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Editable RGG FAQ Part 4 Section 6
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This page is part of the rec.games.go FAQ on SL, and can be edited using normal SL methods, but please read the FAQ Format Guidelines first.

For more details on the workings of the FAQ, see rec.games.go FAQ on SL.


4.6: Posting positions to the Newsgroup

The newsgroup is an excellent place to post questions regarding positions that have come up in play, or problems seen in books.

It sometimes makes sense to include a diagram showing the local position, with stones, as well as the sequence of moves played / variations etc.

Following these guidelines will make sure readers understand what you are trying to show:

  • Do not use HTML or other formatting. The use of plain text makes sure that the diagrams do not become distorted. For the same reason, do not use <tab>s, but only spaces.
  • Always edit (and read) news posts using a fixed-width font, such as Courier. With a variable-width font, others will see the post displayed quite differently to you, which means diagrams and other "ASCII pictures" will not line up properly. Using a fixed-width font ensures your diagrams will line up as you intended.
  • The goban is represented by a set of dots/periods (.), one for each intersection, separated by single spaces. The lines on the grid itself are not shown. The first line is not shown differently; the edge of the board is marked separately (see below).
  • Separate each column of the board with a single space, to approximate a square grid. Character cells are displayed about twice as tall as they are wide, so without spaces the board would appear compressed horizontally.
  • For clarity, it is useful to mark the hoshi (star) points, with commas (,) or pluses (+) (according to personal taste).
  • Make sure it is obvious where the edge is (if relevant). Either make a mention of it ('bottom left corner') or draw the board edges on the diagram using |, - and +. Note that the edge of the board is separate from the board grid -- i.e. the edge is *outside* the first line of the board.
  • A White stone is given as O (capital letter o), a black stone is given as # or X.
  • Sequences of moves are shown with numbers '1', '2' etc. Make sure you state whether 1 is black or white (e.g. "Black to play" accompanying the diagram indicates that move 1 is Black's).
  • Because of space constraints, it is not advisable to show more than 9 moves on one diagram. If you want to show more, you should use more diagrams, each one giving the 'end position' of the last one as 'start position' of the new one.
  • Variations are shown with letters: 'a', 'b', etc.
  • If it is relevant, make sure you state how many prisoners have been taken. Since 'white:3, black:13' is easily misunderstood, write it out: 'white has taken 3 prisoners, black 13.'
  • Most people will read the posts on a screen, and it can be awkward to scroll back up to see the diagram when reading the discussion below. Try not to have the text too far away from the diagram.
  • Include a description of those aspects of the position you want to discuss/ask about.

An example:

 . . . . . . . |    Black to play
 . . . . 1 . . |
 . . O . 2 . . |
 . # O + O . . |
 . . # # O . . |
 . a . . . . . |
 . . . . . . . |
 --------------+

On his web site, Jan VAN DER STEEN has [ext] a tool which will translate an SGF file to ascii diagrams.


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This is a copy of the living page "Editable RGG FAQ Part 4 Section 6" at Sensei's Library.
(OC) 2004 the Authors, published under the OpenContent License V1.0.