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Taking Back A Move
Path: BadHabits · Prev: TakingAFriendlyGameTooSeriously · Next: TesujiIntoxication This must be the worst habit, as it is close to a violation of the rules (Stones, once put on the board, can't move unless they are captured.) I remember very distinctly a Japanese fellow, who was very well seen in the club, truly a nice person, always cheerful, showing this bad habit time and time again. One really needed to play fast, because if you wondered how to take best advantage of his mistake, he would take his move back, laughing to himself and tapping himself on the head for so much stupidity. --Dieter When playing on the computer if you slip when clicking on the spot you want, asking to take back is fine if you say you slipped right away. --Andrew Although I don't find it especially rude, it is a bad habit. You should think it out well enough not to have to take back a move. In an old go instruction manual, it said that it is quite common to ask to take back a move and polite to allow it, but it is still a bad habit. I agree, a mis-click on the cpu. should be returned, but it gets tricky; In a game I was playing, I needed an undo due to a mis-click. this was early on in the game, and an obvious slip, and my opponent granted the re-play. Later however, on the side of the board, white played into a modest little trap of mine and after a moment, asked for an undo. I paused, trying to think of a polite way of asking if this was a legit slip-up. He posted a "?", and when I asked, his first reply was, "I gave you one". He seemed to think the point was moot. After a bit of discussion, in which I explained my hesitation, he did finally say that it was a mis-click, but that he did'nt want the move back anymore. He then stated that he would never allow me a take back move again. All very unpleasant. Now I'm more careful before I click. --KSLO I have recently added "no undo, please" to my profile when playing online. I don't mind people taking back moves in a teaching game or casual in-person game, but online most of the undo requests I have received have been a little suspiscious (i.e. opponent made a bad move and noticed it 5-10 seconds later). I know that mistakes happen, but I would rather keep the game moving rather than have it get sidetracked by midgame debates over undos, even if I lose as a result. Besides, playing with the knowledge that no undos are possible encourages more thoughtful, careful play. -- hdouble
Bill Spight: When I learned go in Japan, saying atari and taking back moves were common practice. I found the custom quite charming, myself. :-) Scartol: Beware also when playing online that your opponent (mine was named "goeplayer0") doesn't hassle you for several minutes begging for a takeback, finally relenting only when you have 15 seconds left for 20 moves. If I ever meet him, I'm gonna break his legs. Err... I beg your pardon? Kidding! Hyperbole. Exaggeration for comedic effect and all that.. Justin: Requesting an undo online, unless it is for an obvious misclick and promptly requested, is inconsiderate of your opponent. One either has to allow it, reinforcing a bad habit, or deny it, thereby introducing tension and sometimes anger. Either way it's just uncomfortable. At the local club, requests for take-backs are virtually non-existent outside of teaching games, but it's not uncommon for someone to offer a take-back for an absent-minded blunder (e.g, not noticing atari). Seems like that's the way it should be: don't try to undo unless it's offered. And be generous in offering undos when appropriate. DougRidgway Online, I no longer request undos, even for obvious and unintentional misclicks. It's not possible for the opponent to tell, through the computer, to tell what's a "dropped stone" and what's a brain misfiring. (You can't tell from timing: the delay may come from dithering about whether or not to request the undo.) Strategically, I'd rather lose games from my carelessness in clicking than lose games from being distracted about undo negotiations. In my experience, a clicko is one bad move, but getting upset leads to about ten. When my opponent asks for an undo, I always grant it. (If I'm annoyed, I can say to myself, "We both know who won that one, shall we play another?" and then hit okay.) Having a blanket policy, and one that my opponents could never argue with, saves me time and aggravation, and lets me focus on the game. JohnAspinall My KGS profile says that I'll offer "Undos for typos, not for brainos", but I personally hold to the same standard as DougRidgway above, for myself. Besides, moral high ground aside, there's a much more guilty pleasure that awaits when you allow some undos:
Nodog It seems to me that undos are almost exclusively requested for tactical errors. Following DougRidgway's policy allows you to focus on Direction of Play which should lead you to a win, anyway. Path: BadHabits · Prev: TakingAFriendlyGameTooSeriously · Next: TesujiIntoxication This is a copy of the living page "Taking Back A Move" at Sensei's Library. ![]() |