re-opened, and tokens, as we know from Montcalm's brilliant play in the quarterfinals of The Sydney Open of '96, are no longer valid.

Try as you might, I can't see you wriggling off this hook.

[Dead Cat]

I haven't been attending as closely as I should, so forgive me if this is incorrect, but if Zone 6 is indeed now re-opened, that gives me the opportunity for a Beaufort's Spangel quintuple play. The only move to block your MC in 14 is therefore Chalfont & Latimer and Embankment (I believe you overlooked Quiricus' Lemma, Wargamer).

[silenus]

Oooh, burn! :D

[Giles]

Everywhere I look, the game seems to be tied up by rules that have been around for at least half a century, but it seems far too early to play M********* C******* yet. But doesn't Lord Montague's 1798 annex to the 1754 rules give me an escape route in such cases? Let's try

Monument

[Wargamer]

Dammit Giles, that play means we have to start all over!

Oh well....

Bank.





Sigh.....

[MerryMagdalen]

Oh! If we're starting over, I hope that a novice (and an American) can join! I have studied the gambits a bit since the last time, and I hope that I haven't missed any rules changes...

Chancery Lane.

[lynne-42]

Clapham Common

[Dead Cat]

Elephant & Castle

I know, I know, but someone had to do it!

[Tapioca Dextrin]

I believe Kings Cross Thameslink should clear any remaining blockages.

[Dottygumdrop]

Apologies for this, but barring an illegal inverse transfer, the only place I can go is ... Dollis Hill.

[hybrid_dogfish]

Upney will leave things nice and open.

[silenus]

Let's throw this into International Match Play and go


Pudding Mill Lane

[aldiboronti]

Let's make things interesting.

Swiss Cottage.

(And, yes, I know how risky that is.)

[Wargamer]

Clever play, that. I believe

Monument would not be out of zone here. Plus I get to declare free token Tuesdays in Zone 5.

[Giles]

Clever play, that. I believe

Monument would not be out of zone here. Plus I get to declare free token Tuesdays in Zone 5.
<sigh> I think we're in a City-of-London loop now.

Bank

[silenus]

No worries. It's a quick slide to Stockwell, which opens up the whole of Zone 2. Of course, That play means I'm restricted to defensive play for the next few moves, but I'll take my chances.

[Wargamer]

I can swoop in after [/B]Silenus' play with Goldhawk Road[B] for double tokens, which will not help win the game, but does move us on towards a possible trans-Thames resolution of the City loop.

[Wargamer]

Gahh...wonderful tagging job there Wg.

[Hostile Dialect]

Of course, the safest play here is Wilson's Gambit, otherwise known as the Overground Dodge of 1978. Kilburn High Road to escape Wargamer's deadly Brussels Trap.

[silenus]

Which gives me Dagenham Heathway as trump, with transfers in abeyance for a fortnight.

[RickJay]

Damn, I was going to move to Queen's Park.

Actually, I still will. Queen's Park. But was that preceding Overground Dodge allowable? I thought that after the 1984 Rules Concordium you have to show a known bus connection to pull a Dodge.

[Antinor01]

Damn, I was going to move to Queen's Park.

Actually, I still will. Queen's Park. But was that preceding Overground Dodge allowable? I thought that after the 1984 Rules Concordium you have to show a known bus connection to pull a Dodge.

Please review the 1987 decision in the western division finals at Glasgow. I believe that should clear things up for you.

No one should be surprised by this, St James Park.

[SSG Schwartz]

I know I am new to this game, but isn't Barrow's rule still in effect? Granted it was dated 1998, but I have not seen the addendum since then. Could a player place St James Park under these rules?
Remember the Tolsmyth gambit of 2004? Does that rule apply here?

SSG Schwartz

[Antinor01]

I know I am new to this game, but isn't Barrow's rule still in effect? Granted it was dated 1998, but I have not seen the addendum since then. Could a player place St James Park under these rules?
Remember the Tolsmyth gambit of 2004? Does that rule apply here?

SSG Schwartz

Bah, you're right. I was so ingrossed in the 87 Glasgow decision that I totally overlooked the double park exemption under Barrow. I will take my penalty position of Stockwell.

[Hostile Dialect]

Sloppy play, Antinor01. You've forced my hand: I must use the EOL Transfer Protocol laid out in RFC 8291.128 at the Stockholm Convention for Internet-Based London Transport Games in 2003 to take us down the Northern Line to London Bridge.

This is dangerous stuff.

[Tapioca Dextrin]

Yikes! All these modern rules are confusing. I was all set to play British Museum, but I think I can still play Kensington (Olympia) and remain fungible.

