Jolly good game, everyone! If it wasn’t for the time difference, I might have been able to play Watson’s Differential and block our esteemed colleague Mangetout’s ultimately successful Mornington Crescent declaration.
Nonetheless, a full report of this historic “friendly” match should be despatched the IMCC forthwith, as there have been some brilliant tactical manoeuvres here which merit further study and may have far-reaching effects in future games.
I was robbed, I tell you. Robbed.
You people are so quick to play your exclusions and box out a man who decides to make an unorthodox move, and the game is poorer for it.
Stick to your books and your forms and your nose-in-the-air twitterings.
The REAL game is out there. It’s being played in the streets. it’s being played in the mountains of Kashmir. It’s being played by people who have never even seen the Tube. And you lot are missing it all. The innovation. The daring. You’re missing all of it.
I’d protest, but you know how the IMCC is. When it comes to players like me, it’s like they don’t even exist.
Ianzin: Please don’t leave it as a puzzle. I can’t stand it and can’t wait for the next Hobson’s to find out! What was the third?
Thank you guys for a fantastic game. Congratulations Mangetout. Beautfully played. It moved too fast for me in the end, but I will study it very carefully. Thank you for the adjudication Ianzin and to all the advanced players who were willing to play along with us novices.
I can’t wait to watch the advanced game!
Oh, man, I was hoping to play
Elephant & Castle , but there was no good opening!
Sorry, but in all fairness, no-one’s to blame but you - your creativity is a joy to watch but you need to sharpen up your timing. I didn’t have you pegged for a sore loser and I hope you’ll take time to reflect and reconsider your stance. You know that “Let the Wookie win” is not a concept given much weight in MC, and whatever the state of the “street” game, though it’s a good feeder of talent to the county leagues, it’s not such that you’d want to let the tail wag the dog.
You should be looking more to players like Chesterton, who’s gone the hard yards in the last decade mostly on the Bradford and Leeds District circuit. There are no cheap wins against those Yorkshire semiprofessionals and his rating’s gone up something over seventy per cent in the last eighteen months. He’s now in the running for national honours just in time for the Empire Games. In my opinion you’ve the talent to follow in his footsteps if you’ll only apply yourself. No-one can make that decision but yourself, though.
Sorry to one or two other players in the game if I’ve seemed too much of a stickler now and then. I’ve the long-term interests of the Game itself in mind, and there’s nothing more I’d like to see than a Doper or two getting a decent haul of green points under his belt - to which end, the sooner any sloppy habits are nipped in the bud, the better. ianzin, any thoughts on who could do with a spot of coaching? I’ve short-listed a few names and I’d be interested in seeing if your thoughts tally with mine.
I was trying to play well, and I’d appreciate coaching. I realize my retired-stations play (ie St. Mary’s) was probably more advanced than was warranted.
I’ve been reading up on the game, but never actually played, you see.
I don’t know about you guys, but my dream is to see (or better yet, play in) a game where a full rally of Snelham’s Surrender is played out.
From this and my mention above of Grelby’s endgame, you might correctly surmise that the book on my nightstand right now is Hogg and Guster’s Famous and Infamous Misnomers in Advanced Mornington Crescent Play (out of print). Snelham’s Surrender is in fact not a surrender at all, but a variant of the standard two-two-one jump trap, which itself isn’t so much of a trap as a series of elegant misdirections based on Circle Line tangents and repeated southbound hops on the Waterloo and City.
It’s a rare game that lends itself to such play, but I have hopes that I might see it one day. Alas though, I’m not as young as I used to be, so I think I might have to spectate, as it’s really a game for younger, more supple players - indeed many of the documented games where Snelham’s was attempted have been curtailed due to hip and lower back injuries suffered by the more senior players.
MerryMagdalen, can you get Radio Four (long wave) where you are? There’s a regular broadcast on Tuesdays and Thursdays including a phone-in, although you might want to record it as it goes out at 2am! It’s not in the radio listings as it’s not officially a BBC broadcast - they just sell on some dead time. You’ll find the quality patchy but there are lots of ideas explored there, and you can try them out at your local club.
Mangetout, check the secondhand bookshops and see if you’re lucky enough to find T. E. Murchison’s little monograph. Most of it was not worth reading, but the chapter he had on exercise and physical preparation is spot on. I’m too much prey to middle-aged spread myself and I’ve found T. E.'s exercise improving my range of movement and reaction time quite a bit. Unfortunately I lent my copy out last year and I’ve not got it back, or I’d send it to you.
Thanks for that, Malacandra - I’ll keep an eye out for it. Maybe it will come up on eBay sometime.
Glad to help. We can’t let these young whippersnappers have all the fun, now can we? 
Who do you fancy for the Colonial Series? I think the odds the bookies are offering on the Gilbert Islands are very generous. 100-8 is promising quite a lucrative rate of return given the islanders’ recent record against Papua New Guinea and Borneo in the qualifiers. Some people say they haven’t the patience for the longer game, but old what’s-his-name - chap with a bone through his nose, you know who I mean but I can’t think of his name for the life of me! - played that brilliant 143-mover against Higginbotham when he was on tour. And if the game starts to get wild and woolly they’ll be hard to catch.
Malacandra
I’m not sure I can get that station (I’m on the American West Coast) but my own time schedule is about right, do they broadcast on the internet?
I’m going to bed soon but I should be around for most of the day tomorrow. What say we start again? If ianzin would moderate again that would be great but perhaps you could help my game.
What say I start with Brent Cross?
(And…grumble…playing this has started me actively searching for flights back to London for another week. And this time, I’m meeting up with some of you. Grumble.)
Sort of a trick question: the third important ruling was, of course, to ratify the addition of the Jubilee Line Extension!
I’d like to play, not just be Mr. Adjudicator. Also, you know how the convention here on the Boards is to put Doper names in bold? I suggest we do the same for stations that are actually played in the game, but not ones that may arise in discussion, commentary, analysis etc.
Brent Cross, eh?
I don’t think a book opening would interest either of us. Here’s a little varation I’ve been working on:
Sudbury Town, and I declare Bassingtons.
Gibraltar should be playing a very strong game this time. They haven’t made the finals for years, but I’ve been watching their progress and they’ve learned a lot from their mistakes. They also acquired a couple of very seasoned players this year, however, their dual citizenship prevents them making moves in the opening.
Bassington’s, eh? Well in that case I think Greenford is the way to go. There would be some fun to be had if I’d played Perivale instead - the Featherstonehaugh Variation - but that is a bit too tactically uncertain when there are some strong players in the game. Besides, I’m afraid too many players resort to it just to show off that they can pronounce Featherstonehaugh, and I’m no fonder of shibbolethim than the next man. A good basic game won’t let you down, especially when you can declare Low Voltage when Suburban Bidding hasn’t been opened.
Beautiful move, Malacandra. I’m not going to join this round, but I hope you won’t mind me stating the obvious fact that Bassington’s permits some interesting shunts when played in conjunction with the platform edge doors rule
Obvious to you, me and ianzin, but I don’t mind you pointing it out for the benefit of the peanut gallery!
I think I’ll be fairly conventional with Notting Hill Gate.
Bwaaa!
Sorry, that was a little uncouth of me. But seriously…
Heh. Someone else can pick it up.
Yes! I have been longing to do this ever since I first read about it in Hobson’s Appendix for an Australian Base in International Competition. I am going to claim a Time Zone Advantage - it’s already Tuesday night here! That means I can play Waterloo as long as Bassington’s is declared.
Waterloo
