Teaching Game
A teaching game is a game in which the stronger player teaches the weaker player. Usually their relationship is one of teacher (sensei) and pupil (deshi). The game can played with full, reduced, or no handicap. The pupil may or may not retake his move. The teacher may or may not give hints as to where to play. The teacher will usually play so as to create instructive situations on the board. The game may or may not be resumed before it is completed.
Teaching game cost
A teaching game is considered to be a generosity of the part of the teacher. Honinbo Jowa has only played Shusaku twice. Currently, like many things of honour, a teaching game is measured in money. Online teaching games are available: see teacher.
In the 80's a teaching game with a 9p (one on one) at the Yaesu branch of the Nihon Kiin (next to Tokyo Station) cost 10,000 or 11,000 yen which was less than 100 USD. A much more normal experience is playing a lower or middle rank pro in a club. He or she will be playing 3 or 4 games simultaneously and the cost will be around 2500 to 4500 JPYen depending on their rank and the arrangement with the club.
Teaching games at SL
Some teaching games played on Sensei's Library are here:
- TeachingGame67 -- JoeSeki against AvatarDJFlux.
- TeachingGame22 -- 4 stone handicap between Scartol and JamesA.
- TeachingGame44 -- here you can watch Scartol vs Holigor.
- TeachingGame66 -- Ben Shoemaker against AvatarDJFlux.
- TeachingGame53 -- Mat gets two stones and 50.5 komi against Dave Sigaty.
- TeachingGame361 -- ChessWhiz has won using 9 stones and 30.5 komi against dnerra.
- Blue Wyverns Research Games
See also
Feylias: Could someone please add a section on how to teach a teaching game? As a weak player regularly teaching vastly newer beginners, and I'd like to not break their spirits, not be seen as condescending, and not be seen as "letting them win".
WillerZ: What I do in online teaching games (DGS, OGS) is this; it may or may not work for you:
I let the student choose whether to play with handicap or not. I ask them to write the purpose of each and every move in a comment that I can see. I do the same for my moves. Occasionally, probably only once or twice per game, I might suggest alternatives means of accomplishing the objective of their previous move along with the pros and cons. At the end of the game, both of us can go back through the comments and see which moves did and didn't do what the person who played it thought they would.
I prefer this style to a more didactic format, because as a lowly SDK I don't feel happy dictating lines of play to another player; I'm no expert. If I were 9p, it might be different.
[1] In Japanese, it is called shido-go (指導碁 shidō-go) (source: Hikaru no Go), See Teaching game/linguistics.