Tower Gateway, and collect 2 tokens.
MC possible in 8, definite in 14. It’s still anybody’s game.
Ruislip. Drop one token.
MC in 10.
Kingsbury,
and
MC in 9.
I certainly think we’re trapped in a Kentish Town finish line. Unless someone comes up with a better play, I think we’re riding the Line here.
Not necessarily: Turnham Green. And before anyone objects, this is legal – Piccadilly trains use this station mornings and evenings.
MC in 8.
Drat. I’m not familiar with that line of play. So I have to either drop out or do something completely random.
Lambeth North, refill the Oyster card, and stow a bicycle.
How does that affect the endgame?
Kentish Town Line finishes actually allow random play. That’s the beauty of it.
Anyway,
Queensbury - MC in 6 now.
I think I can rescramble this if Surrey Quays is open… dang, WP lists it as closed for another few months.
Another shot in the dark: Hanger Lane and untap.
Oh, OK. Monument. MC in 4 (assuming no more snow). I’m Riffled now, but the token in escrow may let me pop up at the death so don’t count me out just yet!
St Johns Wood
3, and counting.
So no one’s going to do it, eh?
OK: Oval. Secure one token of any color.
C’mon, you lot. MC in two, forced.
If there’s enough colours of tokens on my Oyster card, I could finish with North Wembley - Wembley Central - MC. The Wembley Flourish worked well at the Welsh Open in 2004, and in a variant (N. Wembley - Wembley Park - MC) in 2003.
The San Marino Marathon (1998-2000) used the Act-gate Closing (various Acton stations, then Lancaster Gate or Notting Gate, then MC), but that was a special case due to signal replacements.
Wait… I think USMCL still permits a variant foo-Gate, as the new rules don’t take effect until Monday: Aldgate to Mornington Crescent.[sup]*[/sup]
Does that work? If not, someone else has to try to win from Aldgate.
*: The 2010 rule update requires two stations after any -Gate move in the endgame, to allow additional television coverage.
And MORNINGTON CRESCENT, I get to play my favorite finishing move, the Third Grade Belgrade Retrograde Promenade, from Aldgate (well, any -gate station actually), due to my mid-game Acton plays (I KNEW they would come in handy…even if I did make a hash of it at the time.)
A well played game, as it usually is on this forum. Congratulations to all who participated, as I feel this game will go down as one of 2009’s top efforts.
Thanks again for the fun!
Excellent Promenade, Wargamer. I thought I had it wrapped up after my last move. But your Acton plays did gain you the tempo to finish the game. If I hadn’t been distracted by the Pimlico, we may have gotten another ten moves or so in the early late game.
Ah, well. Good game, thanks for the match all.
(Ought I be concerned that I play MC far better than I play MafiaScum?)
Blast! I was all set there, but Wargamer beat me to it. It’s some consolation that his finish was much more elegant than the rather jejune ending I had in mind - the routine token-promotion that’s de rigueur on the tournament circuit when the hard points are at stake. In a game of this nature it’s good to see someone take the opportunity to please the crowd (as well as play an objectively good and technically difficult line), so well done the winner!
See you all in 2010. 
Don’t be so bashful. It was apparent at the time to unbiased observers that you were setting yourself up splendidly; the late game obviously (considering all the revisions in the past 60 years) varied considerably from Variswama, but the fundamental strategic position was nearly identical.
Exactly, but I find *Variswama’s Theses * fit well into an Acton-Belgrade strategy. It’s is rarely seen in competitive play anymore, as Malacandra adroitly observed, but the Material School of Play could stand, imo, to do a more focused reading of the Theses.
From the peanut gallery, allow me to congratulate you all on a very fun game to watch. Well done, all!
Truly a solid finish. Looking back, Turnham Green was a mistake given your Acton plays. “Those who do not learn from history are condemned to repeat it.” Notice anything familiar about the last sequence, apart from the obvious? We mention Variswama, but I’d say Lochsdale’s play at Bath in '03 is as instructive.
Well done, all.
Now that you mention it, it does seem to mirror the '87 World Cup semis betwwen Uganda and Chile, doesn’t it?
Nice game, classic middle structure.