Go Courtesy

[BaghwanB]

It's similar to a handicap situation I have with a player at my club. I'm currently taking 9 stones from him when we both know it should be much less. But though we both can say that, if either of it says "Prove it!" I'm back to 8-9 to win 50% of the time.

How interesting Bruce,

We play each other even and I would probably say that I win more often than I lose. When I play this same unnamed player he has been giving me 4 stones, but after our last game we decided to move it down to 3. I think it is interesting how two players of similar skill against each other can fare so differently against a similar opponent. Then again, my level of play seems to change vastly based on circumstances. I have been 8-9k on dragon go since I started playing there. In the same time frame my KGS rank has gone up from 8k to 5k, my tygem rank has stayed steady at 9k, and on Kaya (where people keep on saying they have the same rank as on KGS) I am a steady 7k.

It's obviously proof that all rating systems are flawed and should be banned.

Bruce "The rule that proves the exception" Young

[cyclops]

One can imagine a triple of ko professionals A,B and C such that A beats B, B beats C and C beats A. Consistently.

[DeFlow]

When I think the game is over and an opponent makes an unreasonable invasion, I always ask myself "would it still be unreasonable if I passed?". If I think it would be then I always pass, even if the game rests on it. I find that this helps keep the game interesting, stops me losing because I was bored and not paying attention, and is good practice for those times when you want to tenuki an opponent's threat but aren't sure if you can. Of course, sometimes I lose because of it, but... meh.

This.

If you pass and the opponent still cannot accomplish anything, you have just gained one point. If he plays many unreasonable moves, keep passing until you have to respond. Now for the surprising mathematical formula. Amount of points gained = n, where n is the number of passes you can make.

Why is this an important choice to make? Not becaus the point per pass, but because it trains our reading ability in relation to cuts and shortages of liberties (if unreasonable cuts) and life and death (if invasion on the side).

[skydyr]

If you pass and the opponent still cannot accomplish anything, you have just gained one point. If he plays many unreasonable moves, keep passing until you have to respond. Now for the surprising mathematical formula. Amount of points gained = n, where n is the number of passes you can make.

A quibble:
Technically, this depends on the ruleset. If you play using Chinese rules (area scoring) or a ruleset that fakes territory scoring by using pass stones (like AGA rules), you don't actually gain any points by passing. Playing dame, on the other hand...