Each of the three pipe smoking go players I have known are now dead. Not yet being dead myself, I still have some memories of Mark Hall, and it was nice to come across this piece on the AGA website about him. Having the chance photograph of him in his younger days is particularly welcome.
https://usgo.org/content.aspx?page_id=2 ... em_id=5001

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North Lecale

T Mark liked to play fast. At the Colorado Springs Go Congress, I remember he played Martin Lebl, and heartily thanked him for playing quickly. I don't even think he cared if he won or lost - was just happy to have his preferred cadence.

I understand almost everything in Keith's haiku at the end, except the "ban over" part. Anyone care to fill me in?

speed on the go board
careful transcription to bytes
ban over, pipe out

I do not have any special knowledge of T Mark Hall, but I doubt that this refers to him actually being banned from something at some point in his life. I think Keith Arnold is using go as a sort of metaphor for life, and death.

A ko ban limits the moves that a player can make on the board. When the ban is over, the player has more freedom to play. In an analogous way, with T Mark Hall's passing, he is now free from all earthly limitations or restrictions.

Sorry if that is not very articulate. Others could probably say it better. In any case, if I am very far off, we will probably hear from Keith Arnold.

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And the go-fever which is more real than many doctors’ diseases, waked and raged...
- Rudyard Kipling, "The Light That Failed" (1891)

I am very glad folks read the piece.

Perhaps the "ban over" bit was better recalled ten years ago when the haiku was written. It refers back to the server wars, and some players being banned from IGS. I recall T Mark wearing a shirt that said something like "Banned from IGS: Perhaps for Cause, but without Explanation" So that is the reference.

I wish it was as philosophical at some of the suggestions.

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My days of not taking you seriously are certainly coming to a middle

T Mark was indeed the Katherine Hamnett of British Go.

This discussion has reminded me of one of the great smokers (though not a pipe smoker as far as I know) on the European Go circuit, the late David Schoffel 6 dan. Checking on Google, I am shocked to see he is almost lost to history, and even Sensei's Library has the minimalist entry:"German 6 dan from Bonn. Born 1948, died 2004. German Go Champion 1985."

I always admired David for becoming stronger rather late in his life.
He was a 4 dan when he became German Champion and played quite a few years as 5 dan later.
He reached 6 dan some time before he turned 50.

Thinking of him, I often told to myself to stop lamenting about not getting stronger anymore and just try and enjoy the game.

SL is not them, it is us. So please enhance the article. I can do it too if you provide me with more and better info.

Thanks - that's a kind offer. But unfortunately I no longer have the go archives to provide the kind of factual info that is appropriate for Sensei's. I seem to recall an important win by half a point over Ronald Schlemper at a time which would have been really significant.

What I do remember is that he was another of the Go characters, like T Mark, that I greatly enjoyed. A person who lived for and by Go. I think I first met him in the late 80s at the Amsterdam tournament when he was in the same dorm room as me in a cheap hostel. A person spending every waking moment playing Go if possible - and happy to play a kyu player like myself with noise and disturbance all around. Pausing only for frequent smoking breaks.

Now that you mention this, I now know why I recognized the name. I'm sure I met David Schoffel in the Brussels tournament(s) of the mid-90s and I think I equally remember the nice personality he displayed towards players of all levels, in particular the ones far beneath his, like myself.