THE DIPLOMATICON

• Power: England
• Group: None
• When: Spring 1901
• Target SCs: None
• Aggressive towards: None
• Orders: F Edi-Yor, F Lon-Yor, A Lpl-Yor

I said that the Western Opening was one of the more peculiar openings for England in Diplomacy. Well, this is the winner of that particular category… and for all powers.

Why have I included this opening? Because it has an iconic status. It is one opening almost every Dippyist knows about.

Yorkshire puddings are delicious and versatile. You’ll often see them accompanying roast meals in the UK…

You can find them as big puddings, with the other food held inside them…

My grandma used to use them as a starter…

and as a sweet…

However, as an opening in Diplomacy, it’s a disaster.

In this opening, all of England’s units are ordered to Yorkshire. Yes, they all bounce. Yes, none of them move. So, what’s the point?

Well, there isn’t one… and that’s the point.

It’s like: “If there’s no god, what’s the point of life?” There isn’t one.

However, it was used, infamously, in a postal Diplomacy game. The Library of Diplomacy Openings says: “Devised by Denis Jones and used by him in a postal game! Strange character Denis Jones. Needless to say, he didn’t do too well in that game.”

Diplomacy Openings on WikiDot doesn’t have much to say on the Yorkshire Pudding Opening, although notable things it does say include:

Diplomatic: The opening has, perhaps surprisingly, attracted interest from some of the very best players who have used it as a means of demonstrating that they’re not a threat. While tactically no better than all units hold, the psychological benefits noted below make it a superior move. This having been noted, no player has ever enjoyed tournament success with this opening.

Psychological: The immediate effect of the opening is to make other players think you’re not taking the game seriously. This would usually be considered a negative, but where other players fear the English player it may provide a circuit-breaker that could break down an otherwise immutable Franco-German alliance. In the medium term, a player who had used this opening and recovered to a position of even moderate strength would present an impression of inevitable success – a major advantage.

Recommended usage: Don’t.

The idea of using it as a joke opening appeals. The idea of using it to disarm your opponents is, well, silly… but, I suppose, that’s the idea!

There is also a continuation opening known as the “Double Pudding”, apparently, which is supposedly even funnier. For me, this meets the definition of insanity.

It does, however, bring us to the idea of Extension Openings for England.

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POSTS IN THIS SERIES

• England’s Opening Moves – Introduction
• Churchill Opening
• Jorvik Opening
• Leith Opening
• Ouse Opening
• Severn Opening
• Grampian Opening
• Pennine Opening
• Snowdonia Opening
• Western Opening
• Yorkshire Pudding Opening