The Countdown is on

The early days of Ramadhan have reminded me of the importance of keeping oneself occupied through long periods of fasting. It's nice to be able to break the day into small, manageable chunks and it helps if one can enjoy themselves whilst doing so. Swimming is excellent in this regard; a complete session usually takes around 2 hours (getting there, in the pool and back) and leaves one feeling refreshed, whilst allowing them to ignore their hunger in the meantime. I'm fortunate enough to have another useful distraction.

The start of Ramadhan has coincided with the return of Countdown to our screens, after a 4 week Summer break. The familiarity of sitting in front of the telly screaming my answers is a luxury I've missed. From 1525-1615 (or an hour later if I catch it on +1), all that matters is the 9 letters and 6 numbers before me.

Since appearing on the show last year, my interest in the show has stepped up considerably, back to the levels of when I was young and addicted. Countdown exists well beyond the screen and I continue to compete online and in real life tournaments. There's a wonderful online community, where fans discuss the show, compete and basically chat a lot of rubbish. Perfect. There's even a comprehensive wiki page for the show, chronicling its entire 27 year history. Charlie Reams, my main rival on the show, is responsible for much of this and has an incredible playing website which offers all sorts of formats based on the game. Be warned: it may take over your life.

I've also entered two unofficial offline tournaments this year; CoLin (Lincoln) and CoNot (Nottingham). I finished 4th both times from a pool of around 16-24. Given how insane the standard is compared to what is seen on TV (most players are former series finalists or as good as), I'm reasonably happy with my progress. Still, it'd be nice to bag one of these titles and in CoLei (Leicester) I have my next opportunity. As well as offering a fantastic substitute for appearing on the show itself and thus easing the withdrawl symptoms, these events are a great chance to meet and reunite with some of the fantastic characters I've come across in the Countdown world. Where else will you find an 11 year old and a 70 year old leaping with joy when the word LEOTARD appears?

CoLei is booked for October 10th; the day before the race. The perfect way to while away what would otherwise be an unbearable day of anticipation. It also almost guarantees I won't have a last minute accident; Countdown is nothing if not safe. What a weekend it promises to be; I'll enjoy CoLei for what it is without any real expectations, but the big event will no doubt be the Sunday. In the meantime, I'll continue training for both. Yes, Countdown involves training; ask any series finalist. Especially with the current crop of talent, staying on top requires a lot of effort. Fortunately, I've done most of the hard work (learning endless word stems; PRONATE+F=PANFORTE indeed) and now it's just a matter of maintaining my standards by playing. Why do I still bother? Perhaps it's because I'm hoping there'll be a second Supreme Championship to which I may be invited. Mainly though, I think it's just because I love the game. It is my Chess and I'll be hooked for a while yet, I suspect.