WORLD BRIDGE FEDERATION

Anna Maria Torlontano
WBF Women Committee Chairman

Summary of the article that will be published in the WBF BRIDGE NEWS

During the Olympiad in Istambul,  Anna Maria Torlontano, Chairman of the WBF Women Committee, said:

• The number of the Countries in touch with me is now very considerable and increases every year, particularly in the Zones totally absent at the beginning of our activity. Consider please also the sensible progress in Zone 4 and 6 ( China )- and 8. I congratulate especially the CCBA (China Federation) and the Chinese Women Committee for the "Women's China Cup", an very successful invitational Women's Teams event, held in the first week of August 2004. China intends to repeat the event annually.
  
• I had a wonderful experience this year in July 2004. We organized a "Women Bridge Festival" in Vienna- Austria- Europe. It was Transnational and extended to Women Players coming from all over the World:  Players from  Dubai , Iran , India , Japan , China participated in the event.

I have no words to describe you the happy and warm atmosphere throughout the event; the enthusiasm of the players, the friendship born among all of them and the wish to meet again all together!

I strongly believe in the importance of events like these. The socialization, in my opinion, is very important and productive for the increase of the Women Bridge .

"BRIDGE FOR PEACE" is the motto that José Damiani created some years ago; believe me, it is exactly what this kind of manifestation intended to be!!

• With this in mind, please note that the 2 nd European Open Bridge Championships will be held in Arona- Tenerife - Canary Islands- Europe, from 18 th June to 2 nd July 2005 . This exciting event will include the Women's Pairs and Teams Championships. Both these events are Transnational and open to the Women Players coming from all over the World.
  We of the Women Committee will advertise these events, addressing all WBF  NBOs, Women Players, Delegates, Press, as well on Internet.
  
• Some News about our RUBRICA "WOMEN STARS" on the WBF Web-Site.

I would like to settle this Site, at the beginning of the year as follows:

On opening the Site, category "WOMEN", you can find also the section called "Women Stars"

This section will include the names and biographies of the most important and well known Women Bridge Players, also from an historical point of view, who have retired or died.  There are already: Rixi Markus - Great Britain (biography written by Patrick Jourdain) and Dorothy Truscott - USA (Biography written by Alan Truscott). We will check in all the Zones for such personalities.

In the same page we will put also the Top Women Bridge Players, the first 10 according to the classification of the WBF Women's Top 50 in 2004, and this will be continuously updated.

We will also extract from this classification, the 5 names of Players from each Zone.

In addition, we would like also to publish the names of the "Women" who hold an important and prominent position in each Zone, as Administrators (Presidents of Federation), as Teachers and Tournament Directors.

Please,keep an eye on this "Rubrica" !