Mihai takes the table

An evening with a bit of everything, except contracts kept: 40 slips at the table and scores from 103 down to 51.

Mihai finishes on 103 points, 29 above the next — the rest were playing a different game, it seems. In the second of the opening eights, Mihai bid 0 and took 3 — and Ana went down with it.

Luis took second with 74 points — a fine evening, but the gods of whist were busy elsewhere. Luis said they'd take nothing in the third of the opening eights... and took some. Whist listens, then does the opposite.

Third, and on the podium: Elena, with 74 points. Level on points with Luis, and behind only on the tie-break. 2 hands in a row: the table said and did, Elena said and... hoped. It didn't hold.

Ana took last place without any nerves at all, on 51 points. 2 hands in a row: Ana broke the contract each time while everyone else made theirs. After the seven-card hand on the way up, Ana was 2nd and dreaming of the podium — but the last hands had other plans.

Congratulations to all — see you at the next table!