Ben Lockhart

Ben Lockhart (1993-2019) was a 7-dan amateur go player in the U.S., probably most widely known for his role in The Surrounding Game Documentary. He and his older brother Will Lockhart were taught Go at a young age by their father, and Ben quickly progressed to become around 3 dan by the time he graduated high school. Soon after he graduated, he spent a year as an insei in Korea as part of his training for the pro qualifier tournament. In the end, however, he was not successful in becoming pro, and spent the rest of his years playing Go and teaching Go to promising students from his old high school, until he sadly died of cancer in 2019.

Some quotes of his from The Surrounding Game:

"I want to spend all my time in the world of Go, and I don't really want to spend much time dealing with the real world."

"The way you should spend your life is by playing around with your brain."

His legacy will live on as one of the truly enlightened ones among us, not letting the pressures of 21st century society bog him down and spending his life doing what he truly loved.

Rest in peace, Ben.