We are the Champions!

It has been more than 20 years since I started to play in the Czech National League. For most of the seasons, I played in team JaS (Juniors and Seniors) and never succeeded to win it. We have been numerous times second or third, but the title was out of grasp till 2023.

The organization of the league

The Czech National league is divided into 3 groups. 1st and 2nd National leagues consist of 10 teams while the 3rd league varies each year and is a qualification for the 2nd league if you form a new team.

The round-robin is played over 3 weekends. Each team plays 3 matches of 32 boards each weekend. The top 4 teams of the round-robin play the semifinals, teams ranked 5-7 do not play anymore, and teams 8-9 play the barrage for the 1st league opposite the teams 2-3 in the 2nd league. The last team drops to the 2nd league directly, while the winner of the round-robin in the 2nd league advanced directly to the 1st league for the next season.

The semifinals and finals are played on 3×16 boards on Saturday and Sunday. The first team in the round-robin can choose a team ranked in 3rd or 4th place. There is a carryover of half of the IMPs scored in the match in the round-robin. It can happen that even the winning team can have a negative carryover. The carryover in the finals is 1/3 of the IMPs. Yes, it does not make a lot of sense to lead by a margin before the KO matches start, but the teams have to play at their best in all the matches and not gamble with their scores in the round-robin. I hope there will be a change for the next seasons, but this year, it worked for us.

Round-robin

We started very well on the first weekend when we faced the best teams from the previous seasons. It was an important start on the long journey to the title. Even 3 small wins were a moral boost for the team and a potential positive carryover.

We started with a big win on the second weekend but followed with a loss against the last team at the end. The toughness of the schedule paid its role. If you do not change during the day, one has to play 64 boards with no break for lunch or dinner. There are only 15-minute breaks between the 16 board sessions and if you do not play fast, you do not have time to rest or have a proper meal. The biggest pressure was on Ales who did not only play all the matches but also played 2 different systems.

I have played with 3 different partners (Vit, Simon, and Doga), and most of the time, I play all the matches, but at least the same system with all of them. That actually plays a very important role in such tough days. Every piece of energy is needed and you should not waste it thinking about difficult conventions or relays. These mistakes hurt the most.

We recovered with a big win on Sunday and had a great spot before the final weekend.

We faced 2 teams on Saturday who were fighting for the semifinal spots. It was very important for us that we had all 6 players available – Simon flew from Spain to help us. We won both matches over 19 VPs and secured a super carryover against both of them. Before the last match, we had a 13 VP headstart before the second-ranked team. Still, the last match was one of the most difficult during the league. We played against a low-ranked team and needed only a small win. The opponents played great bridge and managed to beat us. Yet, we secured 1st place and a choice for the semifinals.

The Semifinals

We chose the team Fuko Schmelg as our opponent. The main reason was we had a 39 IMP carryover. It is a huge lead on 48 boards.

Yet, it seemed not enough when the first segment was over. We lost by 25 IMPs and suddenly it was all open. If we won the first segment, the match could be over after 2 segments. Now we had to fight very hard. We have won the second segment by 12 IMPs and extended the lead back to 26 IMPs. More than 2 boards’ advantage before the last segment of 16 boards.

I will analyze most of the boards in the daily videos, but you can have a look at board 9 of the last segment. The opponents reached an aggressive slam which was based on heart finesse. If it worked, it would be very close and stressful. It went well for us and we won, although we lost the match by 1 IMP without the carryover.

The Finals

We were facing the winners of the previous season in the finals. They have secured their win in the semifinal already after 2 segments when their opponents fortified the match with a 65 IMPs lead.

The finals started almost from zero. Yet, we had the important 1 IMP carryover which could have been very important. I have already won and lost important KO matches by 1 IMP.

The first segment seems relatively flat from the results, but there were very interesting boards that you will see in the daily videos. We have lost by 1 IMP so not much has changed.

The key board was number 12 where our opponents reached a minor slam. The important thing to consider in the card play is if West opens preemptively or not. Test your card play after the ♣A lead. Can you make it without playing on spades?

We won the second segment by 19 IMPs and it was mainly due to slam bidding. While the grand slam was our opponent’s mistake, I was put before a tough decision on board 19. What would you bid as West if you open 1♠ and North overcalls 5♣ and partner doubles? And, how do you declare 6♦ after a club to the A and heart back?

3 players from each team played all 3 segments in the finals. The stakes were high because the winner can represent the Czech Republic at the European Small Federation Games as well as get the National title.

We started the last segment with board 13 at our table. We could not see the scores, but 2 good scores at our table were very calming and our opponents started to be nervous. It was expected that Kopecky-Slemr will bring the necessary swings for team P.S. Yet, it was the other way around and we could start celebrating the title winning by a big margin against the most successful team in the last decade.

After 2 seasons, when I left the team, I am happy to be back and with reinforcements. I am very happy to welcome Doga Seker who is moving to Prague and big thanks go to Simon Barb who came to play with me from Budapest and Spain. Out of 6 matches, we won 5 and we are at the top in the Butler.

Thanks to all the members of the team and I am looking forward to the next season.