Bid Go

In Bid Go the players bid for the right to move. There are a couple of variants of Bid Go: one by Bill Taylor and Alternate Bid Go by ChipUni. This one is by me (Bill Spight). Taylor's variant eliminates the sente-gote distinction, and therefore its strategy is rather different from regular go. Mine is like regular go, except that the best play is almost always the largest play.

The start: At the start of play the players choose colors. Black has no advantage, so there is no komi, except as a handicap. Any handicap stones are placed on the board. Then the players make the first bid.

The bidding: Both players bid at the same time, typically by writing their bids down. The bids determine the temperature, which is their average. After the first play, the bids must be less than the previous temperature.

The play: After temperature is determined, the player who made the high bid starts play and must make a play on the board, unless the new temperature is 0 or less, in which case he may pass. If both players made the same bid, the player who did not make the last board play makes a board play, or Black makes the first play in the game. Play continues until stopped by passing (see below). Then, if the temperature is greater than 0, the players make new bids and play resumes at the new temperature.

Passing: If a player passes he receives the value of the temperature. A pass, like a board play, lifts any ko ban.

Stopping play: Play stops at any temperature when the same player passes a second time in the same board position. If he was the player who made the first play at that temperature, his opponent makes a pass. If the temperature is greater than 0, the players make new bids and resume play. Otherwise, the game ends and is scored.

--BillSpight

Tas: Why the rule that the temperature has to drop? If a player made a sente move against a big group then both players will bid the same (low) temperature again, since the position is actually much hotter. Why not alow them to bid at the (as they percieve) correct temperature?

Oh maybe because it makes it less like real go? Is what I have described actually one of the other bid go versions?

Bill: Yes, if you allow the temperature to rise between rounds of play, the resulting game is much less like real go.