Statistically derived komidashi?

[hyperpape]

In theory, superior would avert draws (though perhaps only if you removed the stalemate rule), but in practice it might lead to unbearably long almost-cycles that would be beyond effective grasp by players. You'd have to analyze it to see if it would work properly.

[hyperpape]

Lemmata, why does your claim not work for the short term?

[Bill Spight]

Wasn't there a flap several years ago about an arranged draw (or no result) in a go tournament?

Have a handy link?

I think that's the big difference though, in chess it doesn't take collusion to force a draw with high probability (as white).

IIRC, it was a European tournament and the two players in question were Russian.

As for chess, way back when, Bobby Fischer accused Russian grandmasters of arranging draws in order to save their energies to play against him.

[SmoothOper]

In theory, superior would avert draws (though perhaps only if you removed the stalemate rule), but in practice it might lead to unbearably long almost-cycles that would be beyond effective grasp by players. You'd have to analyze it to see if it would work properly.

Wouldn't it work just like a ko threat? I think the only time you would have issues would be if you had multiple semi-independent almost-cycles(almost-cycles within almost-cycles but not quite cycles), just like jigo. I think the reason it would work, is that they have to keep track of the cycles anyway to prove that it is a draw.

[lemmata]

Lemmata, why does your claim not work for the short term?

Because I am lazy and assert the conclusions I want. I was thinking that there might be asymmetric short-term jumps in knowledge about how to play as one color. It's certainly not a watertight argument though.

[Matti]

I think we also have enough data for 7½ komi. Does some one have them at hand and be able to tell whether black still has an advantage? If yes, then we would need, say 1000 games with 8½ or preferably 9½ to know better.

At http://senseis.xmp.net/?Komi%2FStatistics there is a section I posted about 7.5 or 8.0 (Ing) komi, which has white winning 50.5% of games in a sample of 410 games from gobase.org where both players are at least 8d pro.

I am not sure why you think that 8p both sides is particularly relevant in the present pro environment (consider who gets excluded from the results). Anyway my copy of GoGoD (summer 2013) has 9,340 games with komi of 3.75 (i.e. Chinese rules with 7.5). White wins 52.3%. The not quite 19,000 games with komi of 6.5 have Black winning 50.2%

Judging from the numers only, it seems that with 7.5 komi white has a slight advantage. However, I would like to eliminate the possibility that white's winning percentage has disappeared since the 7.5 komi was introduced.

[ez4u]

Through 2007 we have 3406 games with White winning 52.8%
From 2008 through 2010 we have 3129 games with White winning 52.1%
From 2009 through the first half of 2013 we have 2805 games with White winning 52.1%

[Matti]

Through 2007 we have 3406 games with White winning 52.8%
From 2008 through 2010 we have 3129 games with White winning 52.1%
From 2009 through the first half of 2013 we have 2805 games with White winning 52.1%

Ok. The winning percentage seems quite stable.