Jon Diamond

Jon is a retired IT professional living in East Sussex and learnt to play Go at school at the tender age of 14, becoming 1 dan and British Champion in 1965. He was Champion for 11 of the next 12 years, ending up by being promoted to 6 dan, but retiring to spend more time with his family (as they say) in 1977. In retirement he did represent the UK at the first World Amateur in 1979 and has been part of the UK team from the start of the Pandanet European Go team Championship.

As well as being on the BGA Council for many years in the 1970’s Jon founded the Go club at Cambridge University, started the British Go Journal and was editor for several years. More recently he produced the now obsolete BGA CD. (Barry Chandler insists he was co-editor of BGJ 146, focussing on the World Mind Sports Games - Jon isn't so sure...). He returned to playing Go competitively a few years ago, but is only playing at about 4 dan strength (on a good day) and represented the UK at the World Mind Sports Games in 2008 and 2012.

When at University Jon was one of the early pioneers in Computer Go and his programme was one of the two involved in the first inter-computer game of Go in 1970.

He was elected President in 2009 and retired in 2016.

29th November 2010, revised April 2013 and August 2016