Fred Holroyd

Although I was born in Scotland, I spent most of my childhood in Africa, my parents being in the Colonial Civil Service. Though I don’t really mind the cold, I still find British winters ridiculously dark. Still, the London Open always cheers things up a bit.

I think I first encountered Go in the early 1970s. Roy Nelson and I started a club at the Open University, Milton Keynes, in about 1978 as I recall, which (as the OU and Milton Keynes Go Club) is still afloat.

I was Minutes Secretary of the BGA for three years between the 2004 and 2007 AGMs, and edited Issue 152 of the Journal in 2010.

My first and only job, from which I recently retired, was as a mathematician at the aforesaid OU. I’m still an Honorary Visitor at this excellent institution. Currently I have the (probably) completely mad self-imposed task of proving that something that was proved in the 80s not to be provable, actually is provably provable (if you see what I mean). Maybe my re-election to the BGA Council will cure me of this!

Up until 2005, the OU had maths summer schools and I always brought along a set or two, introducing Go to several good people over the years. A variable player, I seem to have peaked at 2k in 2001 and been wandering in the 5k-8k region in recent years. I no longer possess the hat in the photo. If anyone has picked it up at a tournament since 2009 or so, please let me know . . .

May 2013