Time for another game of Mornington Crescent

[tectonicplates]

I'm going to start with High Street Kensington. A classic start, if I do say so myself.

By golly, I think we're almost there! If the Chancery Clause (amendment 473) doesn't work against me, I propose a bold move to Acton Town to push us through.

Morningt... nearly but as I'm playing pre dawn, with a cat making biscuits with my left boob (please don't ask) it will have to be a return to Bank

Bank! So many options, such a long interchange, so many underground queues. I reviewed the compendium and can assuredly move to Farringdon

Farringdon gives us the first opportunity to play the Crossrail rule (or should it be called the Elizabeth line rule?). Though of course it is a station that gives us plenty of options, and so using the Post Office railway rule I move to Paddington. I think one of Maud's husbands had a job at the Post Office once.

Oh indeed he did, Saints . Onwards and upwards to

Gants Hill

Do you know, I think I’m in Nidd as a result of that one. Buggeration.

Surely not girl, the double playing of Gants Hill nullifies Nidd surely?

Hammersmith

I'm astonished anyone wants to go to Gants Hill once, let alone twice. Perhaps a topic for you to explore next time you visit your psychoanalyst, Maud?

It has started raining violently in EC4 so I will dive (as allowed by the Gladstone Amendment) into

Chancery Lane

As you know, Irene (since you recommended him to me after your own, ahem, incident) my psychoanalyst is a devotee of this game of games, having won the Cairo championships in '56 with some of the most audacious play ever seen. The return to Gants Hill was, in fact, a move he taught me but, in hindsight, I should not have played it until Thursday when the Central LIne will be high.

Hendon Central

Morning

Paddington, it’s that sort of day.

For the duration of the Extinction Rebellion protests, are we invoking Hobson’s Slip?

Because if so, Goodge Street.

We seem to be revisiting a lot of stations this game and of course Extinction Rebellion does rather shake things up, so Westminster

You do realise Westminster is on the Jubilee Line! Do you mind if I sit and watch because with Empress's Hobson Slip and your inverted diagonal, the next few moves are going to be very interesting...

No, DadDadDad, MC is not a spectator sport and surely you’re aware that there are recondite penalties for those who intervene without playing a move - see the 1998 addendum to the ninth Codicil to the Compendium for further details.

It’s true that we’re in a tight spot, but I think I can navigate through with a bifurcated shunt to

Clapham South

Blimey, I thought this was fun, I didn't realise you were playing up to 1998 addendum standards!

To be honest, I wasn't sure if a bifurcated shunt was going to work, but that's a smart move. Is the Bakerloo line running both ways, because I think I can spiral out to...

White City.

Well played DadDadDad may I call you triple D? An audacious start for a late entrant.

I will attempt to execute the Willie Ruston backwards shuffle High Barnet

Thanks, sashh. I quite like D^3 (as in D-cubed), but call me what you like (within reason).

The only copy of the rules I've got is the GLC version that got Ken Livingstone into trouble back in the Eighties. But that does make it clear that as we're between Michaelmas and Christmas, stations with "park" in the name are wild (before noon obviously), so I just have time to squeeze in

Kilburn Park

D^3 is surely only appropriate for 9 x D? But well played.

No, DadDadDad is algebraically Dad multiplied by Dad multiplied by Dad, or Dad cubed - so D^3 for short. (Appropriate, as I feel that having three children increases the challenge of parenting exponentially rather than linearly).

Anyway, enough chit-chat, you've got four minutes if you want to use go wild with a park.

I’m not quite sure I’m happy playing with D3, I think he counts cards. I hear he’s got a spreadshit going.

Green Park

That's rich coming from someone who sneaks in a park 32 seconds before noon!

This, D^3, is your final warning for intervening without playing a move. I insist on playing by 1998 addendum standards because anything else encourages the newbies to fall into slack habits and the Tomsk playoffs last year showed us where that could lead.

Latimer Road

I move at the speed of individual sounds.

South Kenton obvs

It looks as if D^3 is in danger of entering Nidd.

South Kenton you say? We're safely past 1pm now, so the obvious choice is Ruislip Manor.

Just googled the Tomsk playoffs and I see what you mean, Maud - although scrolling up, I'm not the first to post without a move. I'll behave and play it straight to avoid any chance of Nidd with

Swiss Cottage

Funnily enough, I do have a spreadsheet with Tube stations listed to analyse that old riddle about the one station name which contains none of the letters of the word MACKEREL. I later found there's a station which contains none of the letters of the word TORNADO.