Yes, I thought about it too... but since even she doesn't mention it anywhere, I guess not (lucky her, btw).

Okay... hope this is at least somewhat good...

Yavanna => Bolg

And I want links based only on what is really explicitely stated in the books, not "this one and this one might have probably met..."

And, try to make it in four (including these two).

Yavanna -- Radagast -- Beorn -- Bolg ?

Very good!
 

Congratulations, bright-minded! Please take the thread.

Ungoliant => Shelob

I found a solution to this in a total of 5 steps, so please use at most 5. If you can come up with less, go for it!

Ungoliant - Morgoth - Sauron - Shelob?

Are you sure that Sauron and Shelob actually met? I know Sauron knew Shelob guarded the pass but I don't remember reading that they ever met each other.

I'm not sure either. I guess it's nowhere mentioned.

What about the following:
Ungoliant - Morgoth - Sauron - Shagrat - Shelob?

I don't know for sure if Sauron and Shagrat actually met, but maybe we can assume so? Of course it depends on how many secretaries Sauron had.

I do remember that Shagrat seemed to know many things about how Shelob hunted her prey, so I think its reasonable to assume he at least watched her from afar, so I'll accept it. I was actually thinking the same as you except replace Shagrat with Gollum. Gollum at some point mentions that Sauron was missing a finger so he must have been in Sauron's presence.

Good job :D The thread is yours.

Oh, of course. :D Gollum didn't even occur to me.

Well, this is probably too easy, but I'm so bad at inventing these.

Fundin - Anborn.

In how many people? Six? Or even less? I can say five.

Fundin => Balin => Bilbo => Frodo => Anborn

I bet you could even eliminate Bilbo there because I believe Balin had visit the Shire on a few occasions and met Frodo. Frodo says something about this at the Council of Elrond I believe (or somewhere along his journey to Rivendell)

Right you are, Legate - that's what I thought, too. I'm sorry, I just forgot to tell the number of people. That happens when you're up when you should be sleeping, after a horrible exam week. :o

As for whether Frodo and Balin ever met, I don't think so. Frodo was, after all, only twenty-one when Bilbo adpted him, and Balin entered Moria the same year.

I thoughts so as well. Okay, a new one here:

Eorl the Young => Arathorn

Six, please (including these two)

Eorl -> Brego -> Baldor -> King of the Dead -> Aragorn -> Arathorn ?

Very good! Exactly what I had in mind. Please, continue. :)

Théodred => Thuringwethil

Six, including those two. You can make it shorter if you're able to.

Five
 

Great. Legate, please take the thread.

Alright...

Tuor => Gollum

Tuor -> Earandil -> Elrond -> Aragorn -> Gollum

Aragorn of course captured Gollum and brought him back to Mirkwood.

Very good! Please, continue with the thread.

Six.

Eol => Celebrian

Eol - Maeglin - Idril - Earendil - Elrond - Celebrian.

Hmmm...not the path I would've taken, but it works.

Mine was Eol => Thingol => Beleg => Turin (all via Anglachel) => Orodreth => Galadriel => Celebrian.

Go ahead.

Right.
 

So, let's start anew with a rather simple one.

Annael -> Annatar

You call that simple?

Annael -> Tuor -> Idril -> Enerdhil -> Celebrimbor -> Annatar

(depending, of course, on the UT story that Celebrimbor was from Gondolin, not the son of Curufin as in Silm)

Well, you could have used the Ainur:

Annael -> Tuor -> Ulmo (-> Morgoth) -> Annatar

Ah, but your way works as well. Take the thread! :)

Thanks:)! I guess it was the name Annatar (instead of Sauron) that made me think of Celebrimbor and forget the Valar connection.
Anyway, what about this (no Valar involved):

Iorlas -> Bregalad

5 moves:

Iorlas > Beregond > Pippin> Treebeard> Bregalad

Correct! (I would have left out Treebeard and used Bergil instead of Beregond, but never mind.) Take it away!

Okay, how about Cirdan to The Gaffer?

Many paths.
 

Laziest one is:

Círdan -> Elrond -> Samwise -> Gaffer Gamgee

Ack. Too easy. Your turn. :)

Thanks!
 

And sorry for the delay, had trouble coming up with a snorter. :Merisu:

Damrod -> Amrod

Damrod > Faramir > Boromir > Elrond > (Maglor?) > Amrod

Excellent. :)

Your turn.

Azog > Thorondor

*bump*

Anyone?

Bueller? Bueller?

Azog -> Dáin -> Thórin -> Gandalf -> Glorfindel-> Thorondor?

Hmmm... I can't seem to recall Thorondor meeting Glorfindel, but it's possible they met at Gondolin, I suppose.

My path went:
Azog- Dain- Thorin- Thranduil- Elwe- Beren- Thorondor

I'll give it to you, though. The board is yours.