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By Phil Waldron 6d
One of my pet peeves in go are
handicap games. Don't get me wrong, I feel handicap games are invaluable. They
play a vital role in teaching the game to beginners, and one of the great
advantages go has over chess is the existence of an effective handicap
system.
My difficulty is with
players who refuse to take the correct handicap (or no handicap) when they play.
Time and again I get caught playing even games with players three or four stones
weaker. My suggestions that they play with a handicap are usually ignored, or
dismissed by players who "want a challenge." I don't mind playing an even game
with weaker players if, for example, they want some tips on their opening and
will adjourn the game when things go bad. But far too often I end up having to
play a thirty-point win out to the last hane-and-connect.
Over my years of
play, I have benefited greatly from many handicap games with stronger players,
and I look forward to being able to repay that debt in the years to come. But
after a few too many of these over-the-table games at the local club, I wonder
if I should just stay home and play on the Internet where there are always even
games with players of my own
strength.
My suggestion to weaker
players is this: play with the correct handicap. If the game is a big win for
one side, adjust the handicap immediately. If it is a close game, the
traditional three wins in a row system should be used. The handicap system
exists to give interesting games to BOTH players. If victory is too easy for one
side, the game is no longer
interesting.
Responses
HANDICAP PERSPECTIVE: "Phil Waldron complains that playing even games against
weaker players is 'no fun' for him (Accept Your Handicap, 10/10 EJ)," writes
Milton Bradley. "Although in the strictest sense he's correct about the degree
of challenge, that perspective lacks un derstanding of the proper role of the
stronger player in a club setting, whose main objective should be to maximize
the learning experience of the weaker player. That can't be accomplished if the
weaker player is never confronted with the challenge of playing even games
against someone who can punish any and all of their misperceptions and outright
errors. The solution that I've developed to maintain my interest in such
situations is to give Black reverse komi of ten points for each handicap stone.
This makes it necessary to seek every minor advantage even down to the last yose
move, and it most certainly sharpens one's focus." (10/17)
HANDICAP ALTERNATIVES: "Recently Phil Waldron 6d wrote about one of his pet
peeves," writes Jonathan Bresler 10k, "club players refusing the correct
handicap and then playing out games in which they are far behind. (Accept Your
Handicap, 10/10 EJ). Take heart, there are a couple of 'outs'. Play an even
'teaching game' until the game is out of b alance. At that point suggest a
resignation by the other player. Should the player demur, resign, offer to
review the game and decline any additional game offers from the same person.
Hopefully, they'll learn from the experience and over time become a stronger
player. Do this with two players of the same strength and then have them play
each other. Alternatively," suggests Bresler, "find one or more other players
that have the same issue and play simultaneous games. The stronger player could
use the games to perfect their territory estimation and counting by striving to
force a tie. While this idea may appear comical, forcing a tie in practice is
actually quite difficult. None of these suggestions should be understood to
excuse poor behavior on the part of weaker players. A rare game at a reduced
handicap in an effort by the weaker player to assess their own growth is quite
different from the repeated imposition Phil described." (10/17)
A FEW WORDS IN PRAISE OF HANDICAPS: "I just wanted to jot a few
lines in support of Phil Waldron's remarks (Accept Your Handicap, 10/10 EJ),"
writes Keith Arnold 5d. "Phil is a 6 dan, and how many of us have 6 dans
attending their clubs and willing to play weaker players? If Mr. Waldron has the
wrong attitude, many of our 6 dans have no attitude at all. There are many ways
to teach, but what weaker players everywhere really want is the chance to
actually play someone
stronger.
"While I am not as
strong as Phil, I'm at least a couple of stones stronger than the regulars at my
club in Baltimore. Every week I feel a responsibility to play as many of the
folks who turn out as possible. Everyone plays seriously against me, so no
matter how fast I play, I only have time for about four games a night. If you
want to work on your opening, I do not have a problem playing an even game, but
those who spend the entire time trying to lose by 40 points instead of 50 cannot
then expect me to take time from other players to provide a thorough review. I
do enjoy playing even teaching games, and when my opponent takes the hint that
it's time to resign, I get something out of the analysis as well.
"The problem with both Milt
and Jonathan's suggestions (Handicap Perspective & Handicap Alternatives,
10/17 EJ) is that they miss the crucial point - teaching. The weaker player is
looking for even-game experience and teaching with a stronger player. Milt's
komi just encourages me to make overplays and is not as useful for teaching the
weaker player proper opening strategy; Jonathan's trying to make the game 'even'
fails to teach by punishing the mistakes. They may well be interesting for the
stronger player, but they are bad for the weaker, and I believe both players
would prefer proper handicap to these
scenarios.
"If you want
to work on your whole game, particularly fighting, the correct handicap is
essential. This gives both players proper attitude, and the weaker player the
resources to make the stronger player work harder. (10/24)
HANDICAPS KEY TO
IMPROVING: "I would like to respond to recent contributions on the subject of
handicap games," writes Steve Burrall 5d. "Since I agree completely with the
comments of Phil Waldron, I will only address the two more recent posts.
Jonathan Bresler had some good suggestions, one of which was already made by
Phil in his original post. These are special case suggestions for teaching and
do not speak to the main issue Phil discussed. Milton Bradley's comment about
the teaching responsibility of stronger players seems off the mark to me. The
best way a stronger player can teach, routinely, is to play challenging
interesting games with weaker players, otherwise known as handicap games.
Detailed knowledge of even game josekis is probably useful for getting from 7d
to 8d, but most of us just need to develop our reading skills and sense of whole
board thinking. Playing 50 point komi games isn't nearly as much fun as a 5
stone game. Most strong players will be wil ling to play occasional practice
openings, but routinely asking them to play even games to the end is likely to
discourage them from playing at all." (10/24)
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