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Nigiri
   

Nigiri is the equivalent of flipping a coin to determine who kicks off a game of football. It is the procedure at the beginning of a game (or series of games) to decide who will play the black stones.

One of the players takes a handful of stones without showing them to the other player. The other player places one or two stones on the goban, depending on whether he thinks the number of stones is odd or even. If his guess is correct, he takes Black.

I think it is traditional for either the stronger/older/more respected player to take the handful of stones. Or the opposite ? Dose anybody know which ?



In Japan, each player takes the bowl which is nearest to him. The player who has the white stones in his bowl takes the handful of stones. The player with the black stones makes the guess putting one or two black stones on the board.



I find this what is written just above this text (second entry) very reasonable, but I've heard that the player who takes the handful of stones (usually white ones) shows some respect to the other, by letting him guess, i.e. letting him have the 'initiative'.

Bizonbyk, 25k KGS



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