The Houdini tactic: An invaluable rescue weapon for the club player Artwork

TudoRama

TudoRama explores the nature and practice of creativity in the arts, sciences, politics and above all in everyday life. Tudor Rickards is Emeritus Professor of Creativity and Organizational Change at the University of Manchester. Tudor studied chemistry and radiation chemistry at The University of Wales at Cardiff. Following post-doctoral research at New York Medical College, he returned to the UK to work in technical management before joining Manchester Business School. He has published numerous books and articles on creativity, sporting management and leadership, as well as fictional works involving the mythical University of Urmston. He has been influential in the development of creativity-related projects in Europe, including the European Association for Creativity and Innovation (EACI), and was co-founder (with Susan Moger) of the journal Creativity and Innovation Management. He is also author of detective stories centred around the fictional University of Urmston, and a nearby chess club which houses a top-secret government surveillance operation. His recent switch to podcasting reaches out to a wider general audience interested in current affairs, and the processes of creativity previously described in his lectures, blogposts, and textbooks.

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The Houdini tactic: An invaluable rescue weapon for the club player

April 16, 2026 • Tudor Rickards

0:00 | 5:48

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Written and narrated by Tudor Rickards

I cannot claim to have invented the Houdini tactic in chess. However, I hinted at it in one of my least successful books, The Double Houdini.

As will become obvious, the tactic does not work when you’re playing against a computer program.

This week, it contributed to a much needed victory by our second team, still with a fighting chance of gaining promotion into the first division of the Stockport league. Much needed, as some consolation for the dive into the second division by our first team.

I will now explain the basic principles of the Houdini tactic in preparation for next season, in whatever divisions we find ourselves….

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