Why is three handicap placed like that

    Keywords: Opening
[Diagram]

Three handicap placement

Tas: Have anyone got an explanation of why the handicap stones in a three handicap game are place as they are...

[Diagram]

Three handicap alternative

... and not symetrically like this? Five and seven uses tengen, why not three?


Steve: People can argue about this, but generally players feel it is better (or at least easier to understand) playing in the corners first, before moving into the middle. For 5 and 7 handicap, all the corner points are already taken, and the center stone works well with the influence-oriented handicap stones.

In the case of a 3-handicap, while the center stone may work well with 2 star-point stones, it is usually easier for a player taking 3-stones to make use of another stone in a corner.

Bob McGuigan: In the Chinese rules free placement of handicap stones is allowed so this formation could be used.

Bill: I have heard that the fomation with tengen is the traditional Chinese one for three stones.

MrTenuki: An indirect evidence is given in the [ext] 1991 Ing Rules (Section 6 of Preface).

Ksi?: Then how come in the 5,6, and 7 handicaps, the formation is always symmetrical? Isn't is always better to go for corners, then sides, then lastly the middle?

WillerZ Good question. One can rationalise it by saying that:

[Diagram]

5 handicap, standard

is more globally-connected, and therefore stronger, than:

[Diagram]

5 handicap, alternative

The same argument applies to seven stones. I can't think of a good reason to prefer the standard layout of six and eight stone handicaps, unless the aesthetics of a symmetrical layout appeal.

QWerner I think that the symmetry (upper = point if inversion), is very important, otherwise the game is somehow forced, because W has to awser to the "unsymmetry" (lower = mirror)


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