Bruno Poltronieri

Bruno Poltronieri is currently one of the strongest British players. He represents the city of Cambridge.

His Pandanet username is FrenchDude. Perhaps he indeed immigrated from France, which is could be why he didn't play in the 2019 British Championship Candidates' Tournament. Uberdude: (a friend) He grew up near Newcastle and attended Warwick University so he's been eligible for the British championship since he's played Go. He played in the earlier rounds of the British Championship in 2014 and 2016. In April 2019 he got married so that's probably why he didn't play that year. His surname is actually Italian, but yes he's originally French (I co-signed his UK citizenship application some years ago).

Rating & Rank

Bruno took up Go in 2009, when he was about 16. By the time of his first EGF-rated game, he was already fairly advanced, appearing at 1k in 2011.

He quickly improved until 2016, when he arrived at the 3-4d borderline. He remained there -- sometimes above and sometimes below -- until 2023, when he was finally able to secure solid footing in 4d. From 2017 to 2019, he usually declared at 3d, but has since claimed 4d instead.

British Championship

Bruno has been runner up three consecutive times for the British Championship. Since 2021, he has been the only runner up, and the only player of western heritage to finalise.

• 2021: To Daniel Hu (0-1). The only single-game match since 1974, probably to comply with social distancing regulations. Qualified as second-best placing British player in the British Open.
• 2022: To Gaoge Wang (0-2). Qualified as second-best placing in the Candidates' Tournament.
• 2023: To Ho Yeungwoo (1-2). Qualified as winner of the Candidates' Tournament. Though he essentially drew with Ho, winning by a single SOS point.

Other Appearances

• 2017: UK representative in the Korea Prime Minister Cup
• 2020: British Pair Go Champion
• 2023: UK captain in the European Team Championship