Prince Regent.
A piercing move, I think you will agree.
That gives me a free laevulorotory transfer to another royal station: Queensway. Another argument against republicanism, of course, for which all lovers of the Game can only give three hearty cheers. Where would we be now without royal sponsorship and endorsement? Of course, there has been the occasional price to pay: King George the Fifth, rather notoriously, insisted on being given three gold tokens and a Huff on the line of his choice before he would even sit down to play.
On the other hand he was generosity personified away from the board and who but he would have thought to have the keys of the royal bathroom itself at Mornington Crescent Station donated to the annual winner of the Barnardo’s All-Comers Street Urchins’ and Displaced Persons’ Handicap Tourney. Mind you, tolerably few winners of that rather impecunious tournament were in any danger of affording the price of a platform ticket and coming anywhere near the facilities in question, but it was the thought that counted and many a beggar doubtless hugged the grand prize to himself even as he expired in the gutter.
I’ve no gold tokens to spare at the moment, though, so I’ll declare Faulty Lighting on the Metropolitan Line instead. That makes my move slightly two-edged, I know, but I’ve never minded tossing the odd bone at those clever enough to exploit it.
Idiot. You missed the glaring Notting Hill Gate/Great Portland Street overland approach allowing me to claim Mornington Crescent via the Hampstead Road escalator. Unconventional, perhaps, but recall Perkins v Hopton et al in the 1954 Bayswater tournament. I think it was unequivocally agreed that a Hackney carriage was permissible in the event of Faulty Lighting, and you’ve left the door wide open for the modern-day equivalent.
modestly accepts applause
Sorry, you’re out of turn. It’s a green player next. Have you forgotten it’s the summer solstice? Mainwaring & Entwhile is reckoned the definitive work on the subject. I applaud your ingenuity, but I’m not as big a fool as all that!
Colophon, we welcome all players and we would love to have you join in, but this is neither suitable language nor a suitable tone for the noble game. Civility and a good-natured tone are integral to the enjoyment of MC. We discourage these kinds of disagreeable personal insults. Nothing personal, of course, but on behalf of all the other seasoned players here, may I politely ask you to moderate your tone.
And in any case, your move was illegal, for the reasons Malacandra has mentioned and one or two other reasons as well.
Well, not that that’s settled–“green” player piping back in with Turnham Green (a coincidence I assure you).
ArizonaTeach, frankly, I’m astonished to run into another attendee of the '96 Grand Invitational on these boards. Please tell me, were you there as an observer, or were you a participant in the competition? I was there as the personal guest of one of the Scottish competitors. Do you remember the girl who wore the rather outlandish peacock plumage? The one who played a bottom-left Cullum spike in the second round? That was my companion. Everything I know about this game, I learned from her.
I don’t suppose, by chance, that you were there on the night of finals at the Kristinemut in Nuuk?
I must admit that I’m a little disappointed to see Sunspace’s move ruled valid. From your post, I’m sure you’re aware that if it hadn’t been, my follow-up move included a bit subtlety that might well have led to Mornington Crescent in five, with just a bit of luck.
For now, I’ll just try to recover my composure a bit, and move to Hammersmith - Grove Road.
Well, of course, I wore a disguise while I attended. There are standards to maintain at Invitationals. Do you remember the red-haired Groucho Marx in the Turkish observers’ box? I’m afraid I have never been able to secure an official invitation to play at the GI’s; I always have such terrible luck at the qualifiers.
Hmm. Hammersmith, Hammersmith. I notice that you’re very intentionally moving away from a traditional Bobner’s Weave, but I can’t for the life of me figure out why. Unless, you want me to shift to Oval…but that seems to be a trap. No, I think I’ll block Epping by holding Woodford, and leave South Woodford to tertiary forces.
Well, if South Woodward is at the mercy of Tertiary Forces, that would result in Tetley’s Differential being in play, yes?
A perfect chance to play Arsenal, and one which I’m not about to pass up. 
Arsenal? Arsenal? Are you kidding me?
I expect the British and Australian Dopers to play better than that. But thank you so much for playing for the beginners, for those of us to whom MC is a book, rather than an event. I salute.
Rutger’s Dodge Move to St. James Park.
Oops. The other players are going to hate me for this, but there’s no alternative in the present position.
Dollis Hill :smack:
I understood this wonderful explanation of Ianzin’s, after a bit of work but would never have thought of it myself. Experience shows!
Malacandra, the Symbya Convention hasn’t been declared. I am of the opinion I am the only current player who could declare it. So doesn’t that mean you are up the proverbial creek, as the technical expression goes, because of the response sequence, with tri-colour - brown, honey and grey? I will declare Kingsbury.
No, I’m not up the creek, but we’ve got into the Dollis Hill Loop…
Dollis Hill. 
Which may be broken by a player from a former Colony of the British Empire invoking Wibble, provided Frogmorton’s is not in effect- Which I’m not led to believe it is, unless we’re playing with the Oslo Interpretation. Even then, someone would need a freshly caught Herring and a glass of Perrier, and Diagonals would need to be wild, in order to properly effect it.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I believe Ealing Broadway is overdue for play. Anyone would think we were using Tanganyika Rules at this rate!
Or, to be accurate, ‘Herring, squid or monkfish’. See Proceedings of the IMCS 2004 Prague Conference, Part IV: Revisions & Annulments For Tournament Play, 17.iii ‘Oslo Interpretation’.
Monkfish? :eek:
Oops. :smack:
Dollis Hill.
Sorry again, guys. :rolleyes:
Damn damn dammity damn. I hope this doesn’t go like the live-action pro-celebrity tournament in 1978, when “Goofy” Grunwick (the professional dwyle-flonker from Wisbech) ended up moving to Dollis Hill 347 times in a row before Eric Ostlethwaite managed to get out of the Loop. Meanwhile poor old Ronnie and Bobby had to look on helplessly for five hours, I mean, this wasn’t a situation for an amateur. Subsequent analysis showed that they could have got out of the Loop on move 93 if only Ostlethwaite had remembered the Berne Escapement correctly. Still, it’s hard to remember the fine points when the ferret down your trousers is getting cabin fever, or so they tell me (fortunately, I’ve never tried).
I’ve got my fingers crossed. This isn’t a record we need to break.
Blast. A lot of blasts. I KNEW we’d end up getting a DH loop in this game; it’s almost inevitable in a Barrington game, but if you’ll notice the subtle left-turnwise asymmetrical shifting in the transverse side of the board, you’ll agree that the Hammersmith - Grove Road was the pivot-point. Not to put the move down – it was a fine one – but the progression was clear from there.
Let’s see, know. I think the Bassingly-Stokehead Topspin of 1916 might push the trend out.
Marble Arch. Firmly Stirrup’d now…
Dollis Hill.
groan
Turnham Green
hoping for the fenestration
sigh
Dollis Hill