[Dead Cat]

Earl's Court. The Central Line is now in an octagon of decreasing trumps, according to Stanley's Billabong of 1934.

[RickJay]

Please review the 1987 decision in the western division finals at Glasgow. I believe that should clear things up for you.
I accept your point here, but bear in mind that Scottish Senior League rules are a bit different from IMCF rules, and aren't necessarily considered precedent. Of course, this is a friendly, so we can play under the rules of any federation we want, but as this message board is technically American I just assumed we were using IMCF regulations. But I'll buy that.

Anyway, I'm invoking Rule 6-19 (b), which allows me to jump over High Street-Kensington because a Kensington was played in the last five moves and I'm playing Notting Hill Gate, and I think we can see where this is going.

[Wargamer]

I think Marsden's Coup is available here, so I will play Pimlico.

[JoseB]

I hope that a player from across the Channel can join in the game. If so, after analyzing the situation, I cannot help but make the observation that the present state of the board is extraordinarily similar to that of the 1938 World Championship British-German semi-final (famously beset by scandal when the German delegation stormed away in a huff, having been soundly beaten by the British team --All analysts agreed in that the Germans blundered by mistakenly using the Berlin U-bahn layout in their minds during the crucial move... But I digress).

That being the case, given that this is one of the most deeply analyzed games in all of history, you will all agree that the only logical move is...

Waterloo

[The Stafford Cripps]

Ah! a Pimlico to Waterloo augmented-nexus "bounce". Downstream as well! I feel like I'm witness to the great Stephania when she was at the height of her powers.

If she's looking down on us all, I humbly offer a Moravian stepover to Borough, and hope that it's worthy of her memory.

[Wargamer]

I do believe that she'd be pleased with your play G. Odoreida, because you've opened the door to her favorite bait-and-switch tactic, popularized by Sir A.C. Doyle in his Holmes' story The Great Game League. So, with that -

Walthamstow Central

[silenus]

Which gives me Bounds Green on a mid-week declination. Huzzah!

[JoseB]

Hmmm... I think that it is the moment to spice up the game.

Yep. I am going to do it. I know, I know... It's dangerous, and the situation becomes unpredictable, but... What the heck! "He who dares, wins", and all that, right? Besides, I think that the Schlimmkowitz Gambit is worth trying at this point.

Without further ado (but with much trepidation)...

Aldwych !!

[ianzin]

Without further ado (but with much trepidation)...

Aldwych !! Dear friend JoseB, I see what you're trying to do here, and it's a very elegant move if I may say so. Similar to the kind of defence that my old sparring partner Tinkleton tended to use in his prime. I know he never won a major, but by all that's sacred he played some elegant MC in his day.

However, if you look back over the play thus far, you'll see that 'Aldwych' would contravene the Chessingbourne Convention, as we're in a leap year. Perhaps, dear friend, you had overlooked that it's a leap year? An entirely understandalbe error. Nonetheless, and with great regret, I fear we have to reject this particular play.

[Hostile Dialect]

I've carefully considered my options here, and decided that my only rational option: the Oxford Semicircle.

Tufnell Park.

[Liberal]

I claim my Wembley! I claim my Wembley! The Oxford Semicircle two days before the leap day, which is on a Friday, entitles me. See the dispute "Roddenburgh v. Rutrigger", 1992, wherein the Attison commission awarded a Wembley to the plaintiff.

Camden Passage on Upper Street, westside.

[Tapioca Dextrin]

Lib old bean, those aren't real stations. Wembley Central would have been a stunning move, rendering the both Circle and District Lines, but in effect, you've invoked wrong sort of snow forcing everyone into galoshes. Thus:-

Pinner!! :cool:

[lynne-42]

Sorry, but I am totally confused. If Aldwych wasn't allowed, then how could Hostile Dialect play Tufnell Park? Without Tufnell Park I can see that Camden Passage is legal, but not whether it is with Tufnell Park.

I've checked my Hobbs and Sturgess (19th ed., 2005. pp. 345-78) and am really out of my depth. Could someone please elucidate? I guess I'm not as advanced a player as I thought I was.

[JoseB]

Sorry, but I am totally confused. If Aldwych wasn't allowed, then how could Hostile Dialect play Tufnell Park? Without Tufnell Park I can see that Camden Passage is legal, but not whether it is with Tufnell Park.

I've checked my Hobbs and Sturgess (19th ed., 2005. pp. 345-78) and am really out of my depth. Could someone please elucidate? I guess I'm not as advanced a player as I thought I was.

