The plan was to win.
Planning is one thing, execution is another. We had everything well planned out, but the start of the game didn't bring a lead that matched our effort. We felt we had the pieces to reach for the win, that we could put the Japanese under pressure, but we lacked the pieces to pull away to a bigger points difference. We were still one step ahead thanks to our advantage in the first end, but it wasn't enough to keep us calm. In the eighth end, we finally went two up and calmed down a bit. It was significant that Petra was doing well, so Betya had something to fall back on in the final stones. Petra's triple take out even appeared in the WCF highlights, and it wasn't the only stone that deserved a repeat in this match. In the ninth, we successfully opted with our own last stone for the relatively risky option of removing the best Japanese stone so far with an angle-raise, and the young Asians thought long and hard about whether to risk a split to deuce with their last stone against our two biters to level the score. Or whether they should choose to draw and call without advantage in the tenth. They chose the risk, and it was fatal. Our deuce, and thus up by four, and after a minute's hesitation, congratulations to the Czech team for the win. We are happy about the victory, but we won't enjoy it much, because we have to go to bed right away (at least Bětka, Pét'a, Míša and Klara), because we play at nine in the morning. Karel and Lenka have to do the black work during the night training. But that's what they're here for.
rnphoto: before the game, notice the freestanding brooms