How to Play Handicap Go — Choosing the Handicap, and Tips for Black and White
Go has an advantage that few other games share: however big the difference in strength, placing stones in advance turns it into an even contest. This is handicap Go.
What is handicap Go?
The weaker player takes Black and, before the game begins, places a number of stones on the star points. Then White plays the first move. The number of stones placed in advance is called the handicap.
Because the stones are already on the board, Black starts with an advantage. When that advantage matches the difference in strength, each side wins about half the time. That is why a professional and a beginner can play a serious game on the same board.
In handicap games there is no komi. Black has already started with extra stones, so there is no reason to add more. Instead, a tied count is usually treated as a win for White.
How to decide the handicap
The rule is simple: one stone per rank of difference (kyu or dan).
- Same strength → an even game. Black plays first and White receives komi.
- One rank apart → Black plays first with no komi
- Two ranks apart → a two-stone handicap
- Three ranks apart → three stones
It goes up in the same way from there. In practice handicaps of up to nine stones are common, and more is possible.
Whether the handicap is right is checked by results. If one side keeps winning, adjust the handicap by one stone. It doesn't need to be exact from the start.
The stones go in fixed places. They are placed on the nine dots marked on the board — the star points. With two stones, they go in two diagonally opposite corners; with three, in three corners; with four, in all four corners. From five stones on, the center point (tengen) is added.
Tips for Black (the weaker player)
Black starts ahead with the extra stones, yet very often the game has somehow turned around by the end. There are reasons for that.
Don't avoid fights — but don't overplay either
Black already has more stones, and the side with more stones has the advantage in a fight. Yet beginners get nervous and keep backing off. The more you retreat, the more the advantage of the handicap stones melts away.
On the other hand, if you overplay and try to capture all of White's stones, you'll get counterattacked. The trick is to play solidly without backing down.
Keep it simple
In a handicap game, White is the stronger player. The more complicated the board gets, the more it favors White. So it's better for Black to avoid complicated variations and choose simple, sure paths.
Rather than trying difficult joseki, ordinary moves that connect where you need to connect and block where you need to block are good moves in handicap Go.
Don't let your stones get cut apart
White usually tries to split Black's stones apart. Once Black is cut into several pieces, each piece is weak and can be picked off one at a time.
Black just needs to do the opposite: keep your stones connected and connect cutting points in advance. It may look a bit slow, but in handicap Go this is the right direction.
The habit of counting
To know how much of your handicap advantage remains, you have to count. A rough count once in the middle game and once before the endgame tells you whether you can play it safe or need to fight for the win. How to count is covered in Endgame Basics.
Tips for White (the stronger player)
White starts at a disadvantage. Play ordinary moves and you'll simply lose.
Make the game complicated
The stronger player has the edge in complicated positions. White should steer the game toward lines with many variations. Creating chances for Black to go wrong is White's basic strategy.
Cut
Splitting Black's stones is the heart of White's play. If Black stays connected, White has no chance. Find cutting points, break Black into several groups, and attack the weak ones.
Don't rush
Overplaying from the start just because you're behind actually makes you lose faster. It's better to play step by step and wait for Black to make a mistake. The typical way White wins a handicap game is that a large black group dies, or Black overplays and collapses.
Why handicap Go is good for your game
Handicap Go isn't just a device for balancing results. It is also a way to learn.
- You can play strong opponents. Even with a big difference in strength the game is even, so you can have a serious game against someone much stronger than you.
- You learn what it's like to be attacked. White keeps cutting and attacking, so you learn defense and connection.
- You learn how to hold on to a favorable game. This is a skill that is surprisingly lacking at beginner and intermediate level. You learn firsthand how to win a game you should win.
It helps the stronger player too: it's practice at turning around a losing game, and it builds the patience to wait for chances without overplaying.
Not losing your handicap games The most common way to lose the handicap advantage is having a large group captured. 6,125 life-and-death problems by difficulty, all free.Playing handicap games against the AI
You can practice handicap Go even without a human opponent. AI games on the baduk let you choose the difficulty, so picking an opponent a little stronger than you gives a similar effect to a handicap game.
The advantage of playing the AI is that you can replay the same game as many times as you like. You can check where things fell apart, go back to that point and try a different move — practice that is hard to do with a human opponent.
Summary
- One handicap stone per rank of difference. Adjust based on results.
- There is no komi in handicap games.
- Black: keep it simple, stay connected, don't back down.
- White: make it complicated, cut, don't rush.
- Count at least once along the way. You need to know whether your advantage remains to set your strategy.