I see what might be your problem, lynne-42. There are some variations between the original Welsh and the English translation, and whenever there are discrepancies, the original trumps the translation. If I am not mistaken, this is one of the points where there happens to be a small but crucial ambiguity in the choice of words by the translators in the English-language edition.

I would suggest that you check the original Welsh language edition. That would make everything clear as the light of day!

Oh, and, ianzin, you were right: I completely forgot that 2008 was a leap year! Curse my lack of attention to that subtle but crucial detail!

Am I allowed to play an alternate? If so, looking at the situation of the game now, I would pay a penalty token, put the galoshes on and move to Angel, which you will find is allowed as per the Cornish addenda to the Pendelton Apocripha of 1977 (Appendix CXVII).

[ianzin]

I've checked my Hobbs and Sturgess (19th ed., 2005. pp. 345-78) and am really out of my depth. Could someone please elucidate? I guess I'm not as advanced a player as I thought I was. Dear Lynne-42, it's really not that complicated, so please don't get concerned.

First of all, cast your mind back to the rather tiresome row that erupted during the third match of the so-called 'friendly' between France and Malaysia in 2005, concerning the interpretation of the Rotational Shift rule as applied to Osterley > Bromley-by-Bow. This didn't affect the outcome of the match, thanks to Sagathevan's stunning upset win on the top board (a game they still don't talk about much in Paris!), but it could have done. This led to the 4th revision of the RS rule, which was not included in Hobbs and Sturgess (as it had already gone to print) but was included in the Appendix to the 2005 Ogawa & Vincent list of Official Rules & Revisions as ratified by the International Committee in November 2005. Actually, tell a lie, it was the revised version of the Appendix, the first version having to be pulped because of an embarassing typo concerning Buckhurst Hill.

I won't bore you by going into all the separate clauses of the 4th revision to the RS rule. However, clause 7 explicitly states that in cases where crossed water leading west involves consecutive vowels, rotational shift can be applied to inversely aligned stations, provided (obviously) that this does not contravene Spindle's Axiom and (equally obviously) that no-one has declared stirrups on the preceding three moves (or two moves in the case of leap years) (unless it's both a leap year and the DLR is non-operational, in which case it can be either two or three moves depending on local custom and/or adjudication issued at the time of play).

Now, although our friend Jose B inadvertently made an illegal play with Aldwych, note that this was disallowed for reasons of "time, year, calendar or occasion" (to quote Hobbs and Sturgess), as opposed to, for example, geography or crossing water. As such, it is governed by Chaddick's Law and shall only prevent ongoing play if permitting ongoing play would itself constitute an illegal move. This was not the case here, as Hostile's rather ingenious move to Tufnell Park would have been legal whether or not Aldwych were allowed to stand.

If you add this fact to the afore-mentioned points cocnerning rotational shift, you'll see that it was perfectly proper to permit ongoing play, notwithstanding Jose B's slight error.

I hope this clarifies everything.

[lynne-42]

Thank you, Ianzin! This is a perfect example of why I love this game so much.

Time to study Hobbs and Sturgess again. Including the Welsh edition.

[Dead Cat]

ianzin's masterful analysis has overlooked one small but significant point; more than three line changes in the last 20 moves enables a terminus to be played, provided the first Saturday train arrives no later than 0635. This enables me to declare MC in 42, beginning with Upminster.

[ianzin]

more than three line changes in the last 20 moves enables a terminus to be played, provided the first Saturday train arrives no later than 0635. This enables me to declare MC in 42, beginning with Upminster. Very astute, Dead Cat, and very nearly correct. However, you will notice that Wargamer has already played 'Pimlico', which clearly contains a repeated vowel. It is also the case that we have not had a parallel shunt since this excellent and rather cunning play. Now, I suspect that your 42 move MC analysis involves at least one Bassington Turn involving a non-Circle line straddle (by my reckoning, this would crop up around either move 19 or move 31, depending on your tolerance for 'Acton' stations). However, because of the Pimlico / parallel shunt rule, this would, of course, be an invalid play. But otherwise, I salute your very ambitious strategy.

[JoseB]

Very astute, Dead Cat, and very nearly correct. However, you will notice that Wargamer has already played 'Pimlico', which clearly contains a repeated vowel. It is also the case that we have not had a parallel shunt since this excellent and rather cunning play. Now, I suspect that your 42 move MC analysis involves at least one Bassington Turn involving a non-Circle line straddle (by my reckoning, this would crop up around either move 19 or move 31, depending on your tolerance for 'Acton' stations). However, because of the Pimlico / parallel shunt rule, this would, of course, be an invalid play. But otherwise, I salute your very ambitious strategy.

