Career
He was born in 1968, in Bremen, Germany. He began playing Go at the age of 12. In 1990 he became the first German insei at the Nihon Ki-in and was promoted to professional 1-dan in 1997.
He was then promoted to 4-dan in 2000.
On January 16, 2003, during a tour in Guatemala to promote Go he was confronted by armed robbers and was shot. He later died from his wound at a local hospital.
The Nihon Ki-in posthumously promoted him to the rank of 6-daughter