If two players differ in strength (see rank), the weaker player gets a handicap to compensate for the difference. That way, both players have a chance to win. In general, the ideal handicap is equal to the difference in kyu or dan ranks. Traditionally, handicap stones are placed on the star points, but one can also play with free placement of the handicap stones.
Before the adoption of komi, a different handicap system was in use among top ("pro") players. See: tagai-sen, sen-ai-sen and josen. Various Go clubs in Tokyo use a similar point ranking scheme to track players' results and determine the handicap in games.
Table of contents |