Time to draw breath...

Well, it's the end of week one of T-Shirt Wars and I think all the players are taking full advantage of the break over the weekend. It's the opportunity to wear anything you want without fear of scrutiny and criticism, and a break from tactical thinking - although for top players, that never really goes away.

It was certainly an interesting week, and I don't think any of us really knew what to expect. Probably most fascinating was the level of interest that the judges took and their different approaches. Some seemed to go on instinct whereas others clearly had scoring systems, the details of which remain closely-guarded secrets. There were not only visual assessments but also several tactile evaluations (of the cloth, obviously) and one comment was even passed about a contestant's smell (positive). These judgements may become more elaborate as the game progresses but one thing that surprised me was that there were no enquiries as to the history or back-stories of the T-shirts. Surely, one of the most interesting things about T-shirts is the history behind it and the memories that it evokes.

Thanks for all your ideas and comments: suggestions about the rules have been banded about, notably about the legality of receiving T-shirts as gifts and the possibility of introducing Jokers and Hexes that contestants can play strategically and these may be introduced by mutual agreement. Any other comments can be sent via the 'Comments' liks on these blogs. Meanwhile, with only 12½ hours until the next day's play starts, game on!