Draws, handicap & komi changes, and ranking limits lifted

[dexonsmith]

@hermitage171

Hello! I mostly play 9x9 games here, and I’m interested in what should be the correct komi for a 9x9 game (assuming no handicap or adjustment due to rank difference).

@hermitage171

If I’m right, then it might prove that the only komi that leads to a draw with perfect play is 6.0.

You’re right; from the data gathering I did, komis of 6 (territory) and 7 (area) are currently the best estimates for “perfect” komi. However, most rulesets by convention do not allow draws, and give an extra 0.5 as a tie-breaker. The change you’re seeing here brings small boards in line with 19x19.

Two options now if you want to play with komi that allows draws (“perfect” or otherwise):

1. Use the New Zealand ruleset, which allows draws by default.
2. Play unranked games () and set a custom komi.

That said, we might have more options in the future. The plumbing that @anoek and I are working on (to retroactively fix ratings due to old small-board handicap games) will in theory enable the ratings system to understand non-standard komi in general.