KGS Go Server
The KGS Go Server is a popular Go server that can be accessed at http://www.gokgs.com/, and is commonly called by its abbreviation, KGS. Until recently, it was known as Kiseido Go Server.
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The KGS Go Server first opened under the name Igoweb in April 2000. The original rec.games.go announcement can be found on Google. Just a month later, the author made an agreement with Kiseido and it was renamed to the Kiseido Go Server. It was renamed to KGS Go Server in 2006.
As a Go server, sure you can play Go on KGS, but it also has special features for teaching purposes. It is very easy to go through the game once it is finished to add variations and comments. You can ask an observer to add their own variations and you can save everything in SGF files. You can also upload games from your hard disk and review them on the server with your friends.
The client (known as CGoban3) has been written in English, and has been translated to Japanese, French, Italian, German, Chinese and other languages. More translations are welcome! The main "room" is called the English Game Room, but it is really an international room. There are also rooms where speakers of Chinese, Dutch, Esperanto, French, German, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, Swedish, and Turkish are encouraged to meet. The English Game Room is for playing Go exclusively, so be careful when chatting in the English Game Room as the conversation is monitored by admins, some of which will ban you without warning for off topic remarks. There are extra rooms for the Wings Go Club and Hikaru no Go fans. Additionally, users may create public or private rooms.
You can log in to KGS using the website, with a Java applet, but for a more stable connection you can download the client CGoban3, which is also a good SGF editor / viewer. The client is written in Java, so you can use it under Windows, Linux, Solaris, and MacOSX.
- To install it for Windows, MacosX, Linux:
http://www.gokgs.com -> download link -> "CGoban with Java web start" link. See the
download page for more information.
- Linux users with a recent Sun java can also run the command: /path/to/java/bin/javaws
http://files.gokgs.com/javaBin/cgoban.jnlp
There are no commands on KGS. You can do nearly everything from top line menus, buttons or using right-click menus.
Rule sets
Four rule sets are available: you can choose between Japanese, Chinese, AGA, and New Zealand rules.
Time systems
You also have choice of four time systems:
- no time limit,
- sudden death,
- Canadian overtime, or
- Japanese overtime.
Multilingual support
- KGS supports Unicode, so there is built-in support for pretty much every language.
- There are several rooms for various languages.
- Several KGS Foreign Language Pages contain help and discussions in languages other than English.
KGS Usage
KGS People
- Bill Shubert (KGS developer)
- KGS High Dan Players
- KGS Teachers
- KGS Tutors
-
KGS Users by Geographical Location
- K5GS
- KGS Admin of the Year
- KGS Assistant of the Year
- KGS Users Map
- KGS Rank Histogram
- KGS Worst Admin Or Assistant
- KGS Clans
- KGS Admins and Assistants
- messt
- KGS Junior Players
KGS Social Systems
- KGS Help Room
- KGS Team Tournament
- KGS Teaching Ladder
- KGS Leagues
- KGS Rooms
- KGS Rooms / Advanced Study Room
- KGS Rooms / Beginners' Room
- KGS Rooms / Deutsche Ecke
- KGS Rooms / Discussion
- KGS Rooms / English Chat Room
- KGS Rooms / Hebrew Room
- KGS Rooms / Mind GC
- KGS Rooms / Policy Discussion
- KGS Rooms / Texas Go Players
- KGS Rooms / The Dan Study Room
- KGS Rooms / The Straw Hut
- KGS Rooms / Van Go Room
- There is a Sensei's Library room on KGS (under Social Rooms).
KGS Development
- KGS Plans
- KGS Development Status
- KGS Wishlist
- KGS Bugs
- KGS Rooms / Policy Discussion
- KGS Bots
- KGS Related Utilities
Miscellaneous
- KGS Server Status
- KGS Issues (including escapers)
- Great Moments in KGS Chat
- KGS Tournament Broadcasts
- Master Go Tournament on KGS
- KGS Pic
- KGSTeacherReviews
- Use the Discussion page to report outages
Other languages
Comments:
Anonymous: KGS is the best server for all the non- Japanese/Asian speakers and Asian speakers too recommended for all!
KGS is the worst server possible if you are just starting out. People there will not play people without a fixed rank. Too bad that you can get this only by playing. Better look elsewehere KGS is only wasting your time.