# Isn't it time for Mornington Crescent? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [October 20, 2008, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-it-time-for-mornington-crescent/468786 "2008-10-20T20:08:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-it-time-for-mornington-crescent/468786/41 "2008-10-22T14:20:53Z")
> [@Wargamer](#): > > In the little referenced Odessa Compendium (4th ed./revised - Billingham Translation '04), von Scheorner, responded to **South Harrow-All Saints** w/ implied stirrups, with a Midlands Mash-Up, which swung the Greater Ukrainian Championships of 1932 (a MOST under-reported classic, in my humble opinion), allowing him to reach **MC** , 4 plays later. _Implied_ stirrups! Yes! You sir, are a master of the craft. It pains me to see the “declared-stirrup-only” game play of the modern era. The 1970s television moguls have a lot to answer for, IMHO. Sure, declaration leads to a faster game, but at what cost re strategy and suspense, I ask you? In this spirit, I move to encrimp **Gospel Oak** with an open-ended **Caledonian Road**. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-it-time-for-mornington-crescent/468786/42 "2008-10-22T14:25:59Z")
> [@Wargamer](#): > > So, therefore, I declare Stirrups no longer implied, and risk it all on… > > **Gospel Oak** Wow. This is actually a brilliant forcing move, since it puts Kentish Town West _and_Upper Holloway on the undertable. I’d be very curious to see how, specifically, the Odessa Compendium gave you this idea; my recollection was that von Scheorner’s so-called “disgrace” was definitively shown to be a misunderstanding of the stirrups rule and the International Committee absolved him completely three years later. (Posthumously, of course, but who could have known he’d take the thing so seriously?) In any event, with stirrups not implied, I think it’s safe to put Victoria in reach by playing **Embankment**. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-it-time-for-mornington-crescent/468786/43 "2008-10-22T14:28:07Z")
On edit: Ooops. Missed my chance to play Embankment! LOL – with Caledonian Road played, Victoria is most certainly NOT in the picture. Hmm. OK, since **TheLoadedDog** got there first, I’ll play Langdon Park off Caledonian Road. Rats. ---
**Author:** ![Wargamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/df705f/32.png) [@Wargamer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wargamer)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-it-time-for-mornington-crescent/468786/44 "2008-10-22T14:31:56Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Wow. This is actually a brilliant forcing move, since it puts Kentish Town West _and_Upper Holloway on the undertable. I’d be very curious to see how, specifically, the Odessa Compendium gave you this idea; my recollection was that von Scheorner’s so-called “disgrace” was definitively shown to be a misunderstanding of the stirrups rule and the International Committee absolved him completely three years later. (Posthumously, of course, but who could have known he’d take the thing so seriously?) > > In any event, with stirrups not implied, I think it’s safe to put Victoria in reach by playing **Embankment**. Yes, that Poland thing WAS a bit of an overreaction, but that’s water under the **London Bridge**. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-it-time-for-mornington-crescent/468786/45 "2008-10-22T14:32:07Z")
I have a healthy respect for the American MC scene, but honestly, the belief that Scheorner died at his own hand… …no, I’ll drop it. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-it-time-for-mornington-crescent/468786/46 "2008-10-22T14:33:23Z")
Mandalay!? Ha! Like any of the DeWinters could tell a stop from a hole in the ground. Since Stirrups are no longer implied, and **Caledonian Road** is open-ended, that make the next move very difficult indeed…. If I use the Left Three option, I can still drop a **Barbican**. I think I can confidently call MC in eight moves. ---
**Author:** ![Wargamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/df705f/32.png) [@Wargamer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wargamer)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-it-time-for-mornington-crescent/468786/47 "2008-10-22T14:42:16Z")
Ack! A sapient move **Maus**! I must confess I overlooked that play! The only way to derail the inevitable is to throw us into a self-closing Hethrow Loop, which should upset your calculus long enough for **Bricker** to rescue us all from my oversight. So, I’ll start us on a Descending Loop **Heathrow Terminal 4** ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-it-time-for-mornington-crescent/468786/48 "2008-10-22T14:44:36Z")
