Flower/Sandbox

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Flower Rules

Flower's eclectic Rules for playing WeiQi ;-)

Version 0.1 (2007-01)

Flower Rules are a specific implementation of the Taylor/Tromp rules. (by adding some of this optional bulk that distinguishes full rulesets from core rules)

Special traits of this ruleset follow from the paradigms it evolved from:

• Based on Tromp/Taylor Rules thus inheriting its flawless logic and simplicity.
• Benefits of both Area and Territory scoring by heeding Ikeda Toshio's advice.
• Fixed handicap system that gives players appropriate handicap.
• Fair self-scaling Komi that both players determine together prior to starting a game.

I came up with them as I was the first in my peer group to pick up playing Go. As such I started evangelizing using Taylor/Tromp rules as they were the least confusing of all rulesets. Though <30k I am still the most experienced player in our round and began studying the rulesets as my friends got curious about specific rules. Soon I was cought in a crossfire of questions specific rule situations which led to the evolution of this ruleset.

• Q: "Are you and your Friends nuts!? Talking about specific variants pertaining to miniscule komi amounts in order to make for a 'fairer game' when you all still make errors worth over 10moku each other move?"
• A: "We are german ;-) (and academics to boot)"

Flower Rules: (note to self: translate TT rules into german)

• Definitions:
  • Handicap := Stones that are placed by the weaker player before the beginning of the game.
  • Komi := Stones that are given to white as prisoners prior to the beginning of the game in exchange for the right to make the first move as black.

• Setup
  • Equivalence Scoring shall be used (area scoring through 'passtones', 'white passes last' and 'territory Counting')
  • The Handicap shall be equal to the rounded down rankdifference.
  • During Handicap placement the stronger player does not give passtones. Thus the handicap stones will not score during counting.
  • Komi as well as sides can be set by Divide and Choose? or Auction Komi. If the rankdifference is fractional then the weaker players gets to play Black for free.
  • If the first pass of a game is made by White then no passtone shall be given for this pass. (Ikeda's Rule)

• End of the Game
  • Two successive passes during play trigger Aggreement.
  • Two passes during Agreement initiate 'last pass has to be made by white', 'agreed stone removal'. After the removal of the stones the game is scored by counting.
  • A move during the agreement phase will resume play. (Another two successive passes are necessary to enter another agreement phase.)

• Flow of Play
  • insert flowchart here

_Trashcan: Other than that I have created the following subpages:

• Some notes detailing my experience with the KGS Client and Server at Cgoban3 experiences
• A Sandbox of no further consequence.
• Unlimited Agreement Phases
• Non-Zero Winning Threshold
• a more or less fallacious comparison between Chess and WeiQi (who has not compared them ;-)
• Some nice and some not-so-nice KGS Players at Flower's awards

_from KGS Experience: Positive:

• Friendly Atmosphere, yay!
• Teaching System, whee!
• Speech :) (though speex does so much better with 9-12kbps)
• Ability to chat in-game
• Chatrooms
• Friendly SGF Editor (variations view and so on)
• Crossplatform due to Java
• Automatic updates with JNLP
• The Wiki I am just contributing to :-)
• Help Room, where some nice admins helped me at once after 1st connect.