WORLD BRIDGE FEDERATION

Jose Damiani
President

December 2005

2006 Seasonal Message

Dear Friends

First and foremost, I would like to take the opportunity of sending you all seasonal greetings and wishing you a very happy and prosperous year in 2006, both personally and on behalf of my Executive Council.

It is as another year draws to a close that we take the opportunity of looking back over the past twelve months and then forward to the future, to 2006 and beyond.

2005 has seen more than its fair share of natural disasters, starting with the terrible Tsunami at the very end of 2004; we then had the devastating earthquake in Pakistan and the hurricanes in the United States. The World Bridge Federation endorsed a Simultaneous Pairs to raise relief funds for the Tsunami victims and bridge players from all over the world rose to the occasion, raising over $120,000.

A second WBF Charity Pairs is to be held in January 2006, to raise funds both for the victims of the Pakistan Earthquake and for those involved in the Hurricane disaster in the USA. I hope that the bridge world will again show generosity to those less fortunate than themselves. Details of the event, which will run from 23 - 27 January, can be found by clicking here.

On a more cheerful note, the World Wide Bridge Contest, held in June, was very successful, with thousands of players participating in 45 different countries.

This was followed by the World Championships, comprising the Bermuda Bowl, the Venice Cup, the Seniors Bowl and an incredibly successful World Transnational Open Teams. It is with great pleasure that I again offer my congratulations to the winning teams. It is also a good time to express my great appreciation to the organisers, the Portuguese Bridge Federation and their organising committee led by our dear friend and colleague José Oliveira, as well as to our dedicated team of professionals who worked so hard for such long hours to ensure the success of what was undoubtedly one of the greatest Championships ever. Click here to see a slideshow of images from this tournament.

Now to the future, and it is a very exciting future indeed. The 2006 World Championships are being held in June, much earlier than normal, and will be staged in Verona, Italy. Details, including accommodation reservation information, can be found on the local organizers' special website, set up for the event, and other information can be found on the WBF Website. All the events are Transnational, which means you can play with a partner from another country without jeopardising your right to play for your own National Federation in the future. This is the biggest of the WBF Championships, and is going to be a very exciting and challenging event; the WBF looks forward to welcoming you to Verona.

The 2006 World Wide Bridge Contest will be on 2nd & 3rd June - click here for details of this event.

We can also look ahead to 2007, when the World Championships are to be hosted by our very good friends the Chinese Contract Bridge Association. The event will be held in Shanghai from 29 September - 13 October. Even 2009 is settled, as we take the Championships to Brazil under the watchful eye of my great friend Ernesto d'Orsi.

On a personal note, I would like to thank most warmly all my colleagues on the Executive Council and the members of all the WBF Committees for their support, hard work and friendship.

Jose Damiani

BRIDGE FOR PEACE