Draw #16: Do Or Die? (Part I) or maybe just do or hope

End 3. CZ is still playing GE tough in the third end with two in the rings behind guards plus a centre-line guard. GE doubles off one guard plus one in the rings. CZ puts a rock top 12' as 2nd shot, behind the centre guard. If they had played like this all the time, they'd be contending to make the playoffs. After another GE half-miss, CZ put a rock in the 8' such that a raise by GE is impossible. Kapp must try a difficult in-off to score even one, and he executes it perfectly CZ 3, GE 1.

NO is setting up to force CH to take one, but Svae's hit-stick rubs a guard, and CH might be able to do better But then Ulsrud doubles off the CH stones and lies partly behind a guard -- fantastic shot. CH peels it off. CH blanks the end (the second end in that game).

SW has an easy hit/stick for 2 against SU in their third end.

End 2. The Swiss and Swedes blanked the second end as well as the first and are well ahead of the other sheets. The Czechs are giving the Germans a hard time, drawing to lie three behind cover and leaving a small port, forcing Kapp to try to draw for one, but he is an inch too deep, yielding yet another steal for CZ. Meanwhile Korea tried to set up a deuce against Norway, but had to settle for a blank .

End #1. SW-SU blank, and so do SC-US, but the other two games have rocks in play. China can't roll under cover vs Norway, so Norway deuces. And the CZ skip made an amazing run-back triple to lie 3 himself, forcing Kapp to try an in-off double to salvage one, but his shot was thin, and he gave up a steal of 2.

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There are four teams playing this afternoon with four losses. If they lose this afternoon, they might be eliminated from the playoffs, depending on how many others lose this afternoon or tonight.

• Germany is 6-4, playing Czech Republic. If Germany wins, they are guaranteed making at least a tie-breaker.
• Switzerland and Sweden are playing each other this afternoon, and they both have four losses. If Sweden wins, they are guaranteed at least a tie-breaker. If Switzerland wins, they still need a win this evening against Korea to guarantee they'll be able to play some more.
  
• Norway, at 5-4, is playing China. This is a must-win game for Norway, who will then face Canada this evening.

As I said, if any of these teams loses one more game they are not automatically eliminated, but they will need other teams to lose, too, to bring about one or more tie-breakers.

Programming note: if there is only one tie-breaker, it will be played at 1:30 CST tomorrow and not at 8:30am as the schedule indicates.