Woody

You're not wrong. I'm going to have to become a Catholic just so I can go to confession and cleanse my soul (though I think the stain may be impossible to remove). Christians may believe that Jesus died to save us from our sins but I don't think that "Uncle Norman's" was on his list! Still you know what they say "If you're not willing to totally debase yourself, throw away all sense of dignity and propriety, betray your nearest and dearest, embrace the deepest depths of depravity and do things that will haunt you for the rest of your life, you're not ready to play Mornington Crescent!"

Day 78 in the Mornington Crescent house..... Many joined in, Many fell along the way But a few A gallant few Struggled on With hope in their hearts And a burning desire To achieve immortality And to be feted By Kings and paupers alike. But Alas! Just as glory was within their grasp And the long struggle rewarded With fanfares and parades Laurel wreaths and limitless wealth Some ignorant git from Wiltshire Spoiled it all By playing "Uncle Norman's Unpleasant Surprise" taking him to..... Mornington Crescent

Your laterals may be extended - I'm not sure mine are up to it any more! Baron's Court

I'd be holding off on this move. I'll see you with Kensington (Olympia). Clever! However I counter with South Kensington! (again)

This is getting very complex, but I think I can cross the Docklands and get to Canary Wharf We seem to be getting further and further away from our destination. That's twice you've nobbled me in a short space of time. I'm starting to wonder if it's personal! Let's go and visit the dinosaurs at South Kensington

Nice to see you're still on the ball Mr. T

I may be missing the obvious, but I find very few good moves left. Our circling around has eliminated most of the possible safe plays. One of the few places left is Leicester Square but this could be dangerous because it's on a Northern Intersect. Well thanks a bunch David! I logged on today thinking "Play it cool, take your time, they haven't noticed Chris' very subtle reference to Freud's third option of a non-oedipal regression play which becomes available from Whitechapel due to the proximity of the V&A Museum of Childhood at Bethnal Green and opens the way for a direct hop to Mornington Crescent for any of the following five moves as long as the first one isn't to Leicester Square (which negates the effect due to the Northern Intersect)." Your move has blown two weeks of my plotting and deprived me of a clear home run so I'm going to sulk at Upminster

You're braver than me!

You and me both as that just leaves me with the desperate measure of a Jordan's Wobble to Oxford Circus As I was saying to Samantha last night, "Sometimes you've got no choice but to go for the only opening available and hope for the best!"

Well I was being quiet because I needed a lie down in a darkened room with a wet flannel over my face after the intensity of some of the recent play. Congratulations Chris. Just as well you're the judge in this game - getting married and playing MC at the same time could lead to some unfortunate mix-ups! How does the old song go.... Pull out the stopper! Let's have a whopper! But get me to Bow Church DLR station on time! ...that was a move by the way (see what I did there?)

Hi Jim - this looks like the start of a very interesting project. One thought building on Ross' post is I wonder if it could be developed to reflect that playing style of different players so you could have a tune of your choice with fingering in the style of, for instance, William Kimber and then compare it to the same tune using style of Scan Tester? Something for you to think about in a quiet moment (or year) or two?

Unless of course some mean and uncharitable person sneaks in and plays..... Edgware Road ....lets see how well you can glide now! Incidentally the nastiest ever game of MC is accredited as being the ill advised attempt of Randolph Etherington-Smythe to introduce the game to Petrograd (St Petersburg) in the Tzarist Russia in late 1916. It resulted in the ruination of 23 players, certification of seven more and the death of three of the most tenacious participants. The winner, one Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin was to die shortly after followed by the fall of his patrons the Romanovs. Shortly after these events the revolution began, and all because the Tzar missed a simple opportunity to play a Cross Hampton Break and claim victory on the second move.

Unless of course some mean and uncharitable person sneaks in and plays..... Edgware Road ....lets see how well you can glide now!

I was hoping that you wouldn't notice that

That's me told then! I most humbly and meekly submit to your ruling and so it seems appropriate to play "Uncle Chris' Naughty Step #3" (which strangely is both an MC move and a pleasant Morris Tune) taking me to me ancestral 'ome of Rotherhithe

That move's sooooo last year

> But, but, but, you forgot about the Gate. > Red card or yellow card? Ah! You are both correct and yet extremely and catastrophically wrong. Using the modern nomenclature Notting Hill Gate would be the station you are likely to think of but, under the High Court ruling of 17th May 1924 in the case of the Crown Vs Arbuckle, Lord Justice Edmonton ruled that when invoking Marne Gambits on part anniversaries of their creation it is a foul to employ nomenclature established after the 1918 Armistace. He then sentenced Robert Arbuckle to three years in prison and banned him from ever playing MC again because he was "a cad and a bad egg!", This ruling was formalised in law with the British Parliament's passing of the 1927 Great War Comemoration Act (Mornington Crescent, Cricket, Tiddlywinks, and Eton Wall Game). So technically by the letter of the law my move was completely correct because I meant to move to Notting Hill station on the Metropolitan Railway line (opened 1864) rather than Notting Hill Gate station on the Central Railway Line. However a really pedantic individual with nothing better to do might point out that Notting Hill station was actually called Notting Hill & Ladbroke Grove station by the outbreak of the war, finally gaining its modern name of Ladbroke Grove station in 1938. Perhaps I should have clarified this point but to be honest if you can't be bothered to learn this, one of the simplest and most obvious rules......

