Yeah, perhaps you "made the wrong ask" here, but what would have been a materially better ask, given what you knew at the time? I don't really see one.
Of course, the far bigger communications issue here is Russia, who is apparently has his games mixed up and is communicating about some other game where he has a couple more units up north.

I probably would have gone for the solo here. Not a terribly high chance of success, but by no means an impossibility. Certainly better to go down in flames than to get a blah 3 way draw.
P.S. Loving the Eastern Swing plaque.
