Blue Team in the History of Bridge

The Man Behind the Legend

How did Italy reach the summit of World Bridge and then remain there for more than fifteen years? How did a game that seems so little suited to the Italian temperament end up being the one that Italy dominated for so long? The answers to these questions can be found in this book through the diary of the man who was the whole story and saw it from within.

Carl’Alberto Perroux (1905-1977) was President of the Italian Bridge Federation from 1952 to 1967. During that period he founded the Blue Team, the most successful and best-known team in the history of bridge. As Blue Team Captain he won eight Bermuda Bowls, one World Team Olympiad and three European Championships. A trial lawyer in private life (he was deemed to be the best criminal lawyer of his time), Perroux was responsible for turning a group of talented individuals into three partnerships and, secondly, a team. He was noted for his tough discipline: players who broke the rules were benched, even if it hurt the team in the short term. He is regarded as the greatest Captain in history: in the words of Victor Mollo, ‘As best captain ever, Perroux has no rivals, nor challengers.’