Kreijns remembers Belladonna

Giorgio Belladonna 1923-1995

Kreijns: "... Maybe he wasn't the very best player, technically, but I consider him as the most valuable player of the Blue Team. I don't have to tell you about his declarer play, and of course he knew his system well. But his strongest asset was the psychology of the game. He understood that like no other. Together with Bob, of course.
Giorgio Belladonna and Bob Slavenburg are the greatest for me. Exactly for that reason: psychology. They are perfectly comparable when it comes to mentality and psychology. When we played the Blue Team, Belladonna took always a seat behind me and, especially, in front of Slavenburg. Some may think that it is best to take place behind the most dangerous opponent. That you can control him best that way. That is a misconception. When you want to control your enemy, you have to be seated in front of him. Then you have the initiative. Sly fox Belladonna understood that very well. He always put pressure on you. When everybody bids 1 - 4, he bids 5. Giorgio stimulated Bob to action. In 1966 during the Bermuda Bowl in St. Vincent this happened:

West	North	East	South
Avarelli	Kreijns	Belladonna	Slavenburg
1	pass	4	4
pass	pass	pass

Bob makes 4 with an overtrick. Belladonna asks him to show his card. When it comes out that Bob vulnerable jumped into the bidding with only AKxx, the Italian is clearly surprised. "Yes Giorgio, I had to. They only gave me a fourcard suit." explained Bob cheerfully.

A year before we played in Spain. A tournament in Marbella in the Don Pepe Hotel. In our team was Coeffie Rijke from The Hague. A gifted player. Only, he was drinking. Slavenburg didn't like that. That's why Rijke was replaced later on in the tournament bij Robbie de Leeuw, also from The Hague. But anyway, Coeffie Rijke thus. According to what he said he knew the Italian systems as no other. In front of a crowded pit Coeffie and Bobby Blitzblum played against Avarelli-Belladonna. This hand arrived:

West	North	East	South
Avarelli	Rijke	Belladonna	Blitzblum
2	pass	2	pass
4	dbl	rdbl	pass
pass	pass

The 2 opening by Avarelli showed a 4-4-4-1 type of hand, and 2 showed some number of points. With the jump to 4 Avarelli showed 22-23 with a void in hearts. Coeffie, having AQxxx, doubled. Belladonna redoubled. Coeffie led something. It was terribly hot, it was black with people, so I don't remember what it was exactly. Belladonna put down his dummy. First the trumps: jack-ten-nine-two of hearts. Now you should know that Avarelli had the least self-confidence of all the Blue Team players. He had sometimes a very uncertain look over him, to say it this way. When he saw Belladonna put down a meagre fourcard trumps, he literally fell from his chair, rigth on the floor. Consternation all over the place. But not with Giorgio. Imperturbable he went on with putting down his cards, under which another fourcard hearts: king-eight-seven-six. Contract mad, with an overtrick. Coeffie got only ace-queen of trumps.

A year later, we took our revenge:

West	North	East	South
Avarelli	Kreijns	Belladonna	Slavenburg
pass	pass	pass	1
1	1	pass	2
pass	2	pass	2NT
pass	3NT	dbl	pass
pass	rdbl	all pass

Giorgio, who had something in diamonds, thought it was the rigth time for a double. After my redouble he told us that either the double or the redouble was not correct. While I put down a healthy eighteen-count I said: "Giorgio, the double was not correct." Bob made his contract. It turned out that the double as well as the redouble were correct. It was Avarelli's 1 overcall that was far too light..."

"...The mentality of the Italians was their strongest weapon. I remember an invitational tournament in Morocco. Four Morrocan pairs and twelve foreigners. The organization had done a lot of work. The whole tournament moved every few days to another city: Rabat, Marakech, Casablanca. The open pairs was played in three daily sessions. After the first day, everybody asked Belladonna-Averelli how they had scored. "Terrible. We got everything against us. Nothing would work out". The result confirmed this, they had 38%. The second day was better, they scored 74%. And when Giorgio and Walter finally scored 73% the last day, they had won the tournament.
That spirit, that belief in yourself, that was characteristic..."

"...One thing is indisputable for me. The Blue Team players, and Bob Slavenburg too, would be as successful in the current bridge world as they were back then..."