Talk:Walter Avarelli

Alive or...?
There are surprisingly little information about Avarelli on the web. I can't even find the information whether he's still alive (which is, judging on his birth year, pretty unlikely). I'd appreciate if someone could dig at least that info. Duja 12:09, 14 July 2006 (UTC)


 * Still alive but without mention : the current World #1 fr:Lorenzo Lauria 82.224.88.52 21:56, 17 July 2006 (UTC)


 * This is probably a bit late, but there are two external links in the article that state his year of death. 121.222.179.94 (talk) 10:46, 30 September 2009 (UTC)


 * 1. Infobridge.IT --which I see no reason to call "Italian Bridge Federation" as we do-- provides "Biografie" for hundreds of bridge people, mainly expert players. There are now 49 with 'A' surnames alone, Aa to Avarelli. I presume the sketches are generally good for Italy team members but note that Infobridge.IT: "Walter AVARELLI" is unusually short. It does give a birthdate and/so I will make it a formal source. --P64 (talk) 22:58, 31 January 2015 (UTC)
 * 2. On the other hand: By experience I know that the English-language versions provided at Infobridge.IT are not reliable (nor are they unreliable Google translations) and some are plagued by mistakes, even elementary blunders.
 * The Italian lead does not give a lifespan for Avarelli, as the English does, and Google translates the closing paragraph thus: "When he disappeared in 1987 was on the 5th place in the World Grand Master published by the WBF."
 * We want to know whether that is adequate English, and want to know more if so!


 * The WBF record of his play is not useful as a source for his deathdate in this circumstance. If he has not registered as a player since 1987, WBF would happily take "1912-1987" from the Infobridge.IT English (as perhaps vice versa).
 * Using machine search of ProQuest Historical Newspapers, i find no 1987 hit for "Walter Avarelli". Evidently that name appeared three times in subsequent NYTimes columns by Alan Truscott (thus 1988–2004) where A.T. never troubled to call him "the late Walter Avarelli". Two of those were 1995 articles after Belladonna's death and I don't skim any indication re Avarelli in a few other Belladonna obits either. --P64 (talk) 00:21, 1 February 2015 (UTC)


 * 3. "Disappeared". The English-language text that Infobridge provides for teammate Massimo D'Alelio may have been generated from its Italian by Google Translate, granting light human revision or some modification of the generator. The closing sentences precisely matche what Google Translate gives today: "Scomparve lasciando in lutto l'intero mondo del bridge nel 1998." => "Disappeared leaving the whole world in mourning the bridge in 1998."
 * --P64 (talk) 22:58, 1 February 2015 (UTC)

World Grand Master #15
Avarelli is now World Grand Master #15 semi-officially by placing points (PP) that do not decay over time.
 * AllTime Open Ranking at WBFMP
 * Player History: Avarelli at WBFMP

See Talk:Massimo D'Alelio #10 for some remarks (probably to be extended) on the historical award of WBF Masterpoints.

--P64 (talk) 23:30, 13 February 2015 (UTC)