Roger P. Hjulstrom passed away on February 13 after a brief illness. He was 62. A self-taught go player and early AGA member,
Hjulstrom (right) enjoyed sharing his love of the game, and taught hundreds of people how to play over the course of decades. He kept the score sheets of tournaments that he organized on a shelf next to the dining table, along with many go books. He also kept a stash of extra chairs to provide additional seating for go gatherings at his house.
In the early days of computer go, Hjulstrom wrote his own go-playing program, and his interest in go was only heightened by the AlphaGo phenomenon. He continued to play in person weekly, and online against computers, improving his playing strength.
He once told a story about how he had invited several Chinese go players from nearby Virginia Tech, for one of the many go get-togethers in his home in Blacksburg, Virginia. The players were from different parts of China, and at one point began discussing the correct way to make dumplings. Soon, Roger’s kitchen was filled with flying flour and excited people sharing their own methods for the ancient arts, translated to a distinctly human, and warm meeting of minds and hearts.
The family will have a service in Massachusetts near his childhood home.
