My wife never plays or studies the game except for when she rarely plays a game with me just to spend time together. This being said, I usually give her a four stone handicap, however, I always place them on the 4x4 points because that's all I've ever seen done. I feel like this might be doing her a disservice though because the star points, in my opinion, require a more experienced level of play. I think the 3x4 points are much easier for beginners to manage and actually do something with. So do they have to be on the star points (according to official rules)? or could i just let her place them wherever she'd like? Even all in the same corner if she wants.

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Thinking like a go player during a game of chess is like bringing a knife to a gun-fight. Thinking like a chess player during a game of go feels like getting knifed while you're holding a gun...

Tradition (and most tournaments) use traditional placement (on stars, following specific patterns.) But if it will make her play more, anything should work. But if she is finding 4 hard, add more handicap stones until the game is even. Traditional handicap positioning is more or less assumed to be... acceptable.

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Short answer: No.

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I'm in the same situation, and I'd definitely recommend free handicap. Since our wives only play us, they never get exposed to anything but the 4-4 spots otherwise. As you give her increasing numbers of handicap stones, she'll have an opportunity to create all sorts of interesting boards to play against. If it comes to it, I think free handicap scales a little better past 9 stones as well.

Listening to music and having a beer (if that's her thing), seem to help keep it from seeming like a competition and just a relaxed activity to share. Also: when I was first becoming obsessed with Go, my wife played for the same reason as yours, but didn't particularly like the game. She is a big fan of tv, though, and heard about Hikaru-no-go. She suggested we watch it, and that was enough to really trigger an interest in the game for her. Depending on your wife's opinion on animated shows, that could be a fun activity to share.

My wife got sucked into Hikaru by the dramatic tension, despite an avowed disinterest in anime and all things Go. After about 5 or 10 episodes, I noticed she would come talk to me not long after the episode started, and stay there until it was done. I think she's watched it all now, and read some of the manga from the library.

My wife loved Hikaru No Go but never took an interest in learning the game. I was pretty shocked when I decided to get into a game that I thought no one had ever heard of and my wife was like "is that Go?!? That's what they play in the manga!"

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Thinking like a go player during a game of chess is like bringing a knife to a gun-fight. Thinking like a chess player during a game of go feels like getting knifed while you're holding a gun...

Hi Joelnelsonb,
I think free placement of handicap stones depends on the ruleset you want to agree.
It is often acceptable. There's even a name for it: Chinese handicap.
See http://senseis.xmp.net/?FreeHandicap.

Apart from that: if you two play more games and have more fun by allowing free placement, that's fine. You are not in a competition or tournament. I also think you have a valid point. It was not until I played more games that I got an advantage from 4-4 handicap stones. It's up to you.

If this is true it should be stamped on. There's an old Japanese book on free handicaps and several pro-am games have been published - it's become the norm in the annual Pro-Am Honinbo game.

A good example of the unreliability of SL and its flaw of not using signed articles.

I've heard it called this before SL even existed, so certainly SL is just reporting on an existing tradition.

I also heard this in the mid-70s. We used to play short kadobans where we switched between japanese and chinese handicaps, with japanese being considered a step above chinese because it had the extra restriction.

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Still officially AGA 5d but I play so irregularly these days that I am probably only 3d or 4d over the board (but hopefully still 5d in terms of knowledge, theory and the ability to contribute).

don't worry about tradition. unless you're playing in a tournament, nobody will really care.

play the game however you like.

There are choices. Give her a reverse komi of, say, 15 points per handi stone and play as you would in an even game. Or she can place the handicap stones wherever she chooses, even if in a dumpling shape in one corner. If this occurs resist the tempation to tell her that this is bad; she probably prefers to find out on her own after a few lost games.

On her own time she can do nothing more than replay games by, say, Shusaku, Takagawa Kaku, or even Park Shi-eun (female player!). She will pick up a great deal just from this and she can avoid the stigma of getting the wrong answer to a puzzle. I am of the opinion that puzzles are conducive to improvement, but some people are emotionally sensitive to failurein any form. To such people I prefer simply to tell them that they are doing a good job and to continue practicing. If puzzles are in question, I would say that puzzles are meant to stimulate the development of analytical ability, regardless of what answer comes up. I know such persons can get better if they are left to their own devices, without anyone looking over their shoulder.

It can be that your wife feels her experience with Go is like being in a school classroom, listening to boring lectures by a professor and burdened with a certain impotence that comes with being unable to grasp a subject matter. This could be why she will play with you only occasionally. I believe that if you leave it up to her to improve at the game and call her up only when she feels confident enough for a game, it might keep her interested enough for regular games. Who knows? Soon enough you might be taking handi from her

There has to be more out there than just Hikaru no Go. More people out there should learn about Fan Xiping!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mx9b2QVTfAA

And let's not forget the incomparable Go Seigen! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QybTzI-8YTM

Yeah, I don't speak Asian. But what is Fan Xiping?

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Thinking like a go player during a game of chess is like bringing a knife to a gun-fight. Thinking like a chess player during a game of go feels like getting knifed while you're holding a gun...