It's been a while... the return of Mornington Crescent

[ComeIntoTheGardenMaud]

I haven't played the game for several months, so I'm a little rusty. I'll start cautiously with an inverted half-shunt to

Bayswater

Mmmmm

Ongar

Wasn't Ongar the scene of that unfortunate incident in '74, involving the Wing Commander and the football referee?

Clapham South

Acton Town. If I may be so bold.

Well, this is exciting. Two very proficient players (if I may say so) arriving at the very start of the game. I vaguely recollect the Archbishop playing this move in last year’s semi-finals, so

Tower Hill

I think I’m still just in time to play the Kharazov shuffle, as there’s been less than 10 moves so I’ll try Plaistow.

I'm not entirely sure it's allowed if an inverted opening has been played, but I'll go for the nonstandard diagonal to Euston Square. Someone can find the rule point if they need to correct me.

Aaah I see the rookies are out in force tonight. I defy anyone to outperform my next move, which is a combination of the Charles DuFont (III) manoeuvre and a sidestep pass, which brings us to… Mansion House.

Brilliantly combined, but you have overlooked that this is effectively a sidestep pass after a non standard diagonal which I think gives me an opening for… Aldgate East

A cautious …. Shepherds Bush

Bugger, you've put me in nid there. Wait how do you even spell knid anyway?

Oh, what larks! I need to reassess my next move, but think I can manage a triple Worthington to

Balham

Then can I invoke Plombley’s Disregard. No shuffles for the next three moves.
So
Theydon Bois

@midlifecrash

Brilliantly combined, but you have overlooked that this is effectively a sidestep pass after a non standard diagonal which I think gives me an opening for… Aldgate East

Yikes! I clearly didn’t RTFT! Can’t quite remember the full rules of Plombey’s Disregard, so I’ll have to let you have that one… for now. Shuffles or none, I’m going to go back to basics and perform a double-line jump to Westminster.

Overnight, I’ve been studying the amalgamated compendium of the rules of this game of games (all 58 volumes of it) and am reminded that, from October onwards, all Jubilee line stations must be played in accordance with Stebbings’ Procedure. So that leaves me with

Goodge Street

I'm going straight in for the jugular with the triple accumulator which is Bromley-by-bow
Sorry all....

Nice move there. I think we're getting close enough to the festive season to allow a little leaway on double Huffingtons, so I'm going to ignore carski's protocol and go for a lateral - West Hampstead.

I don’t think you can actually ignore Carski’s protocol until we’re in Advent - double Huffingtons or no double Huffingtons. I’ll extend your lateral to Neasden and the link to the Metropolitan line there should fix things.

Wow, out from the left field there. Let’s go to Marylebone, uncontroversial I think.

Cockfosters.

Cheeky!

The royal Windsor version is my usual “Go To” when playing MC, so with a regal wave to alll the peasants ..
At James’s Park

Hmm. Challenging. There’s no option now but

Seven Sisters

Ah, it has been too long... but lockdown finally gave me the time to work through the full records of the 1890s tournaments (the Golden Age of MC, I think we'll all agree) so I can spring into action with a cantilevered upthrust to

Stockwell

Ah, dear Irene, how lovely to see you again. Still wearing the snorkel with the Givenchy gown, I see. I can’t quite agree with you about the 1890s, as I’ve always thought that the tournament in Zurich in ‘28 was the pinnacle of MC play, but let’s not fall out over this.

Heathrow Terminal 4

My goodness its been simply an age since the last tournament. Am taking tea and stickies with the Archbish so a quick snurgle to Chalk Farm will have to suffice for now.