Handicap Stones
Go has a natural handicap mechanism that allows two players with different skill levels to still play an evenly-matched, competitive game together. By tracking game results, our members can use this calculator to determine how many stones they should give or take as a handicap against one another.
Don't see your name here? Keep submitting game results - once you have a game record against some of the players listed here, you'll be added to the list.
Why is it important to play and submit games with the right number of handicap stones?
Besides being good sportsmanship and preventing the discouragement of weaker players, playing and submitting games with the right number of handicap stones helps keep the handicap calculator accurate - both for you and for other players, as the results of your game will have a cascading effect on the calculation of handicaps for other players in the future, even in games you are not involved in.
Players often assume that submitting results from games played with an incorrect number of handicap stones will still help refine the handicap model - but generally, the opposite is true. When a player doesn't grant or take enough handicap stones as appropriate for their strength, any inaccuracies in the model are further distorted and perpetuated.
I don't think the handicap suggestion is very accurate - it over/under-estimates my (or my opponent's) strength! Can't I just pick a handicap that feels more accurate to our situation?
When faced with a larger number of handicap stones, stronger players may often feel overwhelmed - and their first instict will be that it is too many stones. But more often than not, the game is still quite close, with the initially-overwhelmed player frequently winning regardless.
Naturally, the same is true for recently-improved players who are used to taking more stones and may feel intimidated by not having enough handicap stones on the board.
If you feel the number of handicap stones suggested by the calculator is genuinely incorrect, it's generally caused by one of two factors - either one of the players has been on a long winning/losing streak or some players have not been submitting their game results diligently, introducing uncertainty into the calculation. The quickest way to correct this is to nevertheless play with the number of stones suggested. Attempting to "course correct" by playing and submitting results with a handicap of your own choosing is more liable to backfire, increasing uncertainty and distorting inaccuracies in the model even further.
Besides being good sportsmanship and preventing the discouragement of weaker players, playing and submitting games with the right number of handicap stones helps keep the handicap calculator accurate - both for you and for other players, as the results of your game will have a cascading effect on the calculation of handicaps for other players in the future, even in games you are not involved in.
Players often assume that submitting results from games played with an incorrect number of handicap stones will still help refine the handicap model - but generally, the opposite is true. When a player doesn't grant or take enough handicap stones as appropriate for their strength, any inaccuracies in the model are further distorted and perpetuated.
I don't think the handicap suggestion is very accurate - it over/under-estimates my (or my opponent's) strength! Can't I just pick a handicap that feels more accurate to our situation?
When faced with a larger number of handicap stones, stronger players may often feel overwhelmed - and their first instict will be that it is too many stones. But more often than not, the game is still quite close, with the initially-overwhelmed player frequently winning regardless.
Naturally, the same is true for recently-improved players who are used to taking more stones and may feel intimidated by not having enough handicap stones on the board.
If you feel the number of handicap stones suggested by the calculator is genuinely incorrect, it's generally caused by one of two factors - either one of the players has been on a long winning/losing streak or some players have not been submitting their game results diligently, introducing uncertainty into the calculation. The quickest way to correct this is to nevertheless play with the number of stones suggested. Attempting to "course correct" by playing and submitting results with a handicap of your own choosing is more liable to backfire, increasing uncertainty and distorting inaccuracies in the model even further.