Thus far I think I have only seen somebody place a stone with their right hand. Do left handed Go players just learn to use their right hand similar to an instrument (like a guitar)? That seems pretty possible, but even then I'd expect there to be some pro or something out there who pulls a Jimmy Hendrix and puts his bowl on the left side and uses his left hand to place stones.
Maybe there are tons of left handed players out there using their left hand and I just haven't noticed it. I don't know, it was just a random thought I was curious about.
Well, if I had been forced to place stones with my right hand I would probably never have taken up the game because I have almost no coordination or dexterity with my right hand (or right foot). I am totally reliant on my left side to do anything which involves detail. Although, strange as it seems, my right arm is stronger than my left and I use to for lifting much more than my left.
Re: Are there any left handed Go players?
Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2016 7:04 pm
by Dedalus89
Ah, ok, thanks for the vid. Just thought it would look odd with the bowls on the same side, but it doesn't really look that odd. Heh, thanks for the fast replies; my curiosity is sated.
Re: Are there any left handed Go players?
Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2016 8:20 pm
by Kirby
Somewhat unrelated, but I have a Korean friend who is left-handed. Korean culture is somewhat strict with eating etiquette (bowl of soup should be to the right of your bowl of rice, you shouldn't leave the chopsticks sticking in the rice, you should evenly distribute the side dishes you eat, finishing your last bite of rice simultaneously with the last side dish you eat, etc.).
Due to this, while he was inclined to eat holding his chopsticks with his left hand, he was strongly scolded not to do so as a child, and even punished. As a result, he eventually learned to eat holding chopsticks with his right hand.
As Iyama Yuta plays with his left hand, apparently it's not so strict with go (at least in Japan).
Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2016 8:37 pm
by EdLee
Off topic:
bowl of soup should be to the right of your bowl of rice, you shouldn't leave the chopsticks sticking in the rice
The soup GPS and the syncrohnized dish-eating are too much. That said, in the US: I don't recall people stabbing their steak with a knife and leaving it stuck standing in the steak, either. ( Although, is it OK to leave the butter knife stuck standing in a loaf of bread ? ) Also, pizza eating with a fork & knife would occasionally make it to national (tabloid) news. To burp or not to burp: cultural thing.
while he was inclined to eat holding his chopsticks with his left hand, he was strongly scolded not to do so as a child, and even punished.
Sad; plain ignorance (or wilful denial) of nature and biology (plus, prejudice).
Re: Are there any left handed Go players?
Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2016 8:50 pm
by Kirby
EdLee wrote:Off topic:
I don't recall people stabbing their steak with a knife and leaving it stuck standing in the steak, either. ( Although, is it OK to leave the butter knife stuck standing in a loaf of bread ? )
I believe the chopsticks in rice thing is specifically due to the type of ceremony done to honor the dead. For this, you have the dead person's photo, incense, and food kind of like an offering. During this time, eating utensils are stuck in the food, maybe showing that they are "eating it".
You do some bowing and stuff, and eventually, you eat the food.
So anyway, if it's just an everyday meal and you stick your utensils in the food like this, it's reminiscent of this ceremony you do for dead people (jaysah)... So it's not polite.
Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2016 9:32 pm
by EdLee
Kirby, yes, I know.
Re: Are there any left handed Go players?
Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2016 5:06 am
by Yertle
I'm the opposite, I'm right handed but play left handed. I started this when I began recording my games on a palm pilot (then later an iPad) and felt constantly switching between the stones and the stylus was distracting.
Re: Are there any left handed Go players?
Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2016 6:02 am
by Uberdude
A nice thing about (right-handed people) playing lefties is the clock can be on the more convenient playing hand side for both players (it's usually on White's right). To answer the original question Csaba Mero from Hungary is another example.
Re: Are there any left handed Go players?
Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2016 7:49 am
by oren
Iyama is right handed. He just chooses to play go with his left.
Re: Are there any left handed Go players?
Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2016 9:10 am
by Kirby
oren wrote:Iyama is right handed. He just chooses to play go with his left.
Did he say why?
Re: Are there any left handed Go players?
Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2016 9:40 am
by oren
Kirby wrote:Did he say why?
I was going to lazy, but great... you made me find it...
He doesn't even really remember when he started playing with his left hand. There was some mention of his teacher thinking it might help. However, he's right handed.
The mentioned Korean eating habits remind me of my time in India where it is (was?) a strict taboo to have the left hand on the table while eating … you eat with your right hand because the left one is the “dirty” hand — used for cleaning one’s behind after defecating.
At least that’s how it was explained to me when I lived there (long ago, and my memory is fading).
