# 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:** 4
**Author:** ![runcible\_spoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9fc29f/32.png) [@runcible\_spoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/runcible_spoon)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-it-time-for-mornington-crescent/468786/61 "2008-10-22T19:14:21Z")
Oh ho! Never thought I’d get a chance for it, but doubled White City - taking into account declared stirrups - lets me call Reverse Tulips, cancel Stirrups entirely, and perform a cross-tunnel shunt to **Vauxhall!** ---
**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, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-it-time-for-mornington-crescent/468786/62 "2008-10-22T19:21:59Z")
**Vauxhall**? With Reversed Tulips? Well, that just invites **Shepherd’s Bush** , doesn’t it? So there you have it, sports fans. ---
**Author:** ![Enterprise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/76d3ee/32.png) [@Enterprise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enterprise)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-it-time-for-mornington-crescent/468786/63 "2008-10-22T19:33:43Z")
I’m a bit of a novice in this game, I’ve never played it online. Plus, I haven’t studied my openings in a while. But I seem to recall that the obvious move after the progression **White City-Vauxhall-Shepherd’s Bush** is still **Mansion House** , is it not? ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-it-time-for-mornington-crescent/468786/64 "2008-10-22T19:48:49Z")
Thank you Enterprise! I’ve been waiting for a chance like this. Before anyone jumps my case for this move, let me remind you that the 1947 rules committee established this as legitimate (Ok ok, they also noted that it was ‘frowned upon’) and that ruling was upheld in 98. I claim double score and say that the backtrack rule is in force. **Moorgate.** ---
**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, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-it-time-for-mornington-crescent/468786/65 "2008-10-22T20:04:23Z")
Frowned upon? Well, yes. But you seem to have forgotten the by-product of the '98 Ruling - the Seoul Revisions of '03, whereby the International Committee, responding to the Hyde Park Riots sparked by the _exact play you just made_(emphasis mine) by Lippstein in the US Nationals, allows a consecutive play of **Tower Hill** to re-open the District Lines, cancel ALL previous double scores, and reverse backtracks. And certainly I think we can all agree that The Game is better off with the '03 Rules. Don’t you agree? ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-it-time-for-mornington-crescent/468786/66 "2008-10-22T20:07:37Z")
> [@Wargamer](#): > > Frowned upon? Well, yes. But you seem to have forgotten the by-product of the '98 Ruling - the Seoul Revisions of '03, whereby the International Committee, responding to the Hyde Park Riots sparked by the _exact play you just made_(emphasis mine) by Lippstein in the US Nationals, allows a consecutive play of **Tower Hill** to re-open the District Lines, cancel ALL previous double scores, and reverse backtracks. > > And certainly I think we can all agree that The Game is better off with the '03 Rules. Don’t you agree? Meh. What’s a little riot every now and then compared to a really great game of MC? ---
**Author:** ![runcible\_spoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9fc29f/32.png) [@runcible\_spoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/runcible_spoon)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-it-time-for-mornington-crescent/468786/67 "2008-10-22T20:11:43Z")
Ha! I see you’re not familiar with the '63 sub-Saharan semifinals match between Prinsloo and Manuel! If you were, of course, you’d have known that playing **Tower Hill** after His Nibs has been called (as it was on the ninth turn) opens up the Fifth Zone, and allows a play of **Norbiton**. Naturally, wouldn’t normally be a wise move (because of that nasty Nelson Maneuver) but with the District Lines opened by the **Moorgate-Tower Hill** sequence, I can claim a Trafalgar Exception, giving me sixteen tokens! ---
**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, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-it-time-for-mornington-crescent/468786/68 "2008-10-22T20:22:07Z")
To eclipse your 16 tokens, I will open the Bidding Phase on Odds, and spend my 3 blue tokens to declare **Island Gardens** open. ---
**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, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-it-time-for-mornington-crescent/468786/69 "2008-10-22T20:22:53Z")
Thanks, **Wargamer**. That put me back in. I trust you all will notice that the Trafalgar Exception with a open Fifth Zone make a play of \*\*Hammersmith \*\*perfectly legal. ---
**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, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-it-time-for-mornington-crescent/468786/70 "2008-10-22T20:30:48Z")
Anything to help a fellow Tar Heel, **Maus**. And with **Hammersmith** , I can further open the midgame up with **Canada Water**. THAT should throw things all a-titter. ---