Extremely shrewd counter-analysis, ianzin. But, is it not the case that you have failed to take into account the (admittedly, rarely invoked) Ffoulkes-Mandalay Ruling? I would say that it was written to deal with exactly this kind of situation!

By the F-M Ruling (which was the result of the unfortunate events surrounding the 1993 Alma-Ata qualifiers for the World Championship, which also brought upon the at the time controversial ban on firearm carrying among spectators of the matches), straddles are allowed within one week of a lunar eclipse or if there have been plays within the last 15 turns into stations made famous by any kind of popular motion picture. How ironic it is that both conditions are being met right now! ("Passport to Pimlico", anybody?)

So, I contend that Dead Cat's move is correct and his (her?) analysis stands. We must find some other way to avoid this apparently inevitable MC in 42!

Think, people, think! Where can we move?

[ianzin]

have failed to take into account the (admittedly, rarely invoked) Ffoulkes-Mandalay Ruling? Good point. However, I thought the Lausanne Conference concluded that although the F-M Ruling was applicable after either a lunar eclipse or a 'motion picture' move, it was inapplicable if both conditions applied? This was certainly how it was written up in my 2004 Kimlat's Annotated Rulings For Tournament Play (second edition), although to be fair a slightly different interpretation is offered in Tendo's Modern Middle Game Strategies For The Competitive Player (I just looked it up, although I confess I only have the paperback edition). Perhaps this is one of those very rare occasions when there's some room for confusion about the rules?

[JoseB]

Good point. However, I thought the Lausanne Conference concluded that although the F-M Ruling was applicable after either a lunar eclipse or a 'motion picture' move, it was inapplicable if both conditions applied? This was certainly how it was written up in my 2004 Kimlat's Annotated Rulings For Tournament Play (second edition), although to be fair a slightly different interpretation is offered in Tendo's Modern Middle Game Strategies For The Competitive Player (I just looked it up, although I confess I only have the paperback edition). Perhaps this is one of those very rare occasions when there's some room for confusion about the rules?

Unfortunately not. The Lausanne Conference was later voided by the Istanbul Concord, six months later, after the Commitee for the Computerisation of Mornington Crescent successfully lobbied for the definition of "or" as "OR", not "XOR". Kimlat's was printed before the Istanbul Concord; the correct interpretation is that of Tendo's. Check "The Great XOR Wars" (Journal of Morningcrescentology, Vol. DCCCLXXXVIII, pp. 382-404 - July 2006).

Whose turn is it, anyway...?

[RickJay]

Mine.

I'm playing Hornchurch, since I can bypass Upminster Bridge (rule 7.19(g)sub(iv))

This reminds me of the great Douglas-Barizev match of 1976, when Barizev played into Hornchurch. I don't pretend to be a master at his level, but I'm trying to pattern my midgame after his, with a little Tremblay thrown in.

[Wargamer]

Well, I, for one, refuse to fall into Dead Cat's little end game trap. As Schimmelfennig showed at the '87 Ulan bator Invitational Skins game, several of the Acton stations can be used out of sequence to negate a three-line double terminus 42 Move End Game. And as we ALL know, esp. since our attention has been drawn to Hobbes and Sturgess , a parallel transfer shunt to North Acton will put paid to SenorGato Muerte 's plan.

So there! MC in 12!

[silenus]

Not so fast. Sydney rules are still in effect. Since it is Feb. 29 there, that means that all stations that begin with a vowel are null and void until March! Therefore my play of Victoria is the legal basis for any endgame plans. Yoicks and away!

[Wargamer]

<Looks at a globe. Notes International Dateline. Ciphers. Carries the 1.>

Zounds, he's right!

Therefore, I declare the Greenwich Mean Time Adjustment, which allows a One Time Double Token play of Royal Oak.

[ianzin]

which allows a One Time Double Token play of Royal Oak. No it doesn't. Royal Oak involves two double vowels. Ergo, illegal after a non-shunt motion West not transverse with respect to a mainline station.

[Wargamer]

ianzin, I realize you are probably playing Gormetti and Pasquallini's version of the double vowel rule, but as I am using the Revised Gormetti and Pasquallini, circa 1965, the vowels must be adjacent to each other AND in double order. Hence the oa in Oak qualifies as they are adjacent, but the o-a in Royal doesn't count because of non-lineararity.

See, for example, Hassoummi's play in the '48 Royal Tanzanian Cup, which of course gave rise to the '65 revision mentioned above. (Drat the Zulu-Greek Incident which held up the codification of this crucial gambit for 17 years...ahh well, that's water under the bridge, eh?)

