Direct Line with Maria-Teresa Lavazza

By Mabel Bocchi

Q. You are the first woman in Europe who is captaining a national Open team; could it be that this job of paving the way is not only gratifying, but also a bit uncomfortable? A. I would not say uncomfortable, but certainly it is causing some stress. Though I have only been leading teams consisting of males so far, for the first time I am feeling the burden of responsibility…if things are not going as they should, I might even get into a crisis… Q. You definitely are an attractive woman. To what extent has that been a factor in your life so far? A. I think this may well have been favourable to me from many points of view, though I never considered it a special force, because my behaviour and mentality are rather masculine. I also realise that when you have this advantage, you tend to ignore and depreciate it. To get a more balanced reply you should ask this same question to those who are less gifted by Mother Nature in this respect. Q. What is the most complicated aspect of being a captain?

A. To try and create a team spirit, without internal rivalries, and strong enough to survive any possible negative moments. Even more delicate is the job of selecting the four who are going to play in any single match: it´s not only picking those whom you think are in best form, but also to assure that the two who are sitting out will graciously accept this.

Q. Did you ever regret that you were not born as a man?

A. I have to say no, but I have to admit that my life as a woman has been clearly privileged, thanks to my economical independence and a certain will power since I was young. To feel O.K. about yourself as a woman, it is fundamental that you first accept and respect your own opinions and next that your personality is strong enough to act accordingly. As it happens, not yet all women have reached this stage.

Q. What has been the most difficult thing for you: being a daughter, a mother, a wife or a captain?

A. Without doubt being a good mother, also because my sons are and will remain the most important thing in my life.

Q. What can drive you furious?

A. When I do not win!

Q. How would you like other people to talk about you?

A. I get a bad feeling when they call me haughty, or aloof. In fact, I am only distracted, very distracted, and as a result many people are thinking I am a quite different person than I am in reality.

Q. Women and bridge: the two don´t go very well together…

A. I am not pleased to have to admit it, but I will not tell anything new when I say that women in general have less talent for the game than men. In general our character does not combine very well with this type of activity: less concentration power, excessive antagonism, less strong nerves.

Q. Your weakest and strongest points?

A. I get furious too quickly but I also am very generous.

Q. Do you sleep badly before or after an important match?

Long ago, I nearly never slept the night before a match, but, getting older and more experienced, I was fortunate enough to lose this quite useless habit. At present, I only sleep badly after a match that did not go well.

Q. Is there anything in bridge that does not please you?

A. There are a few players whom you cannot trust and who behave in an unsporting manner.

Q. And is there anything that is still fascinating you, after so many years?

A. The more you play and win, the more you want to win. It looks as if it will never be enough. The desire to go on trying to win always and at every opportunity, even at the smallest local tournament, is never leaving you.

Q. You get the chance to clone a super bridge player. You have all players of the world at your disposal. Whom would you choose and why?

A. I think that we would create a real phenomenon if we could bring together into one player the genius of Garozzo, the technique of Meckwell and the ability to almost never make any mistakes of Perron.