Dear Ben,

 I wrote down some thoughts I had when I received the terrible news about your father's heart attack.

His passing away is a terrible shock for me. Max was my biggest law-buddy, which started in 1982 at the first EBL TD-course. I remember that we dsicussed a wrongly given answer by the examiners, who introduced an illegal, weighted score in a contested claim. Since then we have discussed  thousands of similar problems, most of them as examiners ourselves, trying to give the right answers. 
In 1987 we both became chief TD in the European Bridge League and started to meet each other at least twice a year during championships and EBL TD-courses for which I prepared most material, never without consulting Max. 
He was an important member of the Laws Committee, he always had strong views and those mattered, could not be ignored. More than I, he had a rather strict judicial view: 'this is what the lawbook tells me, don't even try to ignore it'.  My approach once in a while took into account what we wanted the laws to say, asking for a more lenient interpretation. We always found a solution. 
When he stopped as chief TD some years ago I wanted him to continue his work for the laws, which he liked to do. That appears to be a short solution, we have to do the job without him from now on. 
It will take a long time before I won't have the reflex to ask his opinion and even longer to accept that we cannot use his expertise anymore to convince the bridge world how the game has to be played. My law-buddy Max was a remarkable pilar for our sport. 

I wish you strength in dealing with and accepting this sudden loss of your father. 

Ton Kooijman
chairman of the laws committee