[ianzin]

My friend Wargamer, we are talking about different double vowel rules. You are referring to 'double vowels' as in 'adjacent vowels', whereas I am referring to 'vowels that appear more than once in the same station name'.

With regard to the former, you are quite right to refer to Gormetti and Pasquallini as the prevailing source and guide for tournament play. By the way, thank you for drawing my attention to the '65 revision, which I freely admit had slipped my mind.

With regard to the latter, my previous comment stands.

Incidentally, you and I might both wish that the so-called 'Zulu Greek Incident' was indeed 'water under the bridge', and I agree that it should be, but alas... not so. You may be aware that in last month's Singapore Classic Invitational, Smoot enjoyed something of a scrappy win over Glauber in the second round, relying rather heavily on his admittedly impressive repertoire of Reverse Fairlop manoevres, especially around the DLR. Anyway, Glauber's team have now lodged a formal request with the IMCC for a review of the match, citing what they refer to in their written submission as 'erroneous adjudication pertaining to move 31 (Aldgate > Newbury Park) and contravention of Lateral Banding'. In other words, reviving the exact same debate that lay at the heart of the 'Zulu Greek Incident' all those years ago. Tiresome, to say the least. Smoot has lodged a counter claim, citing 'technical breaches of the Cossington rule', probably referring to Glauber's 47th Move (Kingsbury > Maida Vale) which, although it raised a few eyebrows at the time for obvious reasons, was and is a perfectly legitimate move (at least since the '73 revision of the Alphabetic Division Rule as applied to Dual Rotation).

I'm sad to see Glauber resorting to such petty tactics. He's a great player, and when he's on form we all know he can display some pretty impressive talent. I saw him in action at the UK Classic a few years back, and frankly he was in awesome form, winning every single one of his First Board matches by at least three points, if you can believe that. And against quality opposition too! He faced Markov in Game 4 and simply annihilated the poor guy, announcing 'MC in 5' after Move 23 (Markov was never selected for the Serbian team again). Glauber is also the only player I've ever seen achieve a Reverse Straddle from North Harrow to Goldhawk Road in five consecutive moves! I know, it sounds impossible, but check out the '02 European Challenge Cup qualifiers and it's there in black and white. Okay, so it wasn't in a ranking tournament, but it's still an impressive achievement. Along with many others, I wish the guy would just let his talent do the talking, instead of lodging these churlish complaints every time the result doesn't quite go his way.

[Dead Cat]

So, I contend that Dead Cat's move is correct and his (her?) analysis stands.His.

Anyway, although Gormetti and Pasquallini don't mention the double double consecutive vowel, it is generally accepted (according to Sherlock, Moody, and Hardcastle) that such a play is legal as long as it occurs before the next full moon.

Therefore, Goodge Street not only puts a neat woggle on RickJay's Hornchurch, but also it actually reduces my Blaggering Level to a mere -474.9 (I leave it as an exercise to the reader to determine what units I am using here; I will only hint that it should be obvious to anyone familiar with Budson).

[ianzin]

it is generally accepted (according to Sherlock, Moody, and Hardcastle) that such a play is legal as long as it occurs before the next full moon. Which edition of SM&H? I can't find this in my edition. I don't doubt you, and what you have said obviously makes sense, but I just haven't been able to find the relevant entry. Then again, nothing against SM&H but I personally have always preferred Sanvert & Sanvert for match commentaries and interpretations. I know they go into less detail than SM&H, but I think they approach the game with a more romantic, free-spirited air that appeals to me. I didn't like the 2007 edition too much, to be honest, but their previous annual volumes were great. The 2005 was superb and is worth reading just for fun. Their somewhat cruel but witty dissection of Kendall's dismal failure in the '05 Dutch event was a classic (if you recall, that's when dear old 'Clueless' Kendall tried to reach Baker Street from Mile End without realising he himself had already declared stirrups!).

[Wargamer]

Very cogently argued ianzin, and I must say I envy you the opportunity to watch a grandmaster like Glauber in live action. But since we've moved on to Goodge Street (and wasn't that a clever play by Dead Cat?), I will declare stirrups (again), and volley Wimbeldon. to place us squarely in the mid-early late mid-game moves.

[The Stafford Cripps]

It's Friday afternoon and since I've just finished work I'm feeling fiendish and mischievous. Try responding to this diametric shuttle-switch: Walthamstow Central!

