Manfred Wimmer

Who was Manfred Wimmer?

Manfred Wimmer was the first Western professional go player. As of 2007, there have been fewer than a dozen professional go players born outside of Asia.

Manfred Wimmer was born in Austria in 1944. He won the European Go Championship in 1969, 1970, and 1974.

He became a professional shodan in the Kansai Ki-In on January 26, 1978. Wimmer was promoted to the rank of 2p the same year.

In 1991, he introduced the game of go in Madagascar and, around the same time, reportedly in Kenya.

Wimmer died of a stroke in Vienna in 1995. According to legend, he died at the local go club with a go stone in his hand.