Who is the Russian bridge player Mila Antonova who ‘had an affair’ with Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates?

A Russian bridge player’s affair with Bill Gates has come to light with a new report alleging that Jeffrey Epstein used his knowledge of the relationship to blackmail the Microsoft co-founder.

Disgraced financier and convicted pedophile Epstein, who committed suicide in prison under suspicious circumstances in 2019, wanted Gates to invest in a multibillion-dollar charitable fund in 2013, but he wouldn’t oblige.

Epstein later sent Gates an email suggesting he knew about his affair with bridge player Mila Antonova and that he could reveal his infidelity, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.

Gates, whose love of the card game has received a lot of publicity, is said to have had an affair with Antonova after they played each other at a tournament in 2009.

The tech magnate, who was married to Melina Gates but has since divorced, was 55 at the time of the alleged affair. Antonova, meanwhile, was in her twenties.

Here’s what we know about Mila Antonova.

Pictured: Jes Staley, Larry Summers, Jeffrey Epstein, Bill Gates and Boris Nikolic. Nikolic on the right of the frame was an advisor to Gates and the person who introduced Mila Antonova to Epstein in 2013 when she was trying to raise money for an online bridge platform

Who is Mila Antonova?

Mila Antonova is a Russian bridge player who has gained notoriety for her alleged involvement in an extramarital affair with billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates.

Born and raised in Russia, Antonova is recognized as an accomplished bridge player, having studied in her native country before moving to the US where she founded a bridge club.

She credits the game of bridge for helping her become fluent in the English language.

In 2013, Antonova was trying to raise money for the BridgePlanet business venture — an online school that would teach people how to play the game and include tutorials for players of all skill levels — and came into contact with financier Epstein in the process.

She ultimately failed to secure the required funding and instead turned to a career in software programming.

Epstein reportedly paid her college tuition and later tried to blackmail Gates into paying him back by using his knowledge of their extramarital affair.

Gates representatives said the Microsoft billionaire never paid Epstein a penny.

“Mr. Gates has never had any financial dealings with Epstein. As Bill has said before, it was a mistake to have ever met him,” his spokesperson told DailyMail.com.

Antonova’s LinkedIn profile was removed from the website, but WSJ reported that she has since worked as a software programmer for several companies in California.

In a 2010 YouTube video, bridge player Antonova discussed meeting Bill Gates in 2009 and showed a photo of the pair together

Mila Antonova (right) is pictured attending another bridge tournament in 2013, the same year she met with Epstein to discuss funding for her venture BridgePlanet

How did Mila Antonova and Bill Gates meet?

Antonova and Gates first crossed paths in the summer of 2009 when they played each other at the North American Bridge Championships (NABC) in Washington DC.

Antonova lost to Gates, but was reportedly romantically involved with the Microsoft co-founder after the event.

WSJ reported that Gates and Antonova had a brief extramarital affair.

Epstein then met Antonova in 2013 during her efforts to raise money for BridgePlanet and paid her to attend software coding school.

Then, in 2017, Epstein emailed Gates requesting a refund of Antonova’s tuition, according to WSJ’s sources.

What has Mila Antonova said about Bill Gates in the past?

In a 2010 video advocating the benefits of bridge, Antonova spoke of meeting Gates at the NABC a year earlier.

“I didn’t hit him, but I tried to kick him with my leg,” she said in the video, sparking a burst of laughter from the audience.

She also referenced a famous quote from actress Mae West: “Good sex is like a good bridge. If you don’t have a good partner, you better have a good hand.’

Antonova has since refrained from discussing the alleged affair with Gates publicly.

Since the story came out, she has kept a low profile, avoided media attention and deleted public profiles from LinkedIn and other social media sites.

In a brief statement to WSJ, the bridge player and software programmer merely expressed her disgust at Epstein’s criminal actions and emphasized that she was unaware of his true intentions when they first met.

“I had no idea he was a criminal or had an ulterior motive,” she said of Epstein.

“I just thought he was a successful businessman and wanted to help. I am disgusted with Epstein and what he did.”