The Return Of... Mornington Crescent

[Drake Tungsten]

Yeah, but relying on evil is a futile move.

It depends on whether evil and you share the same interests or not. See the American Revolution for an example of when allying with evil was the right course of action.

[Imran Siddiqui]

But evil will eventually burn you.

Relying on a Finn in Mornington Crescent is like trusting Satan in a game of Diplomacy .

[molly bloom]

In a theological vein, I summon up international freemasonry, an Italian banker's spectre, and the terror of the Inquisition:

BLACKFRIARS

to leave you dangling over water, by a noose...


(the seldom-used Banco Ambrosiano/P2 formation.)

[MikeH]

Picadilly Circus

[duke o' york]

Curiouser and curiouser…..

I am intrigued at the amount of bad blood in this contest and would remind all that MC remains a non-contact sport.

Things have certainly developed substantially since I left yesterday evening and, if I play my tokens right, in my favour too! I am much obliged to our dolmenic friend for his monolithic use of the more defensive airport station as it stymies any Arabian manoeuvring and marginally increases the value of the mauve tokens I placed at my home station. For those wondering if I had taken leave of my senses in declaring a home station on my opening thrust, and one with such an unusual location and no great pedigree then I need do no more than direct their queries to D. Alperton vs Lady Wapping, Greenwich Gala 3rd round 1932. Although her Ladyship was seeded in the top half of the draw, Alperton had a reputation for giant-killing and his Madagascan parlay towards the end of the initial stages caused a noisy reaction from the crowd. Once things had calmed down again, the fifth seed reasserted her control of the situation but I’d be giving too much away were I to continue my tale. I’m sure that most MC scholars familiar with the Madagascan will already know how the rest of this encounter played out and they will be at an advantage for the rest of this game, but I shall proceed regardless and see how erudite my rivals prove to be.

Piccadilly Circus raised a few eyebrows (well, two) from this corner but one of the best aspects of a workable MC strategy is being able to push on with what you have planned while remaining alert to any changes imposed on the environment by your opponents. Having given up on a pencil and paper rough calculation of the coefficients at play here, and not wanting to use the MCalculator as I’m not sure if it is allowed in this particular game, I shall throw caution to the sou’westerly and ratchet up the LV by taking us to Elephant and Castle via Ladbroke Grove. Anyone familiar with my past contests (despite the fact I haven’t appeared in Goldhawk Road, the MC equivalent of Wisden, for almost a year now), will know of my fondness for the E&C, but have you done enough research to spot the next move?

[MikeH]

Nice idea but I've seen that one before. 1983 World Championship, game 5.

And what Bastadov SHOULD have done was Liecester Square which is a sacrifice for me but better to delay winning than go for the kill and lose!

[Drake Tungsten]

I am much obliged to our dolmenic friend for his monolithic use of the more defensive airport station as it stymies any Arabian manoeuvring

Does it ever. Non-contact sport or not, Monolith is going to pay for completely destroying my plan.

[reismark]

Highbury & Islington. The shoe drops next turn.

[MikeH]

Er... did you miss Molly Bloom playing Blackfriars?

[Imran Siddiqui]

Oh, a move that I've seen before. Quite obvious what everyone is trying to do. And the counter is even more obvious! I thought everyone studied the moves of Kagayr!

Green Park

[MikeH]

I'm just playing spoiling tactics really, duke o' york totally screwed me with his first move.

[molly bloom]

Let's get down and dirty, then, and up the haemoglobin count.

White chapel, scarlet tracings, I go for the Mitre Square manoeuvre:

ALDGATE EAST

[chequita guevara]

You know, sometimes I feel that maybe, just possibly, there's a game in there somewhere.

[Zylka]

That's because anyone who plays Monnington crescent is a fagg0t wh0re!!!

WOW!#$ y#%q

[Drake Tungsten]

It's time for a little damage control after Monolith's devastating move to Heathrow, so I'll move to South Kensingston. An unorthodox move, I know, but unorthodox moves are the only hope for a desperate man.