**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, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-it-time-for-mornington-crescent/468786/71 "2008-10-22T20:58:45Z")
Mistake, **Wargamer**. Big mistake - you played **Canada Water** while White City is doubled and the District Lines opened. Sorry, but I’m double-naughting you with: **West India Quay**. ---
**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, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-it-time-for-mornington-crescent/468786/72 "2008-10-22T21:09:17Z")
> [@Wargamer](#): > > To eclipse your 16 tokens, I will open the Bidding Phase on Odds, and spend my 3 blue tokens to declare **Island Gardens** open. By the way – are we playing the full odds sequence, or just odds/doubleodds/redoubleodds? It always irks me when someone gets a Picadilly or Northern run, plays quints without closing bidding and then acts all, “What? I thought we were playing full odds!” ---
**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, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-it-time-for-mornington-crescent/468786/73 "2008-10-22T22:24:59Z")
Just odds/double-/re-. Not the Full Odds Monty. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-it-time-for-mornington-crescent/468786/74 "2008-10-22T22:44:43Z")
**Finchley Central** with scatter options on East and West Finchley. ---
**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, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-it-time-for-mornington-crescent/468786/75 "2008-10-22T22:46:16Z")
It never ceases to amaze me that the Friendly Matches such as we have here on the boards produce world-class moves; we’ve got International Tournament level playing here without some of the unsporting carrying on that occasionally blights the record books (Remember Moscow in '73, when the KGB arrested Simonov for playing Pimlico whilst in Knid?) It’s unusual we’re still playing a Northern game with so few excursions south of the River (not surprising given that the District Line has been re-opened), but that does leave me with an unmissable opening to play **Elephant & Castle** ; reminding everyone that it’s not a Bank Holiday or Independence Day in a former Colony which makes this a perfectly valid move- check your copies of _The Abridged Mornington Crescent_ for a similar example of play from the 1907 Australian Tournament; although admittedly there’s little danger of a Wombat running off with the Map in this game! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![runcible\_spoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9fc29f/32.png) [@runcible\_spoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/runcible_spoon)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-it-time-for-mornington-crescent/468786/76 "2008-10-23T01:35:49Z")
I’ll throw in **Bayswater** , with a triple bid on locking the Fifth Zone again. ---
**Author:** ![laughingboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9f8e36/32.png) [@laughingboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/laughingboy)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-it-time-for-mornington-crescent/468786/77 "2008-10-23T02:15:24Z")
Wow. What a remarkable opportunity to shunt back to **Hornchurch** and push to doubleodds! (I don’t think it’s tipping my hand too much to say that failure to overbid here is a horrendous blunder with **MC** lost in 7 – cf. Holmes in the Three Rivers Classic semis, '72.) ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-it-time-for-mornington-crescent/468786/78 "2008-10-23T03:31:06Z")
Well, Upminster would be pointless, as I’d open myself up to a line check. Since I can take an offpeak move here (cf. 1982 Rulings on Fundamental Schedule-Related Allowables, also supported in the 1984 ruling in the Singh-Brusilov semifinal at the Worlds) I’ll play **Wimbledon**. I’d be interested in knowing how many of this crew would rather have played Tower Hill, but Wimbledon really opens this up and I think my options in a few moves will be very interesting indeed. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-it-time-for-mornington-crescent/468786/79 "2008-10-23T13:32:14Z")
Hmm… [checks rulebook] [looks up Brannigan’s Convention on the internet] [phones a friend for assistance - yes, this is perfectly legal providing not more than 12 Northern Line stations have been played, and one is not in knip] [counts on fingers] Aha! **Gunnersbury**! And I call 3rd Cahoots. ---
**Author:** ![Wargamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/df705f/32.png) [@Wargamer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wargamer)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-it-time-for-mornington-crescent/468786/80 "2008-10-23T13:45:24Z")
**Sudbury Hill** This is specifically allowed by the '56 London Concordance since outside help was called upon AND A Bidding Phase is declared. Of course this closes all Bidding, and allows me to take a Straddle Option on consecutive Interchange Stops **Euling Common** and **Rayners Lane**. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-it-time-for-mornington-crescent/468786.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-it-time-for-mornington-crescent/468786.md?page=5)