[Liberal]

It's Friday afternoon and since I've just finished work I'm feeling fiendish and mischievous. Try responding to this diametric shuttle-switch: Walthamstow Central!Deftly played, I must say! Inspired, no doubt, by the recent mention of such great players as Glauber and Hassoummi. You left me feeling trapped until it occured to me that Wooster had been dealt a similar blow in the Great Turkish Roundabout of 1984. He responded with a Soho and Islington four-flip. Obviously, I cannot four-flip on Friday, but what I certainly can do is a step-aside. (Please see Rigby's Blindsided by the Shuttle-Switch — Chapter 12: The Tactical Serendipity of Malthouse.) I hereby invoke the genius of Ralph McTell (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmKMQI9mbZ8) as I play a Streets of London step-aside, as your own momentum hurls you through to Hoe Street, from where I can play a simple High and Westbury.

[ianzin]

Stepney Green (Huffingtons declined)

Prosaic but, I think you'll find, strategically effective, and a good way to block Dead Cat's plans.

[lynne-42]

It's only one stop to Mile End, which converts to 1.6 kilometres (we're playing International Rules). Huffingtons indeed!

Mile End!

[ianzin]

Can I have an adjudication on Lynne-42's last move, please? Someone? I don't mean to be tiresome about it, and it's alwas a pleasure to play with a wily opponent such as Lynne, but surely this contravenes the Three Inversion rule? It is, after all, the first day of the month. I fear this might get complicated, because Lynne is in Australia and whether this move occurred on the first of the month might involve an adjudication concerning the international date line. Nonetheless, I feel that in the spirit of fair play, the question does need to be raised. There's no point having rules if we're not going to abide by them.

[Tapioca Dextrin]

Whay would there be a problem with playing Mile End on the first of the month? It's a fine example of Rushton's Exception. In fact, now you come to mention it, since it's a leap year, not only is the move valid, but it places you in Nid for the next round. Sometimes silence is golden. :smack:

[lynne-42]

Thank you, Tapioca Dextrin. I was reading of Rushton's Exception only last night in an account of the Irish semi-finals, 2003 (Senior Quiffs Division). I was amazed to get a chance to use it so soon. It is nice to have one's moves appreciated!

[ianzin]

Tapioca my friend, I thank you for your contribution but I fear you are missing my main point.

Wargamer played Walthamstow Central after which there was a mid-week declination, shortly followed (within three moves without stirrups) by Tufnell Park, which (a) contains a double consonant and (b) is itself two words. This fits five out of the six conditions for 'doubled delimited' play, as defined by the 2006 International Congress and ratified by the IMCC last year (see Byford's Ratified Annotations, second edition), and the sixth condition pertains only to DLR play and is therefore irrelevant to the case in point. Now, as we all know from our beginner's books, Mile End is "the only tube station that offers cross-platform interchange between 'tube' and 'cut and cover' lines", which technically constitutes "daylight access within station boundaries" as defined by Sanvert & Psycinski ("IMCC Test Cases And Adjudications For Contemporary Tournament Play", 2005, original edition). I am therefore being asked to accept a play that does support the Two Word Name rule (for a station on multiple lines not including the DLR) yet contravenes the Daylight Rule as applied within a period of double delimited play, which is self-contradictory. This is what I think gives rise to a problem.

I certainly mean no disrespect to Lynne-42, a fine player and a worthy opponent, but I think at the very least it calls for some thoughtful adjudication.

[Liberal]

Not that it matters, but Mountbatten on Salisbury with full arms.

[lynne-42]

It does matter. That's brilliant! I would never have seen it. But doesn't Mountbatten on Salisbury give someone MC in two?

Note to self: if we can pretend Ianzin's objections don't exist, we may just get away with this.

[Liberal]

It does matter. That's brilliant! I would never have seen it. But doesn't Mountbatten on Salisbury give someone MC in two?With demi arms, yes. But note that I played full arms.

[silenus]

With full arms in play, that leads us to Hounslow East, and Bob's your uncle.

[The Punkyova]

ianzin, you, sir, are my hero. A masterful summation of a complex situation.

Having said that, I join in ignoring your points to play Perivale. That's two moves at full arms, which lets us use the full inversion. In addition, Perivale itself alternates vowels and consonants, rendering the blocking Onslow Twist inoperative.

[Hostile Dialect]

Ah, ianzin, you have forgotten one crucial point: Winkler's Exception states that the Daylight Rule is not applicable in times where London is served by a warrior prince. Though we could not have known that Winkler's Exception was in play when we started, it clearly has been, and we must take that into account retroactively.

