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Hi Carlo I’m calling to ask for your comments on the recent club championship in Bologna. I followed it with interest also because I was rooting for my friend Fulvio. I read the opinion of Silvio Sbarigia and, in part, I agree.
I don’t believe that the pair Buratti/Comella were responsible for losing the 70 points. In that session the opponents (Helgemo/Helness) really got everything right: in my opinion the responsibility of Buratti/Comella was limited, I’ll explain.
In a team competition there is not only the technique of the players but there are also psychological components; it’s not like playing in BBO when you have the opponent breathing next to you. If the opponent is named “Comella” it makes a certain impression on you, but if he is named “Duboin” you have another. In these competitions psychological conditioning has a big influence. Therefore I think that it’s not only the technical level but also personality, because Comella technically is a very strong player but I don’t know what impact he might have received, having on his left and right a pair like Helgemo/Helness. Andrea Buratti has won a lot both nationally and internationally, while Comella is a player who is just now getting some satisfaction but more closely tied to the seniors category, and therefore he is less used to meeting players of the rank of the two Norwegians: I can assure you that having beside you players like Helgemo/Helness or Nunes/Fantoni is not the same thing as playing in the seniors category.
Since you read Sbarigia’s opinion I’ll ask you the same question: comment on the results of the four pairs who played the last suspenseful sessions of the final. Let’s start with Helgemo and Helness.
It was obvious that they understand each other very well, even if they made mistakes on some hands. On the other hand there is also this fact: when you play all those hands in a row, it happens that you have a weakness. On the whole they made a good impression on me.
And what do you say about the Fantastic Fantunes?
They also impressed me, they played well. Let’s not forget that they weren’t submerged by the opponents, they lost by one point against the European champions. For me they are two very strong players who also have the merit of being still young and who can still improve.
But … how can the number one in the world improve?
In life modest people always have the desire to learn something, if on the other hand you think you have reached the top you lose your motivation. And Fulvio is a modest person who always gives himself new stimulations. But you see the same goes for all the great champions: look at Lorenzo Lauria, for how many years has he been up there at the top? And yet he is a man who will always question himself, he has an enviable mental freshness.
Let’s pass to the Lavazza team. What do you say about Duboin/Sementa?
They are two talents, and we know it. Duboin’s play with the dummy is formidable. Sementa is a pure talent. I also saw them play undoubtedly better in Bologna than at Ostend.
And the “new” pair Bocchi/Madala?
They are a pair in phase of verification who still must give their best results. Madala is very young and it’s not easy at that age to be at these levels: if he’s got there it means he has the material.
Last question: If you were the Technical Director of the Blue Team, who would you take to the World Championships?
First of all Lauria/Versace. For the other two pairs, I would make a selection.
By Laura Camponeschi, translated by Carol Sims