WHO’S WHO

MIGUEL TEIXEIRA

CARLOS LUIZ

Co-founder of the tournament, and the man behind the seamless arrangements, the hotel packages, the entertainment and any other aspect of the tournament which requires negotiation and business acumen.  Since his retirement from banking, Miguel has also taken on the responsibility for bookings.   

Co-founder of the tournament, the man with the plan.  Carlos is by some margin Madeira’s finest player (he played in the 2005 Bermuda Bowl), and the go-to consultant on any new ideas for the tournament, as well as a serial winner of the Open Pairs and Teams.  In a previous existence Carlos was a handball player of some skill.

BETTY GÓIS

CAROLINA TEIXEIRA

DARA BARRADAS

The face of the Welcome Desk, Betty is a native of Madeira but lived in the UK for 23 years, hence her excellent English.  Unflappable and efficient, she is the first person most players see when they arrive at the venue (many players will recognise her name as the person who dealt with bookings in the past).

Miguel’s daughter Carolina is an essential part of our Welcome Desk team, but is also our social media secretary, posting on Facebook and Instagram, creating artwork, and commissioning videos of excursions and social events.

Dara became part of the Welcome Desk team in 2022.  Another Madeiran, she helps with bookings for the social programme and excursions, issuing badges, and the countless other tasks which are part of the Welcome Desk’s role.

JOSÉ JÚLIO CURADO
Joint Chief TD

MARC van BEIJSTERVELDT
Joint Chief TD

JAKUB (KUBA) KASPRZAK

In October 1996 José Júlio decided that he wanted to know the Laws of Bridge. Two years later he was invited to direct the first edition of this tournament, with Rui Marques. He liked it so much that he kept coming back, and in 2005 moved from the Portuguese mainland to Madeira. By the end of this 12-day week, you will understand why.

This will be Marc’s 8^th year directing in Madeira, his favourite bridge festival.  He has directed all over the world, and says that although all have their pluses and minuses, Madeira is exceptional. As well as directing in World and European championships, from 1991 to 2023 he worked at the Dutch Bridge Federation, where he organised national competitions and the Ruitenboertoernooi simultaneous (which once had more than 17,000 pairs participating). He also supports TeamNL in organising their travel, hotels etc.

.

A new addition to the team, Kuba is an international director, on the TD panels of both the EBL and WBF.  From Gdansk, Poland, he is married with two small children.

JEANNE VAN DEN MEIRACKER

DIARMUID REDDAN

SARAH AMOS

Hailing originally from the Netherlands, Jeanne is a top international tournament director who has recently returned to Europe following over a decade directing in the United States.  In a previous existence she was a medical analyst.  This is her first appearance at the Madeira International Bridge Open, and we very much hope she will enjoy it as much as our other directors appear to (after all, they keep coming back).

Diarmuid is an Irish Tournament Director, promoted in 2022 to NBO International Director, and also directed at the Europeans in Dublin in 2012. He has represented the Contract Bridge Association of Ireland in the Camrose Home Internationals, and has been NPC to various Irish teams (his most recent being the Irish Mixed Team in Madeira in June 2022). His other interests are golf and rugby.

Sarah began her TD career in Wales, where she is a National Director and still runs many events. She joined the EBU TD panel over 20 years ago and runs all types of bridge events all over the UK, from club games to home internationals. She loves the variety, along with the chance to meet a huge range of different personalities and levels of bridge player. Sarah has two daughters:  Ruth, who lives and works in Shetland; and Rachel, who teaches bridge online.

.

HANS VAN STAVEREN

FREDERICO PALMA

Hans returns to join the directing team after a brief absence from our tournament.  Author of many bridge-related computer programs, he has his own consultancy after a career in the IT industry.  He kindly allows us to use his hand-generator security program.

Another former footballer, Frederico is from Lisbon, where he directs at the bridge centre and in tournaments.  He has two young daughters.

.

MONIKA KÜMMEL

CERI PIERCE

MARK HORTON

A new addition to the team for 2025, Monika is a former industrial chemist who now freelances as a translator, proofreader, layout editor and website developer.  She takes over from Ron Tacchi, who will be enjoying a well-earned rest after ten years in charge of our Bulletins, but whose dazzling shirts will still be in evidence as he joins us for fun, food and finesses.

Ceri was invited to join the Bulletin Team in 2019 on the recommendation of her fellow-countrywoman Laura Woodruff.  She and Ron got on so well that she has come back every year since.  Ceri has played international bridge for Wales both before and since having her three children, following in the footsteps of her distinguished father.  Her name is pronounced Kerry, because it’s Welsh.

Mark Horton is an English international and bridge journalist, who edits the bulletins at various international tournaments.  His popular ‘Replay yesterday’s hands with me’ sessions are held on Tuesday to Friday mornings during the tournament.  In between his enjoyment of the local food and drink and keeping the staff entertained with his vast fund of anecdotes, he manages to write a lot of articles for the Bulletin. 

EDUARDO FERNANDES

PEDRO NUNES

LAURA WOODRUFF

Eduardo is a former professional footballer and docker who took up bridge by accident.  He has lived in Madeira all his life, apart from a season playing for Braga on the Portuguese mainland.  A man with an astonishing talent for languages, he speaks Spanish, English, French, German and some Italian, all of which he picked up by ear while working on the Funchal docks (as well as Portuguese, of course).  Eduardo is our removals man:  he shifts the equipment from place to place, sets up the tables, organises the caddies, and ferries visitors about.

Pedro is another native of Madeira, who manages the IT equipment and networks at the tournament in between working full time.  Successful players will know him as the man with the money:  he hands out the prizes at the end of the tournament, meticulously recording the amounts and the identities of those who receive them, so that there will be no error and no cause for complaint.  He also directs, and is an enthusiastic Precision player.

Born in Cardiff, Laura first came here on holiday in January 1993 – the coldest week in Madeira for 42 years – and fell in love with the island despite the snow.  In 2014 she began to spend the winters here, but now lives here (almost) all year round.  She manages the tournament website, does translations into English, liaises with the overseas staff, and keeps an eye on the entry list for any bridge celebrities who might warrant a bulletin article. 

DÂLIA MARQUES

PEDRO CABRITA

Dâlia is our IT consultant and logistics person:  she has been working with us since 2019 organising airport transfers and various other unseen tasks to keep the tournament running smoothly.   In real life she works for the regional government.

Pedro, originally from the Algarve, has worked for the Portuguese Bridge Federation since 2001 providing logistics and administrative support.  He travels from the mainland every year to deal nearly 6000 boards for the tournament.  We try to make sure he enjoys himself in between the hard slog.