It's a simple mistake. lynne clearly has a subtle mastery of the nuances of the 1938 Islamabad Convention. She is a worthy opponent, and I fear my Islamabad Convention repertoire may not be formidable enough to stand up to hers.

That said, with Islamabad rules in full effect, it would appear at first that I am forced into the unenviable position of choosing between another Oxford Semicircle and a Fowler Half-Loop. With Britrail passes wild and Huffingtons null, however, I have the option of taking the (in?)famous Triple Line Drop to Great Portland Street and call MC in 11. I need not remind you all, of course, that with Huffingtons null it is not mathematically possible to reach MC in the next eight moves. That's how the Netherlands won the 1996 quarterfinal, a game which I'm sure will live in our hearts forever.

[lynne-42]

I can't believe it! Ever since I specialized in the 1938 Islamabad Convention, I have longed for this chance! With Britrail passes wild, Turkey Street feeds into the tube at Liverpool Street. Yes!

Liverpool Street. Beat me now! MC in 9.

[Tapioca Dextrin]

Gare d'Austerlitz

We are playing Mornington Croissant, right? :p

[ianzin]

Ah, ianzin, you have forgotten one crucial point: Winkler's Exception states that the Daylight Rule is not applicable in times where London is served by a warrior prince. Though we could not have known that Winkler's Exception was in play when we started, it clearly has been, and we must take that into account retroactively. Good point! Of course this could give rise to all kinds of metaphysical discussions... if there is no way to know a rule (or known exception) is applicable, is it, in fact, applicable? And does the IMCC recognise retrospective applicability? And does Harry actually constitute a 'warrior prince' within the terms of the orginal definition? However, it's a fascinating observation, I have no wish to quibble at this stage.
]Liverpool Street. Beat me now! MC in 9. Happy to oblige. May the record show that this play of Liverpool Street occurred after a Schlimmkowitz Gambit (from our friend JoseB) but within the same week as a leap day. I know that many of you (including Lynne, probably) will fondly imagine that the 'within the same week' rule only applies to the period leading up to the Leap Day, or only to dates within the same calendar week as the Leap Day. However, not so. If you will refer to your Tamariz Formal Definitions For Advance Tournament Play (the new Cambridge edition, January 2008), you will see that the 'within the same week' rule applies to any date that falls within the span demarcated by seven days before February 29th (counting midnight to midnight) or up to six days after (counting noon to noon).

This being so, 'Liverpool Street' is plainly invalid unless the player either declares 'Mattocks' or has previously offered motion West across water within a Snibbed Dual Play. As Lynne_42 has done neither, 'Liverpool Street' cannot constitute a valid move.

[lynne-42]

This being so, 'Liverpool Street' is plainly invalid unless the player either declares 'Mattocks' or has previously offered motion West across water within a Snibbed Dual Play. As Lynne_42 has done neither, 'Liverpool Street' cannot constitute a valid move.

Bloody experts! I'm going away to sulk.

[ianzin]

I declare Widdingtons and play...

Euston specifying King's Cross branch on the Northern Line !!

[Wargamer]

Euston, with a King's Cross branch, means the ONLY legal play with Widdington's would be Camden Town, which of course means we have straddled MC....

Will someone recognize the opportunity presented? lynne-42 perhaps?

[lynne-42]

No. I'm sulking.

[Hostile Dialect]

if there is no way to know a rule (or known exception) is applicable, is it, in fact, applicable?

No way to know? Psh! Have you already forgotten the 2004 declaration by the Rules Committee that government secrets automatically count as known facts in Internet-based Mornington Crescent games, as long as at least one non-governmental industry is generally aware of it. We now know that the Minister of Defense (or whatever you call it out there) was in league with the tabloid press to keep the Prince's deployment secret, which means that the 2004 rules were in effect the entire time.

And does Harry actually constitute a 'warrior prince' within the terms of the orginal definition?

Why wouldn't he? He's a prince, and he's a warrior, considered an equal to his fellow men (of equal rank, anyway) during his time of deployment. Anyway, according to the 1976 Sacramento Clarification, any male member of a royal family deployed in a war zone in any context other than anti-revolution or direct defense of the royalty against his people qualifies under Winkler's Exception. Sacramento is still controversial, of course, but for the time it stands.

