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In Memoriam: T Mark Hall, 1947-2013

T Mark Hall died on Monday, December 9 after a long illness. Perhaps best-known throughout the global go community as the co-creator of GoGoD (Games of Go on Disk), the exhaustive go encyclopaedia, Hall "was a long and faithful servant of the British Go Association, of British go in general," said BGA president -- and longtime friend -- Jon Diamond. "He was on our Council for some 22 years, serving for 20 of these as Treasurer, a record of service that will surely be unsurpassed." "T Mark Hall's work benefited go players around the world," said American Go Association president Andy Okun. "We extend our thanks and deepest sympathies to our British go colleagues who so generously shared his gifts with us." John Fairbairn, Hall's longtime friend and GoGoD colleague, said that "British Go has been blessed with many fine servants, but very high among them will rank T Mark Hall. I was with him in the last months and hours and so I can testify that he had borne his long illness with great dignity and courage - nonchalance even." Hall continued to work on GoGoD until very near the end and as recently as April played in the British Open, where he came in fourth. "Mark wished to continue his work for the British Go Association even after he was gone, and has made substantial bequests accordingly," Diamond says. He also donated his antique go board to the British Museum and asked that GoGoD continue; Diamond says "I hope to keep his flame alive there, although frankly he will be quite irreplaceable." Diamond added that "Mark was not just well known. He was popular...He will be remembered by many for sitting at tournaments and other events after his game was over with his pipe and chatting to all and sundry. He will be sorely missed." - photo courtesy BGA