Taking back a move

   

Taking back a move, which is not allowed in tournaments, is a controversial issue in amateur Go. Opinions range from seeing it as a charming ingredient of a friendly game to regarding it as the worst habit, which should be refused, scolded, counted as a loss or otherwise fiercely discouraged. The discussion page shows the intensity of this controversy, as well as some funny stories from real life. It is called "undo" in online games.

Many players’ position depends on the situation, in particular

See also:

Table of contents

By Kind of Game

Face-to-Face Games

Face to face games, also called over-the-board encounters, where players are physically facing each other. Some players tend to be a bit more lenient in face-to-face games, but there is no general trend.

Teaching Games

In teaching games it can be a great technique employed by the teacher. At a given moment the teacher asks "Undo?" and therewith shows another variation.

Lightning Go

There is a special provision for lightning Go, where a stone(s) might fall onto the board: They have to be removed in the player’s own time.

By Moment

Some conditions for allowing undo:

By Cause

Slip Of Hand

The slip of mouse is called clicko or misclick. This probably can only occur in online games. Often it is used as an excuse for a slip of mind. Some servers, such as KGS, offer anti-skid or anti-slip features to avoid this. For some people, it still seems to be a problem when playing on a laptop. If this is the case for you, you may want to make your opponent aware of your situation and ask for clicko undos immediately to avoid misunderstandings.

Slip of Mind

Second Thoughts

This is the most common reason for an undo request and the source of most controversy. Hawks consider this morally equal to have lost one game, while doves regard refusing it as against the spirit of a friendly game.

Illegal Move

A special case of a slip of mind is when a player overlooked that a move was illegal, e.g. playing into a ko. In Japanese Professional Go an illegal move leads to direct loss. In lightning games (Europe) playing an illegal move is followed by having to retake the stone and forced passing in your own time.

Tips for when you don't want to grant Undo

If you are adamant about fighting undo

Make your position clear to your opponent before you start the game. Some people write "no undo, please" in their profile, but the reality is that few, if any, go servers automatically display your profile to the opponent, so you can not assume that your opponent knows your position. On KGS you should therefore write this in your game invitation.

So what to do if your opponent does ask for an undo?

First: Relax – it’s only a game. And in most cases it's only a simple yes/no question. Just say No. If you want to tell your playing partner what you think of taking back a move then consider the following options, which you may decide ad-hoc according to the situation:

What to do when your opponent is obstinate? (online only)

When you refused an undo request it may occur that your opponent gets upset and hits the undo button again. On KGS you can in that event minimize the undo request window and ignore it. It will remain blocking further requests until you make your next move.

If your opponent hassles you for several minutes begging for a takeback, play a move and then have the discussion while his clock runs rather than yours.

Tips for when you want to grant Undo

If your interest when playing go is to produce a game that is about as good as your opponent and you can muster you may consider this tip. When your opponent makes a bad move that you believe he should be able to recognize, ask if he is sure he wants to make that move. Sometimes, in a face-to-face game you don't really need to ask; just wait a bit and look puzzled. When your opponent groans or says "what a bad move I made" (or some such) ask if he'd like to take it back.


This is a copy of the living page "Taking back a move" at Sensei's Library.
(OC) 2004 the Authors, published under the OpenContent License V1.0.
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