preturn: bad news, I don't think we can get the saltpeter back by rushing culture. It's ring 2 for India and ring 3 for both our cities. The only two ways are 1) capture that city and 2) settle next to the saltpeter, which may not be a bad idea anyway.
I am disappointed in finding that we still have 5 pikes - why didn't we upgrade them? Now we cannot do it anymore.
I buy wines from Aztecs by Theology, buy spices from Iros by Theology.
More rant: WHY did we sell our only iron to America? Now we have no iron and can only build spears and longbowmen! I checked the log and we traded it for Metallury - please, in this game we are not behind in tech. We can research a tech in 7-8 turns with a surplus. Giving away iron, and we lost the ability to build the best offensive units we have, which can also be upgraded to our UU. Besides, America is running over Germany. We should not have helped it!
We still have only 14 workers. I start worker in Buffalo and switch Novgorod to settler.
Now the SGL: if we rush Shakespear, we'll not be able to build any culture wonder for quire a while, as we are still about 16 turns away from Newton. But we can research Economics first in 7 turns, which means we can use Smith as prebuild then go for ToG. Probably a better idea!
I hold FA not to trade this turn to end the cascade. Hope no one will demand from us. Without iron we are vulnerable to attacks.
We have 3 knights in Yekateringburg, move two of them to Novgorod.
A bunch MM to fix things. When you MM cities, please make sure to not waste shields. With that in mind, when shields are enough to build in the same turn, optimize for food, then commerce.
I also let Novgorod build settler with 15spt and 12fpt.
IBT: renew silks/incense deal from India by horses+3gpt+2g. Copernicus completed.
(1)860AD: We simply have no worthwhile units to build. Rush Shakespear.
India has Navigation. But the cascade indeed ended.
I sell FA to India for 93g+87gpt. FA+168g to America for Nagivation. FA to China for 11gpt+140g+WM.
Sell WM to India for 2gpt, to America for 72g.
Now I have two choices:
1. continue to research Economics and use Smith's as prebuild (5 turns); then go Physics and ToG (16-17 turns). We'll build Newton in about 22 turns.
2. go directly to Physics and ToG in 15 turns (AI might build Magallen's around that time) and switch to Newton's. The risk is that we could still lose to cascade.
I decide to do 1 as it doesn't slow down our progress and offers more of an assurance. AI would probably cascade to Smith's first which shouldn't be built before we build Newton. Besides, we already spent one turn on it, and we can probably use it to buy Physics too.
IBT Iros and America MA vs Germany. Shakespear->Magellan in 20 turns. We get trees for our palace.
(2)870AD: Our capital is 56cpt. We'll win before 2050AD. And a lot of culture improvements are yet to be doubled (another 26cpt or so).
Hmm, I just find out China has no horses. That means no riders..I ask my secretary to take a note.
AI still hasn't started Magellan. I didn't realize last turn that this wonder can only be built on coastal cities, and AI might not have good costal cities to build it. Only India has some big coastal cities. With this in mind I decide to delay Economics and get it in 8 turns, so AI wouldn't be able to start on Smith's very soon. In hindsight I probably should have chosen plan 2 last turn.
(3)880AD:
India starts Magellan's in Madras. By looking at its map, it has only at most 13spt before corruption. Let's say 12spt. It would build Magellan's in 27 turns.
I merge a worker in Moscow and drop 2 turns off. I also clear the forest but it's not a BG.
We found Yakutsk to get the saltpeter back. I upgrade 4 pikes for 360g. Military all switch to musketmen.
IBT Aztecs demand Printing Press. I give to it.
China also starts Magellan's in Tsingtao. It's also about 13spt before corruption. So no worry there.
(4)890AD: nothing much.
(5)900AD: nothing much.
(6)910AD: nothing much.
At some point
Ottomans start Magellan's in Bursa, a size-2 town. 
IBT An Indian pike enters our territory. Ottomans start Magellan's.
(7)920AD: Rush library in the new town.
India has Military Tradition! Luckily it no longer has saltpeter. America has it too.
I raise sci to get Economics next turn.
I disband MDI.
IBT Economics->Physics.
(8)930AD:
Economics to India for Military Tradition+98g+12gpt, to America for 40gpt+5g.
We now have 7 cossacks!
We could plan a quick war against China, but we cannot build more cities until we complete Newton, unless we abandon Yekaterinburg. I suggest we start building a force of cossacks and wait.
On the other hand, I do want to raze some Indian cities too. With enough cossacks (20-25) we can quickly raze 4 towns. We can then also abandon Yakutsk. I don't like this city at all. I think it's a better plan, although with more risk. We have deals with India but we only need to honor the deal for the next 12 turns, if we don't care about losing some money.
Set Physics due in 6 turns.
Switch military to Cossacks. With 90 shields we optimize shields to be 15spt.
IBT
India starts Smith's in Delhi.
(9)940AD: There are 3 regular Indian pikes trespassing our territory to its two towns in the SW.
(10)950AD: More pikemen show up. Rush wall in Yakutsk.
We will be able to build Newton's in 12 turns. Be sude to get ToG at that time.
After ToG, I want us to slow down research and just follow the AI. I want all wonder cascade to end before Universal Suffrage.
We are 58cpt with 3932 cp, that's a win at 1998AD. Of course it will be shortened. We are in no hurry, so make sure keep the tech pace as slow as possible. Research after America/India except for the need to time a wonder build. Go for the steam->industrialization route (slowly!).
I expect to win before 1900AD in the end.
Also start saving money as we'll most likely rush factory and coal plant in our capital.
Keep building military. I want 20-25 cossacks standby, and probably some cannons too. We need 3 musketmen per city, so we still need more.
Then we can talk about whether to launch a super fast attack on India. We still have to wait at least 10 turns. If we want to attack, we should do so before AI gets Nationalism.
Germany is going to die very soon. America might turn to Aztecs or Iros.
Also see the next picture. The pink line should all be irrigated (chop the forest tile and irrigate).
I write the turnlog in great detail because I hope everyone gives the same amount of thought in the game.
EDIT: there is no need to merge more workers as that wouldn't affect production.
