Two Button Go

    Keywords: Rules

Two Button Go is an amalgamation from two rules involving buttons:

  • Button go, which makes area scoring rules as granular as territory scoring rules.
  • Reverse Button Go, which removes pass fights from rules involving pass stones

Two button go involves two buttons, each of which has a value of 1/2 a point

The Combined rules are identical to AGA Rules, with the following changes:

  • The game ends with 2 passes
  • The first player to pass gets a button (normal button go)
  • The last player to pass (ending the game) also gets a button. (reverse button go)

Since both buttons are worth 1/2 point, and both end up with one of the players, they either cancel out if both players got one of them, or they combine to give an extra point if a player got both of them. Because of this, two button go can also be rephrased as:

  • If the same player gets the first and the last pass, that player gets an extra point.

The rules have the following advantages:

  • Life and death can be determined by play, as under area scoring
  • Counting can be done with the territory counting method
  • The score is granular (common scores differ by 1 point, instead of 2 as in area scoring).

willemien thanks to Herman for updating this page. I only understood half of it.(or maybe even less) Still i have some questions. This differs from the description given at Button go where there is an unlimited supply of buttons (if i read a pm from bill correctly)

In short under AGA rules method, the player gives one pass stone to the opponent and gets a button in return (a 1/2 point "loss") , and the same applies to the last player. (it doesn't matter who makes the last pass)

Bill: Two button go does not promote early passes. Remember, it is used with territory scoring. Filling a dame gains 0 points, playing a button loses 1/2 point, passing loses 1 point. The normal progression is dame-button-pass (with the last button at the end).

[Diagram]

problem?

Still wondering about some situations. what if one player can pass early but the game isn't over yet. For example see the problem on the left. (from the teire page.

If it is Blacks turn he can pass (and win the first button) but after white b he still needs to play teire at a. Is it fair that Black gets the button? especially because White has then lost the change to win it.

Bill: Not a problem. Compare these lines of play. 1) B button, Wb, Ba, W pass, B pass, W button. The buttons and passes cancel out. 2) Ba, Wb, B button, W pass, B pass, W button. All same same. :)

willemien : you are right. Thanks for the explanation.


This is a copy of the living page "Two Button Go" at Sensei's Library.
(OC) 2011 the Authors, published under the OpenContent License V1.0.
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