The Japanese Yomiuri paper reported on 17th Janurary 2003 that Hans Pietsch was shot and killed on the morning of 16th local time on a Go-related trip to Guatemala. He was on a promotion trip with Mr Nagahara 6 dan to Cuba, Guatemala and Mexico from 9th to 22nd January. Hans, 34 from Bremen, had been professional since 1997 and had been 4 dan since 2000, one of the few Westerners to make the professional grades.