Albert (Ab) Schilp died at the age of 80 in 1999.
With two exceptions Schilp attended the first 28 European Go Congresses. In the first EGC in 1957 in Cuxhaven (Germany) he won the main tournament; it was a handicap tournament and was not considered an European Championship. Close to 1-dan in playing strength, Schilp recieved an honorary shodan diploma from the Nihon Ki-in for founding Dutch Go Association.
'Mister Schilp', as he always remained even to his closest co-workers, became the president of the European Go Federation and held the office for many years. As an accomplished mathematician and a go rules-of-the-game expert, he in person was the perfect referee for the European Championship. Eventually, he even recieved the Okura pin for his merits in furthering the game all over the continent.