CongressNews No. 5
I Want To Be Victimised!
A shodan player told me on Tuesday morning that a 4-stone handicap on the 9x9 board (on the marked handicap points) was equivalent to a handicap of about 16 stones on the 19x19 board, and that as a consequence a top professional (who is clearly more than 16 grades above me, as I am 9 Kyu, or thought I was before losing my first 10 tournament games here) could give me 4 stones on the 9x9 and win. I asked some other Dan players what they thought of this, and opinions differed.
One of the Dan players very wisely said, "Try it and see - Saijo sensei is standing next to you." I told Saijo sensei the story. He laughed and said it would not be possible for him to win such a game. He said it would be more like giving me 30 stones on the 19x19 board. Perhaps he was just being kind?
I suppose after this article appears some strong players will offer to show me the error of my ways by beating me repeatedly at 4 stones on the 9x9. I would be most interested to see how it is done.
(Adam Atkinson)
