Editing Handicapping in Go (section)

==Handicap placement==

===Fixed placement===
[[Image:Go aloituskivien paikat.jpg|thumb|right|The traditional placement of handicap stones]]
There are 9 star points marked on a 19 x 19 [[go equipment#Equipment|board]] – in each corner on the (4,4) point, in the middle of each side on the fourth line, (4,10); and the very center of the board, (10,10). '''Traditionally''' handicaps are always placed on the star points, as follows:

{| class="wikitable"
! Stones 
! Placement
! Locations 
|-
! 1
| Black plays his first stone as he wishes, and gives no komi
| None
|-
! 2
| Black plays the star points to his upper right and lower left
| A,B
|-
! 3
| Black adds the star point to his lower right (In Classical Chinese rules the third handicap stone is place on tengen)
| A,B,C (or E)
|-
! 4
| Black takes all four corner star points
| A,B,C,D
|-
! 5
| Black adds the center star point
| A,B,C,D,E
|-
! 6
| Black takes all three star points at left and right
| A,B,C,D,F,G
|-
! 7
| Black adds the center star point
| A,B,C,D,E,F,G
|-
! 8
| Black takes all star points except the center
| A,B,C,D,F,G,H,I
|-
! 9
| Black takes all nine star points
| A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I
|}

As the stones are always at the same (4,4) points in the corners, Black always plays more (4,4) openings, and doesn't gain experience playing the (3,4) openings, or others such as (3,3), (5,4), (5,3), etc., except on two and three stones.<ref>Historically, in China, Black and White were constrained to play on diagonally-opposite star points for their first two moves in even games. In Japan, from some point in the sixteenth century perhaps, the board was empty in even games. The consequence was a deeper study of the ''[[joseki]]'' that in the Chinese system were used only in three-stone handicaps. Those ''joseki'' dominated opening theory in Japan, until the ''[[shinfuseki]]'' period of the 1930s. In contemporary go, the 4-4 point openings are fundamental.</ref>

===Free placement===
Recently, some have advocated free placement of handicap stones. Free placement means one can place handicap stones anywhere on the board without restriction. Here is the list of countries<ref>Handicap placement convention and effect actually depends on different rule sets, such as Japanese or Chinese rules, and not on different countries. Not all countries have their own rule sets</ref> and servers<ref>Some servers offer a choice between different rule sets</ref> that use free placement of handicap stones:<ref>[http://www.britgo.org/rules/compare.html Comparison of some Go rules]</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
! Fixed Placement
|Japan, Korea, United States (by default), <br>
[[IGS Go server|IGS]] online server
|-
! Free Placement
|China, [[Rules of Go#Ing rules|Ing]], New Zealand
|}

Although free placement is less common because many players are attached to tradition, especially in East Asian countries, it offers advantages which are not available with fixed placement.

====Advantages====
For '''weaker players''':
* They can choose their [[Fuseki|opening strategies]] according to their own understanding of the game, and thus follow a consistent strategy.
* They can think for themselves and learn about different opening strategies through actual game experience.
* The mandatory handicap points stress influence rather than taking territory directly; some weaker players have a more territorial style.
* They can learn a much larger range of [[joseki|corner plays]] in actual competition against stronger opponents.
For '''stronger players''':
* Many more variations with fewer repetitions mean the game is more refreshing, challenging, and interesting to the strong player. They may be more willing to play and teach the weaker player.

====Disadvantages====
With free placement, weaker players may not place their stones in respect to their comparable handicap to their opponent, thus eliminating the point of the handicap. The standard fixed handicap points allow for a good standard that allows novices to have the handicap they need since they are not experienced and may not be able to take advantage of the free placement of handicap stones. Therefore, free placement handicap may be best suited for more experienced players or those who want more flexibility and variety in play.