You know, I was just glancing through my copy of Churchill’s _On Mornington Crescent_, and was inspired by the recounting of the highlights of the Dominion Cup series in Wellington in 1938- Rathbone’s double switchback from Shoreditch to Mounument was particularly memorable. Looking at our present situation, the next move seems to obvious to me that I shall play it now instead of waiting for the next bidding phase: **Baker Street**! ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-it-time-for-mornington-crescent/468786/49 "2008-10-22T14:44:58Z")
You’re aware I could Dollis Hill you for that little move. And frankly, you’d deserve it. Being a decent chap though, it’s **Queensway** on closed sevens. MC in five. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-it-time-for-mornington-crescent/468786/50 "2008-10-22T14:47:26Z")
OK, **ME** has snuck in and negated my move. And, in all honesty, it probably was a little petulant of me. **Bethnal Green** on a closed purple token claim. A risky move, yes, but if it works… ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-it-time-for-mornington-crescent/468786/51 "2008-10-22T15:02:00Z")
Ha! From **Baker Street** to **Bethnal Green**! ETA: Argh! Nevermind. Beaten to the punch by **TheLoadedDog**. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Wargamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/df705f/32.png) [@Wargamer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wargamer)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-it-time-for-mornington-crescent/468786/52 "2008-10-22T15:02:05Z")
Then I’ll bollox it all up with **Northolt**. A tad pedestrian, on the surface. But the intricacies… ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-it-time-for-mornington-crescent/468786/53 "2008-10-22T15:37:55Z")
**Northolt**? At this stage, that opens up a box of worms that rival Ouroboros. But I am for you, sirrah! **Paddington** , and may the Devil take the hindmost! ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Sensitive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/58956e/32.png) [@Darth\_Sensitive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Sensitive)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-it-time-for-mornington-crescent/468786/54 "2008-10-22T16:04:43Z")
OOG - Man, I love watching this 😃 It’s kinda like cricket, in the “I sorta get it, but huh?” area of life. ---
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-it-time-for-mornington-crescent/468786/55 "2008-10-22T16:39:56Z")
A perfect time to introduce Norman’s Lament with a side shunt to avoid the knip- Seven Sisters. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-it-time-for-mornington-crescent/468786/56 "2008-10-22T17:19:56Z")
You bastard. There goes my whole gambit. True, Bishop’s Right can be kind of flimsy. Looks like I have no choice to go for **Hornchurch**. See what you can do with that. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-it-time-for-mornington-crescent/468786/57 "2008-10-22T17:33:15Z")
Technically speaking, there’s no reason I can’t call all Jubilee line stations as set on greens right now, with, say, Kilburn or Green Park as the upcoming move, but (again with the message board) there’s no way to force a particular player to take the next move. It’s interesting how many strategies that would be not only available but resoundingly conclusive in real-life play just utterly fall apart in this environment. So what’s left? Well, we can keep batting the ball around, or go to a closer. To Hornchurch, I say **Plaistow**. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-it-time-for-mornington-crescent/468786/58 "2008-10-22T17:39:10Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Technically speaking, there’s no reason I can’t call all Jubilee line stations as set on greens right now, with, say, Kilburn or Green Park as the upcoming move… [hijack]I was watching a Free Invitational game played outside, in Hyde Park, when I visited London in 1993, and some South American guy in the match in almost this same situation, with the game already nine hours in, played Camden Town. You could see the implications take about ten seconds to sink in… and the next think you know, he’s running pell mell out of the area with people actually throwing things at him. Not the usual decorum at a Master’s Event, but part of me was laughing hysterically. (And the other part was throwing the remainder of my soft drink.) 🙂 [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-it-time-for-mornington-crescent/468786/59 "2008-10-22T18:54:02Z")
Good lord, you’ve cut off every avenue I have! This is worse than Barstow in 2003. Oh well, no choice: **Plaistow** to **Harrow-on-the-Hill**. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-it-time-for-mornington-crescent/468786/60 "2008-10-22T19:03:23Z")
**White City** , doubled. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-it-time-for-mornington-crescent/468786.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-it-time-for-mornington-crescent/468786.md?page=4)