geographical zones, plus the President. There are five delegates from the European Bridge League (Zone 1), five from the North American Bridge Federation (Zone 2), two from the Pacific Asia Bridge Federation (Zone 6) and one from each of the other five geographical zones. In addition, two more members of the Council are elected by the High Level Players Commission. Thus the Council has twenty voting members, including the President. The Executive Council meets annually at the site of the World Championships. There is also a Management Committee which transacts necessary business between Executive Council meetings. The presidential term is four years from late in even-number non-Olympiad years such as 2014. 1958–64, Robert de Nexon, France 1964–68, Charles J. Solomon, USA 1968–70, Carl C:son Bonde, Sweden 1970–76, Julius Rosenblum 1976–86, Jaime Ortiz-Patiño, Switzerland (later President Emeritus) 1986–91, Denis Howard, Australia (resigned January 1991) 1991–92, Ernesto d'Orsi, Brazil 1992–94, Bobby Wolff, USA 1994–2010, José Damiani, France 2010–22, Gianarrigo Rona, Italy 2023 onwards, Jan Kamras, Sweden President Gianarrigo Rona (born 1940, Pavia) was elected at the 2009 World Team Championships and succeeded José Damiani after the 2010 World Bridge Series. He was president of the European Bridge League (EBL) from 1999 to 2010. His term ends at year-end 2022. On 25 August 2022, in Wroclaw, Poland, Jan Kamras from Gothenburg, Sweden was unanimously elected as WBF President, to take up the office on 1 January 2023. He had been elected European Bridge League president in 2018. History of the WBF The World Bridge Federation was formed on 18 August 1958 in Oslo, Norway, by delegates from Europe, USA and South America and Baron Robert de Nexon, from France, an inspiring figure in bridge, was elected as first President. Charles J. Solomon, from USA (1964-1968) and Count Carl Bonde, from Sweden (1968-1970) succeeded Baron de Nexon as WBF President. With the election of Julius Rosenblum in 1970, the WBF started to assume the figure of a real World Organization. Rosenblum strongly believed that bridge needed to have a visible central organization with a global reach rather than conducting its affairs on a local or continental basis. When in 1976 Rosenblum decided to retire for health reasons, Jaime Ortiz-Patiño from Switzerland, was elected president. Under his guidance the WBF started its new modern era and in August 1977 was incorporated under the Laws of the State of New York as a "not for profit"