Report from the London Team Rapidplay

[Alex Holowczak]

This has been compounded by stupidities such as ceasing circular travel on the Circle line.

In Birmingham, the equivalent is the #11 bus. It's basically a 2-hour loop that goes around the outer circle of Birmingham. In times gone by, going around the full loop was considered a pilgrimage. It goes all the way around though. When I was at Euston Square, I looked for where the platform was for the Circle Line. It took me a while to work out that I had to change trains to go around it... Not knowing London by bus, I couldn't use them.

In spite of all this, it's a darn site better than Birmingham's transport. A #11 bus designed to go around a circle that actually goes around circularly is about the only good thing about it!

[Roger de Coverly]

I refer the jury to exhibit A, which lightened the hearts of many a setter-upper on the morning of the tournament...

You didn't tell him about cheap trick (a) which is to catch the Wimbledon train and double back to South Ken from Earls Court, or cheap trick (b) which is to catch the Wimbledon train and walk from High Street Ken to Imperial.

Taking the Circle Line east and getting the Picc directly from KXStP to South Ken was another option from Euston.

[Jonathan Bryant]

Not knowing London by bus, I couldn't use them.

For you - and anybody else in similar need - http://www.tfl.gov.uk/.

A very good website indeed. It does rather have a tendency to suggest two buses when it would be much quicker to take one to get you vaguely near and walk the rest though. (check the option at the bottom of the list).

At the weekend, because of less traffic on the roads and engineering works on the tracks, it's often quicker to travel by bus in London.

[Brendan O'Gorman]

The Metropolitan Club secretary informs me there will be no congress this year. The club is considering running it again in 2012.

[Alex Holowczak]

Not knowing London by bus, I couldn't use them.

For you - and anybody else in similar need - http://www.tfl.gov.uk/.

A very good website indeed. It does rather have a tendency to suggest two buses when it would be much quicker to take one to get you vaguely near and walk the rest though. (check the option at the bottom of the list).

At the weekend, because of less traffic on the roads and engineering works on the tracks, it's often quicker to travel by bus in London.

I was aware of this website, but I didn't have the facilities to use it when I was standing in the concourse at Euston.

[John Sargent]

I see the humour from the screenshot has been lost...

I've just had my attention drawn to the junior Anand (ominous!!) Krishan from Wilson's School, whose performances were as follows:

Beat a 196R
Beat a 173R
Beat a 129R
Beat a 200R
Beat a 149S
Beat a 199R

Which roughly puts him (at the +50 for each beaten opponent) at around a 224 performance!! And I suspect that's without assuming the minimum-10-point-difference rule or whatever it is for beating the 129. Impressive stuff!

[Alex Holowczak]

I see the humour from the screenshot has been lost...

It wasn't very amusing for me at all!

[John Sargent]

I see the humour from the screenshot has been lost...

It wasn't very amusing for me at all!

Indeed. Three trains. THREE!

[Alex Holowczak]

I see the humour from the screenshot has been lost...

It wasn't very amusing for me at all!

Indeed. Three trains. THREE!

Remember, I'm used to Birmingham levels of incompetence when it comes to trains, so these frustrations build up!

My train today was delayed due to "Reports of kids ... trespassers on the line." This meant the train had to go much more slowly. I was all in favour of going much more quickly...

[Geoff Chandler]

I of course sympathise deeply with your plight.

I intended travelling to Motherwell and ended up in England.

Also mentioned the time I took a full team of six to an away game
when we were infact playing at home and lost 6-0 by default.
And turning up for the Glasgow Allegro one week early...

Pics and whole sad tale....

http://www.chessedinburgh.co.uk/chandle ... ChandID=41

PS - daughter Kelly gave birth a few days ago to my Granson on April Fools Day.
He's one of the Chandler clan alright.

[Kevin Thurlow]

"That explains it. I was quite surprised when John Sargent re-emerged on the chess scene. It's quite an unusual name and it never crossed my mind that there might be two of them. Was the Westminster Quickplay the one which used to have a table tennis tournament running alongside the chess competition (with the same people playing in both)?"

That's right, although I think he usually had the TT on the weekend tournaments. But he did also run a "superstars" event, with chess, draughts, TT, pool, snooker, darts, backgammon etc... well before the Mind Sports Olympiad started. It helped when the venue was the Civil Service Recreation Centre in Monck Street, so facilities were available. There was an indoor cricket net, but we didn't use that... Sadly, the building has now been demolished, albeit fairly slowly as the walls were reinforced concrete and quite thick.

John had some great ideas, and I understand he is still going strong.

[Alex Holowczak]

Also mentioned the time I took a full team of six to an away game when we were infact playing at home and lost 6-0 by default.

We had something similar; we played Stafford away in a Wolverhampton Summer League match. We had a phone call when we were in Stafford to say they'd be a bit late in arriving. "But we're the away team, our club night isn't even this day of the week." Much conflab later, it was revealed that they thought they were the away team. We arrived in Stafford before the home team did; luckily it was still with plenty of time to play the match!

[Roger de Coverly]

It helped when the venue was the Civil Service Recreation Centre in Monck Street, so facilities were available.

There's a history of the building here http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/site ... ndex.shtml

For those that never had the delights of playing there, you got the impression that you were playing in the Civil Service's "secret" underground bunker. Which is exactly what it was as a 1940s left over.

[Kevin Thurlow]

"For those that never had the delights of playing there, you got the impression that you were playing in the Civil Service's "secret" underground bunker. Which is exactly what it was as a 1940s left over."

Absolutely, and if you went down a few flights of stairs, you found an ominous looking steel door bolted shut.

I did work out that I had played table tennis in Churchill's bedroom, although not when he was there. I think there was a rifle range there as well (in the centre, not the bedroom).

[Neill Cooper]

My preference would be for another team rapid play!
There are lots of individual events but very few team events like it, except for 4NCL.