As for current developments in the game, I had a feeling that I could not have overshot so awfully in my 8-11 move calculation, and according to the 2003 Stockholm Convention for Internet-Based London Transport Games (a committee for the ages, who I've cited before in this game and will likely cite again), I was right. I refer you to RFC 8831.842, which unequivocably states that we cannot go southwest on the Northern Line in the early late-mid-game with Widdingtons declared. Now, it's possible to undeclare Widdingtons at any time within a 20-move window, but it requires a full move and can only be done while standing at a station on another line (ie, not the Northern line). The wise move here is to go northeast, but we can't cross London Overground with Huffingtons null. Thankfully, the Camden Jump was declared legal in this exact situation in the wake of the bloody 1953 finals at Cologne. Therefore, I declare Camden Road (and denullify Huffingtons to avoid getting into this mess again). In a strong breeze, we could be looking at MC in 8, at least if we accept Sacramento.

[lynne-42]

How can I stay sulking with such wonderful play? King's Cross St. Pancras, giving the International St. Pancras Railway Station link, thus enabling Widdington's to be undeclared on the next move from anywhere in the world!

King's Cross St. Pancras.

[Hostile Dialect]

A gregarious move, to be sure. Let's just hope that the next player takes his chance to burn a full move and undeclare Widdingtons. If not, we could be up for a rough endgame. The Dope world is on the edge of its collective seat!

[Wargamer]

Then I will undeclare Widdingtons with a Zone D hop to Chesham.

Cry havoc, and let slip the dogs of war! Have at thee, knave! oops, sorry, got carried away there.

[ianzin]

Hatton Cross, snidge declared, motion north.

[TheLoadedDog]

Snidge is crothumped for two moves if knip is potential, whether it is declared or not - as I suspect you know very well!

I move clearly out of crothump (both standard Wellsian and Farley's Modern Pan-Atlantic varieties - though I scorn the latter as an abomination out of the spirit of the game), and call Bank, double-shunted on one blue token.

MC in three.

[ianzin]

Brilliant play from TheLoadedDog! As it no longer matters, I cheerfully admit that, in the spirit of my great hero Kovari, I was hoping to achieve a strategic end game advantage by getting into a position where I could deploy a Reverse Fairlop declination gambit, Crunk variation, possibly springing an Acton Trap on anyone unwise enough to fall for a Central Line play with daylight access. However, TheLoadeddog has knocked this plan on the head, fair and square, and I think MC in three is probably a secure prediction. The double shunt is a neat tactic, since otherwise one would at least be able to explore a Pringle substitution play along the Circle line.

Incidentally, TheLoadedDog, I'm with you all the way on that wretched Farley chap and his somewhat unhelpful contribution to the crothump rule (which for me, and I suspect many others, spoiled my enjoyment of the '04 European semis). That having been said, Ogawa recently published a tactical analysis in the Japanese MC Quarterly which does go some way to justifying Farley's reasoning - even though I hate to admit it. He cites several important matches where the crothump ruse has been open to abuse, and where the Farley variation would have resolved matters rather well.

[lynne-42]

Waterloo.

Congratulations to TheLoadedDog. That one will end up in the folklore.

[Hostile Dialect]

Oh dear. You've done it, haven't you?

Yes, you have. It is with a feeling of great pride, tinged with sorrow for your misfortune, lynne, that I cite the 1976 Spirit Games ruling that established that Whitaker's Double Shot (8 stations straight north on the Northern Line) not only can, but must be taken when a pair of consecutive plays from Australia have combined to bring us to a handicapped-accessible station in midweek, doubly so in the morning (as it was in England when you made your move).
Therefore, I say those two words which strike fear into the hearts of spider mavens everywhere:
MORNINGTON CRESCENT.

[ianzin]

Congratulations to Hostile Dialect on a sweet and well-deserved victory! May I also thank the rest of you, my fellow MC aficionados, for a most enjoyable game played in a tough, competitive yet ultimately very amicable spirit, just as it should be.

[lynne-42]

A well deserved win. Great end-game, Hostile Dialect. What a fantastic game right through. I have marked a lot of passages in Hobbs & Sturgess, as well as the Judgemental Notes for the last seven Internationals for detailed study so I can better handle Widdingtons and the Shuttle-Switch in future. Give me a few months and then beware!

[Liberal]

As a novice, I could only look upon you all with great awe. But I've learned so much. And you were all so gracious, having spared me most of the humiliation that should have been associated with my playing full arms. I shall study, and until I do, I shall have been honored to have played the slightest role in this marvelous game. Adieu.

[Wargamer]

Excellent game everyone. I must say the sportsmanship and skill displayed in this match will go down in Mornington Crescent lore. In fact, I haven't seen such sagacity since the Great Tacoma Narrows Open of 1998, when Crowdhampton met Sakamota in what was hailed as the Pacific Quarter match of the Decade.

Congratulations to Hostile Dialect!