Memory leaguing

Those following my cycling updates will be pleased to know I did indeed bike from Derby to Nottingham today, completing an impressive four-day sequence of healthy outdoor pursuits. Now tomorrow I have to go back to the office and vegetate some more - I'm really going to have to quit that job some time soon and become a full-time (or couple-of-hours-a-day) recreational cyclist.

But to look on the bright side, it's nearly May, and Memory League May is with us again. Get yourself a free three month subscription to Memory League by following the instructions here!

If you've never even heard of Memory League, check out the site and give it a try. It's fun! If you're already familiar with it, join the latest season of the Online Memory League Championship! It works like this:

 The Online Memory League Championship is a competition open to everybody. Competitors are divided into groups of around six players (with each division consisting of two groups) - new players this season are put into divisions based on their leaderboard position, so you will be playing against people at the same kind of level as you.

 In a season, each competitor will play each of the others in the group once, with one match per week, on a schedule drawn randomly at the start of the season. Players can be flexible about when they play their matches, depending on availability and circumstances, but should try to stick to the schedule as much as possible. You will need to communicate with your opponents - leave messages on the Memory League website, or the Art of Memory forum, or the Facebook group "World Memory Championships". We can help you get in touch with people - just send me a message if you need help!

 Matches will consist of six games - each player chooses three different disciplines, with the choice alternating. The first player on the scheduled match list chooses the first discipline; the schedule will be arranged so that each player gets a roughly equal distribution of 'home' and 'away' matches. Draws are possible, both in individual disciplines and in the match as a whole.

 If the match is a 3:3 draw, the players can (if they both agree to it) play a one-game 'decider', which can be any discipline they choose. If they don't both agree to play the decider, then the match is a draw.

 The league table gives two points for a match won, one for a match drawn. Players on the same number of points are ranked by number of disciplines won.

 At the end of the season, the bottom two in each division are relegated to the division below, and the top two in each division are promoted to the division above. There are play-offs between the runner-up in each group and the second-last in a group from the division above to determine promotion and relegation.

 The top four in the first division go into play-offs for the grand title, followed by a grand final to determine the League Champion!

 This season will last five weeks, starting at the beginning of May and ending at the end. Or at least that's the plan! Everybody who takes part will need to be prepared to play five matches in May. So if that works for you, please sign up on the forum!