Dear team mates,
On Wednesday, 30 of September, we are facing the team of Praha (Medlin). As you may well remember, these folks beat us in the knockout stage last time. They beat us in the second half, as they made all slam contracts, including a quite outrageous one.
I am inclined to believe that playing the team match in two halves is seriously damaging for us. In both cases (Praha and Krakow), during the second half, the other team outperformed us. In my opinion, here are the reasons: a) The players that changed during the halftime were kibitzing during the first half. Therefore, they had already been accustomed to our bidding/playing style, spotting our weaknesses. b) Their changed players were “fresh” while our team was more tired and prone to making mistakes in the second half. c) Our lead during the first half naturally lead our team to be more defensive and reluctant to take risks in the second half, where, incidentally, hands leading to slams were dealt.
I will opt for playing the whole match (16 boards) in one go. However, they may, again, tell us that one player is sick and cannot play 16 boards in one go, etc. I have asked Paolo about it and I am waiting for a response.
I think that if we play as good as we mostly do and improve a bit our slam bidding, we can beat these guys.
Let me know if you’re going to be available to play next Wednesday. See you later.
The Kampala Team's School of Bridge 