It was the early days of the First World War. Between the 28th of August and the 3rd of September 1914 in the build up to the Battle of Marne one of the most legendary games of Mornington Crescent was played amongst the chaos of a rapid reorganisation of the defeated and retreating British Expeditionary Force in France. Captain Robert "Jinkers" Swift, Lieutenant Edward "Floppy" Harris, Major Edward "Old Big-Nose" Cholmondely-Smythe, and Lieutenant James "Strangely Brown" Compton had an epic battle. "Old Big-Nose" finally took the crown on the 967th move of the game in front of over two thousand cheering squaddies. Such was the positive effect on morale that it is arguable that the Allied forces' victory at the "Miracle of the Marne" can be attributed directly to this match. Utilising advanced tactical skills developed while avoiding some of the stranger and more disturbing rituals of the English Public School system, and with the intensity of men who know that each day might be their last, this game featured no-less than sixteen gambits never seen before in the world of MC, many of which are now classics employed every day by keen MC-ers around the globe. Where would we be without Harris' "Long Nancy's Ha'penny Favour", Swift's "Put it away Compton!", or Old Big-Nose's "Thrice around the bushes with Mr Thomas"? Sadly of course none of these great players were to survive the war and it seems doubtful that we will see their like again. So, as we are almost precisely at the 98.5th anniversary of this game, it seems only appropriate to use perhaps the greatest move to have come from this match - one that is an old friend to us all.... I play "Strangely Brown's Massive Knobbler" taking me to.... Notting Hill

If it's water you are worried about, I respectively suggest applying the Finchley variation 2.3 for a play of New York's, Sheepshead Bay. Dangerously close, yet conveniently far, and a lovely spot, if all things are considered, and gentlemen, I sincerely hope that they are. Blimey! If had known we were going that far afield I would have packed some sandwiches

Quite so. Can I just caution everyone that there are people on this forum who have never played this game and will be trying to work out what is going on. Anagrammatic tube maps and such are very amusing between experienced players like ourselves (Dragonfly & Falcon Hire, indeed! Love the diagonal implications of that) but mystifying to the outsider. Let's have some nice, clean play, lads. Chris Well said sir! And with the aim of keeping the game clean and palatable I'll move to Aldgate East which puts the whole sneaky lot of you jammed together in Nidd giving me the time to move to Amersham, then Caledonian Road, and finally on to.......<drumroll>..... Aldgate East! A perfect Cratchet's Speckled Bottom (Appleton-le-street variation)! Bet you didn't see that one coming

Well this game is in danger of becoming silly - so to bring things back to equilibrium let's hear you all sing..... one-nil to the ARSENAL

Ah it seems like just yesterday since we were last playing! I'll start off gently with a pint and Thai Meal in one of the best pubs in London the legendary Churchill Arms at High Street Kensington

Welcome to the forum. Mine's another vote for the Rochelle - really good value starter instrument. I had one for about 18 months and it never let me down. I've dealt with the Button Box a couple of times. I'm in the UK and it's always a bit of a worry doing business with a company in another country but the BB has always proven to be excellent, trustworthy, and they go the extra mile to make sure you're a happy customer - a truly excellent company!

These are available free on Spotify - http://www.spotify.com ... Blow Boys Blow (Tradition 1024) featuring Ewan MacColl and A.L. Lloyd with the great Alf Edwards on EC. Sea Chanties and Forecastle Songs from Mystic Seaport Irish Pirate Ballads Short Sharp Shanties Vol. 2. I think there are 3 cds in this fine collection - Volumes 1 and 2 available ...Spotify does not have these albums but it does have numerous tracks by the artists.... Sea Chanteys - Lou Killen (ESP 1085-2) Classic A.L. Lloyd (Fellside FECD98) Not all shanties but again featuring Alf Edwards on some tracks John Townley's Sailor! John Roberts does some shantys - Sea Fever

Aha - fallen into the trap! Humph would be chortling to himself, knowing that the way was left open for Mornington Crescent David you F*@£*&^ B*%*£4%^ <ahem> - I mean congratulations <mutter> <mutter>