Barladeanu comes back from behind

The lead passed from hand to hand, 8 times over — it was anyone's guess.

Barladeanu finished level with Catalin on 119 points and took the win on the tie-break: fewer broken contracts. And that despite a slip in the very last hand.

Catalin led for 10 hands but finished second, 0 points behind. Level on points with Barladeanu, and behind only on the tie-break.

PaulP completed the podium with 117 points. In the fifth of the middle eights, PaulP bid 2 and took 5 — and Barladeanu and Catalin went down with them. 8 good hands in a row — at one point, PaulP was playing as if they could see everyone else's cards. PaulP declared the table on fire 3 times 🔥 — the fire brigade never showed.

CCC finishes right in the middle — neither hot nor cold — 4th, with 112 points. CCC got past Adrian Gh at the very last hand. 2 hands in a row: the table said and did, CCC said and... hoped. It didn't hold.

Neither at the front nor at the back: Adrian Gh in 5th, with 109 points. The comfort zone. Adrian was ahead of CCC right up to the last hand. 2 hands in a row: only Adrian slipped, while the rest said it and did it. The cards were kind to everyone but Adrian.

Radu closes out the table, with 101 points. "Last one buys the coffee" — as they say at the table. 10 broken contracts, collected like stamps.

Congratulations to all — see you at the next table!